1. Equipment
Taking the right equipment to the course involves both rules and etiquette. The rules place a limit of 14 clubs in each golfer's bag. There is no minimum number of clubs you must have, but borrowing clubs from your partners is not a good idea. Borrowing clubs during a round is permissable under certain circumstances, but it is against the rules in most. So it's best for a beginner to simply make sure he or she has all the clubs they need, up to the maximum of 14.

Even if you're not playing strictly by the rules your first time out, you won't want to be badgering your playing partners to borrow equipment.

Make sure you have in your golf bag plenty of tees and, most importantly, plenty of golf balls. After all, if it's your first time out, you'll probably be losing a lot of balls! And take a ballmark repair tool with you (more on course care below). These are small tools that can be found for a couple bucks at most pro shops. You will need one to repair ballmarks on the greens.

Slow play on the golf course is usually a condition that a golfer acquires over time, as he or she acquires bad habits. Or it's the result of the golfer never having been taught proper golf course etiquette. This means a slow golfer can usually be "cured" of his malady. Of course, that golfer has to be aware that he's slow, and that's where buddies come into play.

But as we often take a look at other golfers on the course and notice the things they do to slow down play, so should we take a look at ourselves. When we do take an honest look at ourselves, we often discover we're doing many of the same things to slow down play that we're complaining about others doing.

Before we run down a list of suggestions for speeding up play, it's important to note that many of these tips have nothing to do with rushing your play, but rather with simply being ready to play, and with using common sense and good etiquette on the course.

The bottom line is, as soon as it's your turn to play, you should be ready to step right up and make the stroke.

Here are some tips for speeding up slow play on the golf course:

• Choose the correct set of tees from which to play. If you're a 20-handicapper, you have no business playing the championship tees. Doing so only adds strokes, which add time.

• Members of a group should not travel as a pack, with all members walking together to the first ball, then the second, and so on. Each member of the group should walk directly to his own ball.

Etiquette is a word that's often heard in relation to golf, moreso than with any other sport. But it's not just about manners.

The guidelines for good golf etiquette are what they are for several very important reasons: Many of them relate to the safety of golfers, many relate to pace of play (which helps keep the game enjoyable), and other rules of golf etiquette relate to maintaining the quality of the golf course.

In other words, golf etiquette is an essential part of the game. And it's something that newcomers to the game often learn as they go - on the course, when playing with more experienced golfers.

If you are new to the game, or just need to brush up on your golf etiquette, here are some basic rules of the road that will help keep the game enjoyable for you and those around you.

Keep It Safe
• Do not swing your club until you know that others in your group are at a safe distance. Likewise, keep your distance when others are swinging. Be aware to steer clear of trouble.
• When practicing your swing, never swing in the direction of another player. There may be pebbles or twigs or other matter in the grass that could fly up and injure a playing partner.
• Do not hit the ball until you are certain that the group ahead of you is out of range.
• If your ball appears headed toward another player or another group, give them a warning by yelling out, "Fore!" (an internationally recognized alert)
• Observe the safety suggestions posted in golf carts and drive carefully. Golf etiquette requires keeping your cart off the grass as much as possible. (see golf cart safety for more)
• Never throw clubs in anger. In addition to being rude and childish, it could also be dangerous.

• You can count the number of sand saves you had last year on one hand.

The Problem

You struggle in bunkers because you usually enter the sand too far behind the ball. This means that your club exits the sand at the ball and fails to take the sand directly underneath it, which the ball needs to ride on as it exits the bunker. You know this is happening to you if you often leave your first attempt in the bunker. Sometimes you may even hit so far behind the ball that the club exits before it. That's when you end up skulling the ball over the green.

The Fix

Try the "Umbrella Drill." It's the easiest way to learn how to make contact with the sand in the right spot and float the ball close to the pin.

STEP 1

Draw a line in the sand that arcs around your body. Think of this line as an umbrella. Draw a second line from the center of the umbrella—this is the umbrella's handle. Position the ball on the handle line and take your stance (with the ball positioned just forward of center).

STEP 2

Once you're set, swing your arms along the umbrella line. You'll notice that as your arms swing in the direction of the arc on the way back to the ball, they pull your sternum over the handle of the umbrella. This forward body move allows you to enter the sand closer to the ball and exit the sand in front of the ball, taking the perfect-size divot to float the ball onto the green.

1. You don't feel confident about your backswing.

2. You tend to swing over the top.

Try This!

To get your swing on plane you need to groove a solid position at the top of your backswing. You can practice this a dozen different ways, but here's the easiest.

As you make your backswing, slide your right hand to the bottom of the grip. Notice how this causes your right elbow to fold naturally and your left arm to stay straight and stretch across your chest instead of lifting up, which is a common result of an exaggerated inside move in the takeaway.

After a number of repetitions you should start to feel more comfortable at the top of your swing, and you'll notice a different sensation as you start your move down. Try swinging with your normal grip immediately after repeating this drill several times and the sensation should stay with you. Continue alternating between the drill and regular swings until they feel similar. You should quickly see the shape of your shots change from a slice to a straight ball, or even to a bit of a draw.

What It Is

An easy way to stop you from moving your hips and midsection closer to the ball through impact, an error that typically leads to weak shots that leak to the right and overall poor ballstriking.

How To Do It

Follow these steps:

1) Set up with your backside against your golf bag.

2) Swing your club to the top while maintaining contact with the bag.

3) Swing down through impact, making sure to remain in contact with the bag

4) Repeat.

The secret is to focus on each cheek: Touch the bag with your right cheek on your backswing, and with your left cheek on your downswing. Make sure you rotate around your spine instead of moving laterally and you'll have an easier time doing this correctly.