Course Safety

Golf is fun, but it also comes with responsibility. Clubs and balls are hard and can, in the worst case, cause serious injuries. Therefore, safety must never be compromised. Always position yourself so that you are not in the line of play of your fellow players. Also consider people moving along the edges of the course or outside the playing area when preparing to hit.

To help prevent accidents, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the safety guidelines of the Finnish and Swedish Golf Federations.

When Preparing to Hit
​​​​​​​It is important that your playing routines ensure a safe shot.

Here are some basic guidelines:

• Make sure that players ahead, course staff, or any other people are at a safe distance.
• Make sure that no one is in your swing path, and ensure this also when making practice swings.
• Make sure that fellow players positioned diagonally ahead of you know when you are about to hit.
• If the ball is likely to be played into an area with no line of sight, one member of the group must move forward to signal when it is safe to play.
• Players are also responsible for the safety of course staff. Course maintenance personnel always have the right of way on the course. Play may continue only after they have given permission, for example by waving their hand.
• If you wish to signal course staff that you intend to hit, raise your hand and wait for permission to play. If permission is not given after you have raised your hand, you must not hit until the fairway is clear.
• If, despite all precautions, the ball is in danger of hitting other players or people outside the course, the player must immediately shout loudly and clearly “FORE!”

Do not play during a thunderstorm. Suspend play and seek shelter if there is a risk of lightning.

When Searching for a Golf Ball
Routines to ensure the safety of other players:
1. Search for the ball and identify it.
2. If the ball is not immediately found:

• Check whether the group behind is already waiting.
• If so, give them permission to play through by clearly raising your hand and wait for a similar signal in response.
• To allow your own group to move to a safe position, also signal to your playing partners that you have given the group behind permission to play through.

3. If no group is visible behind you:

• Place your golf bag in a clearly visible spot on the fairway to indicate that you are searching for a ball.
• Keep an eye on the group behind you and, if necessary, give them permission to play through by raising your hand.

Link to the Finnish Golf Federation’s page on safety.

Etiquette
Golf is most often played without referees or officials. The game is based on players showing consideration for others, respecting fellow players, and following the rules. All players are expected to behave properly, show courtesy, and demonstrate sportsmanship at all times—regardless of whether they are playing in a competition or a casual round.

Golf etiquette also includes taking care of the course. Before leaving a bunker, you must rake out footprints and divots. You should carefully repair divots on the fairway, ball marks on the green, and any other damage caused by yourself or others.

Pace of Play
A round at Pietarsaari Golf takes approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes on average. The front nine takes about 2 hours, and the back nine approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes. The total time includes a 10-minute break at the clubhouse.

Please keep track of your pace of play. We encourage all players to follow golf etiquette and to allow faster groups to play through at appropriate times.