how do i not sound like a jackass

[DDBowdoin]

throw some mid range bombs at those cougars... haha

[odstore]

The other day this four some was letting me play through and I hit a drive through the fairway that went right behind a pine tree. They had already hit their drives and were waiting out where their drives were. I walked down to my drive and when I get there the guy says "great drive," as I'm grabbing a wedge to punch out. I thought it was a pretty ridiculous thing to say since he could see that I had no shot at the green. I guess long=good for some people (regardless of where the ball goes).

[DDBowdoin]

I get this every round because I play at one of the worst golf courses in the world. The course has a great lay out but they dont have an irrigation system and have never heard of actually cutting, never mind rolling, greens. Couple that with the fact thats its only 17 bucks to play you see some interesting characters. Keep in mind this is a DONALD ROSS course, just one that has been forgotten.

I'm longer than 90% of the people who play there and will get a "wow, good think we didnt include him in our nassau" or crap like that. But the worst is definitely when I'll pull a shot and hit the left front of the green when the flag is deep right... "good shot"!!!

I have a 65 ft putt man, I'd rather be off and be able to pull a wedge out of my bag

[Craig Mac]

I'll only say nice shot if

I would agree with that but add:

D. Good result for the players skill level. example: my buddy's 200 yard slice driver that finds the fairway. I think it is just a nice courtesy to tell someone good shot and I will always say thanks when someone says it to me even if the result is not too great, rather than make a rude comment or even worse not saying anything at all. I can usually tell within a second or two of impact if they hit a "nice shot", however not everyone is use to seeing solid contact so they may say "nice shot" because you hit it solid irregardless of the result. Beats them saying, "that sucked", which would definitely piss most people off.

[MellowYellow]

Do these people really say it THAT much?

I've played with lots of people i didnt know, I might say nice shot on the first hole or 2 but u can usually tell with their reaction if it was a good shot or not for them, and can quickly figure out what a nice shot by their standards are.

If they hit it 50 feet from the pin and go YEAH on the green I'll take it... it's a nice shot. If they hit it and go, "Oh YEAH leak left you Mother (&*)#*$()!" and it lands 50 feet from the pin... probably not the best shot they've seen... that or their standards are too high for their skill.

[DJYoshi]

I get this every round because I play at one of the worst golf courses in the world.

DD, come to livingston & play a round with me at Francis Byrne. good layout... drainage STINKS. you can hit the fairway on the 8th hole...down hill...and on a good day, you'll roll to the 100 or beyond...but if you hit it to only the 150, there's a mini lake in there!

I'd love to see your course 1 day....we can do a compare/contrast of how our irrigation and drainage SUCKS... but hey... you learn how to take a thin divot out of a sloppy watery mess that we call a fairway.

[DDBowdoin]

haha our greens are furry... I play there so much I started to doubt my putting ability then I played in a three day member guest tourney (27 holes each day) and I was lights out on the green because they rolled and stayed true

I literally cannot get the ball to the hole here.... in order to do so I have slammmmm the ball

its pretty sad!

[GaijinGolfer]

Id agree with what some of the others have said in that a, "good shot" is relative to the skill level of the golfer.
To someone who is relatively new to the game, any time they get the ball up in the air and it goes somewhat straight; thats a good shot.
Id also agree that they are trying to be nice, so the last thing you should do is snap at them.
Just smile, nod your head and say, "thanks". If you hit an errant shot, you could throw in something like, "I hit it on the toe/sliced/hooked, but it'll do."
I can see where it could get annoying, but as long as they arent saying it in a sarcastic way, I dont see any call to be rude or voice your displeasure with them.

[sandtrap]

It could be worse.

1) you hit so many good shots that they expect it and never say nice shot. ho hum he's in the middle and yawn he's on the green. Must be boring to never have to go in the woods.

2) they say nice shot to you when you hit to 20 feet from the pin and then they get pissed when their shot is 10 feet from the pin isn't good enough. Like that's good for you but I'm so much better than you it should have gone in.

just be gracious and move on

[wolverine318]

Well this annoys the shit out of me, but I just say thank you and move on with the round. Or if its my partner I give him the death stare look LOL and tell him dude, you know thats not a good shot for me. But other people I just let it slide.

You know, its not a good shot for you, but it is to them, so you get that gap in there. So its hard. I wonder though, do higher cappers get irritated when a lower hc doesnt say nice shot, when it was a nice shot for your ability? Because maybe to them its not a nice shot so they dont think to say it?

[crazygolfguru]

...its not a good shot for you, but it is to them, so you get that gap in there. So its hard. I wonder though, do higher cappers get irritated when a lower hc doesnt say nice shot, when it was a nice shot for your ability? Because maybe to them its not a nice shot so they dont think to say it?

As a high capper, I think it's great whenever I get a compliment on the course, even if it is my worst shot of the round. Crazy as it may seem, I let those compliments go to my head and actually play better as a result. So I say, enjoy the ego trip they are putting you on, because they obviously don't know any better.

[GaijinGolfer]

I wonder though, do higher cappers get irritated when a lower hc doesnt say nice shot, when it was a nice shot for your ability? Because maybe to them its not a nice shot so they dont think to say it?

Not really. I think Id be more irritated if someone told me, "nice shot" and then proceeded to outdrive me by 100 yards or hit a wedge shot within 10' of the pin. You know, it would kind of be like saying, "anything you can do I can do better".

[Chas]

Interesting thread. After deep deliberation, I would say that the thing that really gets my goat is when I hit a career shot (like 2 weeks ago, a 215 yard 5W to 5 ft, nicely bunkered green - exceedingly rare for this hacker) and nobody says nuthin'!


I mean to say, it ought to be: bring on the dancing girls ....

waidaminute ...... on further reflection, maybe that's the biggest compliment anyone could give me!

Moral of this post: always try to be generous in interpreting people's comments (or lack thereof). They probably mean well. And if they don't, it's their problem not yours.

[DDBowdoin]

I played the par 5 of my life on sunday... a longer par 5 but turns almost 90 degrees

hit a long cut off the tee (which is not really my shape) and from 250 stuck a 3 wood (all carry, as the front of the green is bunkered and the grass landing area is thick) 6 ft pin high... made the eagle

the ball mark was the largest mark I've ever made... but once the shot was in the air I knew it was good... silence

but they drop nice shot if I hit a par 3 green, no matter where the ball ends up

strange

[Doctorfro]

"Yeah, other than the distance and direction it was great, wasn't it?" Ok, so that's a little sarcastic. I hear it sometimes as well and frankly I let it roll off my back. Thinking about the next shot already.

[rogerhuang]

If you all are looking for compliments at the right time, then quit complaining and join a private country club, Nationwide Tour, or the PGA instead of playing at these muni tracks where you're bound to find less experienced golfers who don't know (or care) about proper golf etiquette.

Good job to those of you who suck it up and ignore the inappropriate comments from those hackers who only mean well and want to be sociable when they say "good shot" at the wrong times.

[Undr Par]

a similar situation has happened to me a few times in past month. And I need to find a tactful way to say something.

imo there is no way you can say something without coming across as a butthole......if what people say (trying to be nice) to you makes you upset to post it on a board, I'd hate to see how you respond to people who aren't friendly, probably write Golf Digest or something....

[DHarris75]

I was on the 7th hole playing single when a married couple comes up. They were delayed because of some light rain that I played through. Well, they come back out and ask to play with me. I offer to let them play through (I'm new and liked the tranquility of being by myself - and being able to figure out my shortcomings alone). They digressed and said they can just play with me. Apparently, they play a little - not great by some standards - but were definately a level above me.

This lady just won't shut up. So she learns that I am new to this game - so she starts trying to tell me what I'm doing wrong. Before they came up, I was having a pretty good day (for my second time on a course). While she's watching me, I slice the crap out of a ball and she corrects me. So I told them to go ahead and play the hole out while I try to figure out my recovery shot. So they do. After they move on, I hit a 3H back onto the green. I couldn't believe it...but then I 3-putt for a bogey.

Next hole, they are waiting for a slow group in front so we play the hole together - a par 3. This one I don't hit the green, but I am just off. Still bogey'd it. Next hole was 9 and I slice bad and she just won't SHUT UP telling me what I'm doing wrong. Well, they jump in and want to "race" me to hole 10 - I turn left back to the club for a bite to eat at the turn - where I waited 30 minutes before jumping back in.

I'm new to this - but I respect the game and try to learn proper protocol. You'd think people who have been playing for a while would learn the same.

She probably thinks she was being nice and "helping me out". But I have read, read, watched, read, and had a couple of lessons - and a million balls on the range. I am still trying to build my swing. I know what I need to do - it's making my body do it. While her intent was kind hearted - it was annoying.