ESPN says drunks and rowdys are great for golf

[A Walk in the Park]

ESPN wrote what I think is a TERRIBLE article on drunk rowdy crowds being good for golf. Its here: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=1982529

Robert Thompson ( www.goingforthegreen.blogspot.com ) and I ( http://jayflemma.blogspot.com ) strongly disagree. Those links go right to our articles. What do you think? Are drunk rowdy crowds good for the game? Or is ESPN wrong?

Jay

[iacas]

I agree with this guy:

Bob Harig, contributor, ESPN.com: FACT. In moderation. This is one week where such an atmosphere is accepted and welcomed. The players know what is coming and most of them embrace the good-natured fun that is had. It wouldn't work all the time, but in Scottsdale, it does.

In

one tournament, I think it's OK. Players know going in that it's going to be a rowdy-fest. If the atmosphere seen at the FBR starts to bleed over to other venues, then it will have gone too far. I'm sick and tired of everyone comparing golf to football or baseball or basketball games. It's ridiculous. We as individual amateurs get upset - rightfully so - when someone jingles a coin or two while we putt or tee off. Golf is a game of respect. I've long thought that the PGA Tour players are a tad stiff. Tiger has an energy, and people are drawn to that. But last week I saw a guy leave an eagle putt dead in the hole and a foot short. I wanted so badly for him to say to the gallery "Isn't leaving an eagle putt short one of those cardinal sins of golf?" Just joke around a little, have some fun. NASCAR can keep its fans. One tournament is fine. Any more than that, and, no, uh uh, it ain't golf.

[Mr High Anxiety]

Yeah I agree Iacas as long as the fans don't go overboard in the drinking. Here in Dallas we have the Bryon Nelson and the one time I went there were tents set up and the alcohol was following like water. Good stuff.


Isn't this the same tournament that a guy was found with a gun and was following Tiger around?

[iacas]

Isn't this the same tournament that a guy was found with a gun and was following Tiger around?

We

have a blog too, folks!

Tiger hasn't been back since 2001 when an orange thrown by a fan narrowly missed his head as he putted on the ninth. In 1999, a heckler was removed and later found to be carrying a loaded pistol in his fanny pack.

[A Walk in the Park]

That's EXACTLY right...

[Mr High Anxiety]

We

Heh, I enjoyed the Callaway Golf article yesterday.

Damn, after reading the article about the FBR it's no wonder Paul Casey opted out of this tournament. I have a feeling his rounds would have been hell.

[iacas]

My opinion posted to the blog .

Jay, when will you get ol' Robert into the forums for a proper discussion!?

[Thrash13]

Well, I'm just now getting around to some of these older topics, and this one really jumped out at me.

I think the excitement at the FBR Open is definitely one of the coolest things in golf. The players know going in it will be rowdy, and I think a lot of them feed off of it.

But what is wrong with the galleries at The Masters and other major tournaments? The cheers are very loud there but respectable. That is what I love about the game, the passion and energy from players and galleries. At least from the watching on TV aspect of it.

Finally, I would like to comment that I could care less if someone is jingling coins or talking in my backswing. I'm not sure why, but it has no effect on me. One of my friends I grew up playing with in high school talked all the time, so I got used to it. The other day a cellphone went off in my backswing, and I hit the drive 300 right down the middle.

But I understand it's not the proper things to do, and I stay very quiet during other people's swings and putts. It just don't bother me any.

Good articles on The Sand Trap too! I just finally got around to reading them.

[mediaguru]

I do think some of the new breed of golf fans are total idiots. I just about want to kill the ahole who yells "you're the man" right in someone's downswing. What boneheads. Or how about the idiot fan who yells "great shot" on 17 at the TPC and doesn't even know the ball is going into the water? Do these people know anything about golf?

I prefer more of the old honorable traditions of golf personally. You can have some beers and a dog, but it ain't a Knicks game.

[Thrash13]

I want to kill the guy who says "You're The Man" after the guy hits the ball. That saying just gets on my nerves now and is way overdone..

[iacas]

I want to kill the guy who says "You're The Man" after the guy hits the ball. That saying just gets on my nerves now and is way overdone..

C'mon, guys. If you're gonna make fun of the drunk hippies, at least get their catcall right. It's "You da man!" "You're the man" is far too proper and grammatically correct for those bozos!

Monday we'll be publishing a "guide to visiting a pro golf tournament." Maybe I should add in a "shut the hell up" paragraph.