Alistair Tait (The following is from an article he wrote recently)
!!! Please go to
http://www.golfweek.com/story/tait-120208 so that you can see and buy from all the adds that are paying his wages. !!! I urge you to keep the economy strong. And maybe go out and buy a Dodge.
Annoyed in America
I’ve just returned from my annual trip to the United States. Every year I’m struck by the difference between British and American golf. This year was no different.
After six rounds in the U.S. this year, Bobby Jones’ famous words about playing “a game with which I am not familiar” have never been truer. Here are just a few generalizations between golf in the new and old worlds.
Peculiarities of American golf
• Cart paths only – I had the chance to play PGA National on my trip. We got to play the Honda Classic course, only to be told it was strictly cart paths only. I took a caddie so I could walk, but I watched as colleagues trudged from cart to ball and back, sometimes walking nearly 200 yards when their balls were as far from the carts as possible. On several occasions I saw colleagues get fed up and take golf bags off the carts, resigning themselves to walking. You don’t see signs that say “cart paths only” in the British Isles because, thankfully, carts are few and far between. So there aren’t many cart paths.
• The 90-degree rule – Tell a British golfer that the 90-degree rule is in effect and you’ll get a blank look. Since we don’t have carts and paths, there’s no need for a rule that says you drive on the cart path adjacent to your ball and then turn 90 degrees to your ball.
• Bag drops – Bag drops seem to be a North American invention. I’m perfectly capable of carrying my bag from my car to the clubhouse, yet it seems to be something many North American golfers can’t do. A few years ago I visited Trump International in West Palm Beach, Fla. I was told to leave my bag at the bag drop, and then didn’t see it for another 25 minutes. Normally that wouldn’t have bothered me but it curtailed my warm up time. It was hard to hit practice balls since I couldn’t get hold of my clubs. Some clubs in the British Isles have bag drops but generally if you mention the words “bag drop” someone will think your bag has fallen over.
• No you can’t walk – The walking issue is an annual thing for me. I played six rounds in the U.S.; four times I walked, but only twice was it actually permitted. Once I had a caddie, another time we were allowed to walk because it was after 2:30 p.m.. The other two I did it sneakily. Once I rode shotgun on the cart until half way down the first fairway, then got off and carried my bag until halfway down the 18th where I got back on board. The final time I left my bag on the cart and walked, letting my playing companion drive. The irony is that I wasn’t permitted to walk PGA National unless I had a caddie. Yet I began each morning with a brisk walk. Where did I walk? On the golf course. So I could walk the course for exercise but couldn’t do it with a 30-pound bag on my back. Go figure!
• Golfers with towels tucked in belts – I see American golfers with little towels tucked into the belts of their shorts or trousers all the time, as if they are just about to dry the dishes. Of course since they have to play in carts, U.S. golfers carry towels to wipe balls on greens. We don’t need this, ahem, sartorial accouterment since we can carry our bags and so have access to bag towels at all times.
Peculiarities of British Golf
• Buy your own tees – We have to pay for tees in the British Isles while they get handed out in the U.S. as if they were confetti. I have no shame in saying that I load up on tees when I’m in the U.S. Often you can pick up three or four on each tee. Having to pay for tees rankles me for some reason.
• Jacket and ties only – One of the things I love about playing golf in the U.S. is the casual attitude. We’re a bit more formal over here. We still have clubhouses where you can’t enter some rooms without a jacket and tie. Traditionalists will say this goes with the idea of golf being gentleman’s game, but I still can’t get my head around getting dressed up to enjoy a drink after 18 holes.
• Knee-high socks – Another anachronism is the continuing addiction to knee high socks at many traditional British clubs. Such establishments seem to think a man’s calf muscles are obscene, so they force players to wear the equivalent of soccer socks to play golf. Two words: No way!
• Tees of the day – British clubs seem to think the back tee markers are hallowed ground. Many clubs operate a “tees of the day” policy and force everyone, especially visitors, to play off these even if that means having to play a golf course reduced by 500 yards. U.S. courses are much more liberal in this area, which is as it should be.
• Where’s the cart girl? – There isn’t one, is the easy answer. I sometimes can’t go more than three holes in the States without a girl on a food cart calling out, “You okay?” Maybe since we don’t have cart paths then there are very few cart girls, or maybe American golfers just need to eat more than British players.
Posted: 12/2/2008
Just curious what customs and vices are out there that irk us.