Best Traditions of the Game

[Thomas Dai]

Traditional golf society food -

on arrival - bacon butty
lunch - soup and sandwiches
evening - steak pie and chips with (overcooked) vegetables, apple pie and custard, not cream, custard!

atb

[Jud_T]

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=14792.0

[Bill_McBride]

Is pissing in the bushes a tradition, or do I risk being crass.

Not sure if it was every intentional, but from memory, I have taken a lash in the bushes of every single course I have ever played over 40 years of golfing.  This includes a few open links where bushes were few and far between.

One of the better uses for a golf cart is a screening maneuver.   

[Mike Hendren]

The gimme.

[Brent Hutto]

The gimme.

And the closely related "good-good".

What the world needs is more "good-good", not more hat doffing.

[BCowan]

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=14792.0

''What the world needs is more "good-good", not more hat doffing. ''

interesting....

[BHoover]

Actually what the game needs are more golfers who fix their damn pitch marks instead of doffing their caps.  It's all well and good to remove your cap as a sign of respect, but if you leave the course in a worse state than you found it, you're disrespecting the game, other golfers, the grounds crew, etc.

[Paul Gray]

Paul - not sure what you consider golf food to be but seafood starter, roast and pudding is hardly as you describe.

I think that's the point - any tradition that's slightly nicer than burger and beer is all of a sudden blown up into some fine dining banquet that's the sole preserve of millionaires or country club types. The end result with this kind of thinking is that the traditions die out and we all end up with the lowest common denominator...

Now look, I was merely using a little poetic license to emphasis the point that one person's 'best tradition' is not the same as that of the next person. For what it's worth, I wouldn't seriously suggest that the food at 95% of British clubs was anything other than hugely disappointing. I accept however that the market, rich or poor, tends to be rather conservative in its tastes and therefore serving either badly prepared American food or British food circa 1954 remains the tradition. If the loss of overcooked meat, boiled cabbage and deep fried 'roast' potatoes is your idea of cultural meltdown I feel genuinely sorry for you but, again, live and let live.

[Jud_T]

Are we seriously concerned about the time it takes to take your cap off before shaking hands?  It's about 1/10th the time of the average practice swing.  Personally I'm much more concerned about the time it didn't take for my opponent to not wash his hands in the loo at the turn before shaking.

[Brent Hutto]

Are we seriously concerned about the time it takes to take your cap off before shaking hands? 

I for one am not "seriously concerned" about whether anyone beside myself is wearing a hat or not. If you want to doff your hat before shaking hands I do not begrudge you the 1.5 seconds it takes you to do so. If you do NOT want to doff your hat before shaking hands I do not feel disrespected in any way.

In fact, short of hitting a ball toward me without yelling FORE!!! or doing serious damage to the golf course I can't recall the last time I was "seriously concerned" about what anyone beside myself does or does not do on a golf course. I used to get very seriously bent out of shape by a bunch of jackasses taking all day to plumb bob their third putts on the green while I waited in the fairway. But I've been working on that too and I'm much better now (not that anyone was seriously concerned).

[Garland Bayley]

Wasn't it Tiger Woods who started the tradition of removing his cap to shake hands at the end of the round?  I don't remember it being such a show until Tiger started winning -- of course, in those days, Tiger was winning so often that everything seemed attributable to him.  

I agree that it's become a bit of overkill while you wait for the 15-handicaps in front of you on the 18th.

...

I think you meant the 15-handicaps waiting on 18, while the scratch players mark every ball and read every putt, and then imitate their heroes by lollygaging about the 18th green with their hats off.


For those that didn't follow the link provided, Tiger learn to remove his hat from his father as it is a military tradition indicating the battle has finished.

[Thomas Dai]

Rabbit ears or deafness?

Do folks remember the days when we all wore spiked golf shoes and how you'd stop moving to avoid making the slightest imaginable noise when someone else was playing a shot and how pretty much all golfers would reciprocate when you were playing even though hardly any noise was actually ever made. Now that we are in the era of the soft-spike less folk seem to stop moving.

atb

[Ben Sims]

It's all well and good to remove your cap as a sign of respect, but if you leave the course in a worse state than you found it, you're disrespecting the game, other golfers, the grounds crew, etc.

Brian,

I'm angry at myself for not mentioning this. I was a hiker/backpacker as a kid, long before I ever picked up a golf club. The greatest tradition of backpacking is "leave no trace." In the same way, the greatest tradition of golf is to leave the golf course better for the next player. Taking ownership of your own impact to a golf course is both respectful and is indicative of character.

In a moment of poor attitude and decision-making, I took a small 3-inch swath of grass off the 8th green at Pacific Dunes with my putter. Three years later I still feel bad about it.

[Mark Chaplin]

Paul I'm taking Mrs Chaplin to Royal St George's for lunch on Friday where she will find rack of lamb, rare fore rib of beef, roast chicken and usually gammon as well. Five or six different veg and a couple of different potatoes plus my favourite 1/2 roasted garlic bulb. I can assure you she won't be disappointed other than coffee and Kümmel will not be taken in the smoking room!

[Patrick_Mucci]

Actually what the game needs are more golfers who fix their damn pitch marks instead of doffing their caps. 

Why do you feel that one precludes or excludes the other.

They're independent of one another.

I've always tried to fix my ball mark and as many others that are nearby as possible.

It's all well and good to remove your cap as a sign of respect, but if you leave the course in a worse state than you found it, you're disrespecting the game, other golfers, the grounds crew, etc.

[Stan Dodd]

Quote from: Rich Goodale on May 27, 2014, 04:17:30 PM
There used to be a great tradition at Dornoch in the Carnegie Shield (their top Open competition), where players who lost in match play rounds would caddie for the person who beat them in the next round.  It was never a universal tradition, but and great one for those of us who followed it when appropriate.

Rich,
This is still alive with the group I play with at Dornoch during the Shield.  If you don't make match play you are looping.  Unfortunately I have had to loop  the last couple of years.

[BHoover]

Actually what the game needs are more golfers who fix their damn pitch marks instead of doffing their caps.

Why do you feel that one precludes or excludes the other.

They're independent of one another.

I've always tried to fix my ball mark and as many others that are nearby as possible.

It's all well and good to remove your cap as a sign of respect, but if you leave the course in a worse state than you found it, you're disrespecting the game, other golfers, the grounds crew, etc.

They are not exclusive. If you assumed that, then you are a moron. So maybe the game needs fewer morons? You are to be commended, however, for repairing pitch marks. I do the same.

[jim_lewis]

A tradition that is lost forever, at least in warm weather.............long pants.

[Tom Bacsanyi]

The gimme.

And the closely related "good-good".

What the world needs is more "good-good", not more hat doffing.

Totally agree, sir.  A friend and I had a close match going the other day and we were both looking at sloping 3 footers for par.  We just looked up at each other at the same moment and smiled.  "Good-good?"  "Good-good."

As for the hats, what about the pro shop or pro shop area?  Hat or no hat?  I leave mine on when I run in to check in.  Takes about 10 seconds on average.  What's the protocol?

As for on 18, I saw some film Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson at the end of a tourney shaking hands.  Neither reached for their cap.  If they didn't bother, what makes the rest of you such special little snowflakes?

[Patrick_Mucci]

The gimme.

And the closely related "good-good".

What the world needs is more "good-good", not more hat doffing.

Totally agree, sir.  A friend and I had a close match going the other day and we were both looking at sloping 3 footers for par.  We just looked up at each other at the same moment and smiled.  "Good-good?"  "Good-good."

As for the hats, what about the pro shop or pro shop area?  Hat or no hat?  I leave mine on when I run in to check in.  Takes about 10 seconds on average.  What's the protocol?

As for on 18, I saw some film Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson at the end of a tourney shaking hands.  Neither reached for their cap. 
If they didn't bother, what makes the rest of you such special little snowflakes?

Times change and new traditions evolve.

You and your friend must not be good short distance putters.
I feel your pain.
If you have to ask, beg or negotiate, chances are you couldn't make the putt.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Actually what the game needs are more golfers who fix their damn pitch marks instead of doffing their caps.

Why do you feel that one precludes or excludes the other.

They're independent of one another.

I've always tried to fix my ball mark and as many others that are nearby as possible.

It's all well and good to remove your cap as a sign of respect, but if you leave the course in a worse state than you found it, you're disrespecting the game, other golfers, the grounds crew, etc.

They are not exclusive.

But, YOU presented it as an either/or proposition when you inserted the words "instead of"
Even a moron knows that.

If you assumed that, then you are a moron.

Ahhh, but, I didn't assume same, I just read what you moronically typed.

So maybe the game needs fewer morons?


That would put a serious dent in my cash flow, so I'll have to disagree on that one.

You are to be commended, however, for repairing pitch marks. I do the same.

If more golfers did the same, the greens would be in far better shape.
But, I am glad to see that the habit is spreading to morons.

[Bill_McBride]

The gimme.

And the closely related "good-good".

What the world needs is more "good-good", not more hat doffing.

Totally agree, sir.  A friend and I had a close match going the other day and we were both looking at sloping 3 footers for par.  We just looked up at each other at the same moment and smiled.  "Good-good?"  "Good-good."

As for the hats, what about the pro shop or pro shop area?  Hat or no hat?  I leave mine on when I run in to check in.  Takes about 10 seconds on average.  What's the protocol?

As for on 18, I saw some film Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson at the end of a tourney shaking hands.  Neither reached for their cap. 
If they didn't bother, what makes the rest of you such special little snowflakes?

Times change and new traditions evolve.

You and your friend must not be good short distance putters.
I feel your pain.
If you have to ask, beg or negotiate, chances are you couldn't make the putt.

A good friend of mine played a lot with a guy who was always asking, "Is this good?"   When he asked, John always said "No!"

Then John got a vanity license plate, IISFEPI.    I'll reward anyone who deciphers it with a hearty "Well done sir!"

[Kevin Lynch]

A good friend of mine played a lot with a guy who was always asking, "Is this good?"   When he asked, John always said "No!"

Then John got a vanity license plate, IISFEPI.    I'll reward anyone who deciphers it with a hearty "Well done sir!"

"If It's So F&ckin' Easy, Putt It!"

[Bill_McBride]

A good friend of mine played a lot with a guy who was always asking, "Is this good?"   When he asked, John always said "No!"

Then John got a vanity license plate, IISFEPI.    I'll reward anyone who deciphers it with a hearty "Well done sir!"

"If It's So F&ckin' Easy, Putt It!"

Well done sir!   

[Paul Gray]

The point of it is actually to spend a couple of hours extra from your day to sit down and socialise in a nice way - shower, nice clothes, a few glasses of wine and everyone having an enjoyable time. It's not about the food, it's the ritual. Why be so black and white about it: cultural meltdown?! I didn't hear anyone say that. But I'd rather have access to it now and then than not - it also doesn't mean you have to do it every day you play golf. But if it's a big enough part of the golfing culture you'll look forward to doing it at least a half dozen times a year then your club life will be richer for it.

Forgetting lunch, I think it's a nice tradition at some clubs when everyone comes in and sits around watching Sky Sports news having pints and watching the 3 o'clock results. That's a proper ritual at lots of clubs and it's cool - or places that have snooker tournaments. All nice things after golf that make life more fun.

Is sitting down and breaking bread no longer a valued part of social life?

Brian,

I really am just playing but, nonetheless, you've just agreed with my original point; namely, different traditions for different people and different occasions. There's nothing, as you rightly concur, wrong with that.