Low handicappers playing with high handicappers

[Paradox]

The rule book states that proper ettiquite is for the guy who hit the ball into the woods to look for it while the others get ready to hit.

I don't throw rule books at my friends.

I'd say the BEST thing to do would be for everyone else to hit their next shots and then join in the search.

[GolferDot]

Here in NZ not helping look for a ball would be considered rude

[Dragonsrock]

I played with a guy recently who had 166 and it was painful, but he was a nice guy, he kept asking the rules and I wanted to tell him it did not matter, he could play anything he wanted as he could not get a nett 120 if he tried, but I did nto have the heart. I have never been a low handicapper (hopefully one day I will be), if I ever am i want to remember just one thing and that is that if I behave poorly when I am playing bad, i will wreck everyone elses day. Last saturday I played with an 8, he had a bad day, i mean I beat him, but he threw a club at least seven times, kicked his bag, swore his head off and generally carried on like a child, I dont care what his handicap is, no one should have to put up with that crap. After 12 holes or so, i told him a little story about Arnold Palmer (i believe) telling an amateur that he was not good enough to get that upset, strnagely, he did nto talk to much to me after that :)

[tsdnorton]

I find sometimes if I'm having an off day, playing with high handis makes me play a little worse. If I'm having an off day and playing with my typical group, seeing them crush it and hit their GIR's puts me back in the zone. Mostly I don't mind too much.

[lumpuckeroo]

I'm not a low or high handicapper, but I really don't have a problem playing with either ends of the scale. I just try to stick to playing my game. I have more of an issue with a player that is either very slow or very fast and that has nothing to do with handicap!

I find when I play with better players, I will tend to focus more and will play better, but my daughter is taking up the game and when I play with her and help her, I forget about my "problems" and just hit the ball and play pretty well. Of course the reverse can be true for both cases, which has happened.....

[jetsknicks1]

I don't throw rule books at my friends.

Here in NZ not helping look for a ball would be considered rude

I don't throw the rule book around either nor do I think it's a question of rudeness. All I'm saying is that in the spirit of proper ettiquite & pace of play, everybody should go to their own ball and play. That being said, if everyone hits and there's still one guy looking, then everybody should help look for the allotted time.

BTW, when my buddies & I play, I'm usually the one in the woods.

[adamgoodman]

Handicap usually doesn't come into play when I judge how much I enjoyed a partner...

I just can't stand the hackers who act like it's the U.S. Open out there and every stroke is worth a hundred thousand dollars...
Just play the game.

[laconic517]

slow play and not being able to have fun playing with hackers in the US comes down to poor course design imo. Having heather or knee high grass on your course is stupid unless you are hosting top level competition. It just slows down play and is ridiculous. The wooded holes (like actual woods not just trees) are dumb as well. If you want to speed up play get rid of heather and dig all of that crap out so its only trees and dirt/pine straw/grass whatever.

It really kills me to play on courses like this because I know itll be a long day and its miserable for me even as a low handicap because I feel like id find my ball if I had a spotter etc.


In closing, high handicaps are fine as long as we arent looking for balls all day (im not a straight driver personally so Im sure well be looking for some of mine as well)

[rjwiggall]

slow play and not being able to have fun playing with hackers in the US comes down to poor course design imo. Having heather or knee high grass on your course is stupid unless you are hosting top level competition. It just slows down play and is ridiculous. The wooded holes (like actual woods not just trees) are dumb as well. If you want to speed up play get rid of heather and dig all of that crap out so its only trees and dirt/pine straw/grass whatever.

Nice to hear a low capper say that. There's a course I used to play locally that I've stopped going to because as soon as summer starts they let the grass get thigh high in 70% of the rough. Way to penalizing for a public course. Thought I was the only one thinking it.

[Stretch]

I run into the director of golf here at the new club and, after a pleasant conversation, he says he likes to try and play a round with new members to get to know them and asks if we can go out together some day soon. Apologizes that his time is pretty limited and he only really gets to play Wednesdays or Saturdays nowadays, which are the members' competition days. Anyway, we set a date and I immediately slope off to look him up on the club handicap roster. Of course he's a +3.



I guess I'll learn something, at least.

[rdwoody]

I play pretty much every round with high handicappers these days. I've been playing for around 10 years now and my partners have been playing only about a year. They're my college roommates that recently got into golf. We usually just play 9 holes together and sometimes they'll shoot in the 60's or 70's and sometimes they'll shoot in the 40's (and sometimes it seems like I'm trying my hardest to accomplish the former ) but, either way, I always have a blast with those guys.

[DaSportsGuy]

I don't really mind playing with anyone as long as they have good etiquette, keep up to pace, and they don't get all mad to the point it effects my game.

One thing that absolutely drives me nuts is people playing multiple balls. I don't mind someone throwing down an occasional ball after a bad shot but I play with a guy who is a really long hitter. We're talking 300-315. However, he's lucky to hit 1 out of every 15 fairways. He'll go smash one two fairways over left, a fairway over right, and put one in the rough every hole. I actually counted last time I played with him how many times he hit more than one tee shot and in 18 holes, he hit multiple balls on 16 of the 18 holes. Sometimes he hits two, sometimes three. It drives me crazy. Then we'll get to the 18th green and he'll be going, "If I make this I'll be in the 70's for the first time in my life!". I just chuckle to myself and say congratulations. He'd be lucky to break 100 if he'd play his first ball. He usually loses 15 balls a round because he just sprays them all over the course before he gets a shot he likes.