Absolutely stupid display of stupidity (rant)

[Eore]

i went out to play nine holes today. i was by myself for the first little bit, and the course was backed up. on the 4th hole i said to the single behind me (about a mid 30's man) do you want to join me? there was nowhere to go and no point in him waiting.

he started complaining about having to wait for me every tee shot for him ( i was waiting for the green to clear). i waved him through to tee off on the previous two holes! he said that if i played any slower he would call the clubhouse.

and to top it off, i have a 10 foot putt for a 40 on the ninth green. he is on the opposite side of the whole, 15 feet out. he putts past the hole about 4 feet.

i told him he could finish out (i wanted to see how the putt broke the last 4 feet). he steps up, misses the putt, and slams his putter into the ground (in my line) taking out a massive piece of green. its my understanding that i couldn't move my ball. i putted, hit the divot he took. the ball popped up in the air short of the hole

to top it off again, he overheard me talking to the head pro about it (he's a member as well) and he demanded that i be suspended from the course (never even heard of that before) for lack of respect to him and poor etiquette on the course.

anybody else (particularly juniors) get this type of bull plop before?

[FlopShotArtist]

i went out to play nine holes today. i was by myself for the first little bit, and the course was backed up. on the 4th hole i said to the single behind me (about a mid 30's man) do you want to join me? there was nowhere to go and no point in him waiting.

Looks like HE needs to be suspended from the course, not you. You were nice to ask him to play with you, and he said all that? What a *****.

[tonyy]

What a douche bag. It's people like him that ruins the game for everyone else.

[Rojo0416]

What a tool.

[jrode]

i went out to play nine holes today. i was by myself for the first little bit, and the course was backed up. on the 4th hole i said to the single behind me (about a mid 30's man) do you want to join me? there was nowhere to go and no point in him waiting.

Noticed you're from Middleton.

Just out of curiosity, what course was this at?

[JackieTreehorn]

Some people are jerks...some people are dumb. Unfortunately a lot of people are both. Just ignore those types like that triple bogey on the last hole and keep it going.

[Eore]

Noticed you're from Middleton.

this was at hawks landing

[jrode]

this was at hawks landing

Haven't played there before. Then again, I haven't played many of the Madison area courses. Me and a friend of mine have been planning to get out to the Bergamont all summer but haven't got around to it yet.

Only courses I've played that are relatively close to the area are Meadows of Six Mile Creek in Waunakee and Deer Valley Lodge in Barneveld. Other than that, it's courses around here for me usually. Either Baraboo Country Club or some of the Dells courses. Back on topic though, never fun playing golf with idiots like that. Not saying I'm a saint on the golf course, but I can't stand when people start slamming their clubs around, especially on surface as delicate as the green.

[seanYsean]

I know the type..

Last month I played in a 9 hole tournament that our Course has..called "Steak Night" Basically you pay $10, that gets you in skins, closest to pin on 2 par 3's, you get to pick your own steak and grill it afterwards..really a great time. Its comprised of twosome teams..anyway...

We were on a short par 4 and the group ahead was putting. Well I was teamed with my father-in-law and we were playing with two of his good friends...all great stand up guys. Well I wasn't going to hit because I was going at the green, but one of the guys, all in their late 50's, says,,I won't come close and hits...well he came within 40 yards of the green, short, about where the no cart signs are. This asshat jumps in his cart..screams it up to us and starts screaming at all of us about how he was putting and this and that...We were all kinda shocked really,,then he jumps in his cart and goes off...If I wasn't so dumbfounded, I would have gotten out of the cart, lol.

[worst_shot_ever]

Eore, don't let it eat you up. From the way you describe the encounter, it sounds like you did everything right that day. Given that his little tantrum on the green had a direct affect on your score, you were also well within your rights to mention it to the pro. Some people never figure out proper behavior (whether it be on the course or off); all you can do is play by example, confident in your own good sportsmanship and etiquette on the course.

[mellojoe]

I had the privledge of playing with a 16-year-old on Monday night. He was extremely courteous, very polite, very knowledgeable and quite an exceptional player.

I do NOT understand the whole concept of "judging" people based on their looks.


It harkens back to the dark days of golf with "restricted" clubs only for W.A.S.P.s. Very, very sad. Don't be too angry. You should feel sorry for him.

[shortgame85]

i went out to play nine holes today. i was by myself for the first little bit, and the course was backed up. on the 4th hole i said to the single behind me (about a mid 30's man) do you want to join me? there was nowhere to go and no point in him waiting.

There is no excuse for bad manners either on the course or off the course. If the fellow you describe took issue with slow play, or any other on course activities, his recourse was to discuss his opinion with the marshall, the pro and, if he received no satisfactory response from those fellows, the club board of directors. The behavior that you witnessed is unacceptable and his destructive act on the green should have resulted in disciplinary action. You were not only correct in reporting what you saw, it was your responsibility to do so. Well done.

[Undr Par]

wow, I guess the old saying is true...it's takes all kinds to make the world go round......what a idiot...

[sacm3bill]

I've played with people who have a very short fuse when they hit bad shots (cursing, helicoptering clubs, etc.), but I've only seen actual damage done to the course twice:

1) Was playing in a foursome of singles who one-by-one had caught up to each other. (Was kind of interesting in fact, in that we had one person playing from each of the four tees...) I was having a great round and was waiting to putt for birdie. The woman in the group putts ahead of me and leaves it an inch short. In disgust she tries to whack the ball backwards with her putter (i.e., instead of putting out or just picking up), and tops it, leaving a depression right next to the cup, halfway in my line. I menatally swear at her and hit my putt. It was going to miss right but at the last second it falls left into the depression she'd made and subsequently into the cup.

2) Was playing in a foursome of buddies. One guy I'd known for a while but only played golf with him once before. He's known for his antics and clowning around, particularly when it's his turn to hit, and particularly once he's had a few beers. That was a little annoying, but not so much that I'd say anything, or not golf with him again, since he's a good bud. Well this second time I played with him, I was standing over a 3-foot putt for bogie. We were on the 12th hole and I hadn't made worse than bogie yet, which was a big deal for someone with my handicap. Before I could putt he says "Here, let me help you" and takes his finger and as hard as he can he draws a line in the very soft green from my ball to the hole - and I mean, he left a definite track in the putting surface. I was speechless. I missed my putt, and I can't say for sure whether the line he drew affected it or not but that of course is not the point - the fact that he would purposely damage the green like that, right around the cup, was intolerable to me. I pulled him aside before the next tee box since I didn't want to make a scene in front of the other 2 guys and told him "Hey, you can mess with my head all you want, but please don't mess with the conditions of the course. I know you're out here just to have fun and I am too, but the way I have fun is to try and shoot the lowest score possible." (I didn't mention it, but obviously he also caused problems for all the golfers behind us and whoever was responsible for maintaining the greens.) Since he was a little buzzed, and probably feeling a little guilty, he got very defensive and we got into a bit of a quarrel. For the sake of the friendship, we don't golf together anymore.

- Bill

[kafka01]

Okay let me get this straight - he fks up your putt line by damaging the green on purpose with his putter and after complaining about this incident he wants to get you suspended?

In our club it would work out like this - if he´s a guest/greenfee player he wouldnt be allowed on the course again EVER - if he´s a member (i never saw such behavior from any regular members before) i´m pretty sure he will have to apologize to a lot of people and probably get a "warning letter".

Oh and obv. i would had have him make him aware of the fact that his "divot" is in my line and better repairing it very well.

[Eore]

Okay let me get this straight - he fks up your putt line by damaging the green on purpose with his putter and after complaining about this incident he wants to get you suspended?

yeah, he wanted me suspended for "showing a lack of respect to my elders"

lack of respect would have been pushing him into the lake or never letting him join with me. i'm sure there will be repercussions for him. the cart girl will vouch for me. on the bright side, now i know who to not play with

[FlopShotArtist]

yeah, he wanted me suspended for "showing a lack of respect to my elders"

If you woulda known that this would happen, maybe you SHOULD OF thrown him in the lake!

[mruseless]

What a jerk-off. Did you inform the pro of the damage he caused? I would have reported him for certain.
Did the pro say anything to you after his rant?