Golf is the simple, yet complex, game of gentlemen. It is a game of respect and sports-manship; a civilized sport played with propriety. Our society could learn a great deal from the basic etiquette of golf. It is a game of skill rooted in respect for others and for the course. My husband, Bobby loves golf and he used to play every day. In fact, he used to make golf clubs for himself and other players. In the last year he has started playing again and is having fun trying to get his game back on track. He and two of my nephews hit the links with him when they can.

Like many people who play golf, Bobby was taught to play when he was a young man by men who knew the game and taught him the proper way to play. When he is driving by a golf course he always looks to see if anyone is playing and what condition the course is in. He notices if a course has been aerated and groomed properly. He has an interest in golf course design.

A temperature of 40 degrees and warmer is golfing weather where he grew up playing in West Virginia and Ohio. He was in the Navy for 10 years and has played golf around the world in countries such as Italy, Iceland, Spain, and Cuba. Serving in the military he had many opportunities to work golf tournaments and mingle with the pro golfers. While stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, he worked the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass in Florida a few times and had conversations with Jack Nicklaus. Being Ohio boys, they had a lot in common. When he would run into him, Jack would ask him things like, “How’d you do on the 17th hole?” I am sure it was a heady experience for a young man to be asked such a question from a pro of Nicklaus’ caliber. He also walked alongside the likes of Greg Norman and Fuzzy Zoeller during tournament practice days when players could be more social. He has learned, as we all do, from observing and talking with others.

A couple weekends ago, we were watching a golf tournament on television and Bobby pointed out how the caddy came in behind the golfer and raked over his footprints and divots in a sand trap. He said that golf decorum is to smooth the sand or take care of divots in the grass for the next golfer before moving to the next hole. Then as a caddy came in to pick up a flagstick that had been laid down, he explained that it had to be positioned off the green to prevent any damage to it. One phrase that Bobby heard when learning the game from seasoned golfers was “Leave the bunker better than you found it.”

It is apparent that in the rules of golf, players are responsible for keeping the course and green in good condition. I believe we would do well to transfer that ideology to our town and properties.

The defining core values of golf are considered old school to many people. A few of those values are to patiently wait your turn, do not step in the path of another golfer, remain quiet while a player is about to swing his club, replace divots, repair indentations caused by the ball hitting the green, do not tear the grass, do not distract other golfers, and make sure your shadow does not fall across the hole or line. All these rules are to show respect to other players and to the golf course.

Just as in life, these values need to be displayed for young people learning the game. My generation had role models who taught us through their actions and the way they lived, the importance of how to treat people and property. They demonstrated the right way to do things, that shortcuts were not always best, and patience was a virtue. It is easy to see today the absence of patience in our society while driving our highways and roads. Many people take ridiculous chances on the roadways risking lives with their impatience.

Wouldn’t the world be a nicer place if we all followed the basic etiquette of golf? We should leave people and places better than we found them. Civility and courtesies should not be a rarity. In a world where people can be thoughtless, impatient and downright rude at times, a genteel attitude could go a long way to make the world a better place. Perhaps there is something to be said for the saying, “To learn a man’s true character, play golf with him.”

Pam Lowe is the editor of the Clay County Courier in Corning, Arkansas. She can be reached at pamlowe@claycountycourier.com