What are tee times? A tee time or also known as a starting time is when you are expected to arrive at the first tee. Tee times or a tee time can be made in person in the golf shop, you may call the golf shop and some courses will allow you to make a tee time on the internet. Once you have a scheduled tee time, you are responsible for arriving at the course at a time which allows you to visit the golf shop to pay your proper fees, warm up on the practice tee and practice putting green as well as eat in the restaurant or snack bar if needed. Clubs and courses vary on how far in advance you are able to make a starting time. Call the club or course to find out what their rules are. Understand, if a tee time is missed you may be charged a "no-show" fee. Again this is different from golf course to golf course.
When making your starting reservation, also learn the dress code of the facility. Clubs have a wide variety of rules when it comes to their individual dress code. Denim may be clear to wear at one club and prohibited by dress code at another club. Fashion has actually gotten into golf and wearing a Tiger-like fancy mock t-shirt could be accepted at one course and not another. In addition, most clubs only allow soft spikes on your golf shoes. It is the player's responsibility to be aware of and know the dress code policies of a club.
What about tipping while at the golf course? Again, first check with the club or course because there are some clubs that do not allow tipping. Most do. It is common to tip one to two dollars per bag upon arrival or leaving after your round, if you receive proper assistance with your bag or bags. The restaurant and the beverage cart are typically tipped on basic restaurant guidelines.
Once on the golf course there are some common rules that should be followed. The rules of golf state that there is no limit on how few clubs you can carry in your bag however you are limited to fourteen clubs in your golf bag. In a competitive situation you will be assessed extra strokes for this type of infraction.
Before going onto the golf course, you need to understand how to repair a divot in the fairway or rough. This is important to insure proper maintenance of the golf course. On the green you need to know how to properly repair a ball mark made on the putting green. If repaired properly the turf can repair itself in a few days. If the ball mark on the putting green is not repaired properly, it could take weeks for the turf to repair itself.
Before venturing out to the golf course, use these how-to and rules to make sure it is a great experience.