Annoying Things Golfers Say and Do on the Course

[Deryck Griffith]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Last night a guy shows up with a baby in a car carrier.  He proceeds to put the kid in the stall next to him while he gets a bucket of balls and hits his driver in the other.  The kid is screaming and he's just swinging away like the kids not even there.  People are looking over at him like buddy how about taking care of your kid and he yells out "Jesus you guys never heard a f'ing kid cry before?  Mind your own f'ing business".  Ahhh just another day at the range.

That is a sad situation...

[Kieran123]

Wow. Some of the minor stuff really gets to people eh?

The only thing that annoys me on the course is slow play, and when I play bad.

People can talk all they like in my back swing, I'm not listening.

[Grumpter]

Originally Posted by Pope33

- people that constantly whine about course conditions and why they never see anyone working! Being an ex-Superintendent this just kills me. "yeh, the course just maintains itself". The people complaining are usually retired or taking the day off of work, so don't complain about the people who do work and are trying to make the course playable for people like you. People have no clue how hard it is to maintain a course and how many hours those guys put in. It's part of the reason I go out of it, cause I didn't ever see my family.

I don't think I have ever come across anyone complaining about never seeing anyone working (maybe you are speaking of private clubs?) and I have to disagree about people complaining about course conditions. From where I stand my money and time are valuable to me. If I'm paying $55+, driving 40 miles (to and from) the course and investing 6 hours of the personal day I just burned to come out and play your course better believe I'm going to bitch if the course is in crappy condition. Though I tend to see it more as a problem with the owners/management of the course, not the individual workers.

Wouldn't you be unhappy if you just payed $55+ per plate at a restaurant where the food is delivered cold, tasteless and they gave you dirty utensils?

[msm87]

I get really annoyed with overly intense golfers.  I have this buddy i golf with pretty regularly that slams clubs repeatedly off the ground and drops every swear word in the book after a bad shot.  Golf supposed to be this relaxing sport, but it seems to be taking years off my buddy's life.  Its almost gotten a little embarrassing.  People will be teeing off the next hole, and we're on the adjacent green where my buddy is in the process of three or four putting to which launches his club or ball towards the next tee box.  He's a 14 capper that thinks he should strike the ball crisp and straight every time, and when he doesn't he goes full blown Happy Gilmore.  If golf makes you so unhappy why play?

[gwlee7]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

Quote:

What is a "player like Christie Kerr"?

Some one who can cuss like a sailor and whip 95% or more of the others who post here.

[awmgolfer]

I have great patience but the two things that get me is unbelievably slow play, I don't mind waiting within the pace of play. Get up to a tee and have to wait a couple for the other group to move along. However, there is a difference between things being slow due to it being busy and a group just plain being extremely slow. This goes hand in hand with parking the cart, taking the club to go chip then walking back to get the putter. If I have to wait a couple of minutes on every single shot I will just turn around and go back in, just makes it no fun for me. I'll just go practice on the range or green instead. Our local course is not too busy a lot but does get steady, if I bump into a lot of traffic I'll just go back and get comped a cart for the next time, our club pro doesn't mind at all.

[GJBenn85]

Have to love today's oblivious, selfish parents.  Luckily I have not had to deal with crying kids on a golf course or range but I sure do get tired of hearing blubbering kids (whose parents ignore them) in restaurants.

Originally Posted by newtogolf

The range is a totally different beast.  I have very low expectations for people at the range and I'm usually disappointed.  Last night a guy shows up with a baby in a car carrier.  He proceeds to put the kid in the stall next to him while he gets a bucket of balls and hits his driver in the other.  The kid is screaming and he's just swinging away like the kids not even there.  People are looking over at him like buddy how about taking care of your kid and he yells out "Jesus you guys never heard a f'ing kid cry before?  Mind your own f'ing business".  Ahhh just another day at the range.

[calicaddy]

I'm a highschool player, so the thing that really annoys me are the people that assume they know EVERYTHING and try to help you, I don't mind taking advice from my team, but there is definitely a fine line, especially in highschool. I have a lot to learn still, so do my teammates. and probably needless to say golf is unlike anything else, you can have a really awesome round, or even the best will have a really suckish round. Some of you guys can probably agree with me on the fact that golfers are ALWAYS learning. so If you're my teammate.. don't give me advice with the aura that you know everything... approach it like it's something that could help if I chose it to.

please excuse me if you didn't follow that, I tend to write things that only make sense in my mind sometimes

[Roblar]

I really don't get too annoyed except for three or four things:

1.  Like Spyder, I always want to putt out --- I've missed more than once from 18" or so, and I want to 'own' my score.  Unless it's match-play, and you're ceding the hole.... let me putt.

2. Like msm87, I don't like to be around intense swearing, club throwing, or other 'violent' outbursts. My brother once kicked his pull cart to pieces.  Stacked the broken parts next to the adjacent tee, and walked off the course.  It made it impossible for me to enjoy my round.  That sort of stuff just takes a lot of pleasure out of the round -- let me enjoy my round, please.

3. A lot of people have mentioned slow play, and I have to admit that I get a bit impatient at times. I figure that just gives me a personality flaw to work on while I'm on the course. On the other hand, my regular playing partner drives me nuts with his pre-shot routine.  He walks up to the ball (and usually picks it up to 'make sure' it's his), stands behind the ball to line up his shot, walks back to the ball, takes two-to-four practice swings, and then addresses the ball.  Now, up to this point, I'm fine.  But then - about nine times out of ten - he stands straight up, steps back, and then walks behind the ball and starts over.  Drives me NUTS!

4. Finally, I show up as a single a lot of the time, and I have almost always had good experiences with the people I've been paired with. However, I really don't like it when people start talking about religion or politics to me.  I've got my views, and I don't want yours -- especially when I'm trying to play golf.

Originally Posted by Spyder

...snip...Another of mine is the "gimmie putts". When I putt my birdie attempt to within 2 feet of the hole, please do not tap my ball back to me and say "We'll give you that one". Not only do I like the sound of the ball in the damn hole, but I want to know that I made Par and didn't choke and push one. ...snip...

Originally Posted by msm87

I get really annoyed with overly intense golfers.  I have this buddy i golf with pretty regularly that slams clubs repeatedly off the ground and drops every swear word in the book after a bad shot.  Golf supposed to be this relaxing sport, but it seems to be taking years off my buddy's life. ...snip...

[hongman]

I must say that excessive reading of a putt's line from all possible angles gets my goat, especially when it's quite obvious there's no more than say 1" to 2" of break, and it's uphill to boot..!!  I occassionally played with a buddy who brought along his friend to play, and this friend would get low enough so his chin was hovering about an inch above the green (push up style, not like what's his name on tour), and he would do this from both behind the ball and the hole, as well as occassionally perpendicular to the putt's line to see the slope.  Then more often than not, he'd push or pull the putt and miss it... Arrrrrrgh..!!!  After he had the audacity to proclaim he must have mis-read a missed putt, I jokingly suggested he try out scoping out a few more angles before putting!!  My buddy just shook his head and whispered privately "Don't encourage him, as we're playing slow enough as it is!"

Oh,,, and taking more than say 1 or 2 practice swings before hitting the ball... like you've got half a chance to groove a swing with 5-7 practice swings.

Sigh...  thanks for providing a thread to rant!!

[Paradox]

Originally Posted by Roblar

4. Finally, I show up as a single a lot of the time, and I have almost always had good experiences with the people I've been paired with. However, I really don't like it when people start talking about religion or politics to me.  I've got my views, and I don't want yours -- especially when I'm trying to play golf.

I once paired up with an older fella..in his 70's or 80's.  It took two holes before he was telling me about how inferior the black race was..to put it politely.  I can't remember what made him state his views but I think it had something to do with Tiger Woods.  Talk about uncomfortable.  Luckily, he only played 9 holes.

[newtogolf]

I was pretty shocked to see him show up with a baby in a car carrier, but when he just left it there in the stall to get golf balls and started hitting drives I was shocked and disgusted.  It was obvious the noise of his driver was scaring the baby and he just kept going like it wasn't even his kid.  He must have sensed our eyes on him which made him cuss us out, but he didn't leave until his bucket of balls was empty.  I guess he really felt he needs some range time.

Originally Posted by GJBenn85

Have to love today's oblivious, selfish parents.  Luckily I have not had to deal with crying kids on a golf course or range but I sure do get tired of hearing blubbering kids (whose parents ignore them) in restaurants.

[Tifosinumerouno]

I think the thing that bothers me most is when someone boasts about something that's completely unbelieveable. I have a playing partner that when we play, rarely hits his driver past 260, maybe 270 total on the rare "perfect hit" who said one day he was doing a club fitting and had a 117mph swing speed, and the pro reccomended a shaft for him. Then he said he was only swinging at about 75-80%, so the pro had him swing again, and it was 134....

He also said one day he hit a drive (none of us were there of course) that went past the 150 yd marker on a 550yd Par 5, with no wind.

That kind of stuff just drives me bonkers. I can stand the occasional fish story, but something so far fetched is just an insult to my intelligence. I try to be as honest as possible when I tell about a great shot I hit. In February, I hit a 375yd drive, total distance mind you. BUT, it was in Texas, on dormant grass, hard-ish ground, and a 25-30mph wind behind me. If he had said something like that, I might have believed it, but he just can't do it. You can always tell its made up when he adds one too many details, like the "no wind" part. No one asked.

[RyderJ]

I wonder what would have happened if someone had taken the time out of their practice session to go comfort the crying baby....lol

Originally Posted by newtogolf

I was pretty shocked to see him show up with a baby in a car carrier, but when he just left it there in the stall to get golf balls and started hitting drives I was shocked and disgusted.  It was obvious the noise of his driver was scaring the baby and he just kept going like it wasn't even his kid.  He must have sensed our eyes on him which made him cuss us out, but he didn't leave until his bucket of balls was empty.  I guess he really felt he needs some range time.

[Slowswing]

I hate that guy that tells you he doesn't like the shot choice you made. It's not your ****ing game *******! Play yours how you want , leave mine the f alone.

[Spyder]

lol The advice one makes me laugh. My buddy used to come over to me and try and tell me to chip with a 7i in a putting stroke, when he damn well knows I can place a ball fairly close to the pin from 40ft. I was not even struggling with my chips on this particular day, chipped in a Par and a Birdie back-to-back. One hole later I bladed one but it only sat up about 15ft past the hole (bad enough, I know). He has the nerve to come over with a spare ball and hands me his 7i and tells me what I should be doing. I just laid the club down and walked away laughing. Thinking he'd prove a point, he yells out my name and takes a shot from where I was. He blades his and sends it 10 yards off the other end of the green and I said "Nice shot... I'll have to remember that." Then the excuses started pouring out "Well that was just a mis-hit, it's usually a tap in afterwords!". Yeah, okay buddy... you take 5 mulligans a round, don't count hazards, roll the ball, everything is a "lateral hazard", and you're going to tell me how to chip lol.

[bunkerputt]

Most stuff I can shake off.  This is the only thing that has ever bugged the heck out of me.  I was playing with a friend and he was trying to get his 16 year old son involved in the game.  The kid was huge, like 6'5" and around 350 with size 17 shoes.  He couldn't understand the idea of respecting players putting lines.  That was minor.  The major thing was that he physically stepped on the hole.  Actually he put his heel into the edge of the hole completely crushing one side of it.  It was completely demolished and would have required re-cutting by the greenskeeper.  We had an early morning weekend round, so I'm sure it screwed up every group that was playing that hole for the rest of the day until someone could fix the problem.  I don't think he did it on purpose, he just didn't have a single care in his body to be concerned about or even think about how something like that would affect others.  It was sad, really.

I guess another thing that bugs me, more than once on short par-4s I've had the group in front steal my ball after a drive.  When I ask them if they saw a ball, they say no.  If you're going to steal, I guess you need the ball worse than I do.

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by Deryck Griffith

That is a sad situation...

True.  That's golf addiction for sure...  the bad kind.