When heading out to play golf, the old “break a leg” you might hear in the theater may not be the best way to wish a golfer good luck.
Too many real-life occurrences with slips, falls, and even golf cart accidents make the thought of breaking a leg a very real fear for golfers.
There are, however, some other ways you can adequately wish a golfer good luck.
Sometimes, tailoring your wish a little more toward the game of golf can be a nice way to make a connection.
For the golfer who is receiving your good wishes, the statement could even have an impact on their golf game.
How to Wish a Golfer Good Luck (11 Ways)
1. “Good Luck”
It may seem simple, but it absolutely works as a way to wish a golfer the best.
Simply saying, “Good luck,” means that you hope the golfer plays well.
This is a good thing to say even if you are playing a match against someone else.
Although a match can be competitive, it doesn’t mean that you want to see another player shoot a high score.
Golfers who are playing in a match want to be able to shoot the lowest score possible, but they don’t want to see the other player have a terrible shot.
Good luck is a classic way of letting someone know that you care about what they are doing and how they are playing.
The next time you see a golfer headed towards the first tee, it is certainly appropriate to wish good luck.
2. “Hit ‘Em Straight”
One of the most frustrating things about being a golfer is when you don’t hit the ball straight.
If you want to learn to play really well, you need to hit the ball straight.
Of course, it will probably be impossible to hit every shot straight, but it is the goal of all players.
Even when you watch golfers on television, they are typically hitting the ball left or right from time to time.
Hitting the ball straight is not easy to do, and since it is a common goal, many people will say it to a golfer as they head towards the tee.
When you are saying, “Hit ‘em straight,” you are essentially saying that you hope all of their golf shots end up relatively straight.
Golfers can respond to this by saying thank you or, “I always try.”
Overall, “Hit ‘em straight” is a great way to wish a golfer good luck.
3. “Play Well”
“Play well” is a more specific way to talk to a golfer about their game.
The idea of playing well means that you will have better shots, make fewer mistakes, and be able to come in with a lower score.
When you hope that another golfer plays well, you will also look for them to find success on the course.
“Play well” is an excellent way of wishing a golfer good luck because it speaks about the short game and the long game.
This terminology doesn’t focus specifically on the golfer around the green or off the tee.
The goal of every golfer who heads out to the course is to play well, so this is a perfect thing to say to an aspiring golfer.
4. “Have a Good Round”
“Have a good round” is a good way of wishing a player luck before they head to the first hole.
With this statement, the round refers to the golf that is to be played that day.
Some people refer to golf as a golf game, and others will call it a golf round.
It really depends on your preference and what you are used to hearing.
Overall, if you say this to a golfer on their way to the tee, they will be happy about what it means for their game.
Whether the idea of a good round for a golfer is a 75 or a 95, this is still an appropriate and polite statement to say to a person.
5. “Keep It in the Fairway”
One of the goals that players have is to keep the ball in the fairway as much as possible.
When the ball stays in the fairway, it makes the next shots to the hole that much easier.
Hitting an approach shot into the green from the fairway is a much better option than hitting an approach shot from the rough.
You can spin the ball from the fairway and get it to stop on the green, but when you are hitting out of the rough, this becomes quite a bit more difficult.
Keeping it in the fairway is obviously easier said than done.
Players need to spend time working on their game to be able to hit it straight and keep the ball in the fairway.
We can wish golfers the best of luck with this process by saying, “Keep it in the fairway,” as they head to the first tee.
When a golfer hits all of their drives for the day into the fairway, chances are they are going to have a lower score.
The lower the score, the happier the player.
6. “Have a Good Game”
As we mentioned, golf can be referred to as a round or sometimes a game.
Many people will say they are working on their golf game or they have a golf game set up for later that afternoon.
Regardless of the way you say it, the idea behind it is the same.
If you tell someone that you hope they have a good game, they are going to know that you are talking about their round of golf.
Again, this is a statement that works for players regardless of their handicap.
Since the idea of a good game can mean different things to different people, this is a very generic statement that anyone will be happy to hear.
7. “Enjoy Your Round”
The entire reason behind going to play golf is that it is an enjoyable sport to play.
People would not continue to spend the time or the money that they do on their game if they didn’t find it enjoyable.
Simply stating that you hope a player enjoys their round on the course is a great way to adjust the mindset from pressure to fun.
Players sometimes put too much pressure on themselves when they are trying to shoot a low score.
If you change the concept to the fact that golf should be enjoyable, chances are it will be a well-received sentiment.
This is a nice thing to say to a player you don’t know all that well because it is not specific about their individual abilities or scoring.
8. “Fairways and Greens”
“Fairways and greens” is a very common good luck phrase in golf.
This is something people in the golf industry and those who have been playing the game for a long time will enjoy hearing.
The idea behind this statement is that you will want to hit as many fairways and as many greens in regulation as possible.
The more time you spend in the rough or trying to get back onto the green, the higher your golf scores will be.
When you start tracking your golf statistics, you will quickly learn that the two significant statistics that people look at are fairways hit and greens hit.
If you can learn how to do this more effectively, your scores will lower.
By saying, “Fairways and greens,” to a player as they head out to the course, you are helping them focus on what is most important in their round that day.
9. “Keep It in the Short Stuff”
Golf is all about the short grass.
The more time you can spend in the fairway and on or about the green, the better your scoring is going to be.
If you are a player who needs to keep the ball in the short grass more often, this is a very nice good luck wish to hear.
If you can spend your entire day on the golf course only hitting shots from the short grass, chances are your score will be quite a bit lower.
This is not a statement you would likely make to a brand-new golfer as they may not understand exactly what you mean.
However, for the players who have been around the game a while, keeping it in the short stuff is certainly a goal to have.
This is similar to saying, “Fairways and greens,” in that it refers to the same thing.
10. “Have Fun”
Golf is supposed to be about having fun, so if you can figure out a way to spend time on the course and have fun, you have figured out golf—at least amateur golf!
The idea behind a round of golf is to shoot a low score but have fun while you are doing it.
All too often, golfers get themselves unnecessarily stressed out about the game, and it takes away from the fun.
If you are a happy and positive person, and you want to spread some of that joy to a miserable golfer, saying, “Have fun,” is a great way to do it.
Even the most serious golfers need to be reminded that the game was designed around the concept of having fun.
The more you can put a bad shot aside and still realize how lucky you are to be out on a golf course enjoying a game, the better off you will be in golf as well as in life.
11. “Go Low”
Golf is a bit different than other sports.
The lower you shoot, the better the day you will have.
One of the best ways to wish a golfer good luck is to say, “Go low.”
This phrase means that you hope that their score for that day is a low one.
This is a statement that is best used for those players who typically score pretty low.
If a golfer typically shoots 110, you probably want to save this comment until they get a bit better.
Saying, “Go low,” is really good for those who can actually score very low.
For instance, if you have a friend who is trying to shoot or break par at the golf course, they will enjoy hearing the “Go low” sentiment.
Conclusion
In the end, there is really no wrong way to say good luck to a golfer.
The mere fact that you are wishing them good luck should be well-received by the player.
Golf is a hard game, and as many golfers will admit, taking all the luck you can get is an intelligent thing to do.
Without a little luck on your side as a golfer, it gets hard to shoot really low.
Find the phrase that works best for you and start tailoring it to the needs of your golfing friends and family.
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