OT - on-course squabbles etc

[Stewart Abramson]

I play approximately 100 rounds per year on busy, tourist filled courses mostly in Central Florida. The notion that there are frequent on course squabbles is way overblown in my experience. I haven't seen any physical altercations or even any serious verbal confrontations. In the one instance  in five years when someone hit into our group,  they came up to us and profusely  apologized  saying that they mis judged the distance. In my experience, it is very rare to find an impolite jerk playing golf


Pace of play in the afternoons is a chronic problem as are failure of players to fill divots and fix ball marks, but that's always been the case. But, on course squabbling is not an issue that I've seen except on social media

[Mike Hendren]

Real men settle their differences in the Waffle House parking lot.

[Niall C]

Please tell me otherwise, but this is 98% a US male issue and should be called out as such.

Not sure I've ever seen violence at an American sporting event that can come close to matching what goes on around the world with soccer/football games. Particularly in the UK. So no, this sort of behavior is not confined to the US.

Football hooliganism in the UK is generally perpetrated by people who set out to have a fight. The football match just provides the venue. Is that what's happening on golf courses, that people go there for a fight ?


If the answers no then there's really not much comparison.


Niall

[Dan_Callahan]

Football hooliganism in the UK is generally perpetrated by people who set out to have a fight. The football match just provides the venue. Is that what's happening on golf courses, that people go there for a fight ?


If the answers no then there's really not much comparison.

I was commenting on this statement: "Whenever Americans mix 1) alcohol 2) heat 3) sports and 4)waiting on others, you frequently see abhorrent behavior."

In fairness to those in the UK, you could probably eliminate "heat" and "waiting for others" from that list ... 

[John Kavanaugh]

Been in a few. Anything beats calling the pro shop and asking them to do your dirty work.

[Mike_Trenham]

I was expecting some Jim King stories.

[BHoover]

My favorite was the club championship argument/fight from Australia a few years back. Social media has been a godsend for preserving these precious moments.

[Keith Williams]

Practice round for our high school regional tournament, sometime back in the mid-1990's.  On the 18th hole, one of my teammates pushes his tee shot wide right, nearly on to the adjacent 16th hole.  As he approaches his ball, a member of one of our rival teams is coming up 16 and makes the comment, "Nice shot, no chance you'll be holding a trophy this tournament".  Teammate immediately drops his Ping hoofer, raises his fists and goes at the guy saying, "no problem, neither will you after I break your jaw"  Cooler heads prevailed and it didn't escalate beyond a few more verbal exchanges.


Over pizza that night, we asked our teammate why he didn't pull out a sand wedge to go at the guy.  His response?  "A proper golfer never uses his clubs in a fight".  Words to live by, I guess.

[Sean_A]

Been in a few. Anything beats calling the pro shop and asking them to do your dirty work.

I agree. What’s up with that?

Ciao

[Kalen Braley]

Been in a few. Anything beats calling the pro shop and asking them to do your dirty work.

I agree. What’s up with that?

Ciao

X2.

I've missed John's little nuggets of wisdom.

Including this one, where he correctly alludes to the fact there is far more wisdom in Fight Club than most would care to admit to...and its always been that way.

[John McCarthy]

As a teenager I was putting on the 4th hole on caddy day and the a guy in the group behind hit me in the forearm when he hit a lay-up too good. I walked down the fairway ready to smash him. He dropped his bag and ran. I contented myself with throwing all his clubs in a 360 degree radius.


About 20 years ago on a public course my buddy and I got hooked up with 2 other guys. They were coked out of their minds (on like a Tuesday morning). On a short par 5 the group behind rolled one up about a foot onto the green. Well one guy had too much stimulants and walked back down the fairway looking for who hit it. It took like 5 minutes to calm him down.


After he was wondering why we didn't back him up. We just met you!

[John Kavanaugh]

If we can pretend to be an athlete while playing golf why not be a cowboy when the shit hits the fan?  For many of us our mask selection far outshines our hat collection.

[Kalen Braley]

It should also be said:

In the vast majority of these cases, these squabbles are directly attributable to slow play.  On more than one occasion, we've pointed out an offending group to the Marshal only to get a shrug or he gives them a brief chat with no improvement or follow-up. 

If ownership isn't willing to set course culture, folks are gonna take stuff into their own hands.

[Rob Marshall]

It should also be said:

In the vast majority of these cases, these squabbles are directly attributable to slow play.  On more than one occasion, we've pointed out an offending group to the Marshal only to get a shrug or he gives them a brief chat with no improvement or follow-up. 

If ownership isn't willing to set course culture, folks are gonna take stuff into their own hands.

Exactly, played 36 at Innisbrook in over 10 hours once. Marshal’s were useless.


My buddy and I were playing a resort course near Marco. We get paired up with a twosome staying at the Marriott. They were not very good and the group behind us was waiting for us on the third hole. My buddy says we need to pick it up a little. One of the guys says” we’re on vacation and we’re not going to rush, you guys go ahead”. So we left them in the dust to hold up the whole course.