Shut up shut up shutupshutupshutup!

[Harry Longshanks]

I know this is a late reply, but unsolicited advice is one of my biggest pet peeves. I don't care who the person is, my pro is a +3 and has seen my swing hundreds of times. You, Mr. Intruder, have seen it what, 3 times? So please forgive me if I don't want you invading my mind with your potentially destructive swing thoughts.

Unless I ask, I don't want a lesson no matter what your credentials are! (For obvious reasons, an exception to the "unsolicited advice" rule exists for the following: Anna Rawson, Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Morgan Pressel, and that Samantha Head girl from the current Big Break.)

My personal list of semi-polite methods to stop unwanted advice are:

1. iPod.
   
   
2. Quickly change the subject to cars/women/sports/beer/etc. A lot of the time, the intruder is just a talker and is focusing on swing mechanics because another topic hasn't been introduced.
   
   
3. "I appreciate your advice, but I've been seeing the same pro for awhile and he has me working on some very specific things." (See #1 if intruder wants to discuss those things.)
   
   
4. "Thanks for the advice, but my pro has me working on some specific swing thoughts, and I'm not good/smart/focused enough to be able to talk about it without completely cluttering my brain and totally wrecking what my pro wants me to work on. But if you want to tell me some things after the round, that would be cool." (If intruder still wants to discuss after the round, see #6 below.)
   
   
5. "Wow, that's really helpful. But tell me, how do you manage to square your clubface with that little hitch/loop at the top of your swing and that weird weight shift in your takeaway?"
   
   
6. "You guys go ahead. I've been fighting a wicked case of explosive diarrhea an the hemorrhoids aren't making things easy for me. I've got to find a men's room right now or things are going to get really ugly. Wow, I really shouldn't have gotten the en fuego salsa on my pork breakfast burrito right before the round. Don't wait up, this could take awhile. I'll just catch up."

[LilGasPasser]

wanted to bump this thread, purely for entertainment purposes! Some other sandtrap newbies might get a kick out of it...

[DJYoshi]

this was a new one from last Friday..I was having the WORST round of my life. For the 1st time in A LONG time, I didn't break 100. I shot a 106.
my 1st time on the course...it was wet...and i couldn't find my swing.

this guy who was SUPPOSED to be my friend kept egging my blow up on.
he was like you're gripping the club too tight. you're doing this..you're doing that. what are you trying to do?
1 par 3, you need to play a draw..he's like you don't know how to play a draw, a fade or anything..you can't even get par (I had 1 par to that point).
this guy who was supposed to be my friend and who I haven't played with since i 1st started last year saw me swinging like I did last year. couldn't figure a thing out!
but it upset me even more..and the more he started egging it on..the more pissed off i got...to the point where I just told him to shut the f*** up.

and this guy that normally shoots double or triple bogey golf shot a 98 and spanked me.... god...now all i do is question my swing.

[Bogie Hokie]

I know this is a late reply, but unsolicited advice is one of my biggest pet peeves. I don't care who the person is, my pro is a +3 and has seen my swing hundreds of times. You, Mr. Intruder, have seen it what, 3 times? So please forgive me if I don't want you invading my mind with your potentially destructive swing thoughts.

That is easily the funniest thing that I have ever read on a message board.

[Ben]

"You're in luck" he says. "I'm an instructor over at Rolling Greens GC, and I'll be happy to give you tips as we go along. C'mon, I insist."

I go along the lines of what Longshanks suggests. I tell my students when they get in this situation to say something along the lines of "I have a swing coach and we've been working very hard together, he prefers that I don't take advice or tips from anyone other than him." Or if that is a bit harsh, "Thanks for the offer, but I have a swing coach and he is very specific in what he is trying to teach me."

[MonkeyClaw]

A couple of weeks ago I went out to play with my wife. Her mother and her grandmother came along as observers, so we got two carts. The grandmother wanted to play but at 86 with a bum knee and difficulty walking, I didn't think it was a good idea. While riding with the grandmother, she regaled me of tales when she and her late husband would play golf together. After messing up my drive on the third hole, she decided it was time to give me some tips. Needless to say, it didn't go over too well. I explained to her that the range is where I work on the swing, and the course was where I played golf. She was very sweet about it, but on the next hole, here come the tips again. I explain again that there was a certain swing I was working on, and that I like to practice new things at the range. I try to change the subject, asking her about her playing days.

"Oh, we used to play on a small 9-hole course, what are they called... Executive courses! That's it. And we'd let people play through when they caught us, or if we had to search for a ball. Sometimes we had to let several groups play through but we didn't mind, we weren't in a hurry." Keep in mind, the husband was a great guy, a pretty good golfer, and obviously had the patience of a thousand elephants. We all know who's ball they were looking for, and he was very accommodating.

So I had an 86 year old lady who's only experience was playing on a 9-hole executive course, where she had to let several groups play through each game giving me golf tips!

At the next hole, my wife and I switched carts. Her mother was much easier to talk to and had never touched a golf club. It was heaven!

BTW - My coach told me to say something very similar to Ben. I'm supposed to tell them 'Alright, I'll give it a go, mate!', then ignore what they say. My coach is Australian, but I'm in the US. Some people will think it sounds kind of odd without the accent.

[Undr Par]

I've learned at a young age (37) to not talk about or give advice in 3 things.

1. Religion
2. Politics
3. Golf


with Golf probably being a close 1st place up there with a persons Faith

[ClairefromClare]

Sherpat, I feel for ya. Query--did you ever check out Rolling Green GC to see if that jerk was telling the truth? They must have a web site. I've never been up to Crystal Springs; hope to soon.

ECT--maybe it's a female thing, but no matter what I say, some people won't stop offering unsolicited advice. Short of being downright rude, I have yet to find an effective solution.

[Treemagnet]

Any of you guys/gals had similar experiences? Got tips about how to ditch an undesirable partner without seeming like an ungrateful prick? I really don't want to go through a round like that ever again....

This is what I do if other golfers ask if they can give me advice. I ask there handicap if it's not below a 4,give golf lessons for money, or close to scratch player I just tell them no thanks I'm just playing for fun. You will majority of the time get bad advice from other golfing idoit knowitalls. I played with a guy two months ago who I must of beat by 15-20 strokes at least, I shot an 83 and was only one over par the back nine and this guy starts to give me advice. In the back of my mind I was thinking are you jokeing me your really trying to give me advice after that schlacking I just gave you. But anyways the best advice is end it right when the other guys asks you if he can gve you advice NO THANKS idoit.