Golf Is Becoming Too Much Like Other Sports?

[mcanadiens]

12 hours ago, StuM said:

Still, I do not intentionally hit into them and have not seen others do it.

Almost never. I can think of exactly once. 

Playing as a single on a glacially-slow day, I joined up with the three-some in front of me. One of the guys was one hell of a player but a high-strung sort and the group immediately in front of us wasn't helping. We were on a short par four and waiting on them while they were lollygagging in the fairway about 200 yards out. Guy launches one 300-plus yards over their heads. I'm sure they didn't see it, but they probably heard it. 

Maybe the guy was sure enough in his abilities that he wasn't really going to put them in danger, but it shook me up a bit to watch that. 

[StuM]

I’m at a loss for words….

Fans fighting, gates shut and beer sales stopped as Waste Management Open descends into chaos - Yahoo Sports

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Chaos marred the third round of the Waste Management Open in Phoenix as the gates were shut...

 

[StuM]

 

[boogielicious]

Stupidity.

[snapfade]

Probably a common scene at a LIV event. 

[Beastie]

5 hours ago, StuM said:

I’m at a loss for words….

Fans fighting, gates shut and beer sales stopped as Waste Management Open descends into chaos - Yahoo Sports

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Chaos marred the third round of the Waste Management Open in Phoenix as the gates were shut...

 

It’s a beast of their own creation. What do the players think of the atmosphere? I would not enjoy playing there. Although if I was a multi millionaire golfer on the PGA tour I expect I could put up with it quite happily

[bkuehn1952]

I went back and read the article a second time. The article seemed to mainly focus on celebrations after one did something unusually well. The writer did not like the trend of players "shooting arrows" and overly celebrating success. The article seemed less an indictment of overall on course behaviour and more about celebrating.

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, many new players have flocked to golf. Many of these new players are not well versed in the myriad of unwritten "rules" that guide our actions on the course. Some may know the proper approach and choose to ignore it. My hope is many of these new players will learn the ropes and become better on course citizens over time.

Are there more selfish, impolite or ignorant golfers today than 30 or 50 years ago? Maybe, but we have always had our fair share of buttheads, both on the course and in society at large.

Circling back to the idea that celebrations in golf are becoming too much like other sports, I do not share the concern of the writer. I have yet to see a group of golfers engage in a choreographed dance.

Edited February 11 by bkuehn1952

[mdl]

I agree both the kids and the parents in youth sports can be really toxic. In some ways the toxicity has just changed, but honestly I'd say if anything it's better than when I was a kid, at least in the limited sample I see (I'm not like going to youth games in lots of sports and different ages all over the country 😆).

A lot of this article strikes me as the legacy of class condescension with some racial elements that is strong in golf. For historical reasons golf ended up as the rich WASP elite sport in the US for a ~century. I myself don't relish trash talk or machismo in sports, either as a spectator or when I played (baseball through college). So I appreciate some of the legacy of decorum (while finding some it of backwards and stuffy). But historical accident doesn't make repressed, passive aggressive WASP culture the "correct" one for golf. Before featheries made balls only affordable for elites it was the Scottish backwoods shepherd's sport after all!

Edited February 11 by mdl