Your opinon on an incident yesterday

[Surefire]

It's just a matter of mindset. You can stand around and stew about having to wait, or just look around, enjoy the scenery, and do whatever. So long as you can get your mind back to golf when necessary, it's all good.

I fully agree with this.

Remember we all have to start somewhere, not many people take up the game and are instantly scratch. I am a bit shocked that so many people have a lack of tolerance. Gav has paid his club membership and entry fee for the qualifier just like everyone else. Even if he is not going to win, he is entitled to complete his round, and gain his enjoyment from the game. Even if he is never going to win, maybe he wants to practice under tournement conditions.

[pjsnyc]

It's just a matter of mindset. You can stand around and stew about having to wait, or just look around, enjoy the scenery, and do whatever. So long as you can get your mind back to golf when necessary, it's all good.

When I first started playing, I thought the exact opposite. I'd get pissed if I had to wait and wait and wait (even though half the time it was I who was slowing the group down)....but over the years, I've found a few ways to keep my mind in the right state if my playing partners are slowing the group down - helping find lost balls is one of em

[JerseyThursday]

I fully agree with this.

Did you miss the part where the group was placed on the clock and then Gavin tried to divert the blame for his bad round on the OP because he didn’t help look for his ball the full 5 minutes -once.

I think most people are intolerant of his attitude than his lack of golf ability.

[jasongst]

Furthermore, at the very least, you played out of turn. In medal play, it's not a big deal, but it's still a breach of etiquette at the very least.

I just wanted to point something out. If this is a tournament or something of consequence (which it was), then I would agree with your sentiment. However, if this were a normal casual round, then I think you have two bits of etiquette bumping up together: One, help your buddies find their ball, and two,

avoid slow play . If this is a foursome and there are already 3 guys looking for the ball, I think the guy who is 200 yards away on the other side of the fairway hitting his ball out of turn is the only smart thing to do in order to speed up play. It's far more considerate to the groups behind you. Letting the next group play through is another option, but if there is a group immediately behind them too then you are only benefiting one group whereas playing faster benefits everyone behind you. So the better etiquette choice would be to find a way to play faster when reasonable. So to the original poster's credit, he was probably trying to speed up play for the benefit of others. But considering this was an official round of sorts, in retrospect he would have been better off looking for his buddy's ball. But it's still his buddy's fault for allowing himself to be DQ'd. There are many options that allow him to avoid that consequence. It's also his buddy's fault for blaming someone else for his own goofs.

[Scott_Tee]

That guy is nothing but 'Sour Grapes', especially if you were behind. I've had ppl not help me find my ball, it's a bit irrating, but that's Golf . Too bad the Course didn't have 'Fore Caddys'

[Grogger31]

I don't know ... you guys must be in the "6 hour round" fan club or something.

Speaking for me, I have lots of other things going on in my life other than golf (job, wife, 2 young kids) and to "just look around, enjoy the scenery, and do whatever" isn't a feasible mindset for me. I get pissed at my close friends are stinking up the course. On monday, I told one of them I'd buy him a dozen balls if he'd get the f*ck out of the woods already.

If you suck, you suck ... and you should realize you suck ... and you shouldn't let your suckiness (technical term) effect others. Being a mid-teen handicap, if I was playing with 3 scratch golfers I would absolutely not let my play negatively effect them in any way. That's my definition of etiquette.

[Anand]

I just wanted to point something out. If this is a tournament or something of consequence (which it was), then I would agree with your sentiment. However, if this were a normal casual round, then I think you have two bits of etiquette bumping up together: One, help your buddies find their ball, and two,

Amen, brother! You're spot-on with what was happening out there. I have to agree with just about everything you've said here, including the view that I should have (once again) helped look for his lost ball.

[iacas]

However, if this were a normal casual round

It wasn't, and you clearly know that.

then I think you have two bits of etiquette bumping up together: One, help your buddies find their ball, and two,

Bah. I've played with some bad golfers and helping them find their ball does not slow things down. And as someone pointed out earlier, if you find the ball faster, looking for a ball may very well speed up play.

[tjy355]

I have absolved the OP of any breach of etiquette or poor sportsmanship.

I offer the following mitigating circumstances:

- The OP helped the fellow competitor "Gavin" THREE times searching for his lost ball on previous holes.

- The marshall had issued a SLOW PLAY WARNING.

- On the 16th hole, the OP helped Gavin AGAIN search for his lost tee ball.

- After that ball had been found, the OP proceeded to his own ball. He then realized that Gavin had lost his ball YET AGAIN.

- The OP decided to first hit his shot, THEN HEADED OVER TO HELP LOOK for the ball.

I can honestly say, the OP made EVERY EFFORT to assist his fellow competitor several times over. That fact that he went ahead and hit his ball before heading over to join the search was perfectly acceptable given the slow play warning. I applaud that decision because he was making an attempt to keep the foursome moving.

Once Gavin had found his tee ball, wouldn't you expect that the OP would immediately proceed to his own ball without delay given the warning? WHAT ELSE SHOULD HE HAVE DONE? Stand there and wait for Gavin to hit his ball so that everyone could go look for it AGAIN?

If anything, Gavin was the one guilty of poor sportsmanship and etiquette by continually involving his fellow competitors in his own difficulties at the expense of being able to focus on their own games (in a competition no less). And then to blame the OP is just wrong.

Considering all of the circumstances, I think the OP did as much as he could do, perhaps even going above and beyond the call of duty. Therefore, I hereby absolve the OP of any breach of etiquette or poor sportsmanship.

[Surefire]

Did you miss the part where the group was placed on the clock and then Gavin tried to divert the blame for his bad round on the OP because he didn’t help look for his ball the full 5 minutes -once.

I wasn't really referring to the part after where Gav started showing some attitude. That can't be defended.

I was just referring to the bit on the course where lots of people said they wouldn't help look for the ball etc... The group was put on the clock, not one individual. It doesn't matter who anyone thinks is to blame for that, what matters is resolving the situation.

[JerseyThursday]

I have absolved the OP of any breach of etiquette or poor sportsmanship.

Undeniable presentation of facts. If you’re not a lawyer you should be.

[Surefire]

Is anyone here familiar with critical path analysis?

It seems in this case Gav is the critical path.

Playing your shot rather than helping him look for the ball doesn't help, as it doesn't shorten the time of the critical path.

[firstcut]

Is anyone here familiar with critical path analysis?

I agree... Maybe someone should have "lost Gav" in the bushes....

[iacas]

- The marshall had issued a SLOW PLAY WARNING.

Which is partly the OP's fault.

I can honestly say, the OP made EVERY EFFORT

Except when he didn't make the effort.

I applaud that decision because he was making an attempt to keep the foursome moving.

As others have stated, watching Gavin's ball and being able to locate it quickly (and help him locate it) would have likely done more to speed up the group and would not have violated the rules (playing out of turn).

Therefore, I hereby absolve the OP of any breach of etiquette or poor sportsmanship.

And you're the Czar of Golf Etiquette? Last I checked, there was no such position.

It seems fairly straightforward to me: the lower handicappers believe he should have helped. The higher ones do not. Pretty odd, considering the higher handicappers are the ones that usually need the help finding their balls, too. Thread has run its course. OP got his answers, even if he may not like them all.