Golf Pet Hates

[DandyDon]

10 minutes ago, bkuehn1952 said:

I assume you are referring to the USGA/R&A, advocate dissolving both organizations, and wish to replace them with an organization controlled by people who play golf. I have my issues with some of the things the USGA does or doesn't do, but your suggested approach is seriously flawed.

Brian - leave the USGA RnA and other national associations for focus on the elite golfers  - which is where they are now. They do not represent 95% or more of the golfers in their country - their membership shows this. Something is missing. How do we engage the 95% of the golfers with their game and their challenges. I think it is worth a shot - there are ways in social media to do this but they are not interested. In Canada, they are ignoring a revenue stream of $240million annually (if every golf joined at the current GC rates). 

[iacas]

9 minutes ago, DandyDon said:

Brian - leave the USGA RnA and other national associations for focus on the elite golfers  - which is where they are now. They do not represent 95% or more of the golfers in their country - their membership shows this. Something is missing. How do we engage the 95% of the golfers with their game and their challenges. I think it is worth a shot - there are ways in social media to do this but they are not interested. In Canada, they are ignoring a revenue stream of $240million annually (if every golf joined at the current GC rates). 

Your premise is fatally flawed.

You're asking golfers who don't want to follow the rules (almost all in different ways and depending on different circumstances)… to join an association and follow other rules.

They're free to do what they want right now. It's not like you're kicked off a golf course if you scoop a four-footer or don't take a penalty stroke or whatever.

You've got no point here that I can see. What's in it for Joe Golfer?

[DaveP043]

14 minutes ago, DandyDon said:

Brian - leave the USGA RnA and other national associations for focus on the elite golfers  - which is where they are now. They do not represent 95% or more of the golfers in their country - their membership shows this. Something is missing. How do we engage the 95% of the golfers with their game and their challenges. I think it is worth a shot - there are ways in social media to do this but they are not interested. In Canada, they are ignoring a revenue stream of $240million annually (if every golf joined at the current GC rates). 

I can't speak for Canada, but I know the USGA has a lot of programs that impact all golfers.  Turfgrass research, pace of play research, junior golf initiatives, handicap maintenance, those are all aimed at the overall golf population, not only elite players.  The Rules are written with an eye towards players all over the world.  The USGA provides tons of educational content on the Rules, from very simple 60-second introductions to serious in-depth content, most of it provided for free.  

I think your premise is faulty, that the established golf organizations don't care about the bulk of golfers.  But feel free to try to start your own organization to supplant them, good luck!

[ChetlovesMer]

On 2/12/2023 at 11:31 AM, DandyDon said:

I always like to have solutions to any problems before I chat with anyone about the problem. Whenever a challenge arises here and people ask me what to do, I try to ask them what they would suggest. This encourages people to think things through and pose the problem and their solution. I try to say yes and will only change something if my experience is telling me I should.

The golf industry needs to be tuned up to focus on the large base of people who play the game fore fun, and not fore money.

To quote Peter Kostis :

“I’ve consistently said that players who are paid to play are not the game of golf. Golfers who pay to play are the game of golf. The so called guardians of the game need to always remember this. If pro golf worldwide disappears tomorrow, there will still be golf and golfers.”

Too many of these guardians take you the player for granted. And this is a problem for them – not for you. You have voted that these guardians are irrelevant to your game because you do not join their associations. You play golf fore all the right reasons. Perhaps there is no need for any guardian.

But my solution would be to give you the player a voice in the game of golf.

Yes it is ok to hit a breakfast ball – the golf gods will not throw lightning bolts at you.

Yes it is ok to tee up every shot when you are learning the game – read Harvey Penick’s Red Book.

Yes it is ok to have music on your cart that you can hear – the rest of the course does not have to hear it as they are listening to their own music a little more quietly than you might.

Yes it is ok to walk out of the fescue, drop another ball and play on – you know you should add a stroke for this move. Your call.

This “LIV” version of golf associations would be managed by a coalition of owners and players. We cannot survive without each other. The current guardians must pay more attention to their sponsors on whom they rely for the bulk of their funding. There are many bright minds in the golf world that would be able to develop concepts and programs to keep the golf industry “in a good place” as many of the “guardians” are trumpeting today, with better foresight into tomorrow and beyond.

This should lead to a sport that is recognized for what it truly is – an activity that promotes mental and physical health. A sport that has a positive presence in the public eye – one that teaches life lessons of fiscal morals and honest participation.

An association that needs no castle for a headquarters – a simple office somewhere will work just fine.

Let the tear-down begin. Golf is ready fore a fresh new guardian.

I'd love to engage in this conversation, but I'm afraid your language is written in such a flowery manor that I'm having trouble discerning what your actual point is. 

Would you mind dumbing it down for those of us with low quality public school education? What are you exactly saying we should do? 

[boogielicious]

I agree with the other comments @DandyDon. Most players who don’t follow the actual rules of golf aren’t going to play another system. They are just going to play. They may make up mulligan-like rule for their friends, which is fine. Serious golfers, who do follow the current rules, agree with them. When we have concerns, we voice them to our governing bodies, USGA for me.

[DakotaDarkhorse]

As a person new to golf this is a good read to help understand golf etiquette. I am often spending quite a bit of time looking for a ball and when we've had people behind us I've left many a ball after looking for embarrassingly too long(which may be considered poor etiquette too?), or skipped catching up to the rest of my group or putting as to not slow our group down AND the next group coming. My first time out my buddy and I let people through quite a bit and I didn't even know it was the proper thing to do. It just made sense, they were playing faster than us, let them get on with their game and I won't feel as rushed which makes my already bad shots worse.

 

As stated by others it really boils down to respect in most situations.

[ChetlovesMer]

10 hours ago, DakotaDarkhorse said:

As a person new to golf this is a good read to help understand golf etiquette. I am often spending quite a bit of time looking for a ball and when we've had people behind us I've left many a ball after looking for embarrassingly too long(which may be considered poor etiquette too?), or skipped catching up to the rest of my group or putting as to not slow our group down AND the next group coming. My first time out my buddy and I let people through quite a bit and I didn't even know it was the proper thing to do. It just made sense, they were playing faster than us, let them get on with their game and I won't feel as rushed which makes my already bad shots worse.

 

As stated by others it really boils down to respect in most situations.

See, you've already got it figured out. 

Best advice for golf etiquette is to remember that nobody, but you, cares what score you shoot. Everyone cares if you keep pace. 

Learning good keeping pace habits early in your golf life are probably as important as learning proper swing technique. ... And probably MORE important to the others with which you share the course. 

Since you are just learning here are some habits that's I'd suggest learning early on:

1. If you create a pre-shot routine make sure it is not a ridiculously long routine. If your routine requires you to step off the ball more than once, its too long. It's okay to step off the ball if something happens, but a pre-shot routine that causes you to continually address and then un-address the ball is too long. 
2. Be efficient around the green. How much green reading can you do while others are reading the green? How much assessing can you do as you walk toward the green? A lot of the major green reading stuff can be done before (sometimes way-before) it's your turn. Again, even in putting, you don't want a pre-shot routine that require you to continually address and then step away from the ball. 
3. If you are a person who just chucks your club in your bag and moves on that's great. But if you are a person who is very particular about how their clubs are in their bag, learn the proper time to do that sort of stuff. As a rule, doing all of that stuff at the next tee-box is generally better than doing all of that stuff standing next to the green. Or find times to do all of that stuff while other players are lining up their approach shots. I used to play with a guy who was very fussy about his bag and club set up. Which was fine, but he always had to do all that fussing right next to the green so that others couldn't hit into it. Drove the folks behind us crazy. 
4. Watch your ball. I know it sounds dumb. But a lot of folks turn their head in disgust after a bad shot. DON'T. Watch where your ball goes. Try to get in the habit of using a physical object to mark the location of where your ball likely came to rest on every shot. It will pay dividends in pace of play and in finding your ball when you do go hunt for it. 
5. Watch others in your group's ball. Remember pace of play is reflected upon your whole group. Plus the better you watch others' ball the more likely to get help finding your own. 
6. Don't be afraid to pick up and don't be afraid to let others play through. As far as picking up goes, if you are already hitting your 8th shot. Go ahead and pick up. Or just drop the ball on the green someplace and attempt a putt. If the course is empty and you want to play for your "actual" score, that's great. But if there are folks waiting behind you in a jammed up course. Just pick it up and move on. 
7. Don't ever EVER throw temper tantrums on the course. It just slows everything down and makes you look like an idiot. It's okay to be frustrated with a bad shot, or disappointed in a result. But pitching a fit (Bryson DeChambeau) is not acceptable. Best advice I ever got was somebody telling me "You aren't a good enough player to be upset over a bad shot." Which makes sense. I'm not good enough. I'm going to hit some bad shots. Everyone is. Be prepared that sometimes even "good shots" may turn out lousy. That's golf. If you can't handle things going wrong from time to time, you need to find a different hobby. 
8. Lastly, watch what others do on the course. Watch folks that move along quickly. What are they doing that helps them keep pace of play? Also, when you see folks that are annoyingly slow, what are they doing. Try not to be "that person". 

Learning to do all of this stuff early on helps it become second nature later on. I promise moving along will make golf more fun for those around you. Which will make it more fun for you, and probably get you invited to play with others more often. Good to learn it early and be somebody people like playing with, even if you shoot a lousy score. Remember that good pace of play habits doesn't mean rushing. It actually means the opposite. By being efficient in certain areas it will help you feel LESS like you are rushing, because the time you save can be spent trying to figure out if you can get your 7-iron over that tree, or what ever. 

Good luck, have fun, keep pace. 

[DakotaDarkhorse]

Very well stated and all good points that make total sense to me. Thank you kindly!