Harrassed by Driving Range Staff

[trumps4]

This is tricky as some have pointed out because the pro does sound like a prick. However, while I don't recall seeing signs, I've always seen this as an "unwritten law." Perhaps not a rule but just generally frowned upon. My neighbor and I live on a semi private golf course (where I am a member and play 90% of my golf). My neighbor also happens to be a teaching pro at another club about 30 miles away. Neighbor and I play together from time to time on "our course" and he helps me with my game as we play but he would never give me a formal lesson on another teacher's turf. It's just one of those things that is "understood." I can definitely see both sides of this...

[pittpanther]

Consider this an opportunity to seek out your local muni range, that likely needs the money and business much more.

[alomar123]

I be pissed if he came up to me like that. Your right its no different than a father and a son at the range. He must be hurting in this economic climate

[WilsonWedgeMan]

I would have said "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that this was against any rules". rendering a smart-alecked answer to a smart-alecked statement serves no useful purpose. too much animosity in the world today as it is, without adding more. there's always other places to help a friend learn to swing, there really are. agreed, plastic practice balls are looked down upon by most accomplished golfers, but they aren't the ones that they were created for,or utilize them. find any open area and hit away.. it's the form that's being instituted, not so much how far one can hit a ball. I've seen many players work on their swing without hitting anything... they use mirrors, they use video cameras, they even use other frindes to critique them. I think it's a shame that the economy has effected many people to the gegree it has, but local Pros need a paycheck just like I do, and I shouldn't be willing to take money from their billfolds just because I disagree with an established rule of the range, or course. I do think that most charge a tad more than most commoners can afford, and maybe that should be re-evaluated and lowered if at all possible.

[IcemanYVR]

Consider this an opportunity to seek out your local muni range, that likely needs the money and business much more.

this was the local "muni" range...

*** UPDATE *** I received an apology email from the Director of Golf. I guess it's a real problem at this particular facility. He agreed that it shouldn't have been handled in that matter. So in the end, no harm, no foul... but still leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

[zeg]

this was the local "muni" range...

Glad to hear about the apology. It didn't sound like you'd broken the "reasonable" version of the rule, so it's nice to get official confirmation of that. Maybe the pro was just having a bad day, or had recently had to run off someone who was actually giving lessons. Or maybe he's just a jerk...

[Shindig]

*** UPDATE *** I received an apology email from the Director of Golf. I guess it's a real problem at this particular facility. He agreed that it shouldn't have been handled in that matter.

Just curious: what is a real problem at that facility - the pro's attitude or people giving lessons?

[muggs]

I could see if you were bringing your buddy up there everyday and giving him hour long lessons, or if you were getting paid for your instruction (profiting on private property), but come on...there's a difference between that and giving a buddy some pointers at a driving range you paid to hit balls at. Anyone who says differently is probably a golf pro.

Posting a policy in the hopes of detering such behavior is one thing, but the pro having the nerve to approach you with that attitude...whole different story.

A lot of a-holes in the world...not much you can do, other than giving your $$ to another range.

[ajschn06]

The most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I have never been to a range with a policy like this, but that is outrageous. I would have kept on teaching until he called the cops, and then they would have laughed at him....

[Greg]

Most ranges are just happy people come there and spend 3-4 dollars to hit a basket of rocks into a seldom mowed cow pasture, this guy doesnt get it. Id tell him to go find something to do, clean the bathrooms or something and keep doing what i was doing and tell my friend that he must not have taken his medication today, im not sure he's supposed to come out here unsupervised either.

[golfro]

The most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I have never been to a range with a policy like this, but that is outrageous. I would have kept on teaching until he called the cops, and then they would have laughed at him....

Yea I gota say, i've never been to a range with a policy like this. Or they just don't enforce it because I teach my friends all the time. Often times a pro walks by and gives them good tips and drills whiel I'm teaching them as well.

[Dave H]

Our range has signs posted, but the way they're worded they imply to me that "professional teaching" is not allowed. I see people all the time working on their games together who obviously are not teaching professionals. I wouldn't have thought twice about going with a friend who was interested in learning the game. The pro or the range isn't losing out on any business by me showing my friend how to grip a club or other basics. They just aren't getting business (from a lesson) that they weren't getting anyway. THey're probably getting additional business both now and possibly in the future by another person getting hooked on the game.

[allin]

The range I frequent does have a policy like this. I have never seen it applied to anyone who was not a teaching pro. In general a teaching pro even if helping a friend or family member for free is expected to show professional courtesy by checking in, often, if not a regular in exchange for this courtesy they receive their balls free. Otherwise you are poaching on another pros territory. Obviously you appeared good enough to be a teaching pro. Most of us are obviously not that good and the advice we give each other just means more money for pros later to fix are unqualified meddling. Possibly your area has some out of work pros that have skated around the edges, not uncommon among old time non PGA or guys who got certified before the more demanding standards now. Maybe if there have been several course closing etc that could be a factor also. I do hope that courses are not preventing people from attempting to give new people a start / taste for golf as that is in everyones including teaching pros in the long run.

[IcemanYVR]

Just curious: what is a real problem at that facility - the pro's attitude or people giving lessons?

in his email he referred to "unauthorized teaching"... and said that it is a big problem. but apologoized to me and my friend, and thanked us for our business. I'm satisifed with his response.

And for the record, if an out of work professional or freelance professional used their facility to teach lessons without permission, I think that's wrong.

[mrt10x]

Well I stopped reading on about page three, but this has happened to me in Yuma AZ, Desert Hills, San Diego at both the Stadium Driving Range and the old range down of I-8, Hawaii, Navy/Marine course, and VA at a range I cant remember near Quantico. Guess a: I am a frequent rule breaker and b: I need to stop dressing like a pro when helping a friend out :) I will admit that the incident at Navy/Marine invovled a video camera as well.

[microcrayfish]

The worst thing about the pro's behaviour in this situation is that the policy obviously isn't intended to stop people helping out thier buddies or he would have kicked you out regardless of the fact that you were just helping out a friend and not getting paid. He obviously was just thinking about his wallet before anything else. Sure there's "his side of the story" but his side seems to have been deciding right away that you were infringing on his turf and then deciding to be a prick about it. He could have at least tried to assess the situation first or approach you in a polite manner that would have let him find out what was really going on - the fact that he didn't do that at all points to his side of the story being pretty much worthless.

The ironic thing is that people taking their friends to the range to give them a few pointers and try to get them interested in the game actually works out better for the pro in the long run because there's one more golfer out there who might want lessons and who will be patronising the very golf range that gives him a place to teach in the first place. Thanks to his actions, however, he just lost out on that potential benefit.

[golfro]

The worst thing about the pro's behaviour in this situation is that the policy obviously isn't intended to stop people helping out thier buddies or he would have kicked you out regardless of the fact that you were just helping out a friend and not getting paid. He obviously was just thinking about his wallet before anything else.

Completely agreed. Regardless of if this policy exists or not, the smart thing to do would've been to talked to the OP and his friends and give them some tips and advice and hand them over a biz card and say you'll help him out for a good cost.

This is what a lot of the pro's that I frequented used to do. I'd teach some of my friends a thing or two and they come around and we chit chat for a bit and usually he'll give my friends some tips then suggest he come in for a lesson or something to that effect. The guy completely went about enforcing the rules in the wrong way.

[bigoak]

I don't believe that you were teaching. You are PGA, a person giving assistance. You are trying to make sure that your friend will have some fun and will not hurt himself or anyone else at the driving range.