The Etiquetteist: 9 golf-cart driving rules that every golfer should follow
By: Josh Sens June 2, 2022
It's not the Indy 500 out there. Be safe!
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In the Etiquetteist’s opinion, the best golf book of all time is not the story of a sweet-swinging Scottish mystic, or an up-from-nothing caddie, or a fabled fourball at Cypress Point.
It’s “Leslie Nielsen’s Stupid Little Golf Book”, a collection of absurdist tips and insights co-authored by the late, great comic actor and Naked Gun star. In addition to wisdom about the grip (“always hold the club at the thin end where that length of rubber stuff is”) and shortcuts for shaving strokes off your score (“skip the last hole”), Nielsen about golf car offers guidance on how to drive a cart.
Among his suggestions is a maneuver that he calls the “Quick Start” — a brief, abrupt acceleration of the buggy just as your playing partner is sitting down, the better to impart a mild case of whiplash. He also recommends a tactic known as the “Brusharoo,” which involves piloting the cart so close to trees and hedges that your passenger gets grazed by leaves and limbs.
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Nielsen is kidding, of course. But even in jest, he points at a truth: There is, indeed, a code of conduct surrounding carts — rules of the road, or rather, the path and fairway, that make the game safer and more enjoyable for all.
With that in mind, here are 9 fundamentals you should read about golf follow if you are unable or unwilling to walk.
1. The 90-degree rule
Everything you need to know about the 90-degree rule you learned in 7th-grade geometry. Designed to minimize wear and tear on turf, it calls for you to keep the cart on the path until you can turn at a right angle to your ball. Often, it applies on a few holes only, especially if it’s a wet day, not the entire course. The starter can tell you where it’s in effect, though the info might also be written on the scorecard, so consider this your chance to use your 7th-grade listening and reading skills, too.
2. The do-no-harm rule
This is Sunday at the course. Not SUNDAY! SUNDAY at the demolition derby. Driven yamaha golf recklessly, carts can be damaging to courses and dangerous to people. So, be smart and safe. Resist the urge to plow through ropes and stakes. Avoid sopping turf, bunker edges, water hazards, grassy mounds, tee boxes, run-ups to greens and greens themselves. Do not floor it around curves. Refrain from off-roading. Oh, and the rare appearance of on-coming traffic is not an invitation to a game of chicken.