Over the top etiquette faux pas

[John Moore II]

Kalen-I'll have to be straight, though I thank you for supporting me, I was pretty flat out with the guy. After the third time he was coming back it was fairly stupid. On top of that, it was 100+ temp that day, we'd been at it for 5 hours all ready, and I was playing bad. So, I wasn't terribly polite to the guy. Closest I've ever been to a legit fight on the golf course.

[Jason Topp]

I once had a two guys drive up to the first tee while my foursome was teeing off.  The driver asked whether we minded if they teed off first.  We agreed and he proceeded to yell - "Guys - let's go!"  Three other guys drove up to the tee.

I was mad for about 5 seconds and debated confronting them.  Instead I cracked opened a beer and relaxed.  All five were terrible golfers but after the first hole we never saw them again.  They indeed played faster than us.

[Ronald Montesano]

Jason,
That tops any other one I've heard today...five guys with the cojones to play together, to ask to go first, then to walk the walk by playing fast as heck.  Tremendous...what kind of beer?

Ron M.

[Jon Wiggett]

Buy a  pay-as-you-call cell phone and leave it ('off', preferably) in your golf bag. Call the proshop when you can't stand what's going on ahead, or behind, of your group and let them deal with it. If they aren't on the case within a hole or two call them back and remind them of just how much money you and your buddies gave them in exchange for the reasonable assumption of having a pleasant day on their course, and how it will be just as easy for you and your group to spend that money elsewhere.

Most places realize that it's better to offend and possibly lose the business of an uncouth player by asking him to shape up than it is to let 'him' offend all the other players on the course.

Jim,

it is up to the golfers to see that etiquette is kept. This attitude of thinking it can be deligated on to others is part of the problem. It does no good to moan about something but expect someone else to do the dirty work. A polite pointing of the way is usually enough. 

[Wyatt Halliday]

Sam-That would require there were officials on the course. There were not. There was one Association official on the site that day and he was running scoring and such. He was not on the course anywhere to be found.

Sounds like a poorly run event.

Well, it wasn't assumed to be a high level event. It was a Carolina's Golf Association one day event. I mostly played in them to have an excuse to get to courses around the state that I had not played, though I had played Tobacco Road.

But it was just a stupid thing for the guy to do, and I'd say the same thing to him again if I had the chance.

Sam must routinely hit one OB only to proceed to have to track back to the tee once he can't find it.  Either that or he is just a DB.

Kenny,

I'm sure you're a good guy, but I've never met or played golf with you. I have however, met and played golf with Sam Morrow. Judging from what I know, he hits it way too straight to ever have to look very hard. Also, if you insinuate that someone is a Douche Bag, have the courtesy not to abbreviate it.

[noonan]

I was playing in Reno at a semi private joint 3 years ago with my son. About $50 each for greens fees and carts. We were forewarned that we were 2 groups behind an outing. A single joined us on hole 3 and he was headed to a wedding and only played in to 9 with us. It took us about 2:45 to play the front.  We waited every shot. Since we were on vacation we were in no hurry and still waited on every shot all the way up to 12 tee. The carts were equipped with GPS and up behind us came to "members" The one member wanted to know why we were waiting to hit. Using the GPS I showed him there was a group 190 yards off the tee obscured by some mounds. He became very agitated and said he was playing through. I went off and told him to fornicate himself and if he tried I would be hitting a 4 iron stinger at him. This exchange got so heated I just drove in and demanded my money back. The pro would only give me a come back and play free card. I told the pro that if all him members acted like this one that was the reason they needed casual play to make it.

[Tim Martin]

Jim,

it is up to the golfers to see that etiquette is kept. This attitude of thinking it can be deligated on to others is part of the problem. It does no good to moan about something but expect someone else to do the dirty work. A polite pointing of the way is usually enough. 

Jon-In theory you make a good point that etiquette should be policed by golfers. As far as a polite warning it is rarely taken that way by the offenders and often ensues in some type of shouting match. Many times the public golfer mentality is i paid the fee and i will get my money`s worth with little regard to etiquette (which is a shame). Other times the offenders do not have a clue. Either way not everyone will except a" polite pointing of the way ".

[Melvyn Morrow]

Jerry

Do you not think that you could have handled that a little cooler.  He may have been a pain in the ass but as you were not in a rush could you not let him play through. Seems you elevated the situation to the point that you allowed it to frustrate you and ruined not just your game but I presume others with you.

Etiquette is a two way sword and you did not help yourself. You also inflicted your actions on others i.e. your son in a similar way to this idiot member, so who my friend was right and who was wrong. Seems while you had advantage you served yourself twin double fault making you responsible, thus not abiding by the correct etiquette.

You allowed this moron to screw up a good days golf and ultimately forcing the blame to rests upon your shoulders. From hero to zero.

Oops not what you want to hear but it is down to each of us to conduct ourselves in the appropriate manner when on a golf course.

Not said to cause a rift between us but as an honest opinion of the actions you described that day.

The guys that caused the problems never knew about your altercation with the member so I expect are still playing at their normal speed – no one else I presume said anything  to them apart perhaps from Member you encountered moaning about your lack of consideration and poor course etiquette. Looks like you could have been made into the original problem.

Of Course as a GCA.com Member you do not cause problems and would never stop a single guy playing through.

Melvyn

[Jon Wiggett]

Tim,

that is sad to hear. I have found that generally here in the UK and also most of Europe that players are very gracious if approached the right way. It is one the things I really like about the game.

[Brad Wilbur]

A couple summers ago, my wife and were playing Turtle Bay in Oahu with a young gentleman from the Hickam Air Force Base.  The first seven or eight holes went by quickly, before running into four locals playing the course.  After a couple holes, we asked a marshall if we might play though. and he proceded to tell the other group to wait for us on the next tee.

When we approached the tee, one of the locals said  "Why did you have to get the marshall on our a_s?"  The Air Force guy proceeds to tell them how they were playing much too slowly.  This didn't seem to make sense to me since: 1) There was no need to exacerbate the situation, and 2) All four locals were about 5'10" tall, and equally as wide.  It appeared they might be able as a group to place ocean liners into dry dock without any additional help.

Naturally, Mr. Air Force hits a 50 yard worm burner that fails to make the fairway, and receives comments on his game from the locals.  He finally had the good sense to zip his lip and not reply.   Fortunately, I hit a good drive into the fairway, said "Sorry"  to the locals, and made it away unscathed.

[Carl Johnson]

Regardless of the situation, in hindsight I've always concluded that my reaction says more about me, negatively, than about the player committing the faux pas.  Life is too short.  As said above, have a beer (or a drink of water).  Even if they don't play faster (or whatever), a day on the golf course is better than a day just about anywhere else.

[David Lott]

My own Very Bad, when young (16) and Stupid, at a very fancy course in Western Pa. where I was a guest with people of similar age all good players.

Course is backed up--no where to go ahead of us.

Group behind gestures and actually yells. They clearly are pissed that we are kids and want to be let through. My host says ignore them.

This goes on for a hole or two more and tee balls are creeping closer before we play our second shots.

Next hole guys behind bomb one while we are waiting and it lands right next to me, missing me by inches.

I am the shortest hitter in our group and already have a 3 wood in my hands. I turn around, line it up and hit it back.

Two wrongs don't make a right, but even worse it was rude to my host ( a super player who could have hit it back over their heads with a 3 iron). He forgave me even though I did not deserve it.

[Tim Johnson]

I am somewhat amazed that people who dont show respect to others, expect to have respect shown to them. I appreciate I am generalizing here but in all reality, if you dont show respect to others and knock that chip off your shoulders, then from time to time, somebody might call you an ahole. Use it as a learning tool in life.

This applies to the golf course and also in life. You cure cancer then I will cut you some slack but otherwise, let the faster playing group through and always show respect to others. If somebody drives a ball into your group on a packed course as a statement of his macsculinity, pocket his  Pro V and drive a Top Flite back over his head. If the idiot doesnt realize his short comings, his loss.

[Mark Buzminski]

This just happened earlier tonight;  a single in a golf cart pulls up to us on the 17th tee so my partner and I ask him if he wants to play the last two holes with us.  We hit our tee balls onto the green and he dead shanks his ball 40 yards right of the green.   He parks his cart 40 yards left of the green on the cart path, walks over to find his ball, doesn't find it, but doesn't have another ball with him.   Walks back over to the cart, gets a ball, walks back over to drop it, pitches on, but he's still away.   Walks back over to cart to pick up his putter when his cell phone rings and he decides to have a little conversation while we wait for him to putt. Lines up his 40 footer, and makes it!  My partner and I are pi$$ing ourselves laughing by this point -  no use getting too worked by that point....