Should a test be required before playing public course?

[ttee9]

people don't give a crap or respect others property. The course they are playing isn't their's and they don't have worry about the repairs etc. and they feel they paid their greens fee and can act any way they want.

... Unfortunatley, sadly you're right on the money .. especially now with the large influx of new players.

I guess it's okay to leave beer bottles under the tree's, dress like a bum and leave 30 divots on the course. Perhaps giving a test may not be a bad idea .. it will get some peoples attention.

[jamesduncan]

My main point is still valid. Every right brings with it certain responsibilies. Many of the most troubled people in our society are those who don't recognize this.

In not trying to say this is not a valid idea (it certainly is)

My only point is that youre trying to say playing golf is somehow a right. It clearly isnt. playing golf is choice that we can all make. now to follow your example, yes a course could clearly make the choice to require a test and I could voice my displeasure about this but choosing not to play there. This (to me anways) has nothing to do with rights, where I think youre definately stretching. I whole heartedly agree tho that golf does indeed teach values and the ideas of social contract (as u put it) ie; respect for the rules, respect for the course and respect for your fellow competitors and players. But to get this involved with rights only dilutes youre argument, I feel anyways. Yes there are responsiblites, but they dont fall into the relmn of civic or legal responsiblities. But i do agree that if more people who played golf followed the rules and ediqutte of the game, somehow the world would be a touch better place, since the game can teach us all so much about ourselves. interesting discussion nonetheless

[niblick]

I play mostly mid-priced public courses, and I'm generally pretty patient with the occasional duffer who holds things up. Poor play is one thing, but discourtesy is quite another. Everyone on the course can and should be held accountable for good conduct.

I played a par 3 course a couple weeks ago as a short game exercise, and quickly got annoyed with the slow play of the woman in front of me. I was taking my time on the greens, and still had to wait several minutes for her on every tee. Then I noticed that she was playing 3 or 4 balls, tee to green, and putting all of them out! That kind of thing is fine as long there is no one behind you, but she never offered to let me play through, and never picked up and moved on. I was pretty ticked off, and didn't enjoy the loop as much as I should have.

[RickRevue]

This is a tough one. If we want to grow the game (and maybe some of us don't) we have to make it comfortable for people to play and learn the game. I think a question about ability level is a fair question to be asked before you play. It probably comes down to playing partners giving appropirate guidance and direction.

I think everyone should understand basic courtesy when it comes to etiquette and moving along and fixing marks and raking bunkers. Sometimes people just don't know this stuff. It's up to playing partners or roving marshalls to manage appropriate behavior and teach if neccessary. That's where a booklet would come in handy.

Public courses are where beginners tend to learn the game so it just makes sense for them to offer, for their own benefit, a way for folks to learn how to play on a course with other people. If they do it right, that person will be back and become a regular customer.

However, just because a course is "public" doesn't mean that a player owns the course. If someone gets loud in a movie theatre the usher or other patrons have every right to get that person to get in line. Same for golfers who don't "get it" yet.

[SubPar]

There are a lot of clueless folks on public courses. The marshals should be more visible and aggressive in making people keep pace and repair divots and not drive up to the greens and so on.

There are plenty of experienced golfers who ruin a weekend round for others as well, by playing every shot like they are trying to with The Open, yelling and talking loudly near teeing grounds and greens, and tossing trash about.

It is more about the character of the person than knowledge of the game.

[gpeden]

One thing that has helped me is to golf really early in the morning. Like at sunrise (5:30am). If you are willing to get up that early to golf you probably have some clue about the basics of speed of play, etc. At least it seems like we have fewer issues like that.

[iacas]

This is a tough one. If we want to grow the game (and maybe some of us don't) we have to make it comfortable for people to play and learn the game.

I know a few people who don't play golf because they don't want to embarrass themselves around other people. Perhaps they'd be MORE comfortable taking a class and practicing on the range with other "newbies" than they would being thrown to the wolves, basically.

Try as I might to tell them that nobody's gonna care what you're doing on the range to learn to at least not whiff all the time, they still feel intimidated so much that they won't even do that.

Public courses are where beginners tend to learn the game so it just makes sense for them to offer, for their own benefit, a way for folks to learn how to play on a course with other people. If they do it right, that person will be back and become a regular customer.

Indeed. But you can't teach a guy all there is to know about etiquette in the few minutes before he tees off. I wish there were more "welcome to golf" classes.

[gpeden]

just because you suck doesn't mean you have to play slow. In fact it seems like some of the slowest players are the 'good players'. You know the type - umpteen practice swings, endless waggles, refusal to play 'ready golf'. And they always look annoyed when you ask to play through.

[Konrad]

I don't see how a booklet couldn't hurt. I just think that if they bother to read it it would help a lot.

[cdriver]

When I was learning, I used to go really early to a local 9 hole course. I would walk and always keep an eye out behind me for approaching groups that might catch up with me.

One morning, I met up with a guy I knew socially, but didn't even know he played golf. He offered to let me play along. He said, nicely, he didn't care a whit how poorly I played but if I wanted to play with him, I had to keep up. He helped me with the rules, the etiquette, and the housekeeping without being an ass about it. We became regulars together and had an assortment of characters who would play in with us. Once I got the hang of it, we took the Course Super's grandson under our wings (he was probably 9) and taught him how to behave properly on the course. More than once, he got banished to the clubhouse for throwing his clubs or not raking a bunker. He eventually learned that to play with us, he had to act properly. Amazing how this all works.

[rockramon]

Is there a test that you have to pass if you want to pro-create and have children? - No!!!

What make s agolf course so special that you should have to write a test before being allowed to use it?

I know that when i started playing golf, the first thing i did before I even bought clubs was I started reading and researching the game.

Befroe I went onto the course I went for lessons with a pro, and then spent hours on the range. Only when I felt comfortable that I would not make a total ass of myself on the course did I call my mates, who were regular golfers, saying that I though i was ready to 'hit the links' .

Not everybody would take this approach, but if everybody is perhaps given a flyer when they pay their green fees to remimd them to fill their divots and repair pitch marks etc. that should suffice.

[allin]

A test for procreation? In my darker days as a caseworker for child protective for the state I seriously wished for one . But I feel compelled to point out the real issue in both situations is the balancing of rights. When people choose to remain ignorant, discourteous, and selfish in the exercise of their rights, they trample others rights. Obvious it is excessive to call anything about golf a right. Most courses have signs on the course and language on the scorecard reminding people of course courtesy, lettiing faster groups through, repairing divots etc. A lack of information really isn't the issue. A culture of ego centric people is the real issue. I don't think teaching will help since these type of individuals only rspond to negative consequences. This thread has made how difficult finding appropriate responses (consequences) would be.

[Tommyboy740]

There are those who dont repair ball marks, and I feel one of the problems is not having a repair tool at all. I know my first few times out I didnt have one. Yesterday I was playing at my local driving range/pitch and putt, and on every green they had little plastic cups with 2 or 3 cheap plastic tools. I feel like this is a great way to help eliminate the ball mark problem.

[iacas]

There are those who dont repair ball marks, and I feel one of the problems is not having a repair tool at all. I know my first few times out I didnt have one. Yesterday I was playing at my local driving range/pitch and putt, and on every green they had little plastic cups with 2 or 3 cheap plastic tools. I feel like this is a great way to help eliminate the ball mark problem.

Except that it's also a costly one. At probably $0.25 apiece, those things probably go quickly.

[cdriver]

There are those who dont repair ball marks, and I feel one of the problems is not having a repair tool at all. I know my first few times out I didnt have one. Yesterday I was playing at my local driving range/pitch and putt, and on every green they had little plastic cups with 2 or 3 cheap plastic tools. I feel like this is a great way to help eliminate the ball mark problem.

At my old course, the owner asked us once what he could do to make the course better. We all responded, "Get the golfers to repair their ball marks on the greens." He asked how and we suggested free repair tools. He took us up on it and gave one to every golfer who wanted one when they checked in and paid up. Didn't help a thing except he found repair tools in all his trash cans. I honestly wish I had a way to make everyone who plays golf do the right things, but it is just not going to happen. I can only control myself and I intend to be courteous, repair my marks, and generally take care of the course as if it were my own. Maybe setting an example will have an affect, but even if it doesn't, I will feel good about myself and feel like a

real golfer.

[Norm66]

I'm a newbie to the game of golf with an average (with only two games of nine holes to base it on) of 130 or so. I wouldn't qualify to play under one set of rules I read at the beginning of this thread.

I did practice at the range before golfing on my own (outside of a company scramble that was my first experience) and did follow the etiquette of fixing divots. Ball marks on the green haven't come up yet in my game (yet) but I've seen it done and I'm looking forward to fixing them regularly at some point. Both times while golfing we let people play through. The first time it was just a single, but Saturday afternoon was a little busier and we let one foursome and a twosome play through. We waited after finishing a hole to let the foursome go and then noticed the twosome was coming pretty quickly after them so we just waited.

I can understand experienced players being annoyed by beginners, but as others have said, everyone has to start somewhere and jerks are jerks whether you meet them in traffic or come up behind them on the golf course. I believe that most beginning folks, myself included, would appreciate a little booklet that let them know the ins & outs of the game. If nothing else it would limit embarassment when someone pointed out a breach of etiquette.

[ragontona]

I'm a newbie to the game of golf with an average (with only two games of nine holes to base it on) of 130 or so. I wouldn't qualify to play under one set of rules I read at the beginning of this thread.

You're starting off with a good attitude. Welcome to the game.

[RickRevue]

Hi Norm,

That would be a great idea. How are you suppose to know what to do unless someone helps you learn. It probably is something that should be available at most golf courses.

Here's a little article I wrote. It just scratches the surface but it's a start.

http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Beginner...urse&id;=284224

Good Luck and hang in there. It will get better.