Women golfers worry unnecessarily that they’re going to do something wrong on the golf course and embarrass themselves. Here are three situations you may find yourself in and three mistakes that you don’t have to make – or worry about.

Avoid Mistake #1 – Know Your Ball

Jane arrives at a ball on the fairway and asks, “Is this your ball or my ball?” That’s a mistake. Every golfer should be able to identify the ball they are playing with. On the first tee, Jane should have announced to her foursome the brand of ball she was playing with and her special identification marks on it. If she had just said, “I’m playing with a Callaway,” that would not be enough because someone else in her foursome may also be using a Callaway ball.

Jane should have a special mark on her ball, such as her initials (written with a permanent marker) or dots or circles or even a logo from a golf resort or corporate event. Then Jane would have said: “I’m playing with a Callaway and it has a big ‘J’ on it.” (In TV tournaments, there are sometimes close-ups of a player’s golf ball and you can see their personal identification marks.) Some players rely on the number of the ball as well as the brand name – for example, a Callaway No. 3. The problem is that invariably the ball comes to rest with the number face-down in turf. That’s why I like to mark my ball with something more noticeable and larger.

Jane also should have asked the other players in her group what ball they are using. That way, when Jane arrives at a ball on the fairway, she could have said, “Susan, here’s your ball – the Pinnacle with your initial ‘S’ on it.” Knowing who is playing with what ball speeds up play. There are no restrictions on what kinds of marks you can put on your ball for identification purposes. I have a friend that asks her children to draw smiley faces on her golf balls.

A word of warning: If you lose a ball on the course and have to take another from your bag, make sure you have identified the new ball. I like to have all the balls in my bag marked – I use my initial “N” or a black line around the circumference that helps me line up my putts.

Some Technical Rules Info

For those that watched Tiger in the British Open, remember when he hit a drive into a clump of very tall, thick grass? When the officials looked into the grass, they saw three golf balls – two were obviously lost during previous play by other golfers. Fortunately, Tiger had marked his Nike ball with his own mark and could identify which one of the three balls was his. If he had not been able to identify his ball, it would have been deemed “lost” and he would have had to go back to where he last hit the ball – in this case the tee – and hit again with both a distance and penalty stroke. Instead, he deemed his ball “unplayable” and was allowed to drop the ball within two club lengths from where it originally lay, but no closer to the hole – with one penalty stroke but without the distance penalty.

Lost balls are costly mistakes because they require a “stroke and distance” penalty. In my experience, the “lost ball” rule is the rule most frequently ignored. Golfers, in general, are optimists. They hit a ball into trouble and say, “I think I’ll find that.” And, then when they can’t, they decide it will take too long to go back and re-hit the shot so they just drop a new ball on the edge of the woods and take one penalty. You, too, can do this when you are playing for fun, but be sure to know the rule. My suggestion: When you think your first ball may be lost, play a “provisional” or second ball. Tell your playing partners you’re playing a “provisional,” otherwise they may believe you think the ball is lost and you’re re-teeing a new one. Make sure you the second ball has your marks on it. If you find your first ball, great! – play it. If you don’t, play your provisional. By doing this, you won’t slow play down by having to walk back to where you hit your last shot and hit another ball.

Mistake #2 – Know When It Is “OK” to Pick Up Your Ball

Susan is playing with three friends – a casual and relaxed round. Susan has a 36 handicap and shoots around 110 usually. Today is a bad golf day for her. She has hit her fourth shot (on a par-4) into the front green-side bunker. She hits her fifth shot out of the bunker into another bunker at the back of the green. Her playing partners have walked up to their balls on the green and marked them – and stepped aside for Susan to play her ball. Everyone knows that there is a foursome behind them on the fairway.

Susan dubs her sixth and seventh shot and is still in the bunker. (We have all been there!) Susan says, “I am determined to get this out,” as she prepares for her eighth shot. Unless Susan is playing in a tournament and counting every stroke, continuing to hit the eighth shot is probably a mistake.

If Susan is keeping score, she should say that she is just going to estimate how many more strokes it will take her to get in the hole and give herself the lower of her estimated score or the maximum strokes allowed under the equitable stroke control of the USGA Handicap System (see below). Avoid being annoying and slow on the golf course. If you are not playing in a tournament and are having a bad golf hole, it’s okay to pick up your ball especially if the course is busy and you’re holding up play.

Golf purists might disagree with me, but it’s important to remember that most golfers are playing for recreation and fun. So long as a golfer knows how to post legitimate scores for handicap purposes, it’s okay to pick up your ball – toss it out into the fairway or green, drop it on the other side of water, or just put it in your pocket until the next tee. In fact, if you played only 13 holes of an 18-hole round, there is a method for computing your 18-hole score for handicap purposes. To learn more about scoring an unfinished hole or a hole you didn’t play at all, see this article in the www.usga.org site. Click on http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/understanding_handicap/articles/snoopy_sec1_adjusting.html

Avoid Mistake #3 – Learn How to Spot Distance Markers & Know Your Club Distances

Kate and friends are playing on a course they have played a few times. They are using carts, which are increasingly common on golf courses today. Kate’s drive and second shot were pretty good. She pulls her golf cart up about 10 yards from her ball, gets out of the cart and walks to her ball. “How far am I?” she asks. Her friend says, “I don’t know, I was looking ahead to my ball and didn’t look for distance markers?” Kate asks the other two friends, “How far do you think I am from the green?” A friend says, “See that red marker behind us in the fairway, that’s 100 yards to the center of the green.” Kate decides to pace out the distance and walks 20 strides (about a yard each) from her ball back to the marker and then back to her ball. “I’m about 80 yards to the pin,” she says. “What club should I take?”

Kate is making a series of mistakes by not thinking ahead herself. She is probably a nuisance to her playing partners by continually asking them questions and slowing down pace of play for everyone on the course. When Kate began her round, she should have asked someone in the pro shop or the starter how distances are marked on the course.

Then, Kate should have been watching for distance markers as she was driving up to her ball. Once she spotted the 100-yard marker, she should have been thinking about her distance to the green. Most importantly, Kate should know about how far she hits her clubs. She should have picked the two most likely clubs she hits about 80 yards and carried them both with her to the ball – where she would have made her club choice. Be alert to distance markers on the course, think ahead and know your club distances. Resist asking too many questions and learn to make your own decisions.

More and more courses are using the “GPS” system on carts with a video screen that shows you the distance from your cart is from the flagstick. The GPS system also provides pictures of the holes and distances from various landmarks and hazards. If you are playing a course with a GPS system, ask the starter to show you how to use it – it’s not always self-explanatory. Of course, an advantage of walking the course with a pull-cart or caddy, is that it is easier to spot markers as you walk and get a sense of the distances.

To drive home the importance of avoiding this third mistake, think about what Kate’s actions look like to the players behind her. Under the first scenario: the cart stops, player walks to ball, stops (she’s asking questions), walks back and forth as she paces distance, walks to cart, pulls club, walks back to ball, takes her practice swings, finally hits ball (hopefully it’s a good shot).

Under the second and better scenario: Kate stops cart, pulls two clubs, walks to ball, takes a practice swing and hits. That scenario is several minutes faster than the first. Now multiply that by at least 50 fairway shots and the difference in pace of play is almost an hour!

If you No. 1 – Know your ball, No. 2 – Are prepared to just pick up your ball if you are having a bad hole, and No. 3 – Watch for distance markers on the course and know your own club distances, you will avoid making three common mistakes. Golf will be more fun and take less time. That’s the goal: More women playing more golf and enjoying it more.

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Fore is Scottish and is a shortened version of the word ‘before’ or ‘afore.’ The old Scottish warning, essentially meaning “look out ahead,” most probably originated in military circles, where it was used by artillery men as a warning to troops in foreword positions. Golfers adopted this military warning cry for use on the golf course. When a ball is going towards someone or a group of people then you yell “Fore” to warn them that the ball is incoming.

For more information check out the USGA’s Web site.

Shopping for ladies golf accessories can be a lot of fun, especially if you are a golfing fanatic. There are a lot of great accessories that you can buy. These items range from practical tools that you need as a golfer to must have trendy items.

The first type of women’s accessories that you can buy is a practical item. These items are designed to help the average golfer protect themselves and to protect their equipment. This category of accessories includes: sunglasses, visors, caps, head covers, umbrellas, and tees.

The second category is a technical item. Digital range finders provide golfers with digital technologies that help them to build their game strategy, determine how far they are from the hole, and to determine where they are on the golf course.

The third category is a course tool. These tools are designed to repair the damage and wear and tear on the course that you cause during a normal round of golf, as well as to help you retrieve your ball from the sand and the hole. Some of the items in this category include ball retrievers, divot tool, ball marker.

A handicap is not mandatory to play the game. Thanks to handicaps, golfers with different abilities can compete on an equal level. For more information check out the USGA’s Web site.

How did the terms ‘birdie’ and ‘eagle’ come into golf?
Ever wonder where some of the words in golf come from? H.B. Martin’s “Fifty Years of American Golf” contains an account of a foursomes match played where one of the players says: “my ball came to rest within six inches of the cup. That was a bird of a shot… I suggest that when one of us plays a hole in one under par he receives double compensation.” The others agreed and it became known as a birdie.

The term bogey comes from a song that was popular in the British Isles in the early 1890s, called “The Bogey Man”. The character of the song was an elusive figure who hid in the shadows: “I’m the Bogey Man, catch me if you can.” Golfers in Scotland and England equated the quest for the elusive Bogey Man with the quest for the elusive perfect score. By the mid to late 1890s, the term ‘bogey score’ referred to the ideal score a good player could be expected to make on a hole under perfect conditions.

It was only in the late 1900s/early 1910s that the concept of ‘Par’ started to emerge - this being the designated number of strokes a scratch player could be expected to take on a hole in ideal conditions. In this way par was distinguished from bogey.

For more information on these terms and many others visit the USGA website.

One of the hardest things to know when starting to play golf is what to carry in your golf bag. This is somewhat determined by the weather, if you are walking, and how many holes you are playing. If you are walking the course then you’ll want to use a light weight bag. If you are playing 9 holes then you might want to take a Sunday golf bag which would be lighter and only carry about 6 clubs for a nice short game. 

• You should carry at least 6 golf balls and depending on the course you could need several more.
• If you wear a glove for better grip then you might need a couple of them depending on the weather.
• It’s a good idea to keep 2 golf towels with you so that you can wipe your hands and grips dry as well as keep the golf ball clean. This will help you to have better control of your golf club.
• Don’t forget your tees and ball markers, and divot tool.
• Another good one no matter what kind of weather is sunscreen.
• If you know that it might rain then remember to have waterproof shoes, waterproof golf bag and a water-resistant jacket or shirt.

There are some basic etiquettes to golf and you need to know them before heading out to the golf course for the first time.

The first would be safety. Be aware of everyone on the course. Don’t stand or walk in front of another golfer when they are about to take their shot. Don’t throw your club when you don’t like your shot. You could seriously injure someone.

The next rule is similar to bowling where you don’t bowl at the same time out of courtesy and in golf you don’t talk, move, or stand close to anyone making their shot.

Keep up with the pace of play. In essence this means to keep up with the group ahead of you. Don’t take too much time looking for a lost ball. No one wants to be held up because of one group who doesn’t keep up the pace.

Your mom always taught you to put the toys back where you got them right? Well the same applies to the golf course. When you leave the golf course you want to do everything that you can to leave it in the same way that you found it.

• Make sure that you rake over your footprints and anything else you leave behind in a bunker.
• A divot happens when the turf is displaced when the club strikes the ball or the hole left after you hit the ball. You will need to repair these divots before leaving the area.
• Make every effort to repair any ball marks left behind on the putting surface.

Yell “FORE” when a struck ball is heading towards other golfers.