Bad Manners or Just Rude?

My best friend and I play together at least two and sometimes three times a week.  Lately he has asked his boss to join us, which I don't mind he's a very good golfer.  However he has done some things that has really gotten my goat.  We had a string of great weather here in Kansas a couple weeks ago so we were able to play four days straight.  On the first day during play I hit into the green on three different holes each shot was well within the four foot range, my friend and his boss were notably well outside my ball.  I approached the green on the first hole and stood reading my putt waiting for them to make their stroke since they were both away.  The boss walked up looked at the lay of all three balls then used his putter to pick up his ball and my friends ball and called it good.  They then stood by and watched while I made my putt.  I said nothing but was pissed, it happened two more times that round and each of those times I was well within their ball and each time I watched as the boss picked up his and my friends then stood and watched as I putted out.  The next day we played the same course again and I made a great approach shot to the green on a par 5,  I was 20 feet out from the hole for my birdie putt they were inside my ball with putts of 10 feet and 6 feet.  I lined up my putt from behind the ball and began my pre-shot routine.  I did not take an extraordinary time in doing so, I took my stance and looked at the hole then down at my ball, looking back to the hole one last time as is my routine I see the boss over his ball pulling the putter back and making his putt.  I backed off my putt and waited until both the boss and my friend putted.  I then made my putt for birdie and walked off the green.  My round wasn't worth a dam after that hole.  I shot a 90.

The third day we played a local country club the boss is a member of, we were joined by two of his friends also members but really nice guys.  The day went OK, after the golf we were invited to the club house for beers.  It front of everyone my friends boss told everyone I had a great round because I tee'd my ball up a foot in front of the tee markers at least five times during the round.  I was pissed beyond belief and embarrassed as well.  I paid for the drinks and left.  I didn't show up for the golf on the fourth day and haven't spoke to my friend or the boss guy since.

I rant here am I just being a whiner here and acting a baby or did he cross the line on the pick ups and the club house remarks.  I think his golf manners need some work and want to call him on it but I don't want to do anything to harm my friends status with his boss.  What would you all do if faced with this clown on the course.

Why were you pissed? You act like you've never seen 10 foot gimmes before.

Man, that's classic!

To the OP, although I certainly wasn't there, it sure sounds like the boss was just cracking a joke. It's fairly absurd to assume that an extra five feet on the teeing ground spread across the course of the round is going to make a great deal of difference on a course that stretches for 18,000 feet or more.

The boss sounds like a pisstaker. I'd have mentioned the world's biggest gimmes probably evened things out.

I tend to be a little sensitive myself, but you learn who these people are and try not to take them very seriously.

As long as money isn't involved, or just a match. I couldn't care less if a person gives themselves 10 foot putts. It's their game if that is how they want to play it.

If you have a problem with what he was doing then speak up about it. Especially the guy putting out of turn right in the middle of your putt. That would bother me. Unless he clearly didn't notice you.

I guess most of us play the game for fun, even when there is a little money on the side.  If you don't enjoy playing with the Boss then don't and tell your friend why and he can make is own choices. Life is too short to deliberately/knowingly play with a group you don't enjoy playing with.

Yup, don't let the gimmes bother you, it's their game, not yours.

Them putting before you when you're away seems rude, but I support ready putting to speed up play, but it has to be known, not just taken, if a player away is lining up for a putt no others should be, so that was rude and should be discussed.

Maybe the remark was just joking? seems likely if you were obviously behind the marker.

why haven't you spoken to your friend since ?   Its his boss that's clearly the jackass ...

I guess my first question is why are you pissed?  Would it have been much better if he had came by and hit your ball to you and said your good?  Aren't you playing to enjoy the game? I am there to play and I'm certainly not waiting for someone to give me putts.  I can't see any possible reason why you would be pissed, so a little more information might be good to justify your position.

You are not really blaming your round of 90 because the boss putted before you while you were getting ready to putt and you had to step back are you?  especially since you made a 20 foot birdie putt??  C'mon Man!

p.s. the guy probably didn't even notice you and maybe it wasn't even intentional, but there are always distractions in golf.

No reason to be pissed or embarrassed in my opinion.. He was obviously joking around with you and I don't think you played it well.. You just don't like the guy, so you take anything he says in negative light.  I think you should have shown up and played on the fourth day.. heck, a beautiful day for golf and you let one guy stop you from playing?  Did you at least go out and play a round on your own?  Or could you have gotten one of your other friends to play?

I'm not sure if he is really being rude or breaking any golf manners by picking up the ball and the club house remark is his attempt to bust your chops and have a good time which has nothing to do with golf manners..  I think you should just stay clear of the guy and don't say anything because there isn't really much to say.. You did the right thing by asking for advice first though!

If I didn't have any fun with him on the first day, I would just have found someone else to play with, if not I would have played because I like to play and just ignored them and let him do what ever he wants..

Just have fun man.. the winter is a long one so take as many opportunities you can to play!!!!

MHO, the boss is an ass, sounds like he's wanting to show his authority over everyone.  Personally, I would tell the friend that I'm happy to play golf with him but not with the boss.

First, I would not say anything to my friend's boss.  Nothing good would come of that.

Next, I would ask my friend about his perception of what had occurred.  Was there a reason that the boss picked up longer putts and then waited for you to putt?  Does your friend think your pre-putt routine takes a long time? Did your friend think you might have inadvertently teed off from in front of the tees? (btw, a solution to that is to always try to tee up a foot or so behind the markers)

There are so many possible explanations of the actions that it is hard to make an assessment of whether they were rude or not.  Talk to your friend first and get his spin on things.  If after the conversation you still think the "boss" was rude, suggest to your friend that you would prefer to play when the boss does not join your group.

I play a lot of rounds with folks I don't know. I could care less about them picking up their's, or others putts, and calling the putt good.  I am out there for fun, and I have no control over what other folks do. If anything, I use other golfers games, and/or antics as cheap entertainment. This also goes for folks I know.

As for the teeing off remark, I think that was probably just a little joking on his part. I know if it were done to me, and I knew he was just joking, I would have reminded him about his "gimme putts" in the same manner. We would have had a good laugh at each other's expense, and the beer would have continued flowing.

Lol, that's what I was wondering. Not much of a choice there.

This is almost exactly what I was going to write.  If it's not a tournament or there is no money on the line, doesn't matter what they do as far as gimme putts or mulligans or counting strokes.  If they want to have an artificially low handicap, fine by me.  My comeback for his tee box jab would've been, "Well, I had to do SOMETHING to make up for you and _____'s 10 ft gimme putts!  How 'bout another beer?"  If it does bother you that much, you can always mention something to your friend next time you are setting up a game that you would rather not play with his boss.

I'm not as quick to judge the boss, after all he did invite everyone to go to his country club. Maybe he just did the 10 foot gimmes so everyone would have a nice time and not worry about short 3 putts. If I were playing in your place and he said that's good while knocking back a 20 foot putt back to me, I would have just gone with the flow.  The next hole, I might even be tempted to tee off with an iron, and do other fun stuff. It would have freed me up to play it like any practice round. Not everyone else cares about playing by the rules and competitive golf.

It's good that you do care about playing by the rules, but some people go out on the course just for a fun day out.

I don't think the OP is angry about the gimmes but that the gimme taking boss rudely implied he cheated by teeing up in front of the markers despite taking gimmes for three rounds.