Intimidation

[xxsoultonesxx]

No way. Some of the best people I have played with were wearing grubby old slacks and worn out golf shoes. The thing that I believe is most intimidating are those worn out irons with fresh grips. The only safe assumptions about those with nice clubs and gear is that they likely have a healthy bank account.

[GoneGolfin]

Hand-me-downs.

I'm sure Tiger doesn't wear his old crap on the course.

[Shindig]

  enis750 said:

you know what...dude is a +3 and an amazing golfer as well on staff w Titleist (pretty good for an amateur, right?)

Maybe I'm missing something... how can you be on staff as an amateur?

[JayMc]

Timing being what it is, I recently updated my irons and putter within a 90 day span. I replaced rifle shafted DCI irons (circa 1994) with a sparkling set of Mizunos and a Cleveland putter with a SC putter. The bag drop guys at the course try to clean them up after every round and I discourage it. I'm self conscious because they're too shiny

[newtogolf]

I'm always interested in what other people play, but I wouldn't say their equipment would initimidate me. I'm intimidated when they get to the tee and hit a perfect drive 300+ yards regardless of what brand and model club they use. In general, a persons equipment is less an indicator of their skill level and more an indicator of their disposable income.

[MikeLowry5]

I have a nice set of clubs and I do feel embarassed sometimes because people will make comments about them. I like nice stuff but don't like attention at all!

[Harmonious]

  BoilerGolfer'10 said:

Also do people who show up with a Titleist hat, FJ windbreaker and J Lindberg pants and belt command more respect around the course. Since it is so easy to look the part of a great golfer is it no longer worth paying attention to?

I know my Central Florida Zoo hat, with a panther in the logo, commands the ultimate respect!

[Chas]

When I used to play competitive tennis it was almost invariably the guys wearing the scruffy old shorts and worn-out shoes that cleaned my clock. Ditto for squash.

Then again, four tennis rackets in the bag was a very strong negative predictor of outcome from my perspective ....

[CassinoNorth]

Nope.

This is golf, not boxing. I don't get intimidated by other players...only envious.

[sean_miller]

  BoilerGolfer'10 said:

Also do people who show up with a Titleist hat, FJ windbreaker and J Lindberg pants and belt command more respect around the course.

Not if they have no game - we just laugh harder.

[zeg]

My answer here is the same as in the other thread: clothes, like equipment, have no effect or strong correlation with skill. So to the already very small extent that I concern myself with the skill of someone I'm paired with, the clothing is not a factor.

Here's hoping against this doesn't devolve into the (N+1)st thread about dress codes.....

[mirv]

can't say i've ever even thought about a person's appearance having a bearing on their skill level. so... no. not intimidated.

[joepro23]

No way. I have to agree with everyone here in that appearance and clubs means very little.

This thread would be better served if we talked about certain things on the course such as sinking putts, shotmaking, style of play, etc. that gets people intimidated. IMO, there is nothing more intimidating then when someone is chipping and putting really well against me in a match. Even though I have a very good short game myself, it kind of throws me off my game a little.

I sometimes try to intimidate opponents by going for the par 5s in 2 if I am set up well. Accuracy usually wins over distance though, and if you are hitting every fairway, that is also very intimidating.

[Teamanglerx]

I kind of compare it to my time bass fishing on the club level. It was always the guy with the old boat, the 15 year old rod and reels, and the lure he has had for 10 years that could beat the guys in the brand new Ranger boats with the $600 rods and reels, and the latest bait from Bass Pro Shops.

[mirv]

(mods, if you maybe want to merge all of these threads into one?)

based on what someone else suggested in "intimidation 2," i figured i'd go ahead and make this thread asking: what gets in your head? whether you're playing a tournament or just a casual round and get paired up with a stranger, what might happen that would intimidate you? how your partner/opponent looks? what gear he's hitting? how he's hitting it? what he's wearing? is he the silent, brooding type? does he talk too much? ...etc.

for me, if a person plays the first hole really well all the way through, i sometimes get a little shook up, regardless of how i played it myself. if they smash a 300 yard drive off the box, eh, no biggie. if they hit a second shot onto the green with a 15 foot putt, i'm impressed, but still no biggie. but if they get up there and either drain the putt or just miss the hole by a whisker, i'm going to be thinking "crap, this guy has every shot he needs to break par - he can drive, he can approach, and he can putt."

[motteler621]

the thing that intimidates me a little is the first tee of a tournament with lots of people watching. I think thats with everyone though, and if you say it doesnt then you havent played in a tournament before,lol

i realized I didnt answer this question correctly,lol. hmm I guess it would be the guy who hits every shot straight

[joepro23]

I have a good amount of match play experience, and there is a certain competitiveness/intimidation that happens during the match that makes match play so much fun. Clutch short game shots are the big one. If my opponent and I have a similar chip/putt and he goes first and has a tap-in left/holes it, that makes the shot for me just a little more testy. Someone's distance doesn't intimidate me, accuracy and clutch putts are usually the main ones. If someone is really talkative or gets too close to me during the match, that sometimes bothers me (unless they are a friend).

When I can, I try to use my distance as intimidation on the par 5s. Usually, if I hit the fairway, I am going for the green on any hole under 530 yds. Leaving a good birdie opp is a good way to force a mistake from your opponent.

In stroke play tournaments, it is you versus the course and the only way I get thrown off my game is if playing partners are annoying, slow me down (has to be a lot), or don't know the rules/etiquette.

[JayMc]

  motteler621 said:

the thing that intimidates me a little is the first tee of a tournament with lots of people watching.

Absolutely! I know exactly what you mean. I get jittery on #1 even in a casual round.

Two of my happiest golf memories were in front of mini galleries though so there are pluses.