Has Golf Etiquette Gotten Worse?

[WillieT]

10 minutes ago, GolfLug said:

All we can do is fix an extra ball mark or two and keep on keeping on..  😊  

That is how I’ve worked with it.  It’s interesting to note that when I played a muni course recently I “averaged” about 5 pitch mark repairs per green.  No biggie, just lots of practice with the divot tool.  Also as I was solo, I did not hold any team mates up making the repairs.  Overall, I tend to see good etiquette among the golfers I meet, most are older and love that my grandson is often with me.  His dad and I work to teach him about care of the pitch marks as well as divots, raking bunkers, etc.  Music - most of the time when someone is blasting, I can pretty much shut it out.  There are certain times, it’s too much and I do my best to let them go on.  Rudeness overall is a by product of our society’s “hey it’s all about me” social media complex.  Whether golf will evolve or devolve as some would say into a more relaxed dress code, loud music playing, non-repair of turf damage type of event remains to be seen.  Change at sone level will need to happen as golf works to gather in the next generation to play.  

[ChetlovesMer]

25 minutes ago, GolfLug said:

All we can do is fix an extra ball mark or two and keep on keeping on..  😊  

I hear you.

Personally, I love fixing ball marks. I always hope somebody sees me fixing it and thinks "Man, that guy hit the green in 2!" Little did they know I got there in 5 and was actually fixing somebody else's ball mark.  😁

[nevets88]

I’ve yet to encounter a rando partner who vapes. Cigars still yes. I got a blast of smoke the other day from a gust of wind. Vaping no. 

[Opoponax]

3 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Why? 

Is it really that bad? I can totally take it or leave it. I don't think it makes a bit of difference in how I perform. 

It's the utter lack of consideration. It's the "I'm the only person that matters" attitude. It's often a matter of the person blasting their music wanting to draw attention to themselves when in fact no one is interested in them. 

Like everyone else, I pay to play golf. I shouldn't have my round disturbed by some jerk who acts like they're the only ones who paid to play. It's simple: if your conduct is bothering other people, then you should cease that conduct. It's not the world's job to accommodate the inconsiderate jerk. 

[Carl3]

1 hour ago, ChetlovesMer said:

I hear you.

Personally, I love fixing ball marks. I always hope somebody sees me fixing it and thinks "Man, that guy hit the green in 2!" Little did they know I got there in 5 and was actually fixing somebody else's ball mark. 

I enjoy fixing ball marks too. I can also be seen picking up litter.

[mcanadiens]

At least in my experience, most guys that play music play it at a reasonable volume. If you are outside of 50 yards, you don't even hear it.

 

[Vinsk]

3 hours ago, Opoponax said:

if your conduct is bothering other people, then you should cease that conduct.

I agree. But sometimes my shanks are relentless. 

[Opoponax]

1 hour ago, Vinsk said:

I agree. But sometimes my shanks are relentless. 

Shanks can't be helped until after they happen. Only then can the long road to recovery begin. 

[Double Mocha Man]

4 hours ago, Opoponax said:

It's the utter lack of consideration. It's the "I'm the only person that matters" attitude. It's often a matter of the person blasting their music wanting to draw attention to themselves when in fact no one is interested in them. 

Like everyone else, I pay to play golf. I shouldn't have my round disturbed by some jerk who acts like they're the only ones who paid to play. It's simple: if your conduct is bothering other people, then you should cease that conduct. It's not the world's job to accommodate the inconsiderate jerk. 

With you here.  It's like the guy driving down the street, stereo blasting, bass cranked up, windows open.  He thinks we are so lucky to get to hear his music.  At his volume.  His tastes are imposed upon us. 

I'm still waiting for one of those guys to be blasting Beethoven's 7th symphony, final movement.  I'd be on board with that.

 

 

 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Double Mocha Man

[ChetlovesMer]

2 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

I'm still waiting for one of those guys to be blasting Beethoven's 7th symphony, final movement.  I'd be on board with that.

I think the Imperial March from Star Wars would be fun. 

[Pretzel]

I don't think etiquette has gotten worse, per se, just that the standard for etiquette has changed over the years (for better or for worse, depending on who you ask). It used to be that you were expected to dress in shirt, tie, knickers, and a single-breasted jacket with waistcoat. Now there are many areas where golfing in jeans and a t-shirt is acceptable. Most perceive this overall trend towards more casual attire as positive, some believe that it's gone too far, and very few believe that things should still be exactly as they once were. 

As far as music and smoking go on the golf course, I would say it's generally inconsiderate to do either without first discussing it with the group you're playing in to make sure it's fine by them. If you do either you shouldn't be playing music loudly enough or puffing large enough clouds to be affecting groups other than your own, making it a moot point if you've already cleared it with your playing partners. The idea of music on the course has been a relatively recent development because prior to the early 2000's it was rare for anybody to bring a radio or other portable device capable of playing music out onto the course with them at all, just because you had to go out of your way to bring a separate device to listen to. It's obviously inconsiderate to play music loudly enough to disturb other groups, but if your group is fine with music and it's not being blasted then I see nothing wrong with it. Other groups might faintly hear it when they closely pass by you, but my threshold for "too loud" is typical conversation or the sound of a normal gas cart, since if you're as quiet or quieter than those it's no different from all the other noises you'll hear regardless when out on the course. I would also tend to agree with @DeadMan that music on the course has become less of an issue as society has adapted over the years to always having music players on hand and new social norms regarding that have been established.

That said I have noticed much more wear on golf courses in general since the start of 2020, most likely due to the exploding popularity of the sport. More divots are left unfilled and ballmarks un-repaired, with more damage on the greens from people dragging their feet or teeboxes and fairways from people taking divots that were clearly made by practice swings (if it's turned 90* away from the hole on the tee box or middle of the fairway, it wasn't made by somebody hitting their golf ball). Disregard for the course is definitely poor etiquette, likely not out of malice but because many new or infrequent golfers may not know how to properly care for the course and it would be beneficial to expand education efforts in this respect. It also doesn't help that a staple of courses in days gone by, free ball mark repair tools handed out alongside scorecards and pencils, have all but gone extinct meaning golfers may not even have the proper tools (and somebody inexperienced using a tee can do more harm than good). I've also noticed that empty or missing sand bottles are far more common since the start of 2020, likely due to staffing shortages or simply the increased demand on courses meaning that certain smaller things (like refilling/replacing sand bottles) get overlooked more often.

Edited August 22, 2022 by Pretzel

[brian222]

I don't buy the "not knowing " argument.  It's more not caring. 

[mohearn]

Bit of a twist on the topic, if the offending person is your opponenet in match play, do you let it get to you? Like if your opponemnt starts blasting Abba, or doesn't rake his traps.  I admit I think it would bug me.  Not sure what I'd do in that ettiquette situation.

[Vinsk]

3 hours ago, Opoponax said:

Shanks can't be helped until after they happen. Only then can the long road to recovery begin. 

Going on 30+ years 

[Opoponax]

2 hours ago, Vinsk said:

Going on 30+ years 

Like I said, it's a long road to recovery. 😉

[Wade Patton]

On 8/21/2022 at 11:20 PM, Opoponax said:

1. No there isn't (good decaffeinated coffee). 

... 

Actually there is, when good beans are decaffeinated by the Swiss Water Process (no chemicals). I get those green from Sweet Maria's and roast/grind/brew for some nice coffee.The SWP coffee is as good as the other Ethiopian beans I get from them. The gring-to-order automated coffee machines in the convenience stores now make a fair, and strong decaf.  Lots of decaf is junk for sure, I opened one so bad once that I immediately took it outside and dumped it. I didn't want that stink to linger.

 

[Wade Patton]

On 8/22/2022 at 7:32 AM, ChetlovesMer said:

Why? 

Is it really that bad? I can totally take it or leave it. I don't think it makes a bit of difference in how I perform. 

For me it depends upon the music and what sort of day/minute/week I'm having, plus my mind can jump into any distraction and latch on--refusing to turn loose and to force a shot while fighting the distraction--is often disastrous.  I can't just "tune it out" as most folks apparently can. But sometimes I can if I get the right hyper-focus. 

The guys who came through with the music turned it down when we let them play through, but as the pair behind us kept pushing, we ran up on them and got to listen to it way more than we meant to.  Music on the tee box and fairway would probably bother me less than that on the green, we we could plainly hear their tunes while they were putting and they were a lot closer to their carts than we were.  We were holding back to avoid the noise. My cart driver was really miffed by it (she's not even a golfer).

Problem is that we're never going to have separate courses for those who can ignores/don't care and those who cannot ignores. Plus, as mentioned before, the downright vulgarity of some genres of music make them inappropriate for children, and disturbing to those of milder sensibilities. Respecting their elders is what the most advanced civilizations do, and I'm afraid we're losing some of our civility in this dopamine saturated age. 

[Wade Patton]

The population explosion down here has certainly brought more of everything.

traffic mostly.