The role of boasting in golf and on this site.

[John Kavanaugh]

If there is one non-physical trait about myself that I would most like to change it is my tendency to boast about my fabulous life and children. It is boring, disgusting and unfair to the less gifted.

With that said, why do the people on this site, and golfers in general live for the opportunity to tell about the shots they hit and they courses they have seen?  Is it healthy in the context of golf or do we only tolerate other peoples boasts in the hope they will shut up for one second and listen to ours?

Would heroic design die if no one but yourself knew the shot could be had?  Lord knows that I never play alone solely because of the fear of hitting that one shot that needs to be seen to be believed.

[JMEvensky]

 Lord knows that I never play alone solely because of the fear of hitting that one shot that needs to be seen to be believed.

Same here--I fear making an ace without witnesses. Not everyone can count on the Superintendent riding up at the right time like the USGA ad.

[Peter Pallotta]

It's "the witness", John.  I think this is very important to human beings.  (Now I see dimly, as in a darkened mirror; but then I shall see clearly, face to face, as I myself am now seen.)  Some have only a mirror, literally, as that watcher/witness. Some are lucky enough to have good friends and family.  When it comes to golf courses and the shots we've hit, we only have eachother, here on gca.com.  Who the hell else has the time or interest to listen to this palavar, or to tolerate our picayune self-absorption?

Peter

 

[Jud_T]

Boasting is for those in the first blush of new money or youthful golf prowess...Us old guys put the ruler away years ago.  Nobody cares about how a fat middle aged hack chipped in for birdie at The Old Course, except for the guys he took money off of!

[cary lichtenstein]

I am going to brag. Bette and I meet John, stayed at his guest house, he cooked us dinner, we played golf with him and our lives are richer for having done all that and I want the world to know that

[Lester George]

Not to go off subject, but I once teed up on the 18th (par 3 across water about 170 yards) at the old Pocoshock Creek Golf Course (now Providence Golf Course), it was alomost dark, no one around.  Cold shanked my teeshot into the pond.  Knocked the next one in the hole for a nice par.  No one saw it!  No one saw the shank either.

I think we naturally like to tell people our golf accomplishments because of the nature of the difficulty of the game/course.  Try being a golf course architect at a party.  WOW! I have heard everything form how much enjoyment we provide to how much people hate the hole I designed that cost them the club championship. A wide spectrum.

Lester  

[John Nixon]

and unfair to the less gifted.

You're boasting again...     

[Kevin Lynch]

With that said, why do the people on this site, and golfers in general live for the opportunity to tell about the shots they hit and they courses they have seen?  Is it healthy in the context of golf or do we only tolerate other peoples boasts in the hope they will shut up for one second and listen to ours?

I think we actually enjoy hearing (and sharing) our boasts because we understand the fleeting nature of the game.  I think we can appreciate the profound feeling of someone pulling off a shot exactly as they had it planned in their mind.

Earlier this year, I was playing with the Assistant Pro at Atunyote, and he faced a shot from 50 yards out from a downhill lie to a pin just over a knob at the front of the green.  I could tell he was going through the mental Rolodex of ways to get it close before finally settling in.  Ultimately, he executed the shot in the only way that could have worked, with the perfect trajectory and hitting the 1 square foot landing area that would allow it to get close.  When we got to the green, I told him, “I had to let you know that I truly appreciate how amazing that shot was.”  There was no way he could have described it to anyone else in a way to do it justice, but I think he appreciated knowing that it was recognized.

[Eric Smith]

My last ten...

Brookline
NGLA (x2)
Boston
Dismal (x8)
Champion's Retreat
Augusta (x2)
Ballyneal
The Landings
Holston
Seminole

[Peter Pallotta]

Tee hee -

Well, clearly for Eric the role of boasting on this site is to put himself in the tedious and tiring position of having to reply to/fend off overly-friendly IMs from people he's never heard of before asking to play golf with him "at any course of his choosing".   I'm no psychologist, but perhaps in putting himself in a position to suffer like this, Eric is able to assuage some lingering guilt feelings associated with his great good fortune! Well, if so, let me say that I will not IM you, Eric Smith!!  

Peter

[John Kavanaugh]

I am going to brag. Bette and I meet John, stayed at his guest house, he cooked us dinner, we played golf with him and our lives are richer for having done all that and I want the world to know that

Cary,

I will say that I would have never believe you could have hit my hickories so well if I had not seen it for myself.  I still remember losing control of that dinner and appreciate the compliment.  One of my favorite experiences directly related to my membership on this site still remains to this day the image of a beautiful graceful woman like Bette waking to find a dead bat in my bathroom closet.  We went years thinking that our lack of mosquitoes was divine intervention. Your experience woke us to the fact that the bats did not make good bedfellows.  I hope you are well.

note:  I don't think fishing for compliments constitutes boasting even though it can be a clever way to make oneself feel good.  Who doesn't feel obligated to compliment even the worst golfer on a shot after he has done the same to you?

[Mike Hendren]

I once played with a former U. S. Open champion who stated "that's a touch of class there" when I executed a nifty bump and run.  I wish I had responded with "tell me something I don't know."

Bogey

[Eric Smith]

Tee hee -

Well, clearly for Eric the role of boasting on this site is to put himself in the tedious and tiring position of having to reply to/fend off overly-friendly IMs from people he's never heard of before asking to play golf with him "at any course of his choosing".   I'm no psychologist, but perhaps in putting himself in a position to suffer like this, Eric is able to assuage some lingering guilt feelings associated with his great good fortune! Well, if so, let me say that I will not IM you, Eric Smith!!  

Peter

Sorry 'bout that Peter (and JK). Wrong thread!

Peter, check your PM.

[John Kavanaugh]

I once played with a former U. S. Open champion who stated "that's a touch of class there" when I executed a nifty bump and run.  I wish I had responded with "tell me something I don't know."

Bogey

Are you sure?  The best finish Homero Blancas ever had in the US Open was a T-4.

[JR Potts]

This site seems to be a particular magnet for such boasting. 

[John Kavanaugh]

This site seems to be a particular magnet for such boasting. 

Who was your roommate in college again? 

[John Kavanaugh]

There have been times where I have caught myself bragging that my buddy was D.A. Points roommate in college.  Thank God this is only limited to those times D.A. is near the lead on a Sunday afternoon.  It is the look on the peoples faces as the words escape my mouth that pulls me back to the reality that nobody cares and I just wasted a small part of all our lives.

[Peter Pallotta]

Thanks for the laugh, Eric.  That "check your PM" was a nice touch.  (Wait - you're not serious are you?!)

Also a very clever touch was the crossing out of that list (instead of deleting it). 

See, JK - the good thing about not boasting is that you sometimes get to experience the sheer joy of someone else boasting on your behalf.

Peter

[Mac Plumart]

If someone simply comments on what they are doing day to day and someone else mistakes it for bragging, doesn't that say more about the "someone else" and, perhaps, his/her lack of self-esteem and/or self-confidence?

And maybe this supposed lacker of self-esteeem and self-confidence make many controversial posts to give the illusion of being highly self-confident?

Who knows?

By the way, I'll be spending Christmas and New Year's bouncing between Augusta National and Seminole with a few buddies of mine.  We have an open spot the week after Christmas for a 36 hole day.  Augusta in the morning, private jet, and then Seminole in the afternoon.  Anyone interested?  Hey man...just another day in the life.  

[JR Potts]

There have been times where I have caught myself bragging that my buddy was D.A. Points roommate in college.  Thank God this is only limited to those times D.A. is near the lead on a Sunday afternoon.  It is the look on the peoples faces as the words escape my mouth that pulls me back to the reality that nobody cares and I just wasted a small part of all our lives.

You want the names of all of them or just the ones I've mentioned on here?

I hardly think my mentions and association with DA justifies as bragging, but if it does, I will refrain from mentioning him....until he's near the lead on Sunday afternoon.

But yes, there have been times where I've written things where before inevitably pressing "post", I've thought to myself, "boy do I sound like a total blowhard jag-off."

[Tommy Williamsen]

Not to boast, but I actually like to hear about folks' good shots and where they have played. I don't care if it is boasting or just sharing good news. IT is nice to hear.

[Jud_T]

Don't underestimate the power of the "I'd rather play my local muni dogtrack with my boys and a case of Old Style than play solo at Cypress" back-door boast.

[Mac Plumart]

Not to boast, but I actually like to hear about folks' good shots and where they have played. I don't care if it is boasting or just sharing good news. IT is nice to hear.

That is it Tommy.  We all seem to have a passion for golf, good shots, good scores, good courses.  I can tell my wife I went and played NGLA, and some of my non-GCA golf buddies, but they don't care or get it.  But when I hear a story of a friend of mine, a GCA'er, hitting the green on NGLA #2 from the tee and shedding a tear when he discoverd that he pulled off the shot he'd been dreaming about his whole life...I'm excited for him...I'm not jealous...and I don't think he's bragging about it.  He's sharing a story that means something to him.  I want to hear it.  I want to re-live it with him, as much as I can.

[John Kavanaugh]

Not to boast, but I actually like to hear about folks' good shots and where they have played. I don't care if it is boasting or just sharing good news. IT is nice to hear.

Have you ever given a really great sermon about boasting?  I have always enjoyed reading about your golf exploits in the context of your vocation.  I found it interesting while doing research for this topic that boasting is referred to as a vice in many religions.  I always thought it more of a sin.  The very fact that you say above that you do not care if people boast as long as it is good information makes me believe that perhaps it is just a vice.  Kind of like overeating where the harm is more to oneself than society.

Personally I need to be convinced that constant boasting on this site is not like a cruise that never docks.  Eventually we all get so fat from the buffet that we lose our taste for anything special.  I click on the top ten thread just to read the names and skip over the courses.

[Mac Plumart]

FYI...I got a PM rounding out our foursome and the jet is now full.