(This column should have seen print last Friday. It was put on hold for lack of space.—Ed)

GOLFERS play on because the desire to do better is alive and well. Many still aspire for that one great round that will erase all the heartaches on the fairway.

But when we get too caught up in the drive to lick the disappointments, we overlook some etiquette rules that are there to aid safety, enhance enjoyment and improve play.

The recent incident at the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo City has brought the “play through” rule to the fore. However, there are some other rules that weekend or occasional players forget every now and then.

Here are a few irritants:

“Let’s speed it up!”—In the interest of speeding up play, some impatient players swing ahead of the one who had the shortest tee shot.

The player who is behind can allow this if he or she is not ready, but this can still be hazardous to other players who expect that the farthest player will go first. At best, we should wait if there is a flightmate struggling so far back.

This is one of the first fairway rules of golf etiquette that you learn. But you occasionally slip and sometimes don’t see that there is someone still behind you. Apologize immediately to all flight members, even if you did shout “Fore!” to those ahead.

“I wonder how it breaks?” —Putting is really challenging and the root of many a golfer’s aches and pains. And there’s nothing more annoying than seeing somebody in your line before making a putt. Many still make this mistake.

This must be avoided to prevent any misunderstanding with putting players. Move away from the putting line and stay still. You can still see the break with the way the ball rolls.

“Whispering green.”—This is really distracting. Even among friends, it’s annoying when there are side comments, whispers or giggles when you are trying to win a hole or score well.

As talkative as I am, I hush up on the green to allow flightmates to make undisturbed putts. Post-hole analysis or jokes can always be done on the way to the next tee or locker room.

“Forever in my lie.”—Most of us are not pros, fine amateurs or scratch players but this does not give us the excuse to take all day to make our shot.

The US PGA website’s etiquette rules section says that “from the time you choose a club until you actually hit a shot, you should take no more than 30 to 45 seconds.” That sounds reasonable to keep play going.

“Cellphonitis.”—We play golf to escape but there are those who just have to answer their cell phone ASAP, even if there’s no urgent need to do so. The whole idea of escaping is lost if we answer every call and hurts the pace of play of the group.

If we really have to take the call from a family member or an important person, then do so quickly and tell them you will call back when you get to the turn, the refreshment stop or the clubhouse. If it isn’t an emergency, there’s always time to get back to the caller.

Talking swiftly in a hushed tone will be appreciated. It’s so distracting when a player talks loudly to make a point or to get through a hazy signal. Trying to hide behind trees to use the cell phone could allow others to move along on the fairway but is really intriguing to the flight!

Despite all its excruciating disappointments, golf remains one of the most fascinating games and we shouldn’t spoil everyone’s enjoyment by forgetting etiquette.