Arrogant A-Hole Golfers

[Vintage]

Another reason why carts should be banned from golf. You hardly ever see a walker acting like a dick or being disrespectful to the course.

Lucky you. Just yesterday, I had a group of 3 walkers.... in total, it took them 25 minutes to tee off. They took a combined something like 50 practice swings. All 3 sliced horrible.

The reason for the long delay? The first two were holding the tee box because their 3rd was running late. They held up the course all day. Groups were stacked up behind us because these 3 wouldn't allow anyone to play through. I think the answer to the thread is simple: there is a percentage of the golfing community that are a-holes. Some walk, some ride. Some dress nice; some don't. Some are young; some are old; and some are middle aged. Male and Female. Hacks and Scratch golfers and everything in between. How they dress, whether they walk/ride, age, gender, income, etc... are not predictive of whether or not they are "nice" golfers.... its merely coincidences, at best. Its their nature to be a-holes. I suspect outside of the golf courses, they act like one too. The best way to counter it? Enjoy your round. Enjoy the fact that you are outside, doing something you like, and enjoying the company of your friends/family. While we all get pissed off from time to time at stuff like this, remember, you could be at work. Or doing chores. Or something else less enjoyable. Don't let a group of A-Holes ruin your golf. That's what I always try to remind myself when I encounter people like that.

[alf174]

Lucky you. Just yesterday, I had a group of 3 walkers.... in total, it took them 25 minutes to tee off. They took a combined something like 50 practice swings. All 3 sliced horrible.

I sense a breakdown in golf course management here - no rangers working? Cell phones do come in handy on the course for these instances.

[allin]

Point well taken but the economic side is that without carts, there would be fewer golfers resulting in fewer courses that would still be in business.

And of course designers would have to reconsider designing courses which can't be walked unless you are in great shape. To many modern courses have huge distances between tees, huge uphill holes etc. Why because they are catering to homeowners and egos of owners who place building the maximum number of homes and picture postcard holes over a playable golf course. This is also one of the reasons building courses for a price supportable by greens fees is becoming nearly impossible. If you must have a cart to play then more people are priced out, fewer rounds, fewer beverages, smaller number of golfers. Perhaps the business model which demands carts is in the long run one of the factors which shrinks golf.

[Vintage]

I sense a breakdown in golf course management here - no rangers working? Cell phones do come in handy on the course for these instances.

Its a very small course, in a town of 2200 or so. Not a lot of workers on the course at the time. The guy behind the counter (in the pro shop) was busy. There wasn't a ranger on the course (they don't have anyone to do that, usually, because its never a problem....). Also, with a community this small, people usually know one another and there really isn't a need for one (people let others thru all the time).

When I was in school and still living in Milwaukee, I spent time on their public courses. Obviously, in a more populated setting... they had rangers, which was nice as it ensured speed of play... I'll never forget the time, we made the turn in 1:45 with a group of 4 walking..... the course was absolutely stacked up. We were waiting on every tee box to tee off. When we made the turn, a course ranger flagged us down to tell us that we had been reported for slow play by another group. Turns out, the group behind us reported us because they had to wait on every hole for us. What they didn't notice, was we had to wait on every hole. And unlike them, we weren't launching our tee shots up the group ahead of us. On a par 4, we'd wait until the group ahead of us were on the green (if it was a long par 4), you know, standard golf etiquette. The group behind us merely hit their shots when we were deemed "out of their reach." We'd see their tee shots land sometimes, 20 yards behind us as we were hitting our 2nd shots. This is what made them mad, we were "waiting too much." I do miss things about the some of the larger courses, but some things, I could easily do w/o.

[alf174]

And of course designers would have to reconsider designing courses which can't be walked unless you are in great shape. To many modern courses have huge distances between tees, huge uphill holes etc. Why because they are catering to homeowners and egos of owners who place building the maximum number of homes and picture postcard holes over a playable golf course. This is also one of the reasons building courses for a price supportable by greens fees is becoming nearly impossible. If you must have a cart to play then more people are priced out, fewer rounds, fewer beverages, smaller number of golfers. Perhaps the business model which demands carts is in the long run one of the factors which shrinks golf.

Good point. I was thinking down the lines that many recreational golfers would not bother golfing because it would require more physical activity than they care to do. Hard to walk 5 miles and slam a bunch of brewskis down.

[sean_miller]

And of course designers would have to reconsider designing courses which can't be walked unless you are in great shape. To many modern courses have huge distances between tees, huge uphill holes etc. Why because they are catering to homeowners and egos of owners who place building the maximum number of homes and picture postcard holes over a playable golf course. This is also one of the reasons building courses for a price supportable by greens fees is becoming nearly impossible. If you must have a cart to play then more people are priced out, fewer rounds, fewer beverages, smaller number of golfers. Perhaps the business model which demands carts is in the long run one of the factors which shrinks golf.

People now need to get a Nintendo Wii for exercise. That tells me people are very creative when it comes to finding ways to be lazy. When it's "cart paths only" a cart rider spraying the ball can walk more than a walker making the same shots. It's karma baby!

Back on topic, if you have a friend who always seems to be grumbling about the proshop staff, starter, grounds crew, and all other golfers on the course, he's probably an a*****e.

[alf174]

Its a very small course, in a town of 2200 or so. Not a lot of workers on the course at the time. The guy behind the counter (in the pro shop) was busy. There wasn't a ranger on the course (they don't have anyone to do that, usually, because its never a problem....). Also, with a community this small, people usually know one another and there really isn't a need for one (people let others thru all the time).

I see. In that case I would have jumped their hole and came back later to finish.

[Vintage]

Good point. I was thinking down the lines that many recreational golfers would not bother golfing because it would require more physical activity than they care to do. Hard to walk 5 miles and slam a bunch of brewskis down.

As someone who sometimes likes to drink while golfing with friends, lol, yeah... walking and drinking beer isn't a lot of fun. More enjoyable to ride, B.S. with the friends, and golf. But when I do that, I still play ready golf. Its not hard. Wish other people could do the same.

[msd3075]

I have some experience on the country club scene. In the late 1960s, I was a caddie, and in the mid-1970s I was a bartender.

That's a really good point. People I have met that are extremely rich tend to be very nice and understanding; the people that are stretching every penny to afford the lease on their BMW and the interest-only mortgage on their McMansion tend to be the jerks that you'll run into. Another thing I've noticed too is that all the jerks tend to gravitate toward each other and are all always in a group (never see them by themselves). Self-esteem issues maybe?

[Vintage]

That's a really good point. People I have met that are extremely rich tend to be very nice and understanding; the people that are stretching every penny to afford the lease on their BMW and the interest-only mortgage on their McMansion tend to be the jerks that you'll run into. Another thing I've noticed too is that all the jerks tend to gravitate toward each other and are all always in a group (never see them by themselves). Self-esteem issues maybe?

You tend to surround yourself with people like you.

A-holes tend to attract other a-holes. The nice part of that becomes, they are then concentrated in one group on the course rather than dispersed. So, if you can avoid that group, the rest of your day is fine. Downside of that, of course is, if they are following you... you have a group of that following you.

[CarlSpackler]

I have to say that the lower cappers that I've played with seem to do a better job of caring for the course than the high cappers, but that is a generalization. I played with a few guys that were pretty bad the other day, but were good stewards of the course. They would fix a pitch mark or two even if they didn't make one. I left the course thinking maybe there is hope for the game.

[Leftygolfer]

I think 10% of total world population suck and are just a%%es. I've walked on to courses and played with strangers alot. I can count on one hand the number of people who I was annoyed with or just disliked. Most of the people I have been paired up with are friendly, polite people. I really keep to myself most of the time when I add on but I've rarely thought negitive things about them. I can't say there is any correlation with skill and personality. The best player I've ever been paired with couldn't have been more polite and some that were the worst were the most rude.

[JWL1957]

There are •••••••s in all areas of life and it has nothing to do with your income or color.. It doesnt matter where you live either, or what your handicap is. It just makes you appreciate the nice people you meet even more. All you can do is........... be polite to others and hope for reciprocation. Live and let live.

[Tomboys]

I've played quite a few rounds with "strangers". IME, the good golfers that knew they were good tended to be very polite. Similarly, the bad golfers that knew they were bad tended to be very polite. The bad golfers that thought they were good tended to be jerks.

[meenman]

I guess that I have been lucky.

In the 3 years that I have played, I have only been paired up with one jerk.

Even the members around that could have come across as a-holes were not bad guys once I got to know them.

I spend 50% of my day cold calling and even then I only run into maybe 5% that are abrasive.

[leo3]

I have been in different service oriented businesses for almost 30 years, and I can assure you, that 10% A hole ratio is evenly spread across all financial, social, racial, political, and religious groups. It's just a fact, 1 out of 10 people is a jerk, for one reason or another. Get used to it, the only change I see is the number seems to be creeping upwards.

[6iron]

I play with a guy that usually shoots two or three over and he will keep telling you how good he is during the round. He will grab your driver and say "Let me show you how to hit that thing!"
I played with a guy yesterday that shot even par and was the nicest guy you would ever want to meet. Some people are just jerks.

[Radford Wooly]

I have to say that the lower cappers that I've played with seem to do a better job of caring for the course than the high cappers, but that is a generalization. I played with a few guys that were pretty bad the other day, but were good stewards of the course. They would fix a pitch mark or two even if they didn't make one. I left the course thinking maybe there is hope for the game.

I myself am a 36 handicap, my brother is a 25 handicap and my future brother in law is a 40 or so. We repaired our divots and other divots that were left. We also picked up trash around the green, so it's not just the high cappers. If you have any respect at all, then you treat people and life in general with respect. Do unto others........