Tips to be someone others want to play with on the golf course

Golf can be a frustrating sport, but so can playing with someone who just isn't fun to be around on the course.

Here are some helpful tips for being someone others want to play a round of golf with.

Know the unwritten rules

Jake Furr: Golf is recreational for just about everyone reading this, so do your best to be someone others enjoy playing with. Know proper golf manners. Do not throw clubs or temper tantrums. Accept the fact that bad shots are sometimes just a part of golf and stay positive through your round. As the old saying goes, “The worst day golfing still beats the best day working.” Enjoy being around your buddies and playing the game you love.

Also, avoid nonstop talking. It may help your game to talk about everything, but it can be annoying and distracting to many others. Be mindful of walking on the green. Creating cleat marks in your opponent's line is a great way to make him mad and never be invited to play again.

Don't throw tantrums, or clubs

Tyson Deskins, Golf Mechanics Ohio: My take on golf etiquette may be a little different than others, but I agree with many of the long traditional etiquette rules. I have had many conversations with my players, especially my juniors, about being someone that other golfers look forward to playing with.

This game is hard and takes a long time to even play nine holes; you will spend a lot of time with your playing partners. No one likes to play with someone who is yelling at himself, telling himself that he is terrible and throwing clubs. Those type of people ruin the day for the rest of the people in their group. While it may be funny to see a guy sling a club into a pond after a terrible shot, to deal with this for three-four hours straight is exhausting for everyone.

I understand that it is not fun to hit bad shots, or play bad golf and I’m not saying you have to enjoy that, but you can handle yourself in a way that doesn’t ruin the round for you group.

Be generous

Furr: Do not be that golfer who is out for blood. Not being generous is a great way to never be asked to play again. If your opponent has a tap-in putt, known as a gimme, let him have the hole. If they have a tough 3-foot putt and you are not playing for money or you have already won the hole, do not make them putt out. Missing short putts is already humiliating enough, there is no need to try to embarrass your friends. Odds are, if you are generous with your playing partner, they will be just as generous back.

Don't take forever

Deskins: I try to get all my players to understand the importance of a pre-shot routine, but I always tell them this is not meant to take very long. No one likes to play with someone who takes forever over every shot. This game takes long enough. I want all my players to be preparing themselves for their shot while the others in their group are playing theirs. When it’s your turn, your pre-shot routine can be simple and only take 15-20 seconds. When others are playing I would want all my golfers to be respectful and quite when playing in competition, just as they would want from others.

Sharing is caring

Furr: Don’t be that golfer who has a golf GPS or range finder and won’t let anyone else use it. Taking the round that seriously will likely cause you to have no reason to use your equipment, because you won’t have anyone to play with. Help your playing partners out if they ask for yardage. If you don’t, they will likely set a rule at the beginning of the round that no one can use such aids unless everyone can. Don’t ruin the fun for everyone just because you want to be the only one with a competitive edge.

Be green

Deskins: Once on the green, marking your ball and being mindful of not walking in your playing partners' lines is a must. Another must is fixing your ball marks. I’m amazed when I ride around the course at the end of the day to see so many ball marks left in the greens. I ask that if you are on the course and have a group of people behind you and they are having to wait on every shot because you are playing a little slow, the right thing to do is let them play through. I don’t want people hitting shots into groups because they are frustrated on how slow the play is in front of them.

Be fun

Furr: Being fun to play with is the best way to be invited to play again. Laugh at yourself on a bad shot or make a joke about it to make others laugh with you. Don’t offer your constructive criticism unless it is asked for. No one wants to play with a know-it-all. Help others find their ball if they are having trouble. Don’t just not help so your opponent will have to take a stroke when you could have helped save him or her one.

Most importantly, don’t take the game too seriously. Sure, you can want to shoot your best round every time you play, but don’t take the competition to the extreme. If you really want to beat your opponent, do it with your play, not by trying to make them make mistakes or hit from a bad lie.

Have fun

Deskins: Now, here are a few things that I think people should do to enjoy this great game a little more. First off, if you’re not playing in a match, or league, tee off from wherever you feel comfortable. When we play to have fun with a buddy, or a family member, there are no rules and if you will enjoy it more teeing off on every hole from the 200-yard maker, do it. This will get people hitting less shots to the hole and making a par a little more often. Jack Nicklaus calls it Tee It Forward and it’s all about enjoying the game.

This is also great with brand new golfers. I suggest them starting 20 yards off the green, every green is a Par 4 and when they shoot 36 or better from 20 yards, they move back 20 yards and try to shoot 36 again. They do this until eventually they are on the tee box.

With all of the technology we have today, I’m a huge fan of bringing some music to the course. Again, we are out there for quite a bit of time and music is something that makes the downtime between shots flow a little better. I ask people who do this be respectful of those groups around them and turn the music down to a level that they can hear and not the entire course. This is something that makes the round fun and I am all about making this game fun.

Jake Furr is the sports reporter for the Mansfield News Journal and a recreational golfer. He can be reached at jfurr@gannett.com, by cell at 740-244-9934 or on Twitter at @JakeFurr11. Tyson Deskins is a golf instructor at Oak Tree Golf Club and can be reached at 616-890-0749 for personal lessons. He posts free tips on his Facebook page and on Twitter at @TysonDeskins.