Members and visitors are requested not only to adhere to the club’s dress code themselves but to also ensure the dress code of their guests complies with the code, both on the course and in the clubhouse.
Individuals must be smartly dressed both on and off the golf course. Failure to adhere to the dress code on the course may result in you being asked to leave the course unless the infringement is rectified and, in the clubhouse, you will not be served at the bar and may be asked to leave the premises.
The R&A rules of golf set out the etiquette and standards expected by all players of golf and details can be found at:  http://www.randa.org/rules/rulessub/rulespage  
Portal Golf Club is a friendly and welcoming club; however, we do ask that members and visitors adhere to the guidelines below both on and off the course:

1. Dress Code
• Course – Proper golfing attire is required at all times.
• Trousers.  (No tracksuit / jogging bottoms, combat trousers or jeans)
• Shirts with collars and sleeves.  (No vests allowed)
• Golf shoes – not trainers
• Smart fitted shorts.  (No cycling shorts / football shorts or highly decorated Bermuda shorts) - If wearing a peak cap, it must be worn with the peak at the front and not worn in the Clubhouse
Members and visitors are asked to follow the dress code applied by the Club and also to advise their guests playing the course or attending a function on their behalf.  The Club encourages a reasonable standard of dress in the Clubhouse, with a ‘smart but casual’ approach for golfers based on clothing that is principally designed for golf.    
Staff may refuse admission to anyone dressed inappropriately.  We would ask all members to refrain from wearing caps/hats whilst in the Clubhouse.   
Mobile Phones - Observe etiquette and don’t let your mobile be a distraction for other players or customers.   

2. The Spirit of the Game
Golf is played, for the most part, without supervision of a referee or umpire.  The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the rules.  All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be.  This is the spirit of the game of golf.

3. General Safety Points
• Always consider your safety and that of your playing partners, fellow players, greens staff and members of the public.
• You are responsible personally for any injury or damage that you cause and you should have personal
• liability insurance sufficient to cover any injuries to yourself, fellow players, members of the public
• and damage to property.
• Members of the public have right of way on all public footpaths.  You MUST NOT play your shot if a member of the public could be placed in danger
• Do not play a shot if fellow players are within range especially if visibility is impaired.
• Do not play a shot if greens staff are working ahead – wait until they have waved you on and stood
• clear.
• Do not tee off in foggy conditions if you cannot see the first left hand bunker on 1st hole.
• Observe the safety instructions for buggies on the course.

4. Safety Hole by Hole
• Hole 2 - Be aware that a public footpath runs down the left-hand side of the fairway. Players in the group in front should ring a bell to notify that they have left the green as it may not be visible on approach.
• Hole 4 – The fairway slopes from left to right. If your drive is heading for the trees on the right, please shout Fore to alert anyone on the 6th tee.
• Hole 6 – Watch out for drives coming from the 4th tee. There is a hut that you may stand in when waiting on 6th tee. If a ball lands near you then please take a flag marker from the bucket and place it where the ball has landed to help other players locate their ball.
• Hole 8 – Be aware of stray drives to the right that may go over white fence and land on 7th green below. Alert players behind you if this happens.
• Hole 9 – Please ring the bell halfway down the fairway as you pass to alert those players behind you on the White tees that they may proceed. Don’t play until the bell has rung.  
• Hole 10 – Take care around the safety fence above the pond/deep water below.
• Hole 15 – Allow players ahead to descend to the 15th green and leave the green before taking your drive from the tee at the top.
• Hole 17 – Take care around the pond, weir and bridge.
• Hole 18 - Blind shot from yellow/orange and white tee.  Don’t play until players ahead have rung the bell halfway down the fairway

Pace of Play
Golfers, golf clubs and competition organisers have differing views on what constitutes acceptable pace of play, but they are all agreed that slow play detracts from the enjoyment of the game for far too many players. Few players complain about play being too quick There is a responsibility therefore on all players to ensure that golf is played at a good pace, and a pace appropriate to the course being played. Factors that may influence what is considered an appropriate pace may be the difficulty of the course, distances between tees, the weather and also the range and ability of the players on the course. The guidelines below, if adhered to, will help ensure a reasonable pace of play:

On the Course
• All players must maintain their place in the field, which is immediately behind the group in front and not ahead of the group behind. This is a group responsibility and not an individual one. All members should be proactive in addressing the slow play problem
• Should your group fall a clear hole behind (e.g. you are on the tee of a four or five par hole, and the previous group has already left the green) and it is delaying the group behind please invite the group behind to play through (irrespective of the number of players in that group)  
• If you hit a ball that you think may be hard to find, or it may be out of bounds, please hit a provisional ball to save having to walk back if the first ball can’t be found
• No more than three minutes is allowed to search for a ball. Be ready to call through if you can't find your ball within two minutes and proceed by enforcing the golf rules governing the conditions under which your ball was lost. If more than one ball needs to be found, split up and search for all the balls at the same time
• Go to your ball and get ready to hit your next shot as soon as it is feasible, i.e., not impeding another player's shot or endangering yourself. Don't always wait for your mate to play before going to your ball – see ‘Ready Golf’
• Short hitters to tee off first
• Walking briskly between shot
• Leaving your golf bag, buggy strategically placed to side of the green nearest the next tee
• Buggy users should be particularly aware of the extra time taken in sharing a buggy and look for ways to speed up play, for example, move ahead of walkers to look for possibly lost balls, try to position the buggy for easy access when leaving the green to reduce the number of times that you have to get in and out
• Always conduct yourself in a disciplined manner. Try and demonstrate courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive you may be - this is essentially the ‘Spirit of the Game’

On the Green
• When you reach the green, move to your ball and repair any pitch marks. Where possible, line up your putt prior to your turn to putt
• If your ball needs to be marked, then do it as quickly as you can. Anticipate the requirements of your fellow player. Move back and line up your putt
• Except in match play, and where you will stand on someone else's lie, when you start putting, continue until you have holed out. If playing a par or stableford event and you can no longer score on that hole, pick up your ball and let others continue
• The first player to finish putting should take control of the flag and be ready to replace it in the hole when the final player has completed the hole
• Players should proceed to the next tee without delay. The following group should be waiting to play their approach shots, so the path taken to the next tee should be borne in mind. This is particularly the case on holes 3, 7, 12 and 17. Think ahead; leave your buggy in a place where you won't be hindering the following players
• Cards should be marked as quickly as possible after completing the hole, but it is best to mark the cards at the next tee. Please mark your card when it is not your turn to play and remember, at all times your place in the field is immediately behind the group in front and not in front of the group behind.

Ready Golf
• With more members keen to play it is important that we all address ‘pace of play’ issues.  A simple change is to play ‘Ready Golf’ on the course and on the putting green
• Allowing players to play when they are ready to do so, rather than adhering strictly to the “farthest from the hole plays first” stipulation should be encouraged, except during match play games. Examples of ready golf include playing when someone in your group is assessing a tricky shot, shorter hitters playing first if longer hitters have to wait and hitting a shot before helping someone to look for a lost ball. Another is putting out as long as you are not on someone’s line
• Being ready to play should be very easy and considerable time will be saved if players do these things efficiently. For example, if each player in a four-ball that shoots 80 each takes an average of five seconds less to play each shot they will save over 26 minutes (80 shots x five seconds x four players)
• We would like our members to make a point of applying this at Portal

Pitch Marks & Divots
We pride ourselves on the condition of our greens throughout the year. However, such playing surfaces can only be maintained if all golfers repair their pitch marks on the green.  We would ask you to not only repair your pitch marks, but ensure that all players within your group adhere to this policy – and look for another one to repair – if we all do that, we will make a big dent in the problem.  
Golfers are also responsible for the repair of all divot marks. If you make a divot, please replace it in its original location to help maintain the quality of the general play areas.

Rubbish
Please dispose of rubbish such as wrappers, cans, bottles, cigarette butts, fruit etc in the bins provided by each tee. Broken tees should be placed in either the broken tee box by the tee or in the bins provided.