You like golf. Your boss likes golf. Both are two natural things.

But why is it that when the two are put together, it doesn’t seem so natural, and perhaps, scary?

During the golf season, countless bosses invite an employee to a golf outing. The sad thing is most of those employees have no idea how to act or how well they should play when sharing a golf cart with the boss.

Once you think about it, golfing with your employer or boss can be a pretty daunting task. I mean, its not like your job might be on the line while playing a sport that sometimes brings out the worst in some people. I mean … gulp … oh boy.

But have little fear. Life Time Fitness Golf leaned on two of its golfing gurus to provide you with a list of Dos and Don’ts for playing with your boss.

Class A PGA Professional Matt Just of the Life Time Fitness Golf Club in St. Louis Park, MN and Aaron Wallace a personal trainer and golf fitness and biomechanic specialist for Life Time Fitness in Troy, MI, shared the following tips with Life Time Fitness Golf to help you survive a round of golf with your boss and leave the course with your job still intact.

Be prepared

If you can, go to the course ahead of time, Just said. Maybe even try to play there before your outing with the boss.

“Go to that particular golf course early so you don’t look like a deer in the headlights,” Just said. “Get there early and check out the pro shop so you can walk around with confidence.”

Just suggests showing up about 45 minutes early to check out the lay of the land and maybe get some practice in. He also said you should come to the course prepared by having all of your equipment in top order before you get there.

Give last hitting honors to the boss

Wallace said one of the smarter things to do when getting to the first tee box is to have your boss hit last.

“If you got four guys, unless your boss is a female and she hits at the reds, the boss always hits last or at least starts off hitting last,” Wallace said.

“You don’t want to get up there and be like ‘Oh, he hit 250 (yards)? I’m going to spank it out there 290’ and then make your boss look bad.”

Wallace said you should always try to hit first so that way you don't embarrass your boss.

Keep up with the pace of play

“The No. 1 thing when playing golf when you want to survive, you want to stay comfortable, is stay with the group,” Just said.

Golfers are gracious enough that it doesn’t matter if you hit the ball well, Just said, as long as you keep up with the pace of play.

If you hit a bad shot that doesn’t go far, Just said, simply walk up to it and hit it again. Don’t go back to the cart to drive up to your ball, he said. That’s just wasting time.

Also after hitting a shot, don’t immediately put your club away, Just said, because it slows down play. Hop into the passenger seat of the golf cart so you can go to your or your boss’ next lie and then put the club away.

“Those are the little things there that are almost eye-rolling,” Just said.

Another way to prevent wasting time is to take two or three clubs with you when around the green and simply walk over to your ball, Just said. That way you’re not going back to the cart to grab another wedge or putter for your next shot.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re not good,” Just said. “It matters if you just know the small little etiquette things.”

Be generous when the beverage cart stops at your hole

When the beverage cart comes around on the course, buy the first and third round, Just said.

“I do see a lot of people I play golf with that they buy the first round and they don’t buy again,” Just said. “Don’t have ‘alligator arms’ … Do whatever you can to be generous.”

Buying one round of beverages doesn’t give you the “Get out of Jail Free” card with your boss. So make sure you buy a few rounds.

Compliment … but not too much

Be complimentary, but not over complimentary, Just said. Make sure you compliment shots worthy of praise, but don’t compliment every shot, he said. That could be confused for sucking up or even mocking the boss’ play.

On the occasional day where your boss isn’t exactly bringing his or her A Game to the course, you’ll have to watch what you say a little closer.

“Anytime they hit out of bounds say ‘Oh, that might still be playable,’” Wallace said.

And if their game goes to ugly depths never seen, don’t try to be a golf instructor.

“If your superior is not playing well, just keep you mouth shut,” Just said. “He or she does not want tips.

“The name of the game is to just be gracious the whole day.”

Mulligans and stretching the rules

Don’t worry about mulligans. If your boss screws up his or her tee shot, Just said, they’ll decide if they want to take a mulligan or not.

However, sometimes you might run into the boss who seems to “magically” improve his or her lie from a bad shot.

“I’ve always said ‘If you cheat at golf, you cheat at life,’” Just said, but let the boss do what they want to do.

Do not try to regulate their play or enforce the rules because the boss could take that as you challenging their authority or calling them out.

Remember etiquette around the greens

Playing on the greens is loaded with many little quirks and taboos you have to be aware of.

“Avoid screaming ‘Noonan’ while he puts. That would be a good one,” Wallace said, alluding to a scene from the movie Caddyshack.

Just said one of the best rules for around the greens is to be mindful of where you are and what you’re doing. Make sure you don’t walk in front of someone’s shot or across their line while on the green, he said.

“When you’re on the green, know what you want to do,” Just said. If you’re the first person to putt on a hole, putt it and then either mark your ball or tap it in immediately. Don’t waste time.

Also, grab the flagstick if you finished putting first. Just said. That way you can immediately put it back in the cup after the last person putts.

"That shows that you care about what they’re doing,” Just said.

Other fair gestures around the green include fixing ball marks for other players, Just said, and picking up nearby approach clubs or club covers for the other players when they finish putting.

Don’t talk about work … unless the boss does

For the most part, a golf outing is supposed to be fun and a way to get away from work. Make sure you keep it that way.

“The point of going out on the golf course is to not talk about work,” Wallace said.

Just agrees with that sentiment unless the boss throws you a small curveball. But don’t push the business talk too far. The key to the invite, he said, is to remain gracious and have fun.

“If they bring it up, then yeah it’s OK,” Just said. “But I don’t think you go out there with the intention of talking about what’s happening at work.”