Are all league golfers idiots?

[shankapotamus]

You also have to remember that the golf course is a business. It's going to support who ever makes it more money.

[CarlSpackler]

Leagues, especially ones that have been in place for years tend to be somewhat overbearing. It happens. I try to maintain my sense of humor about these things and laugh at their outlandish antics. It's pretty much a given that course management knows which groups are yahoos and which ones take things more seriously. This puts management in a tough position because while some leagues may tend to exhibit poor behavior they also constitute a significant revenue stream for the club. If management ticks off a few singles or foursomes they lose that occasional business (and more often they probably won't lose the business of someone who gets upset due to league play), but if they lose the league they lose a large number of paying customers who are on the course on a regular basis. You see this same dynamic at bowling alleys where league play costs the business some individuals coming by to play an occasional game, but the regular league play more than makes up for that loss.

I think a good manager can (and should) do both. The leagues are definitely good for beer sales which is extremely profitable and you do not want to loose them, but you also need to retain your members who often play many times a week and encourage their friends/associates to join. I think you can tactfully talk to the league captains and ask them to convey certain messages to league members such as not collecting balls on the course, fixing pitch marks, etc. I think the worst thing to do is blow off the situation IMHO.

[Leftygolfer]

I play in a league and I have never seen this sort of behavior. So I do not think all leagues are like that.

[piper_clap]

Agree.

yes-2 seperate courses

[glebert]

Personally I think all golfers are idiots, why else would we torture ourselves with this stupid game? That being said, there are idiots and there are morons, and these guys sound like they are both.

[$2 Nassau]

So you had a bad run-in with some league golfers. It happens. So why would you then ask if all league golfers are idiots? Do you have bad experiences with them every single time you play?

[piper_clap]

So you had a bad run-in with some league golfers. It happens. So why would you then ask if all league golfers are idiots? Do you have bad experiences with them every single time you play?

Yeah, when I play on league nights.

So I was just wondering if this was a localized phenomenon or if I would have to deal with league night antics at any other course anyway.

[$2 Nassau]

Yeah, when I play on league nights.

I think they were a little over the line, and hopefully it's just an isolated situation. I've been in leagues and have run up against other leagues while playing and have never experienced anything like that.

[CarlSpackler]

As I mentioned earlier, I have similar issues with just casual play. For the members of private clubs, do you have similar problems? I was thinking that this would be my biggest motivation to leave the muni and join a private club.

[Chief Broom]

I think a good manager can (and should) do both.

I agree they should but in actual practice this is not an easy dynamic to control. Everyone is very touchy and in my experience some leagues, and I bet those are the leagues that exhibit the worst of this behavior, are touchiest of all. At the muni I play there are several leagues that have been playing out there for 30 or more years. I remember them as a kid acting pretty much the same way they do today, so that tells me this is a mentality that can come from the league setting as opposed to individuals. The guys in these leagues today weren't the putz's doing this back when I was a kid, but they still act like they own the course and are merely tolerating your prescence. Management's hands are effectively tied in all but the most egregious examples of bad behavior/etiquit.

Don't get me wrong this really isn't a huge problem a vast majority of the time, but at certain times if you get in these guy's way they are going to treat you pretty bad. Most people who play my muni realize this and just let it slide. After all these groups have been playing out there for years and are a local tradition. I think the best way to handle this issue for the individual is to be aware of when the course may be less hospitable and either avoid it at those times or if that isn't possible (and it sounds like for the OP his best time to play coincides with a lot of this) step aside when you come into contact with these yahoos and let them play through (or around you as the case may be). While this isn't exactly fair it is probably the best way to handle the situation. The leagues aren't going anywhere and if you treat them with some respect (stroke their egos) they'll remember it and leave you alone. At least that's what has worked for me.

[BigBoy]

Why bite your tongue? Just because they're old and in a large group doesn't give them the right. By not saying anything you probably gave them confirmation (in their mind) that their age and group outing does indeed give them the right to do whatever and act like idiots. I don't have much tolerance for stupid.

To be more accurate, I actually did say, "Excuse me guys, if you could please wait just until I'm all the way off the green I'd appreciate it" after an old timer hit his tee shot on a par 3 while I was still on my way off of the green.

by saying I bit my tongue, I meant I refrained from yelling things that implied that they sleep with their own mothers followed by an offer for a physical examination with my 9 iron that I might have offered had they been under 60 years old.

[flopdarock]

ugggh league play chaps my nards... dont get me started...
tues and thurs are ladies and seniors leagues...
i try to get there before theyre supposed to tee off... anytime after means a 6hr round minimum...
ive seen incredibly sweet old granny's turn into vicious witches during league day...
i try to avoid it by playing a different course or just going during twilight when theyve made the turn 3 hrs after they started

[deronsizemore]

To be more accurate, I actually did say, "Excuse me guys, if you could please wait just until I'm all the way off the green I'd appreciate it" after an old timer hit his tee shot on a par 3 while I was still on my way off of the green.

haha! That's good then, just as long as they didn't think they got away with just hitting into people without consequence. There's no reason to do that. Gotta love when people are already firing down on you while you're still walking off a green.