26 September 2026 · 8 min read
Your first round on a golf course: the procedure, the pace and what a simulator does first
It is not about playing well but about knowing the procedure. From the tee time to the card, with the five situations that happen on every first round.
A first round on a golf course is rarely what people imagined. It is not about playing well but about knowing the procedure: where you check in, when you hit, how long you may search and when you move on. Know that and you will have a good day, whatever the number on the card.
Before the day: what to book and settle
- Reserve a tee time. By phone or online. Say it is your first round; most offices will then put you in a quiet slot.
- Have your licence and handicap ready. They ask for the number and the index, and both are on the Swiss Golf Card or in the app.
- Nine rather than eighteen. Two hours instead of four, and you will still have legs at the end. For the handicap the round counts just the same.
- Bring somebody who knows it. That is the biggest difference between a good first day and an exhausting one.
- Check the dress code. Every club sets its own; usually a collared polo, no jeans, knee-length shorts. What is customary is in Golf etiquette and dress code.
The procedure, step by step
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 45 minutes before | arrive, check in at the office, pay the green fee, collect a scorecard |
| 30 minutes before | a few balls on the range, then five minutes putting |
| 10 minutes before | be at the first tee, agree ready golf with the group |
| Tee time | start, even if somebody is missing |
| After the round | have the card signed and hand it in, if it is to count |
The 45 minutes sound like a lot and are not. Anyone pulling into the car park five minutes before their tee time starts the round in a rush and never catches up all morning.
Pace is the only rule that really counts
Rule 1.2 expects three things of everybody: integrity, consideration and care of the course (R&A). Consideration in practice means pace, and there are clear numbers for it: the Rules recommend playing a shot within 40 seconds once it is your turn, and they recommend ready golf, which means whoever is ready plays (Rule 5.6).
Three habits help more than any technique. While the others are hitting, walk to your own ball. Search for three minutes at most. And if you lose touch with the group in front, wave the group behind through at the next tee. It costs two minutes and saves everybody's day.
The first tee shot
It is the shot everybody dreads and the least important of the round. Three things make it easier: do not take the driver, take the club you strike most reliably. Aim at the middle, not the edge. And hit as soon as it is your turn instead of thinking it over three times.
If the ball goes badly, the rule that carries the rest of the round applies: walk on. A ruined first hole is a hole with zero points in Stableford, nothing more, and the handicap caps it at net double bogey anyway.
Five situations that will happen
| Situation | What you do |
|---|---|
| The ball might be out of bounds | play a provisional at once and say so out loud |
| The ball is in water | note the crossing point, then one penalty stroke and drop |
| The ball is not found | after three minutes, back to the last shot, one penalty stroke |
| The ball is in a bunker | do not touch the sand, get out the easiest way, then rake |
| A group is waiting behind | wave them through at the next tee |
The rules for all of this are set out in Lost ball, out of bounds, penalty area. For a first round the table is enough.
The four worries, answered briefly
I will hold everybody up. You will not, if you walk briskly and search for three minutes at most. Rounds are held up by long deliberation, not by bad shots.
I do not know the rules. Five situations are enough for a first round, and they are in the table above. Everything else you ask your playing partner, which is entirely normal.
I will embarrass myself on the first tee. On the first tee two people are watching who have to hit themselves in a moment. Take an iron, aim at the middle, and the moment is over.
I will not know where to go. The scorecard has a plan and the paths are marked. When in doubt, go where the group ahead of you went.
Nine holes, nine decisions
On a course you decide the same thing before every shot: safe or bold. For a first round the answer is safe, nine times. That means taking the club you strike, aiming at the middle of the green, playing sideways out of the trees and going round a water hazard rather than over it.
Keep to that and you play boring golf and come back with a card that surprises you. The bold shot is a pleasure for later, once you know how often it comes off.
What ends up on the card
If the round is to count, it has to be registered beforehand and the card handed in the same day; how that works is in EDS rounds explained. If it is not to count, keep score anyway, because otherwise you will not remember what happened after three holes.
At the start it is best to play Stableford: as soon as no point is possible on a hole, you pick up and walk on. That keeps the pace and spares your nerves. How the points work is in Stableford and the scorecard explained.
What is in the bag
Less than you think. Six clubs are enough for a first round, and the other eight allowed stay unused anyway. Add half a dozen balls, tees, a glove, a pitch fork and something to drink.
What makes a round more pleasant than any extra club: an umbrella, a spare shirt in the car and something small to eat after the ninth. Four hours is a long time, and for most people the dip comes between holes 12 and 14.
After the round
Three minutes that belong to it: have the card signed and hand it in if it is to count. Knock the mud off your shoes. And write down what stood out, while it is fresh.
The most useful note is not a judgement but a count: fairways hit, greens in regulation, putts, and how many holes started with a penalty stroke. After three rounds that list shows what to work on in winter, and it is more honest than any memory of the one good shot at the 14th.
What to collect in a simulator first
Three things that help immediately on a course. First your carry distances: knowing that your 7-iron averages 130 metres picks the club in ten seconds instead of a minute. Second pace: 40 seconds a shot can be practised in a bay by letting the clock run. Third a round as a procedure, with club choice and a target, rather than balls in a row.
What a simulator does not supply is the lie in the rough, the slope under your feet and the bunker, and those are exactly the moments that make a first round long. So two or three visits to a practice facility with a short-game area belong before the round. Venues with a bay and coaching are on the training page, and all the venues on the map.
More on this: How long does a round of golf take?, Which tees should I play?, What do you need to play golf?, Uneven lies in golf.
And the course permit
Without it you may not play a 9- or 18-hole course alone in Switzerland. The exam consists of 40 theory questions of which 28 must be right, a part on the practice ground and a part on the course (Swiss Golf). What it asks and how to get there is in The Swiss course permit.
Frequently asked questions
How early should I arrive before my tee time?
45 minutes. Checking in and paying the green fee takes ten, a few balls on the range and five minutes putting take the rest. Ten minutes before the time you are on the first tee. Arrive tight and you play the whole round in a rush.
How fast do I have to play?
The Rules recommend playing a shot within 40 seconds once it is your turn, and ready golf, meaning whoever is ready plays. You search for three minutes at most. If you lose touch with the group in front, wave the one behind through at the next tee.
Should I play nine holes or eighteen?
Nine, for a first round. Two hours instead of four, and you are still concentrating at the end. For the handicap a nine-hole round counts just the same, in a tournament or as a registered EDS card.
What do I wear on a golf course?
Whatever the club requires, and that is on its website. A collared polo, no jeans and knee-length shorts are usual. Golf shoes make sense on a course, but for a first round firm trainers with a sole that does not damage the ground are often enough.
What does a simulator give me before a first round?
Your carry distances, so club choice is quick, a feel for 40 seconds a shot, and a round as a procedure with club choice and a target. What is missing is rough, slopes and bunkers, so two visits to a practice facility belong with it.