Shut 'em up with your clubs

[Fat Slice]

OK, here's the scenario. Someone you are playing with (regular or paired-up stranger) is giving you unsolicited advice on a shot. Basically, they are telling you that you cannot make a certain shot (carry, cut, draw, flop, spin, etc.) and to take some smart, safe alternative. You didn't ask for advice and they're babbling on. So, to shut them up (and to make the shot you want to make), you load up and go for it and you nail it. I've done that a few times and man it feels good...AND it effectively shuts them up for the rest of the round.

Here's the most recent one (just a few days ago in Chula Vista at a slow muni). Random guy is yammering advice to me and is telling me on one hole from 220 out that I have to lay up because I might not clear the creek, and even if I *did* clear it, I would have an awkward 30 yard pitch onto the green which is worse than an 70 yard wedge shot when I can take a decent swing. I grab the loaner 3-wood and he says "I hope you brought more balls" and proceeds to lay up. I unload on the ball and hit a low screamer that starts right and draws in slightly and ends up dead smack in the middle of the green (pin is up front so I left a 2-putt realistically). I get a quiet "nice shot" out of him and blissful silence where advice is concerned for the rest of the round.

The other one that bugs me is when people who have no idea how I hit tell me to avoid bunkers from the tee which I know I can fly. I really don't know why people enjoy dispensing unsolicited advice.

[schigara]

Man, don't even think about players that talk shit. Usually, if they talk a good game, they are just trying to get in your head to get you out of your game, especially when they try to give "advice"....tell them to go smoke a cock.

Losers will always try to talk you out of the win you deserve. I have played with scratch golfers and with guys that shot to a 30+ handicap and can say that the scratch golfer is a much better person to play with, as they will almost never offer any advice. It's usually the yoyo that barely knows what he's doing that offers advice. I have learned to tune out everything, especially high handicap yoyo's. I don't hear them yammering in my backswing on the teebox and certainly don't "listen" to their so called advice.

This is one of the reasons I almost always beat my playing partner, who is much more experienced than I but he likes to talk shit as it is part of his strategy. I no longer hear chatter on the tee or the greens or the fairways. I have tunnel vision and the only one that is going to beat me is myself because of my own swing or someone with a better swing..

Ass_holes will always give unsolicited advice but I will do as usual........not hear them, no matter how loud they are.

I sliced a 3 wood in the trees today and one of the guys tried to give me a pass and rehit(mulligan) because he was talking during my backswing. He was 15 feet away and I didn't hear him and didn't take any crappy mulligan because mulligans suck and I also never heard him. I took my provisional, found my first and ended up par'ing my first ball.

No player is going to get me out of my game and I play with some funky players here in Memphis.

[cougar978]

Man, don't even think about players that talk shit. Usually, if they talk a good game, they are just trying to get in your head to get you out of your game, especially when they try to give "advice"....tell them to go smoke a cock.

Most of the time when myself and my crew are out playing, we talk a lot of trash to each other. Phrases like, 'nice three-putt', 'nice birdie, homo', 'try not to hook it in the pond', 'watch out for the OB line back there', 'how did you make a team in college when you can't hit any fairways', stuff like that. When I first started playing with them for money (small amounts, like $5 a side), it really was irritating and I let it get to me, to the point of not wanting to play with them anymore. However, I learned the easiest way to deal with that is to either ignore it (if you don't know the person and responding could lead to conflict), or fire it right back at them. Looking back on it, I'm glad I stuck with those guys, because they are all pretty good people behind all the trash they talk to me and each other, and it made me (and them) better players. The moral of the story here is - switch it all off when you address the ball, and switch it back on after you've made your stroke. Attack each shot with a clear mind, and you'll do just fine.

[pittpanther]

Random guy is yammering advice to me and is telling me on one hole from 220 out that I have to lay up because I might not clear the creek, and even if I *did* clear it, I would have an awkward 30 yard pitch onto the green which is worse than an 70 yard wedge shot when I can take a decent swing. I grab the loaner 3-wood and he says "I hope you brought more balls" and proceeds to lay up. I unload on the ball and hit a low screamer that starts right and draws in slightly and ends up dead smack in the middle of the green (pin is up front so I left a 2-putt realistically). I get a quiet "nice shot" out of him and blissful silence where advice is concerned for the rest of the round.

Here's some trash talk for you!

Your HC index is 20, meaning you typically shoot in the 90s or even the low 100s! Yet you have a 220-yard club in your bag, and you can hit a 3-wood off the deck - something not too many 20HC's can do reliably. You either haven't updated your profile, or you have the worst short game of all time! Just having some fun... at your expense...

[iWALK18]

Here's some trash talk for you!

Ohhhhhhhhh SNAP!!! Better show this guy whats up Fat Slice... we need a posted video of you stuffing it close from 220...

[mirv]

i'm typically on the other side of the spectrum - i'm the guy who would be in a position to say "that shot is never going to work," but unless someone has specifically solicited me to offer advice, i never do. i let them play the shot that pleases them, watch them get all huffy when they top it or slice it or hit behind it, and i let the final score do the talking one way or the other (though 9 times out of 10, my score is the lower one).

case in point, recently i was playing with a 20-25ish handicapper. he'd hit a weak slice on his drive on a par five, topped an iron shot back up/into the fairway, and was presented with the opportunity to hit a shot over a pond directly to the green, but said shot required about 190 yards of carry. given his previous two shots, i knew there was only about a 1 in 10 chance he'd uncork a shot that would carry the water, and i *almost* said as much to him, but i stopped myself and watched him plunk three shots in a row (hit, drop, hit, drop, hit, drop) into the water before finally declaring "i'll just put one out on the other side."

i thought to myself, fine, whatever. even with you not adhering to the rules, i'm going to come off this hole two or three strokes better than you. if we counted all of those waterballs you just hit (which he wasn't), i'm coming off like eight strokes better. could've saved you a lot of that if you'd have just aimed left of the water and settled for what would've probably been a bogey.

[imtomtomim]

well, I'm actually the guy who likes advice on the course. I will probably not take any shot advice as I don't lay up unless I'm gonna end up in crap. Like that 190 yard shot you were talking about. I know, I would either stick a 5 iron way past the creek or be a hacker and fat it 120 infront of me. However, I do really appreciate any experiences people have on the course as I can use that very effectively for my shot selection and how to attack the course.

[bogeyhitter25]

I was just at the range about an hour ago. The #1 on my high school team works there part time. He's pretty cool, and ocassionally will give me some advice. He gave me a real simple, easy tip and I was crushing the ball straight down the middle (I've been somewhat struggling with a fade). I listen to him a lot since he's most-likely going to be playing some D1 golf next year.

[iWALK18]

I can't stand it when i make my club selection, and I'm getting ready to hit and someone makes a comment about my choice. It is generally a sure thing that i will eff up after that. I'm sure i would do much better to always switch clubs whenever someone puts doubt in my head.

[plugged]

I played a scramble tournament for charity a couple of weeks ago with a sprained muscle in my shoulder (I know, not the smartest thing in the world). Anyway, I'm on the driving range trying to warm up in some small degree of pain and because I cannot get a full extension on my backswing, my shots are going haywire. Now, realize that I know full well that I am not going to be hitting a lot of shots that day and the ones I am going to hit are going to be all over the place. I DON'T really care, and neither do my teammates. I am there to have fun. My only purpose for being on the range is to create some type of swing that will accomodate my injury. So, I hear the guy behind me pipe up with "hey, I've got some advice for you." "oh, great, I'm thinking". I roll my eyes because this guy hasn't hit a straight shot yet. So, he says "you're swinging too hard" and then proceeds to show me a swing that takes a full lunar cycle to complete. I turn to him and say, with all seriousness, "actually, my research indicates that I am not swinging nearly hard enough. I need to swing much, much faster so I hit the ball before I have a chance to make a mistake." He just stares at me, unsure of whether I am serious....or possibly right.

[xTsUnAmI]

The only advice I ever get on the course is yardage, which is quite helpful. I give yardages with my skycaddie to everyone and most are very appriciative. When it comes down to deciding on the shot thats up to the individual player.

Never been in that sceniaro but it does feel nice pulling off a great shot regardless.

[flanagan]

Man, don't even think about players that talk shit. Usually, if they talk a good game, they are just trying to get in your head to get you out of your game, especially when they try to give "advice"....tell them to go smoke a cock.

Wow, just when you wonder, can people on golf courses really be that annoying, a post which defines "loser" -- let's see how many obscenities we can fit into our immature rant. Making Mr. annoying with advice seem like a good role model.

[senorchipotle]

OK, here's the scenario. Someone you are playing with (regular or paired-up stranger) is giving you unsolicited advice on a shot. Basically, they are telling you that you cannot make a certain shot (carry, cut, draw, flop, spin, etc.) and to take some smart, safe alternative. You didn't ask for advice and they're babbling on. So, to shut them up (and to make the shot you want to make), you load up and go for it and you nail it. I've done that a few times and man it feels good...AND it effectively shuts them up for the rest of the round.

If I play with someone who's struggling with their shotmaking, I always ask them how long have they been playing and have they had a lesson. Id they say that they have played for a while and are just off, or working with someone, I leave it alone. But if not, I'll tell them I see something that they're doing that they can fix and if they'd like, I'll tell them after the round. I never give advice in the middle of a round, unless of course they ask me to watch them, which has happened a time or two.

[Drifterland]

Yeah those are funny. My last one was playing with the HSC champ. I had a downhill tee shot on a 540 yard par 5 (15 yds down) and downwind (alot of wind) and beened one 335. My second shot was lazered at 202 to the pin 195 to clear the water hazard in front of the green and again well downwind maybe two clubs. I grabbed a 7-iron and the dude goes "Smart play, you can make birdie laying up". I sayed yep, and hit the 7-iron as high as I could and threw it into the wind, it flew all the way to the middle and rolled out a few yards (wind took all the spin off).

He was like, hell I thought you were laying up! Nice shot! I was just glad I didn't secong guess myself and try laying up with the wrong club in my hands.

Go check out my golf blog @ theincrediblegolfbum.blogspot.com

[rhodes81]

I recently played with a guy that shoots 95+ most of the time. I had never even met the guy before that morning and for the most part, he was fun to play with. Unfortunately, I was hitting a balloon fade that day with my driver and just couldn't stop. I never complained about it and never solicited advice. This guy decided he could finally see my problem on number 9's tee box. He told me to keep my right arm tucked closer to my body. I smiled, thanked him, and ignored him. As we made the turn, I am at 38 and he is at 52.

On the green at 12, I miss a birdie putt. This guy tells me that if I will remind him at the end of the round, he will help me with my putting. I decided I had had enough and promptly ran off four straight one putts, a two putt and another one putt. The putting lesson never occurred.

I shot 75, he shot 102.

[Fat Slice]

Ohhhhhhhhh SNAP!!! Better show this guy whats up Fat Slice... we need a posted video of you stuffing it close from 220...

I'll setup a video one day :)

Today I drove the green on the 7th at Hiddenbrooke. 286 from the whites, 260 carry over water and I ended up 10+ yards past the pin. Three putted for par, so yeah, my short game is really iffy. Distance isn't my problem!

[Duffy]

OK, here's the scenario. Someone you are playing with (regular or paired-up stranger) is giving you unsolicited advice on a shot. Basically, they are telling you that you cannot make a certain shot (carry, cut, draw, flop, spin, etc.) and to take some smart, safe alternative. You didn't ask for advice and they're babbling on. So, to shut them up (and to make the shot you want to make), you load up and go for it and you nail it. I've done that a few times and man it feels good...AND it effectively shuts them up for the rest of the round.

O.K., My advice would be to hit a hanging draw around the first oak. Then bounce it lightly into the apron and onto the green with a flop from your 62. This should create an easy putt downhill approx. 30 feet from the pin. If you blow by the pin then you're just an idiot.

[is2linda]

When i play singles and join a group at a muni course, its funny how all the adults underestimate because i look so young. They would give me all sorts of advices, but depending whether i like them or not, i usually take it or i do my own thing.

I try to remember that when i go to the course, im playing to meet new people and have fun. I just dont like MR. BIGSHOT, who commands everyone while he showboats. Golf is a hobby, not my profession.