{"id":920,"date":"2014-11-04T09:36:17","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T14:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/?p=920"},"modified":"2014-11-04T09:36:17","modified_gmt":"2014-11-04T14:36:17","slug":"etiquette-gets-scrupulous-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/golf\/instruction\/920\/etiquette-gets-scrupulous-treatment","title":{"rendered":"Etiquette Gets Scrupulous Treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ETIQ_cover_open_ENG\"<\/a>The first thing that occurred to this reporter during a perusal of Golf Etiquette Quick Reference<\/em> was: good timing. Subtitled \u201cA Golfer\u2019s Guide to Correct Conduct,\u201d it may well function as slightly barbed Christmas stocking stuffers for more than a couple of my golf buddies.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the author, Yves C. Ton-That, goes well beyond the nuts and bolts of golf etiquette \u2013 tending the flag, marking your ball, etc. \u2013 to identify a number of peccadilloes that, while annoying, aren\u2019t technically infractions. For example, under the subhead Self-control and restraint<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026exercise restraint as far as the shots of your fellow-players are concerned. Poor shots do not need commenting on \u2013 saying nothing is enough. Good shots should only be praised if the ball lands in the right place, not if it just looks good in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n

Words to live by. Of course, experienced golfers will find some of the material humorous. From the same sub-section:<\/p>\n

\u201cStrong outbursts of emotion (swearing, throwing and breaking clubs or ramming them into the ground) are absolutely taboo in golf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, Ton-That, who previously authored a similar treatment on golf rules \u2013 much of which is reprised here — expands on the subject of etiquette with such useful but tangential information as thunderstorm safety and first aid, equipment, dress codes, and so forth.<\/p>\n

Thus, with the exception of a few quibbles, my problem isn\u2019t with what appears in Golf Etiquette Quick Reference; <\/em>but at a time when few issues in golf are considered outside of their effects on participation levels, the guide\u2019s very comprehensiveness might be intimidating to the novice golfer, confirming his or her apprehension that golf is a stuffy endeavor.<\/p>\n

The back flap of the spiral bound guide \u2013 it\u2019s the same dimensions as a yardage book \u2013 concisely summarizes \u201c10 golden rules for fast play.\u201d (\u201cBe Ready, Take your equipment with you, and Limit practice swings\u201d are the top three.) It\u2019s this positive spin \u2013 an easily digested, common sense approach to making a great game even greater \u2013 that might be more appealing to newcomers.<\/p>\n

Obviously, the list\u2019s appearance on the back cover is part of the quick reference concept, but you could make the case that it ought to be the first thing readers see. Universal observance of the 10 golden rules alone would constitute a vast improvement in the game; most of the rest of it is like the finer points of etiquette.<\/p>\n

In a passage from a release that accompanied the review copy but wasn\u2019t repeated in the guide, Ton-That says: “When you’re in the company of seasoned golfers, or invited to play a private club, saying or doing even one thing incorrectly can make the difference of not being invited back. And with a little preparation and knowledge, you can avoid most any potentially embarrassing situation.”<\/p>\n

Trouble is, I wonder if some prospective recruits may not just avoid any such a potential embarrassment altogether. Thanks anyway, seasoned golfers.<\/p>\n

I confess to occasionally being awed and even intimidated during visits to some of the game\u2019s most imposing and austere venues. Dread of improper conduct never kept me from showing up, however. Once I did, I felt welcome at 99 percent of them, and my return-invitation percentage is right up there.<\/p>\n

As Phil Jackson once told his Chicago Bulls, \u201cFear of the thing is worse than the thing itself.\u201d Ton-That plainly has a passion for the subject of etiquette, not to mention a thorough understanding. The question is, how do we make it cool?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see if my regular playing partners do their homework.<\/p>\n

\u00a0# # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first thing that occurred to this reporter during a perusal of Golf Etiquette Quick Reference was: good timing. Subtitled… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,9,18],"tags":[980429,6708,150024,990],"class_list":["post-920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-instruction","category-golf","category-lifestyle","tag-yves-ton-that","tag-phil-jackson","tag-chicago-bulls","tag-golf-etiquette"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2014\/11\/ETIQ_cover_open_ENG.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=920"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":922,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920\/revisions\/922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}