Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Where is Stackstown Golf Club?
Stackstown Golf Club is located in the foothills of the Dublin mountains in Ireland. It is about 10 miles from the city centre and just minutes from the M50 – the motorway ring road around Dublin. Precisely, on google earth, we are located at Longitude 6.26 W and 53.26 N. See our Location details for more information.
Do you recommend any hotels in the Rathfarnham area?
Rathfarnham and the surrounding area have many fine hotels and bed and breakfasts.
Does Stackstown Golf Club have practice facilities?
Stackstown Golf Club provides Members and Visitors with excellent practice facilities including a practice range, putting green, and chipping green. Lessons are also available from our resident PGA Professional, Michael Kavanagh.
Do you hire buggies?
Yes, we have buggies for hire at €30 per buggy.
Is there a dress code in Stackstown Golf Club?
On the Golf Course. Appropriate golf attire should be worn on the golf course. The following are not acceptable: Denim Wear of any type. Singlets, sleeveless or collarless shirts. Track suits or Leisure suits. Beach Wear of any kind.
In the Clubhouse. Neat Casual Dress appropriate to the clubhouse must be worn. Smartly tailored denim may be worn. Any type of footwear worn on the course is not acceptable in the clubhouse.
Mobile Phone Use. In the clubhouse, mobile phones may be used in the Locker Rooms, Reception area on the Ground Floor, and on the Landing outside the bar.
Smartphones may be used to access the Internet in the clubhouse. The use of Mobile phones on the course should be limited to medical emergencies or equipment breakdowns.
What facilities do you provide in your Clubhouse?
Within the Clubhouse visitors are welcome to use the changing rooms and showers.
We also have the Padraig Harrington room, open to viewing and available for meetings, training courses, etc.
What is Golf Etiquette?
Golf etiquette is a set of rules – both written and unwritten – that governs behavior on a golf course. Simply put, golf etiquette is good manners.
The rules of golf etiquette are designed to keep golf enjoyable for everyone on the course by making sure that :
• golfers keep moving (preventing the rounds from becoming interminably long)
• that everyone remains safe.
• that players are, simply, nice to each other – no gamesmanship, no deliberate or inadvertent interference with another player’s game.
Some examples of golf etiquette are as follows :
In order to help the player’s concentration, do not speak or move.
Only play when the preceding group is out of range, if you are not sure about the layout of the course, check before proceeding.
If you miss-hit the ball in the direction of other players, shout loudly to warn them. The same applies to situations where you may find maintenance workers on the course: before playing, inform them of your presence and wait until they have moved to the side or signal you to proceed. Golf balls can hurt enough to require medical assistance.
After taking your shot, check to see if you have created any divots and if you have please replace them.
Always enter and exit the bunkers from the lower side. Don’t ruin the weak banks. Before leaving, rake smooth any areas you have disturbed and where you have made footprints. When you’ve finished place the rake back in the bunker.
If you lose your ball, let the following group pass before 5 minutes are up. If your group is late or slow, always allow others to overtake.
On the green repair your pitch mark or any others that you see. This protects the putting surface and speeds up the healing process. Un-repaired pitch marks take up to a month to disappear, whilst if they are repaired, it only takes 24 hour
Can you explain some of the golf terms that are so frequently quoted?
Air shot – Striking at the ball intentionally and missing it. It is counted as one shot.
Birdie – Scoring one under par.
Bogey – Scoring one over par.
Bunker – Sand trap on the course, could be green side or in the fairway.
Casual Water – A temporary accumulation of water on the course where you may take a free drop.
Chip – A short and low trajectory shot struck from near the green with a medium lofted club. Doesn’t travel very high or very far in the air and rolls a long way after landing on the green.
Divot – Turf that is removed from the ground when a player’s swing hits the grass.
Dog-leg – A hole that does not follow a straight line from the tee to the green.
Double Bogey – Scoring two over par.
Draw – A shot that curves slightly from right to left.
Eagle – Scoring two under par.
Fade – A ball that curves slightly from left to right.
Fairway – The grass between tee to green that is kept well mown.
Fore – A warning is shouted to alert other players that a ball in flight is heading in their direction.
Green – Closely mown grass we putt on.
Gross – The actual number of strokes a player has taken before his handicap is deducted.
Ground Under Repair (GUR) – A damaged area of the course in which you may take a free drop.
Halved – A hole that each player or side in a match competition has played in the same number of strokes. It means a tie, or one half a hole for either side.
Handicap – A number allotted to a player which reflects their ability or relative ability. It allows them to compete on an equal footing with other players.
Hazard – In general use, any natural obstacles on the course, such as trees, ponds, ditches, bunkers, etc, but more specifically by rule–bunkers and water hazards.
Honour – The right to play from the teeing ground determined by the lowest score on the previous hole or on the first tee by the flip of a coin.
Hook – A ball that starts right of your target and curves left.
Lateral Hazard – Water hazard that is generally to the side of the hole and your ball cannot be dropped behind it. Marked with red stakes or lines.
Loose Impediment – Natural objects that are not fixed or growing, such as twigs, loose rocks, pine cones, and leaves.
Lost Ball – Any ball that cannot be found within 5 minutes of starting to look for it, and wasn’t seen to go into a water hazard of any type.
Match Play – A form of competition in which each hole is a separate competition. The winner is determined by the number of holes won rather that the total score.
Nett Score – A player’s score having subtracted the handicap from the gross or actual score.
Obstruction – Anything artificial or man-made whether erected or left on the course, as well as artificially constructed roadways or paths.
Out of Bounds (OOB) – Any areas outside the boundaries of the course in which play is prohibited, as defined by white stakes.
Par – The allocated number of strokes given to each hole and the full round. Based on the length of the hole and allowing for two putts.
Penalty Stroke – A stroke is added to the score for an infraction of the rules.
Pitch – A short lofted shot from around the green that goes high and doesn’t roll all that far after landing.
Plug Mark – An identification made by a ball landing on the green.
Provisional Ball – Another ball that is played when you think your ball might have gone out of bounds or is lost.
Pull – A ball that starts left of the target and stays left.
Push – A ball that starts right of the target and stays right.
Putt – A stroke played on or near the green to roll the ball along the ground, normally with a putter.
Rough – Taller grass that lines the fairway.
Rub of the Green – The occurrence of a ball that is in motion being deflected by an outside agency.
Slice – A ball that starts left of your target and curves right.
Stance – The position of the feet when addressing the ball.
Stroke – The name given to each attempt to strike the ball.
Stroke Play – Competition where only the gross and net scores are counted. The winner is determined by the lowest score for each round.
Take a Drop – The name given to the act of picking up the ball and dropping it in another spot in accordance with the rules.
Tee Box – Starting place for the hole to be played.
Through the Green – All of the area of the course with the exception of the teeing ground, the green, and any hazard.
Topped – A rolling or low bounding shot that is caused by striking the ball above the center line.
Water Hazard – Any sea, lake, pond, river, ditch, surface drainage ditch, or another open water course (doesn’t have to contain water) Defined by yellow stakes or lines. (Stakes or lines are part of the hazard).
Wrong Ball – Is any ball other than the ball in play, a provisional ball, or in stroke play a second ball.