Golfers vs. People Who Golf

**chriskzoo** · July 15, 2009

Anyone else get frustrated playing with "People Who Golf" versus "Golfers"? I played with my fathe-in-law and some of his relatives in a little outing and all I heard about was how good my wife's cousins were, etc. Turns out, they are your typical roll everything over, take a mulligan, gimme for anything inside 5 feet, "people who golf."

I think they all had this delusion they were actually good players and when I shot a pretty mundane 80 they basically said I was too good to play with them, LOL.

**TN94z** · July 15, 2009

I know exactly what you mean. One of my friends brought his father in law to play with us one day. He was supposed to be good as well. Like you said, he would give himself putts, roll the ball, club length out of hazards or OB, etc...It gets really frustrating listening to them give you swing tips when you are shooting a legit score and beating them by 20 strokes!

**Elvisliveson** · July 15, 2009

chriskzoo said:
Anyone else get frustrated playing with "People Who Golf" versus "Golfers"? I played with my fathe-in-law and some of his relatives in a little outing and all I heard about was how good my wife's cousins were, etc. Turns out, they are your typical roll everything over, take a mulligan, gimme for anything inside 5 feet, "people who golf."

Yeah, I get frustrated too. You can usually tell the difference after their first bad tee shot. The non-golfer we be like "I'm gonna' try another and the golfer will say "I'd better hit a provisional".

**chriskzoo** · July 15, 2009

Elvisliveson said:
Yeah, I get frustrated too. You can usually tell the difference after their first bad tee shot. The non-golfer we be like "I'm gonna' try another and the golfer will say "I'd better hit a provisional".

An even better way to tell - when they carry and extra ball in their pocket. It's almost a single motion from duffed tee shot, hand in pocket, and ball reloaded for the mulligan.

**PiKapp23** · July 15, 2009

Honestly it doesn't bother me at all. I do not play for anything so I do not care what rules they play by as long as they have fun. I play by the rules and will give advice on the rules if they want it, but otherwise just enjoy playing the game and not worry about what they are doing. I could do without the endless talk about their kids and pets, etc., but I'm sure they would get tired of me talking all golf, too, so I guess it's even.

**SpringBokVol** · July 15, 2009

Yes, that really bothers me. "People who golf" do not have a good grip on what it takes to be a good golfer. Most of the ones I play with think that they are 10 handicappers, but in reality they are more like 20 to 25. You can't take mulligans and gimmes and call yourself a golfer. That is where the two separate.

**DavidFehertysBike** · July 15, 2009

I dont think the two have anything to do with skill. I think that there are competitive players and people who golf just to golf. You can be a very good ballstriker (like a guy i know) who just likes to play for the the exercise and doesnt take the game seriously. Or you can be a player who is working to get better to compete agaist other players and win.

You can enjoy the game doing both, but i find that the competitive player is rare, no matter what skill level they might be. I play and practice all of the time to be able to better compete in state and (one day) USGA tournaments. Practicing putting for 2 hours is just like shooting free throws for two hours, as far as im concerned.

**Slim 11** · July 15, 2009

I don't mind playing with these people, but it is annoying if they try to talk like they are as good or better than you are while they are blatantly ignoring rules. I don't run into that too much.
One thing that will bother me is if they start saying things like, "just hit another one" or "don't count that" trying to get me to play the game the way they do. I always just say that I like to count them all so I can be accurate about my game and they usually shut up. I'll also tell them to keep their own score if they play that way because I am not writing a bogey on the card for them when they don't count the two duffs, the mulligan and the lip out. At the end of the round I don't want them asking me what they shot.

**kris** · July 15, 2009

Does it occur to you that some people might not be out there to play 100% by the rules and don't care what their score is? these people are out to have fun and couldn't care less about whether they putted in the 8 in. putt or whether they score an 80 or a 100.

in a way i kind of envy them :)

**chriskzoo** · July 15, 2009

kris said:
Does it occur to you that some people might not be out there to play 100% by the rules and don't care what their score is? these people are out to have fun and couldn't care less about whether they putted in the 8 in. putt or whether they score an 80 or a 100.

I don't mind, other than if they purport to actually be good golfers. Don't tell me you shoot 45 when I know you don't have a chance of breaking 55.

**Fairway_CY** · July 15, 2009

Slim 11 said:
One thing that will bother me is if they start saying things like, "just hit another one" or "don't count that" trying to get me to play the game the way they do. I always just say that I like to count them all so I can be accurate about my game and they usually shut up.

I don't think there is a worse phrase for me to hear when I'm playing as a single and I get paired up with a group of 'people who golf'. I'm very strict with myself... I count everything.

I was playing at a course 3 weeks ago and I got paired up with 3 really nice (but much older) guys. They were just swinging and going after it... and in between, giving each other crap. It was fun to be around, but on the 14th hole, I nearly whiffed on a tee shot... topping it to the end of the tee box just into the rough. One of the old guys walked over, picked it up and tossed it back at me, telling me to tee it up again. I declined, placed the ball back where it was, and then dealt with my 'penalty' by punching a 3 wood back into the fairway. I heard them talking about 'guys like him' (me) and I had to laugh. I've got a 26+ handicap... but it's legit. I'm always told I don't play like a high handicap because, when I don't miss tee shots that poorly... I'll usually play par/bogey... but this is coming from guys who claim to be 15 handicaps who tee everything up twice and pull balls out of divots, or imrpove their lie in the rough. It's maddening to know that my scores are legit and these other guys in my flight are posting sub-90 rounds that were actually closer to 98-100. CY

**Slim 11** · July 15, 2009

kris said:
Does it occur to you that some people might not be out there to play 100% by the rules and don't care what their score is? these people are out to have fun and couldn't care less about whether they putted in the 8 in. putt or whether they score an 80 or a 100.

I am all for people just having fun, but like it has been said, don't pretend to better than you are when you don't play by the rules. I don't care if you shoot 80 or 120, but if you are not counting OB's, taking "gimmes" and generally disregarding the rules, don't tell me how you beat me or shot as good as me or whatever at the end of the round. Just smile and say nice playing with you.

**kris** · July 15, 2009

chriskzoo said:
I don't mind, other than if they purport to actually be good golfers. Don't tell me you shoot 45 when I know you don't have a chance of breaking 55.

ok I agree with you and the guy above me on this issue then. I think think the main problem is the guys who are dishonest and do as you say rather than the "people who golf" who may not be good, but also don't claim to be good in the first place.

I respect the latter, but not the former.

**sp33d** · July 15, 2009

Most of my friends are like that, they golf their not great, I dont expect them to play by the same rules I do. If they have a crappy lie I will usually kick it out for them or move it. Its not worth losing golfing buddies because they get frustrated.

If there was money on the line thats different. But just going out and having fun who cares. There are so few and far between of people that I know that can keep up with me, why bother. I'll tell them the rules, but I don't enforce them...

We have a thing "Its sunday" after one day of way to many margaritas on a beautiful day we went to the driving range, it was bad. So when we play on sundays, if you have a bad tee shot, it doesn't count.

NINJA EDIT: ok I get what your saying, yes I have people tell me all the time that they have like a 10 handicap (they dont mention thats on 9 holes)

**Leftygolfer** · July 15, 2009

I am a golfer for sure. I don't care what others do but there are some things that annoy me. People who don't think I should putt out and you can see the annoyance when I mark a 2 and half footer. I am going to make that, I have to turn in this score!! I have a buddy who could be good, really athletic, I am a little better than him, but he cheats and then says I beat you by a stroke. WTF!! You moved your ball out of a hole, I make a double from the worst lie ever and you think you beat me?? Playing the ball down is at least 3-4 shots.

**imtomtomim** · July 15, 2009

I'm pretty loose with the rules as long as I'm not playing for keeps. I mean, yeah, I play all the penalties and don't give myself as many laxities, but to me, the measure of a golfer is if they play the course or if they hit the ball and hope it gets to the hole. Golfers will look for yardages,consider hazards, and here's the kicker, play ready golf. people who play golf ask where the hole is and swing away.

**leo3** · July 15, 2009

Some of you guys need to either grow up or lighten up. A "real golfer" wouldn't give a rats a$$ about what some strangers he's paired with shoot. As for gimmes and rolling the ball, you know that if you meet these guys in a competition, your handicap is legit, you can play to it, and have a huge advantage on them. Play your game and try to enjoy it for what it is, lifes too short to get your drawers in a bunch over silly crap.