Your Favorite Course Marshal Story

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by phillyk

I get that all the time actually, either people telling me the course is in horrible condition and they want their money back or they want their own driving cart in a 4-some try to threaten me if I don't listen.  It makes my day more interesting and brighter, especially when the day starts to slow down a little bit.  The marshall was doing his job and thats good, except he should be watching other people as they were doing the same thing.  But, I got caught and made my case.  However golf4fun12, I know that they do hold me in higher regard, and I do fix the course up as well as I can do. I may be an ass to make my round more enjoyable, but I never ever beat the course up.  Whenever and where ever I play, I will clean the course up, including picking up garbage and repairing ball marks and divots, as I do work for that company.

I have to say that I really get irritated by people like you who think that the rules only apply to others, never to them.  I'm a starter at a golf course (going on 5 years now), and one thing for certain - as employees, we are expected to set a good example.  That means following the course rules even more stringently than our customers do.   Continuing to defy the rules after being asked to comply is nothing but simple arrogance.  I can assure you that I would end up having a counseling session with the head pro (my boss at the course) if I was foolish and immature enough to try a stunt like that.

If players were asked to play from a shorter tee, then we would do so.  If that meant that the course was shorter than were were used to, then maybe I leave the driver in the car that day.  Maybe I leave all of my woods in the car and just play irons.  Golf isn't all about driver - wedge, and the world doesn't revolve around you.  With an attitude like yours, you are headed for grief.  Just out of curiosity, how old are you?  It sounds like you have some growing up to do yet.

I can't say that I have any unusual ranger stories.  As a rule when I have contact with one, I treat him with respect and he does the same for me.  They have the hardest job on the course, in my opinion.  As a course employee myself, I have several friends who work there as rangers, and the crap they have to take from golfers is unbelievable.  My best friend there has done nothing but just be sitting in his cart near a tee box and been verbally attacked without ever saying a word.  All he was doing was sitting at a high point on the course where he could observe about 75% of the holes to see if there was a problem which needed his attention.  Two guys he'd never seen before just started dumping on him.  I don't think I could have restrained myself as well as he did.

All I can say is, before you bitch about the ranger (or the starter for that matter), try doing his job for a week.  You will come away with a very different perspective.

[pueblo]

Ocassionally I marshall at a muny course. I try to complement golfers on shots, kid around with them, help them find balls, pick up trash etc. Weekend golfers (as opposed to weekday golfers) are a unique group. They complain about slow play, many times rightfully so as more and more folks are taking up our wonderful sport. The newcomers sometimes don't understand golf etiquette. Someone took the time to teach me so as a marshall I try to "do unto them".

My point is that all of us should honor our game by helping others.

[phillyk]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

I have to say that I really get irritated by people like you who think that the rules only apply to others, never to them.  I'm a starter at a golf course (going on 5 years now), and one thing for certain - as employees, we are expected to set a good example.  That means following the course rules even more stringently than our customers do.   Continuing to defy the rules after being asked to comply is nothing but simple arrogance.  I can assure you that I would end up having a counseling session with the head pro (my boss at the course) if I was foolish and immature enough to try a stunt like that.

If players were asked to play from a shorter tee, then we would do so.  If that meant that the course was shorter than were were used to, then maybe I leave the driver in the car that day.  Maybe I leave all of my woods in the car and just play irons.  Golf isn't all about driver - wedge, and the world doesn't revolve around you.  With an attitude like yours, you are headed for grief.  Just out of curiosity, how old are you?  It sounds like you have some growing up to do yet.

Haha, it's funny how people think that breaking one rule makes them a bad person or arrogant in my case.  You think you know me and how I act by one little story in which I acted arrogantly.  You don't know me.  All you know is when I play golf, I may be a little on the arrogant side, which is true.  For me I have to be, because that's my way of showing confidence in my game.  When I work, thats entirely different.  I help people, I make their golf game enjoyable by whatever I can do.  Your allegations of me are based on a story.  If you think that this is qualifiable to grade me as a bad person, then fine, have fun with it.

[Shorty]

Haha, it's funny how people think that breaking one rule makes them a bad person or arrogant in my case.  You think you know me and how I act by one little story in which I acted arrogantly.  You don't know me.  All you know is when I play golf, I may be a little on the arrogant side, which is true.  For me I have to be, because that's my way of showing confidence in my game.  When I work, thats entirely different.  I help people, I make their golf game enjoyable by whatever I can do.  Your allegations of me are based on a story.  If you think that this is qualifiable to grade me as a bad person, then fine, have fun with it.

On the contrary, your story, and subsequent defence of the inexcusable tells us exactly the kind of person you are. You 've made it extremely clear. You tell someone to " get $ucked" when they are doing their job. I would love to know why you weren't sacked, as the course this happened on is "apart of" (a term you used twice) of the group that employs you. If I was at that club, I would be hoping that you indeed were apart from it rather than a part of it.

[phillyk]

Originally Posted by Shorty

On the contrary, your story, and subsequent defence of the inexcusable tells us exactly the kind of person you are. You 've made it extremely clear.

You tell someone to " get $ucked" when they are doing their job. I would love to know why you weren't sacked, as the course this happened on is "apart of" (a term you used twice) of the group that employs you. If I was at that club, I would be hoping that you indeed were apart from it rather than a part of it.

I'm not sacked because I am very good at what I do, and the marshall for the day has a record of trouble with core values of the company.  You don't at all know me.  If you believe a simple story of arrogance defines a person to who they are, then you clearly don't have people skills.  Everybody has something in their life in which they show defiance and arrogance, regardless if you might not think so.  Mine just happens to be in a sport I truly love.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by phillyk

I'm not sacked because I am very good at what I do, and the marshall for the day has a record of trouble with core values of the company.  You don't at all know me.  If you believe a simple story of arrogance defines a person to who they are, then you clearly don't have people skills.  Everybody has something in their life in which they show defiance and arrogance, regardless if you might not think so.  Mine just happens to be in a sport I truly love.

Golf doesn't build character, it reveals it.

Look at the jargon you're using:

"people skills", "core values".

Real "company man", eh? You talk the talk, but can't walk the walk

How about your "people skills"? Telling a marshall to "*uck off"

Look at the way you interpret the company's "core values". You ignore them and do as you please.

Arrogance and abusing people doing their job is not OK.

And to top it off you pretend that the marshall was embarrassed and wouldn't make eye contact with you at a meeting as if HE had done something wrong.

This reveals so much about your perception. It hasn't occurred to you that he didn't want to make eye contact with an arsehole?

Your character is revealed patently in each of your posts.

[phillyk]

Haha, you crack me up dude.  I'm really enjoying this.  You take this way too seriously, though.  Lighten up. You act as if you have never ever broken a rule or law in any aspect of life.  You can't even see the sense of humor in all of this.  You don't know me if you can't see this as a joke.  Im apart of the younger generation and if you can't take a joke about something, then you'll have problems with all of us.  Broaden your horizons.  As you have for everything else I've said, you'll think I'm full of it and that I'm trying to wiggle myself out of this. So go for it.

[Harmonious]

I've found that, over the years, people who have an outward appearance of arrogance (whether it be about golf or money or whatever) are trying to hide  something.  In other words, people who brag about money rarely have it.  People who brag about their golf game rarely have a good one.  Just an observation.  Arrogance is a derogatory characteristic, hardly one to brag about. I've seen very few of the younger generation that exhibit it like phillyk does, thank God.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by phillyk

I'm not sacked because I am very good at what I do, and the marshall for the day has a record of trouble with core values of the company.  You don't at all know me.  If you believe a simple story of arrogance defines a person to who they are, then you clearly don't have people skills.  Everybody has something in their life in which they show defiance and arrogance, regardless if you might not think so.  Mine just happens to be in a sport I truly love.

But most folks don't brag about it.

[max power]

It's absolutely, 100% clear that you're an a**.  Please go away.

Originally Posted by phillyk

I'm not sacked because I am very good at what I do, and the marshall for the day has a record of trouble with core values of the company.  You don't at all know me.  If you believe a simple story of arrogance defines a person to who they are, then you clearly don't have people skills.  Everybody has something in their life in which they show defiance and arrogance, regardless if you might not think so.  Mine just happens to be in a sport I truly love.

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by phillyk

You don't know me if you can't see this as a joke... you'll think I'm full of it and that I'm trying to wiggle myself out of this.

Yes, this.  From your very first post in this thread it was clear you think rules don't apply to you. Now people are calling you on it and your response is "Hey, I was just joking". Either it happened or it didn't. If it didn't, why on earth would you make it up and post it as your favorite marshall story?

Btw, regarding the specific circumstances of your story, here's something to consider: If other people on the course see one guy playing from the tees they've been asked not to play, then no matter how good you are, and regardless of the fact that the marshall may have seen you "hit my 3-wood down the center about 260" on the first hole, those other golfers are going to be asking the marshall, "How come that guy gets to play the wrong tees but we can't?" Or maybe they just figure "Hey, we're not the only ones breaking the rules, so let's hit off the wrong tees just like that guy is."  Yeah, I bet that was a really fun day for the marshall.

[phillyk]

To be perfectly honest, I made most of it up, because I thought it was funny.  It kinda backfired on me pretty hard, and I stayed with it.  Mistakes occur. Call me an a** if you want, I would too if it was someone else.  I should also apologize to the many people who hate me now for this.

[Harmonious]

You should be glad that negative reputation points are no longer allowed.  Just know that your credibility from here on will be suspect.

[max power]

So now you're also a liar?  Not sure which is worse.

Originally Posted by phillyk

To be perfectly honest, I made most of it up, because I thought it was funny.  It kinda backfired on me pretty hard, and I stayed with it.  Mistakes occur. Call me an a** if you want, I would too if it was someone else.  I should also apologize to the many people who hate me now for this.

[burtonda]

To get away from the disaster this thread has turned into, I have a story.  Four of us played a somewhat nice course out in the boondocks and decided to bring our own beers knowing full well this was not permitted (we knew it was a d-bag move, of course, and we don't normally do or condone this).  What was even more moronic is that we didn't buy ANY beer at the clubhouse so we were sitting ducks when the marshal caught us drinking on the SECOND tee box.  He drove up and said "gentlemen, I need you to pour out those beers in your hand and I'm going to give you 2 choices.  I can call my friend the sheriff and he'll come and take you to jail for illegally drinking on our course.  Or, I'll take your remaining beers, put them in our cooler for the remainder your round, and I'll drive back to the clubhouse to pick up some of our beer for you and you can pay me for them when I get back here.  After your round you can pick up your beers from our cooler".  Even we were smart enough to take option 2 and he did exactly what he said he would do.  Strangely enough one of our golf cart's steering columns broke during normal use on the 18th fairway (I assure you it was not caused by drunken shenanigans) and they didn't charge us a dime.  The marshal quickly acknowledged that the cart was defective and also covered by their insurance.  He was a great guy!

[jwrussell]

Great story, and cool Marshal.  I might question the legality of the whole deal (what law would make your drinking your beers on their course illegal?), but regardless, thems the rules and if you get caught, you get with the rules if they give you the chance.

[phillyk]

Originally Posted by jwrussell

Great story, and cool Marshal.  I might question the legality of the whole deal (what law would make your drinking your beers on their course illegal?), but regardless, thems the rules and if you get caught, you get with the rules if they give you the chance.

It's like bringing your own beer to a restaurant. Any place that has a license to serve alcohol, can legally take you out of their land if you bring your own.

[jmanbooyaa]

I enjoyed that post. I have on more than 1 occasion packed 2 or 3 beers in my bag. I know the course I started playing at has a refreshment stand but I do not recall seeing a sign about no outside beverages. There probably is one I just didn't see it. Either way if I were told to pour out my beer by the marshal I suppose I would probably not be to pleased to do so, but if that was the rule of the course than so be it. There property there rules, I am just a guest.