Etiquette Confessions

[Billy Z]

Just wondering what breach of etiquette you have committed due to a bad shot or score? As all golfers know, anger seems to crop up easily after bad shots. I will start by giving an example of what I have done, although not proud of, but yet the truth. This:

After missing a 2-foot bogey putt I took a hard swipe with my putter to knock my ball off the putting surface, only to hit it fat and take a chunk out of the green. Now I am a proponent of good etiquette, but I let my anger get the best of me that day.

Edited September 14, 2019 by Billy Z
typo

[Patch]

I know for a fact that before I became a true human being that my golf etiquette was probably non existent in most areas where golf etiquette is measured. 

I'm sure I tossed a club or two. Pretty sure I used some cuss words. Violently threw my bag in the trunk of my car. Drove the golf cart irrationally. Got in other golfers faces who pissed me off. All due to on course, poor executions on my part. Luckily I would always stop short of 5 state killing spree.

I have no specifics. I just know I let frustrations control my golf game. All this in my very early 20s. 

Then there was stint in the military, and a good woman at home. Both gave me a great understanding of what life is all about. I learned that frustration did not collide well with survival That, and how to look at the negative things in life we all go through.

I can honestly say that for the past 40 years, my golf game has been free of frustrations. I was shown by my swing guru of many years, that golf is just a game, void of fairness. That I was personally responsible for all things, good, or bad in my golf game. That the golf course always wins. 

[Piz]

I have entertained less than charitable thoughts in regard to the motivations, competence, and apparent lack of awareness and/or courtesy of some slow players.  While often justified it also happens, on occasion, that it is not.  As such I endeavor to curb prejudice whenever I detect its presence.  After all...there may be a perfectly logical explanation for why those morons are taking so god-damn long.

[Sandy Divot]

I played with some guys that were very slow, and never shut up. I had to step away several times so my playing wouldn't interrupt their conversation. I let this really bother me, and I played worse and worse as the round went on. At the ninth hole, I made some kind of lame excuse, and quit. I probably shouldn't have quit, but if I didn't, I was afraid I might say something that I would regret.

[Killa]

Worst was when I played one of my first rounds and I had my first birdie chance of my life lip out. I tapped in and then slammed the flagpole in the hole, taking a small piece of the lip with it. It was not my intention to do any damage but I felt pretty shitty afterwards. 

[Scmelik]

Ive always been one that wore my emotions on my sleeve and get pretty frustrated on days when I just don't have it.  Well I was in my qualifying round for a match play tournament and I had been striking the ball terribly for the past week and was just not able to figure out what was going on.  On 12 I had to layup off the tee wit ha 3 iron (which I usually hit really well), and hit yet another hozzle rocket into the hazard and go so mad I reared back and chucked my 3 iron as far as I could.  The second it left my hand I felt like a total idiot and thankfully my dad who was caddying for me was able to snap me back to reality in only the way dads can (meaning he chewed my a$$ and told me he'd quit if I didn't pull my head out of my butt.  Went on to shoot -4 the rest of the way in).

[phillyk]

In a tournament, the worst I'd do is just cuss loudly, rarely though.  When out playing recreational golf, I have had some very bad moments.  Most of them were when I was younger.  I've broken shafts around tree trunks and thrown clubs.  The tipping point when I made a point to not let my emotions get the better of me again was like @Billy Z, I got angry over a missed putt and took a chunk of the green when trying to just hit the ball.  I think I did well in the repair of it, because I didn't see the marks a few days later, but that was super embarrassing.   I apologized multiple times to the other guys in my group.  I haven't had any outbursts since then.

[imsys0042]

There was a time that I was playing with some real idiots.   I was paired up with them, and they were using my score for whatever game they were playing.   That's fine by itself, but they starting telling me what to do and that they were counting on my score so don't screw up.

At one point, I was told, when my ball was on the other side of the hole and I was first to play, "you need to help me find my ball, I have money on this".   Two holes later, when searching for his ball again, I saw it in the woods and didn't say anything, let him take a penalty instead of being able to punch it out down the fairway with a reasonable hit.   I just walked by and didn't say anything....

Probably seeing someone's ball and not acknowledging it is a breach of etiquette.....

[Rip62]

I’ve took a ball out of a couple of muddy sand traps and hit from the rough behind them. I did ask if anyone minded. 

[Bonvivant]

55 minutes ago, Rip62 said:

I’ve took a ball out of a couple of muddy sand traps and hit from the rough behind them. I did ask if anyone minded. 

Some of the courses near me, this is the only kind of bunker that they have. It's pretty much either mud or rocks, and it is rare to see people hitting out of them. Generally the only people that do are those that are new to the game and are "playing it as it lies" (which is a good thing), but haven't learned that it isn't worth the damage or frustration. The people that know what to expect are used to putting it with the bunker they landed in between them and the hole. I don't think this is bad etiquette, more just common sense and frustration control. I suppose if you are playing on a course like this and its in a league or tournament, it would be different, but I even play a small betting game where not playing the bunkers is standard procedure on those courses, even though the rest of the way is "real golf" as the guy that runs the game calls it.

For me, my worst problem is hitting up on people. I don't do it often, and never on purpose, but sometimes when someone is really slow in front of me, I put a little extra pepper on a shot because I am mad, and it can get within 15 yards or so of them. This has happened 2 times this year, and after the round I made sure to find them in the parking lot/club house and apologize. I've been hit up on before when the course was packed, and it isn't fun, so I try to make it right with them.

[rehmwa]

the other day, I found out I didn't have a spare collared shirt in my kit for golf I keep in the hatch.  They let me play with the thermal I was wearing - AND my belt didn't match my shoes or fine watch (as I didn't wear a belt or watch).  A few butthurt old timers cried and one needed a safe space to trigger in, but after hole #14 on the course literally exploded due to my utter lack of respect, everyone seemed to be able to play golf despite this horror.

(I'll swear (then look around to see if there are any homes on the hole with kids.....) - not too often, it's just not important enough for me to violate any etiquette that I know of anyway.  Most is pretty easy stuff, no big deal and common sense).

 

Oh - and one time I drank a bloody mary that didn't have a cheese stick in it.

Edited September 16, 2019 by rehmwa

[mcanadiens]

On 9/14/2019 at 2:10 PM, Patch said:

5 state killing spree

Never managed more than three states myself. ... But there's always next week.

 

[phan52]

Too numerous to count back in my youth when I sucked but had great expectations. Really, nothing to speak of in the last 30 years after I tempered those expectations and got real. 

[Patch]

I've posted this story before, but it fits well in this thread. 

I was golfing with a youngster, and his Grandpa. The youngster was having a terrible time putting. 

He became so frustrated with his poor putting, that at one point, he threw his putter into a water hazard.

His G-Pa, said in a loud tone, "there's no reason to break up a set of clubs" or something close to that. 

G-Pa then proceeded to throw the youngster's whole bag of clubs into the same pond. Bag, and all went into that hazard.

I will never forget the look on the youngster's face. It was priceless. I am also sure that youngster learned a valuable lesson about one's ettiquett in their golf game.  

[NM Golf]

Etiquette was really important to my father when he taught me the game so I was dealt with harshly when I did not act correctly. Strangely enough he has gotten quite lax in his etiquette as of late. So much so I sometimes don't like playing with him. 

I have had my occasional gaffes over the years. One I can remember was during a money round I was god awful on the front side. After leaving it short in the bunker on the 9th hole I lost it and launched my 60° wedge a good 60 yards and it stuck in the green. I was really embarrassed and apologized profusely to the rest of my group. I got my head together and shot 4 under on the back for an even par round. I still catch shit from those guys for doing that, it happened 10 years ago.

[Cantankerish]

1 hour ago, Patch said:

I've posted this story before, but it fits well in this thread. 

I was golfing with a youngster, and his Grandpa. The youngster was having a terrible time putting. 

He became so frustrated with his poor putting, that at one point, he threw his putter into a water hazard.

His G-Pa, said in a loud tone, "there's no reason to break up a set of clubs" or something close to that. 

G-Pa then proceeded to throw the youngster's whole bag of clubs into the same pond. Bag, and all went into that hazard.

I will never forget the look on the youngster's face. It was priceless. I am also sure that youngster learned a valuable lesson about one's ettiquett in their golf game.  

That guy was you?!

[Patch]

1 hour ago, Cantankerish said:

That guy was you?!

Nope not me. 

[iacas]

3 hours ago, Patch said:

I've posted this story before, but it fits well in this thread. 

I was golfing with a youngster, and his Grandpa. The youngster was having a terrible time putting. 

He became so frustrated with his poor putting, that at one point, he threw his putter into a water hazard.

His G-Pa, said in a loud tone, "there's no reason to break up a set of clubs" or something close to that. 

G-Pa then proceeded to throw the youngster's whole bag of clubs into the same pond. Bag, and all went into that hazard.

I will never forget the look on the youngster's face. It was priceless. I am also sure that youngster learned a valuable lesson about one's ettiquett in their golf game.  

That’s not really an etiquette thing.