COLUMN: Golf etiquette is more than just playing quick

Golf is a gentleman's sport they say. It is a respectable sport full of respectable people ... or maybe that's not always true.

I have noticed through my own experiences, as well as watching the pros on TV, that somewhere we have lost some of the etiquette that is expected on a course and in the game.

There are times when golf can be played with friends and maybe be a little more laid back, but it still should be played in a somewhat respectable manner.

Anytime golf is being played in any sort of tournament format or in an event that a player is representing something, the etiquette on the course should be taken much more seriously.

There was recently conflict with this during the women's Solheim Cup in which the Americans were criticized for their unsportsmanlike actions such as walking off greens while the competition still had to putt out or waving their hands in front of their face after they won a hole.

It is understood that they were pumped up for doing something well to help represent their country, however at what point does excitement just become flat-out rude?

As important as it is to keep your bragging under control, it is just as important to keep your temper in check.

It is fine to joke around about your bad play or sometimes it might even be okay to jokingly toss a club after hitting a bad shot, however club throwing, pouting, and the use of loud profanity when you're having a not-so-hot day on the course can make everyone you're playing with uncomfortable.

Don't be the slowest player in the group. Take your time, but know your limits. It is not a difficult task to have your club picked out while waiting on the other players in the group to hit.

This is extremely important in tournament play as rules officials have the power to issue a penalty to the entire group if it falls behind the group in front of it, even if only one player in the group is the cause of the slow play.

I promise you that the other players might not think so highly of you after they get penalized because you being too slow.

Follow the rule that you have been taught as a child: when you use something that is not yours, try and leave it in the same condition that you found it ... In other words, help keep the course nice. This means repair your ball marks, your divots, and rake the sand.

Would you want to find your ball laying in a big divot after bombing your ball down the middle of the fairway? Or how about buried in the middle of a footprint in a bunker when you need to get up and down to keep yourself in the competition?

Take care of the course just so it can continue to stay nice as long as you wish to play there.

Help the other people in your group out. Watch their shots and, if needed, help look for the ones that don't go exactly where they are supposed to.

Instead of saying, "Hey you left your 8 iron over there," you can also grab her clubs or head covers that she forgets and leaves.

As mentioned in one of my first columns, let faster groups play through -- unless you're in a tournament where that obviously isn't allowed.

Dress appropriately for the course. Not all courses have a dress code, but make sure you pay close attention to the items not allowed at courses that do have rules. Don't walk through people's putting lines, don't talk in a backswing, grab the flag out of the hole if your ball is closest so others can take their time to read and roll their putts.

There are all kinds of small things that come with proper golf etiquette that are best learned by spending time on the course and observing things people do that you appreciate and learning from the things that you don't.