Etiquette on the links.

Most golfers, without fail, can recall the days when they were first learning the game. They didn't become good golfers overnight and they didn't learn golf etiquette in a day, either. Most veteran golfers, therefore, are fairly tolerant of beginners and novices. Still, you owe it to yourself--and them--to get a grip on the customs of the game as quickly as possible. To help you along your way, here are a few rules of etiquette. Remember: You don't have to be a veteran to play with the veterans.

Turn off the cell phone: Golf is supposed to be fun, a chance to interact with new and old friends and business associates. Don't ruin it for them or yourself by bringing along one of life's most highly irritating conveniences.

Pick up your tee: Unless your tee has landed several feet away, you're responsible for picking it up and disposing of it properly.

Keep an eye on the ball: Whether you are playing by yourself or with a group, one of the most immediate and valuable contributions you can make is to watch the flight of the ball. The less time spent searching for lost balls, the better the round of golf.

Five's the limit: Don't search longer than five minutes for a lost ball. It's also common courtesy to release those who are helping you search for balls after two or three minutes.

Those beeping carts: The warning sound that golf carts emit when put in reverse are a nice safety feature, but that incessant beep can be very aggravating to those on the links. Make sure there's room to back up before shifting into reverse.

Show some class: Retrieving your ball from the cup with your putter is considered uncouth. Reach down and do it the right way.

Be prepared: The player farthest from the hole plays first. The player with the shortest putt takes care of the pin. Also, when tending the pin, cusp the flag in your hand to keep it from flapping. Stand so that your shadow doesn't fall across the line of a putt and stand to the side opposite of where the curve of the green is taking the putt.

Cardinal sins: Never step in a golfer's lie. And be quiet when they're attempting a shot.

No bags allowed: Golf bags aren't allowed on the green. When playing without a cart, take your clubs to the spot off the green where you would naturally walk in, going from one green to the next tee.

Mr. Fix It: Take heed to repair your ball marks and other stray ball marks that you may find. If you're wearing spikes, don't drag your feet (scrape marks can be hazardous to putts).

Dress the part: You don't have to go out and buy designer labels, but take the effort to find out the dress code for the course you're going to be playing on. A collared shirt and shorts is the norm, but some courses don't allow shorts.

Don't leave home without them: Even experienced golfers expect to lose a ball or two. Carry some extra ones in your pocket. For those rare occasions when you have to play a provisional, it helps the pace if you don't have to scurry back to the cart.

Name, rank and serial number: Be able to identify your ball. Know its brand, number and any other telltale features. When others are helping search for your ball, it's helpful if you can tell them what they're looking for.

People who know tennis etiquette expect to get it in return, especially in those matches without an official on hand to resolve disputes. And if you've ever seen John McEnroe throw a tantrum, you know that tennis players aren't shy about expressing their feelings. Before someone takes you to task over etiquette during a changeover, or even worse, during a match, take a look at these do's and don'ts.

On a ball that lands so close to the line that you can't tell if it was in or out, you've got to give the benefit of the doubt to your opponent and play the shot. "Show your opponent this one courtesy," says Rich Kaufman, director of officials for the United States Tennis Association, "and it'll get you through a match."

Unless situations dictate otherwise, you should provide your opponent 10 minutes of practice time (five minutes if there are ball persons on hand). Courtesy dictates that you make a special effort to hit shots directly to your opponent and that you not practice your service return when your opponent practices his serve. If playing doubles, partners are allowed to warm each other up at the same time that their opponents are warming up.

Once you have indicated to the server that you are ready, you cannot change your mind and ask for a let, unless there is some outside interference. If you and your opponent want to reach an agreement on how to keep yourselves from having to chase balls that are obviously out, you may do so. In the absence of such a ground rule, when you catch a ball that is in play, you lose the point, regardless of whether you are inside or outside the court.

Any call of out, fault or let has to be made immediately; otherwise the ball is presumed good and still in play. Or in other words, a ball is not out until it is called out. "It's only fair," says the UTSA, "that any time you cause your opponent to expend energy, he should have a chance to win the point; and when you fail in your duties as a linesman, you pay by letting an out ball stay in play. From strictly the practical view, the instantaneous call rule will eliminate much indecision and unpleasantness."

Never try to catch your opponent off guard by returning a first service that is obviously out. Make the call. Otherwise, consider yourself a cheater.

In making a line call, don't seek the advice of a spectator. They may either be biased may offer an opinion without having even seen the shot.

It's considered rude to bounce the ball upwards to 10 times before each serve, or to take more than the allowable 10-minute break at the end of the second set in a three-set match. Also frowned upon is a server who waits at the net, instead of going to the baseline, while an opponent is retrieving a ball.

When a ball from your court goes onto an adjacent court, or a ball from an adjacent court comes onto yours, remember these simple steps:

A. Until play is paused on the other court, don't ask for your ball back and don't run behind that court to retrieve your ball.

B. In returning a ball to the adjacent court, toss the ball or hit it so that it arrives after one bounce to one of the other players, preferably the server.

To help keep disagreements over the score to a minimum, the server should call out the set score before the first serve in each game. The server should also call out the game score before serving each point. In situations where doing so won't delay the match needlessly, retrieve the match balls on your side of the court and give them to the next server, or put them on the baseline of the next server.

Remember, warns Kaufman, while some players may bend over backwards to be fair in a friendly game, don't be surprised to see those players change when the result of a match matters. "I don't think anyone's trying to cheat, but people tend to see what they want to see when there are stakes involved," he says. "You may see etiquette, but it's going to be a lot different. People are going to go strictly by the code. That's fair enough. That's not being unethical. Put it this way, you don't see Michael Jordan calling fouls on himself in a game."