Club Etiquette

Golf Dress Etiquette

We maintain a smart-casual dress code on the golf course and in the clubhouse. Appropriate golf attire is required, including collared shirts, trousers, and soft-spike golf shoes or sneakers.

  • Denim pants and shorts are not allowed on the course during play.
  • Shorts are permitted only on the practice range and practice greens.
  • Check and learn any local rules.
  •  Local rules apply only to the specific course you are playing.
  •  If your playing companions suggest a match, it’s a good idea to make sure everyone is comfortable with the stakes.
  • Make sure to place an identifying mark on your ball and inform the other players the type and number ball you are playing

Avoid Slow play

When your group is not keeping up with the pace of play of the group in front of you:

  • Walk at a reasonable speed between shots.
  • Begin planning your next shot as you approach the ball.
  • When you reach your ball, check the lie, select your club and then play your shot.
  •  From the time you select your club until you hit your shot, you should take no more than 30 to 45 seconds.
  •  If you aren’t ready to play when it is your turn, encourage one of your fellow players to play.

Maintaining the course

Replace your divots.

Turf tends to explode on impact, making it difficult, if not impossible, to replace the divot.

  • You can use the toe of your shoe to kick in the turf around the edges of the divot. Replace with sand.
  • Bring a rake into the bunker with you — remembering that you should always enter the bunker from the low side at a point nearest to the ball.
  • Whenever possible, avoid walking on the steep face of a bunker.
  • After hitting your shot, rake the area you played from, as well as all your footprints and any others within reach.
  • Rakes should be left either in or nearby the bunker.

MANDATORY to repair any pitch marks or indentations caused by the ball hitting the green.Using a tee or repair tool, repair the mark by working the edges towards the center, without lifting the center of the mark. Don’t tear the grass. Finish by smoothing the area with a club or your foot. Try to get the area smooth enough to putt over.

On the green, remember

  • Don’t step on your fellow players putting lines — the imaginary line that connects the ball to the hole.
  •  If your ball is on a player’s line, volunteer to mark the ball.
  • If your ball is not furthest from the cup: mark your ball.
  • Do not stand where you might distract a fellow player and don’t move.
  • Avoid any noise when your fellow player is preparing to putt.
  • If you don’t have a caddie and are asked to tend the flagstick, make sure you aren’t standing on anyone’s line.
  • If you lay down the flagstick, lay it gently on the green to prevent doing any damage
  • After everyone has putted out, immediately walk to the next tee.

Miscellaneous

  • If you hit a tee shot into the woods and suspect that it might be either lost or out-of-bounds, the Rules of Golf allow you to play a second or provisional ball.
  • You then have three minutes from the time you reach the spot where you suspect the ball landed to find the ball. If it is not found within that three-minute period, you must declare it lost and play your provisional ball with a penalty.
  • If, however, you play the provisional ball and subsequently find your original ball in-bounds, you must pick up your provisional and continue to play the original ball, in-bounds.
  • For safety’s sake, never hit when there’s a chance you might be able to reach the group ahead of you, and anytime you hit a shot that you think even has remote chance of hitting any other players, yell “Fore” immediately, and make a point of apologizing to any players your ball lands near.
  • Displays of frustration are one thing, but outbursts of temper are quite another. Yelling, screaming, throwing clubs or otherwise making a fool of yourself are unacceptable.
  • As a player, you also have a responsibility to learn and understand the Rules of Golf.

Whether you’re an avid golfer or a casual enthusiast, the Royal Thimphu Golf Course invites you to be part of this remarkable legacy.