Spend one afternoon on a golf course and you'll see things that make no sense from the outside. Someone yells one word at the top of their lungs. Caps come off at the clubhouse door. In Japan, players bow when the round ends. None of it is random. Golf traditions are some of the oldest habits in sport, and most of them started for a practical reason. Here's the short story behind each one.
The short answer: Golf's best-known traditions include yelling "fore" to warn people of an incoming ball, playing 18 holes (St Andrews cut its round from 22 holes to 18 in 1764), heading to the "19th hole," the clubhouse bar, after a round, shaking hands on the final green, and the Masters' green jacket. Many began as practical habits in Scotland.
Jump to:
- Why golfers yell "fore"
- Why there are 18 holes
- The 19th hole
- Handshakes, hats off, and bowing
- The Masters' green jacket
- Lesser-known golf traditions
- Dressing the part
- FAQ
Why Do Golfers Yell "Fore"?
Golfers yell "fore" to warn anyone ahead that a ball is coming. It means look out.
Where the word came from is still argued over. The most common story involves the forecaddie. When golf balls were handmade and expensive, players paid a caddie to stand out ahead and watch where each shot landed. Golfers called out to that caddie before hitting, and over time the shout shrank to "fore." The British Golf Museum points to this explanation.
The USGA leans toward a different theory: "fore" is an old Scottish shortening of "before" or "afore," borrowed from a military warning to troops standing in front of the guns. Either way, the job's the same. Now you'll often hear a direction added, like "Fore, right!", so people know which way to duck. When to shout it, and how loud, is covered in our golf etiquette rules.
Why Are There 18 Holes in Golf?
There are 18 holes in golf because St Andrews ended up with 18, and the rest of golf eventually followed.
On 4 October 1764, the Society of St Andrews Golfers (the club that became the R&A) decided to turn the first four holes on the links into two. The course was played out and back, so that cut the round from 22 holes to 18. It was a fix for one course, and other courses kept all sorts of hole counts for years.
St Andrews' influence made it stick. The R&A's 1858 rules said one round of the links, or 18 holes, counts as a match unless players agree otherwise. By the late 1800s, 18 holes was widely accepted as a full round. For the bigger picture, read about golf's Scottish origins.
And the one about 18 holes matching the shots in a bottle of Scotch? Good bar story, no record behind it.
What Is the 19th Hole?
The 19th hole is golf slang for the clubhouse bar or restaurant, where players head after their round. After 18 holes, the bar is jokingly the next one on the card.
It's where bets get settled and good shots get longer in the telling. The phrase was showing up in British newspapers by the early 1890s. In the US, it's usually a relaxed grill room or patio. In Japan, the clubhouse is part of the round itself: many courses build in a lunch break between the nines, and a hot bath after the round is a common ritual.
Shaking Hands, Hats Off, and Bowing
When the last putt drops, players take off their hats and shake hands. It's plain sportsmanship: whoever won, the handshake ends the match on friendly terms.
Hats come off indoors, too. Wearing a cap into the clubhouse is still frowned on at a lot of traditional clubs, worth knowing if you own more than a few golf hats. Our golf headwear guide covers what to wear on the course.
In Japan, players remove their hats in the clubhouse and bow at the end of a round. There's more on golf culture in Japan, Korea, and the US in our comparison guide.
The Masters' Green Jacket
The green jacket is golf's most famous prize, and it started as a way to spot club members. In 1937, Augusta National members began wearing green sport coats so patrons would know who to ask for reliable information. In 1949, Sam Snead became the first Masters champion to get one, and earlier winners got theirs after the fact. Today the defending champion traditionally helps the new winner into it. The champion can take it home for a year. After that, it stays on club grounds. It's one of many Masters traditions, along with the Champions Dinner and the Par-3 Contest. Heading to Augusta yourself? Here's what patrons wear at Augusta.
Lesser-Known Golf Traditions
Golf traditions also show up in the small moments of a round.
Honors on the tee
The player with "the honor" tees off first. In stroke play, that's whoever had the lowest score on the previous hole. In match play, it's whoever won the last hole. Casual stroke-play groups often skip it for "ready golf," which the rules allow when it's safe.
Marking your ball on the green
On the green, you mark your ball's spot with a small coin or marker before lifting it, so it's out of other players' lines and you can clean it. Then it goes back exactly where it was. Here's how to mark your ball properly. A marker with some personality, like a penguin ball marker, makes the habit more fun.
The mulligan and the gimme
A mulligan is a do-over your friends let you take, usually off the first tee. It's a casual-play custom, and it isn't allowed under the Rules of Golf. Nobody agrees on where the name came from. A gimme is a short putt your partners agree you'd make anyway, so you pick it up. In match play, conceding a putt is allowed by the rules. In stroke play, every putt has to go in.
The golf clap and staying quiet
Golfers go quiet when someone's about to swing. No talking, and no moving in their line of sight. When a good shot lands, the applause is soft and polite: the famous "golf clap." The point is the same: everyone gets a fair swing.
Bird names for scores
Birdie, eagle, and albatross all have a backstory, and we tell it in why golf uses bird names. For the full list, see our guide to golf scoring terms.
Caddies in Korea
In most of the US, a caddie is a treat. In Korea, caddies are part of the standard round at most courses, and that shapes what a round costs. Our guide to caddie fees in Korea breaks it down. Planning a trip? Start with South Korea's best courses.
Dressing the Part: Golf's Oldest Unwritten Rule
How golfers dress is a tradition too. Collared shirts, no denim, and hats off indoors are still the norm at many clubs, long after the days of vintage golf clothing like tweed and ties. Dressing for a private club? Start with our country club outfit guide. New to the game? Read what to wear for your first round and which hand a golf glove goes on.
Seoul and Tokyo take these customs seriously, and it shows in the clothes. Dressing well for the round is part of the respect, which is a big reason Japanese golf wear is so precise. See how the two scenes compare in our guide to Korean and Japanese golf brands.
Golf Traditions FAQ
What does fore mean in golf?
"Fore" is a shouted warning that a golf ball is heading toward someone, so they should duck. The most widely told origin is the forecaddie, a caddie sent ahead to watch where balls landed. The USGA favors an old Scottish military warning, "beware before." Either way, it means look out.
Why are there 18 holes in golf?
In 1764, St Andrews turned its first four holes into two, which cut its round from 22 holes to 18. Other clubs followed, and the R&A wrote "one round of the links, or 18 holes" into its 1858 rules. The idea that it matches the shots in a bottle of whisky is a myth.
What is the 19th hole?
The 19th hole is golf slang for the clubhouse bar or restaurant where players meet after finishing 18 holes. It's where scores get compared and the round gets retold over a drink. The term goes back to at least the 1890s in Britain.
What is a mulligan in golf?
A mulligan is an unofficial do-over. In a casual round, your group lets you replay a bad shot, often your first drive, without counting it. Mulligans aren't allowed under the Rules of Golf, so they don't belong in competition or an official handicap round. The name's origin is disputed.
What is a gimme in golf?
A gimme is a short putt your playing partners concede, agreeing you'd make it, so you can pick up without putting. It's common in friendly rounds because it saves time. In match play, an opponent is allowed to concede a stroke, but in stroke play every putt has to be holed.
What is a golf clap?
A golf clap is quiet, polite applause for a nice shot that doesn't bother anyone nearby. It comes from golf's tradition of keeping the noise down around players about to hit. Big tournament crowds still roar for great shots, but the soft clap is the classic.
Why do golfers shake hands after a round?
Golfers shake hands on the final green as a sign of sportsmanship. It ends the match on good terms, no matter who won. Players usually take their hats off first. In Japan, players also bow at the end of a round, a gesture of respect for their playing partners and the game.
Most of these golf traditions started for a practical reason, like saving an expensive ball or fixing one course. Now you know the why. Use it well at the 19th hole.
