New golfers often stand on the course and find themselves surrounded by new and subtle rules that may make no sense to them, or may find themselves lambasted for doing something that would have no idea is wrong. This is because etiquette is something often overlooked in those first golf lessons. So much emphasis is put on a simple command to stay quiet, but little else is told.

Quiet is important. Whether on the tee or at the green, unless you are the one swinging the club, quiet is extremely important. Much of this game is concentration and a brief burst of activity. When you stand at the ball, club in your hand, nothing should distract you from play.

Picture yourself, for a moment, at the tee. You think you are alone or your partner is waiting at the cart. You draw back, your backswing perfect and you go to return, ready to knock the ball a good distance, hopefully to the green. A sound behind you startles you and your swing is off, sending what would have been a straight line arc to the green dropping into a water hazard. You turn and your partner has walked up behind you and crumbled a potato chip bag.

"The teeing ground is technically the area between the markers and two club lengths behind the markers." Says Jim Corbett in an etiquette article appropriately titled 'Good Golf Etiquette on the Teeing Ground'. He goes on to further mention noises (such as potato chip bags) and on movement in the periphery.

Other simple issues involve location of play, behavior on the course, but in general, etiquette really boils down to common sense. Fairness. Simple decency. When standing on the course, ask yourself, "What do I want people to do when I'm concentrating?" If you don't mind noise and such, remember that some do. "Does motion distract me while I'm playing?" Don't run around on the course or play in someone's line of sight.

My favorite has to be "Would I want someone to hit a ball in my direction?" If the group in front of you is a little slow, remember that it's a game and you are playing. Racing to the end of the round only means that your round is over.

Patience will become a necessity in this game. Fight yourself so that you will not be fighting others. This will make the game more enjoyable for you, for your partners, and for all of those around you. It will also help keep you from being thrown off the course.

It's often difficult to remember, but golf is a game, a pastime or an obsession depending on who you are. You must, in the interest of being fair, do your best to remember both sides of that. That laughter and fun are acceptable on the walk to your ball or the drive around the course, but not while someone's swinging.

Remember, etiquette is ten percent knowledge and ninety percent common sense.