Etiquette: Walking off the green...

[Matt J]

As a kid learning to play, I was taught not to leave the putting green until everyone has holed out.

 

Last year playing at a destination resort with caddies, my caddy continuously walked to the next tee box while the other group was still putting. I brought it to his attention and he stated that their community did not view it as impolite and that all of the caddies did it. Resort definitely places a huge priority on pace.

 

I've noticed tournament players including tour pros sometimes leave the green before the last player has holed out.

 

Yesterday one of my playing partners did it on accident, although I didn't even notice, and then apologized stating he didn't notice I still had a putt left on the green.

 

What say you? Rude or acceptable? Less than ideal but okay when pace is a concern?

[rogolf]

I learned the same as you did. Imo, it's rude, even considering pace of play concerns. Again, imo, if a player were to tee off the next hole before everyone had holed out, he has left the group in breach of Rule 6-3b.

[Edaw68]

I agree with you, I won't leave the green until everyone has holed out, absent some exigency. I'll give some leeway to caddies depending on their role. At a lot of places they aren't just traditional caddies, but also have kind of hybrid roles as course marshals for pace of play. Since I am in favor of a brisk pace of play, it doesn't bug me if caddies do that.

[CAT GOLFER]

I'm fine with the caddy moving ahead, I think players should stick "close" to the green.

[cardoustie]

caddy allowed ahead, no issues at all with that

 

Players within 10 yards of green is my vote

[sui generis]

I referee AJGA events from time to time. Their aggressive pace-of-play policies would make most of us cry out in pain! These top tier high school age players are whipped around the course. (When they get to college, they learn to play at a snail's pace.)

 

Anyway, first player to hole out immediately goes to the next tee and gets ready to hit. Second player to hole out picks up the flagstick.

[Argonne69]

In a casual round, pace of play rules. I don't have an issue with it provided that it doesn't distract a player putting. First player to hole out grabs the flag. The 2nd and 3rd players to hole out head to the next tee while the 4th holes out.

[rsj1360]

It's rude. It's a social game. Speedsters can get over it.

[Kaysquare]

I don't usually walk off the green early, unless there's a particular player who is just pathetically slow & there's a group waiting behind us. I'll sometimes walk off early to try to get the message across that we need to pick up the pace (it rarely works though, I'll admit). People who are pathetically slow don't usually pay much attention to hints to pick up pace. :taunt:

[Dan42nepa]

When i caddied a thousand years ago, when we had two caddies, one took care of the green while the other went forward on the next hole to spot balls from the next tee.

[Argonne69]

It's rude. It's a social game. Speedsters can get over it.

 

I guess that that's the fundamental chasm that will never be bridged between slow players and fast players. I'm on the course to play golf, not socialize. If I want to socialize, I can spend hours in the clubhouse after the round trading war stories. When I'm on the course, I want to keep it moving. The Brits play rounds in 3 hours or less walking, and then drink for several hours afterwards. Sign me up. American golf consists of riding around in electric carts drinking six packs of warm urine, i.e. "beer", while hobnobbing with their fellow hacks.

[NorthTexasGlfr]

The only time you should leave the green before everyone has putted out is if you have to go pee.

[rsj1360]

It's rude. It's a social game. Speedsters can get over it.

 

I guess that that's the fundamental chasm that will never be bridged between slow players and fast players. I'm on the course to play golf, not socialize. If I want to socialize, I can spend hours in the clubhouse after the round trading war stories. When I'm on the course, I want to keep it moving. The Brits play rounds in 3 hours or less walking, and then drink for several hours afterwards. Sign me up. American golf consists of riding around in electric carts drinking six packs of warm urine, i.e. "beer", while hobnobbing with their fellow hacks.

You mean between speedsters and polite people ...

[rogolf]

It's rude. It's a social game. Speedsters can get over it.

 

I guess that that's the fundamental chasm that will never be bridged between slow players and fast players. I'm on the course to play golf, not socialize. If I want to socialize, I can spend hours in the clubhouse after the round trading war stories. When I'm on the course, I want to keep it moving. The Brits play rounds in 3 hours or less walking, and then drink for several hours afterwards. Sign me up. American golf consists of riding around in electric carts drinking six packs of warm urine, i.e. "beer", while hobnobbing with their fellow hacks.

You mean between speedsters and polite people ...

You're exposing yourself ..... as a slow player, Be prepared for justified criticism.

[rsj1360]

It's rude. It's a social game. Speedsters can get over it.

 

I guess that that's the fundamental chasm that will never be bridged between slow players and fast players. I'm on the course to play golf, not socialize. If I want to socialize, I can spend hours in the clubhouse after the round trading war stories. When I'm on the course, I want to keep it moving. The Brits play rounds in 3 hours or less walking, and then drink for several hours afterwards. Sign me up. American golf consists of riding around in electric carts drinking six packs of warm urine, i.e. "beer", while hobnobbing with their fellow hacks.

You mean between speedsters and polite people ...

You're exposing yourself ..... as a slow player, Be prepared for justified criticism.

As a note there is typically the majority between the extremes. Things don't come in binary - fast vs slow, big vs small, etc.

[tdk8180]

I only leave the green if 3 options are present.

 

1.) I have to make a dookie or a warm energy drink, and theres a nearby crapper.

 

2.) My opponents have irritated me to a point where this could be thought of as a subtle F U move.

 

3.) Im playing with guys who simply dont give a wank.

 

I never leave the green early when disgusted with myself, you look like a child leaving the green.

[Divot License]

If any courses around me had caddies I'd be happy to let them vacate the green while players are putting but the other players should stay out of respect. Wandering to your bag to put your putter away is fine provided it's greenside but anything else is getting rude. You wouldn't expect your playing partners to start walking down the fairway while your still teeing off.

[Shipwreck]

If I am the 2nd or 3rd in, I will exit the green at the nearest point (keeping in mind the other golfers line of course) but remain on the fringe until the last person is out. Like others, I will start walking to the next box if pace of play is an issue, and while it may not actually do anything, at least I'm letting the others know that we need to keep moving along.

[thibbard20]

after I hole out I'll walk to the edge pick up my head cover/wedge or hold the flag. Sometimes it does feel rude to just turn around whilst others are putting though.

[SheriffBooth]

The Rules of Golf clearly state that when playing a round with your bros you are to stand overly close to the hole and then high five enthusiastically when that 5-footer goes in. Don't any of you people watch television or read magazines?

[SHIVAN]

I learned the same as you did. Imo, it's rude, even considering pace of play concerns. Again, imo, if a player were to tee off the next hole before everyone had holed out, he has left the group in breach of Rule 6-3b.

 

If a player tees off on the next tee, prior to a hole out by someone else in the group on the previous green, you'd have to determine the "fast players" intentions, FIRST. If his intention is to leave the group for the remainder of the round, with no clear instruction that he has been allowed that variance, THEN there would be a breach. If he is just an impatient guy, and hates your face on the tee box, then there is no breach. Sorry. Poulter did this a year or so ago, as they were racing the dark. No penalty, or DQ.

[SNIPERBBB]

As did Mickelson a while back as well so they could get teed off before the cutoff so they could finish the next hole.

[SadTrombone]

Rude. You don't need to do that to play in 3 hours.

[Hack1]

Not applicable to me. I am always the last to one putt and my playing partners cheat.

 

So, I gotta watch em.

 

 

Seriously though, I am always looking to pick up the flag or partners wedges laying on the green when there are no caddies.

 

Also, quick to say "Nice Putt" or "Damn you got robbed", etc. etc.

 

Kinda guy I am. ;)

[TheCityGame]

It is actually in the etiquette section of the rules manual.

 

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules/rules-and-decisions.html#!rule-14252

 

On the Putting Green

 

On the putting green, players should not stand on another player's line of putt or, when he is making a stroke, cast a shadow over his line of putt.

 

Players should remain on or close to the putting green until all other players in the group have holed out.

 

Personally, I don't leave the putting green early unless I have to go take a leak or something, and I'll apologize for it. Sometimes if I'm playing a place that has a long walk green-to-tee, and I'm playing with carters, I'll excuse myself. I've seen caddies do it, in an effort to go ahead and forecaddie or something. Similarly, occasionally, there are some par 3's where the road leaves to the right or left to go around a hazard. If I'm playing with carters, I'll mention that I'm going to start walking around. . .and I'm talking about the path leaving at almost a 90º angle.

 

E.g.

 

 

[VNutz]

For a caddie I've got no problem with it. When I caddied routinely one of the caddies in the group would go ahead to the next tee and get yardages and everything figured out before the players got there. This is fine by me, especially if they're a resort course trying to enforce pace of play.

 

For the Tour, they're constantly being told things are moving too slow and/or they at risk of being on the clock, so I've got no problem with a player moving to the next tee to be able to be prepared. Jack was always referred to as slow over the ball, but he got to it quickly to try to make up for it. It's different for a green and tee, but the same philosophy IMO.

 

When I play with others I stick around, unless I've got to use the bathroom or adjust something like changing clothes mid round. I've had a time or two where I've been mad at myself and just needed to walk away for a moment to gather myself. Only once or twice have I walked to the next tee to try to get the point across that others are being incredibly slow, and usually those are very extreme examples, or when pushed by a ranger.

[HighSpeedScene]

It's rude. It's a social game. Speedsters can get over it.

 

I guess that that's the fundamental chasm that will never be bridged between slow players and fast players. I'm on the course to play golf, not socialize. If I want to socialize, I can spend hours in the clubhouse after the round trading war stories. When I'm on the course, I want to keep it moving. The Brits play rounds in 3 hours or less walking, and then drink for several hours afterwards. Sign me up. American golf consists of riding around in electric carts drinking six packs of warm urine, i.e. "beer", while hobnobbing with their fellow hacks.

You mean between speedsters and polite people ...

You're exposing yourself ..... as a slow player, Be prepared for justified criticism.

As a note there is typically the majority between the extremes. Things don't come in binary - fast vs slow, big vs small, etc.

 

Said the guy that just put a 0 next to one thing and a 1 next to another.

[Matt J]

Reading back over these posts, I guess part of the issue, was that I felt drawn to walk with my caddy. He would often wait until we were out of earshot and then strike up a quiet conversation about the next hole, golf, life, etc.

 

The other group was a threesome with one shared caddy. They had plenty of people to hold the pin and witness the score. We weren't playing for anything other than fun, either.

 

This is exactly the kind of situation that makes you feel torn. The people were nice and I didn't want to be rude, but I was enjoying the caddy's company.

 

I don't feel the distinction as much in my normal groups. I typically try and reciprocate good etiquette and then am a little more lax with this kind of thing with guys that are overtly slow. I would never leave the green with one guy or gal on it, because I would be holding the pin, but when there are three guys standing around watching a guy putt then I don't feel bad walking off anymore. I typically walk about half way to the next tee box and then stop and watch them actually hit the putt.

 

I guess the same thing goes for watching a guy's ball off the tee. I typically stand a ways back and watch very carefully even after I've hit, but sometimes if you're writing down the score or checking yardages and there's two attentive guys in your group maybe you don't look up. Have to admit it drives me absolutely nuts when cart golfers go sit in their cart when everyone else hits. Thanks buddy. Your partner just hit it way up in the junk, but you have no idea the line and I'm walking so you had two or three minutes before I even get there if you had any idea where it went. Should go add that to the pet peeves thread :)

[Bonneville85308]

I used to play with a guy who would hole out and immediately head over to the next tee and hit while the others putted out, just his way of saving time. Not something I'd do, but didn't bother me one bit. I usually only leave the green early if I have to use the bathroom or make a phone call and don't want to hold anyone up.

 

As others mentioned, when I was a caddie on certain holes it was expected that one of the two caddies in the group would leave the green early, either place their players' clubs for the next tee on the tee or give them to the other caddie, and walk out to forecaddie on the hole. The caddie still on the green would collect all 4 putters after everyone holed out. I don't see the point of the caddie in the OP just going to the next tee and standing there.

[2bGood]

Caddies moving ahead is fine. They often work as team an one might be moving bag overs since his man is done putting to keep things moving. Caddies get a pass, but in general others need to stay at the hole.