The 18

[B-Con]

I know there's a thread about annoying partners every other week or so, but I liked this [url=http://www.golfdigest.com/golf/humor/18-most-annoying-golf-partners#slide=1]compiled list of 18 by Golf Digest[/url]. I've played with most from the list, but my favorites (er, most disliked) are: 2. The Human Rain Delay - Seriously, it's OK to pick up or play from someone else's tee shot on occasion. You don't need to card four snowmen in a row when there's room ahead of us. 7. The Frat Boy - Beer generally makes people louder, bolder, and more goofy about the game. Any one of those is OK, but watching all three get worse hole by hole is annoying. 8. Cigar Guy - It just stinks. This goes for cigarettes too. It makes a potentially nice atmosphere reek. Of those 18, which are your "favorites"?

[nevets88]

If someone plays at a good pace, I'll look past most everything else - cigars, alcohol, etiquette, non-solicited advice, obnoxiousness, etc...

A slow player is the absolute worst, golfwise - he could be the nicest, greatest person off the course.

[jamo]

The Frat Boy, also known by his grown-up name, The Tall Mid-20s Businessman Who Is Wasted By The 5th Hole And Who Amazingly Has A Job At A Fortune-500 Company Yet Can't Seem To Remember How To Count To 7. My favorite is The Yardage Book guy, if only because I'm most like him, though I make sure not to waste time (i.e. reading the book while I'm walking to my ball, picking a club while the other people hit, not cleaning my grooves after each practice swing, etc.). I think I'm also a bit of an Air Counter as well.

[slabm7]

I can handle some slow play but its the unsolicited advice guy that I hate. If it was a Pro or low handicapper trying to help me out I am fine with that. But it's the arrogant guy who shoots 100, writes down 78 and takes 10 Mulligans that tries to give me advice that annoys the hell out of me.

I played with a guy last week who played this exact way. Took 5 Mulligans on the front, and probably 4 free drops. At the turn I hear him talking on his phone to a buddy telling him he shot a 39 front and had a great round going, then asked what I shot (42). Then proceeds to tell me how to fix my fade on the 13th tee box. I have no problem with cheaters if they keep it do themselves, but when they brag their score to me or try to give me advice thats when I get pissed off.

[The_Pharaoh]

  slabm7 said:

Originally Posted by slabm7

If it was a Pro or low handicapper trying to help me out I am fine with that. But it's the arrogant guy who shoots 100, writes down 78 and takes 10 Mulligans that tries to give me advice that annoys the hell out of me.

I am not sure if I am speaking for all low handicappers and pros, but from my experience this is a situation in which one cannot win. Whether you say anything or not, you get in trouble. Therefore, in casual rounds I do my very best to avoid playing with people I do not know and if it really cannot be helped I choose not to give them any unsolicited advice. If they ask for a tip or two, well, that's another thing.

I actually had a very unpleasant experience earlier this year playing in a Pro Am with guys I was put with. Two of them had an argument right in front of me on about the 12th tee. The guy that started it made it very clear that for the money he was paying to play in the Pro Am, the pro (me!) should be giving them all loads of free advice. The other guy countered that this was a competition we were trying to win and any changes on the course would only put that in jeopardy. I agreed with the second guy and told the first guy that I generally do not hand out tips during a round unless I am asked. Obviously, he was now asking for help so I offered him a few tips even though I recommended waiting until after the round to do things properly on the range. He inevitably played worse, not that he was playing well to begin with, which didn't please the other two guys trying to win the competition.

I've now learned from this mistake.

[clubchamp]

  jamo said:

Originally Posted by jamo

The Frat Boy, also known by his grown-up name, The Tall Mid-20s Businessman Who Is Wasted By The 5th Hole And Who Amazingly Has A Job At A Fortune-500 Company Yet Can't Seem To Remember How To Count To 7.

My favorite is The Yardage Book guy, if only because I'm most like him, though I make sure not to waste time (i.e. reading the book while I'm walking to my ball, picking a club while the other people hit, not cleaning my grooves after each practice swing, etc.). I think I'm also a bit of an Air Counter as well.

I'm actually curious how a 1.5 handicap can be an air counter it's not like you're trying to remember 8+ strokes on holes. Generally you know if you're putting for a birdie, par, bogey etc.

I've pretty much played with all of them at one point but the only 2 that really bother me is the human rain delay and the guy that waits on par 5s. The guy that looks like a pro but can't play used to bother me but it's so common now that I find it amusing. Unless they become a human rain delay...

[nevets88]

Human Time Suck is a better term.

I was practicing on the range this summer and a fratty foursome was warming up. One guy was already slurring his speech and they haven't even teed off. On a Saturday morning. And he was driving the cart.

[slabm7]

  The_Pharaoh said:

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

I am not sure if I am speaking for all low handicappers and pros, but from my experience this is a situation in which one cannot win. Whether you say anything or not, you get in trouble. Therefore, in casual rounds I do my very best to avoid playing with people I do not know and if it really cannot be helped I choose not to give them any unsolicited advice. If they ask for a tip or two, well, that's another thing.

I actually had a very unpleasant experience earlier this year playing in a Pro Am with guys I was put with. Two of them had an argument right in front of me on about the 12th tee. The guy that started it made it very clear that for the money he was paying to play in the Pro Am, the pro (me!) should be giving them all loads of free advice. The other guy countered that this was a competition we were trying to win and any changes on the course would only put that in jeopardy. I agreed with the second guy and told the first guy that I generally do not hand out tips during a round unless I am asked. Obviously, he was now asking for help so I offered him a few tips even though I recommended waiting until after the round to do things properly on the range. He inevitably played worse, not that he was playing well to begin with, which didn't please the other two guys trying to win the competition.

I've now learned from this mistake.

I never ask for advice but if I am playing with a very good golfer who obviously knows what he is doing and he offers me advice in a non arrogant manner then I will gladly thank him and give it a try. Generally if the guy is nice and means well then I will buy him a beverage of choice from the cart girl or offer to buy a beer after the round. I don't expect advice but will gladly accept it from people who are obviously better then me.

[The_Pharaoh]

  slabm7 said:

Originally Posted by slabm7

I never ask for advice but if I am playing with a very good golfer who obviously knows what he is doing and he offers me advice in a non arrogant manner then I will gladly thank him and give it a try. Generally if the guy is nice and means well then I will buy him a beverage of choice from the cart girl or offer to buy a beer after the round. I don't expect advice but will gladly accept it from people who are obviously better then me.

Careful with the very good golfer, not all of them know what they are doing to hit the ball well! ;-) Well-meaning, one-off tips given in the middle of a round rarely come off.

I recommend only taking advice from a golf instructor you can trust.

[wildebeest]

I guess I would fall between "sandbagger" and "air counter". The 45-footer I hit for birdie today (actually happened, like, for real) had me in "overcelebrater" mode... thankfully I was alone.

on a side note... that cart girl is like, whoa.

[Laws of Woo]

One of my regular playing partners is # 4 The Cart Girl Schmoozer. Its pretty funny most of the time.

From time to time I'll be a couple of these:

#6 The air counter (I get forgetful, everyone does. Happens more so if I'm in a slow foursome)

#14 Mulligan Guy (Only if I'm a single with no one immediately behind me)

#11 Ball retriever guy cracks me up when I see it, probably because I've been there.

Overall I think #1 is the worst to play with. If its someone that is actually shooting very well, I may listen. But that is never the case. Its always the guy that despite his card saying he shot an 80, actually shot 100+ trying to dish out the advice.

[mdl]

I'm totally the air counter sometimes.  Especially on par 5s that I played really poorly, I'm definitely air counting my strokes.  Of course, I'm doing it to myself in my head on the walk to the next tee, so hopefully no one's annoyed...

I hear it all the time here, but I've never actually run into the unsolicited advice guy.  The plumb bobber and human rain delay are what annoy me.  You're on your way to shooting a 110 on a casual weekend round and you really think you need to spend 5 minutes lining up a 35 footer you're going to leave 12 feet short anyway?!  Also the guy who can't drive it 250 but really thinks maybe he'll hit his 3W just right and roll it onto the green 265 yards away.

[B-Con]

Since others are identifying which ones they are, I'll go ahead too. :-D Sometimes I'm the air counter, but I always know how many strokes it took to get to the green and I don't count until the next tee. Sometimes I'm the oblivious guy. I get so wrapped up in my game I forget about the other games. I try to compliment good shots when I see them, though.

[sacm3bill]

  wildebeest said:

Originally Posted by wildebeest

on a side note... that cart girl is like, whoa.

QFT

[sean_miller]

I can be air-counter and oblivious guy.

Usually I'm on or near the green in regulation then I just have to count putts. When I've been in the hay or sprayed one (or more) off the tee, then I have to go back and replay the bad movie. Hopefully this happens while walking to the next tee.

If I help someone once, twice, then thrice find a ball they should have hit with a safer club then all bets are off. I might help you look and I might not. I'm certainly not in any way obliged to be your forecaddie or personal assistant for 4 hours.

[Ernest Jones]

I'm definitely an Air Counter. But I always keep pace and am usually the guy worrying that we're falling too far behind the group in front.

I play alot with my brother in-laws who don't give a rats ass about etiquette and keeping pace. They're both avid "carters" and one of their most annoying traits is sitting in the cart NEXT TO THE GREEN and counting strokes. Drives me nuts!

me: C'mon you can count 'em up at the next tee box.

him: gimme a minute. the next tee box isn't clear yet anyway.

me: that's not the point...

him: relax man.

me: sigh...

group behind of us: FORE!

[The_Pharaoh]

  wildebeest said:

Originally Posted by wildebeest

I guess I would fall between "sandbagger" and "air counter". The 45-footer I hit for birdie today (actually happened, like, for real) had me in "overcelebrater" mode... thankfully I was alone.

on a side note... that cart girl is like, whoa.

You mean Tiffany Crystal?!

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/blogs/wheres-matty-g/2011/12/qa-catching-up-with-tiffany-cr.html

[BuckeyeNut]

  nevets88 said:

Originally Posted by nevets88

If someone plays at a good pace, I'll look past most everything else - cigars, alcohol, etiquette, non-solicited advice, obnoxiousness, etc...

A slow player is the absolute worst, golfwise - he could be the nicest, greatest person off the course.

Yep....I'm with ya!   Playing at a good pace can make many golf-offenses forgivable!!!