Hypocrites on the golf course

[darkhunter139]

Originally Posted by mtsalmela80

Its amazing how lucky we are. I had no less than three balls land within a 10 foot radius of myself yesterday

All from the same group? I would have been pissed.

If someone does it once and it was clearly an accident then I don't mind but if it happens several times I start getting kind of pissed off.

[BugDude]

Many years ago it was a particularly slow day, backed up, and no one going anywhere.  There were two of us and a twosome behind us.  We offered to let them play in with us on the tee and they declined.

Everyone is waiting on every shot.  We get to the 4th hole and the guys hit in on us.  Clearly within distance and sight, and you could see the next group ahead from the tee.  One landed 15 yards or so behind me and rolled up fairly close.  I sat there and waited for them to drive up.  I politely asked them not to hit in on us because it was dangerous and no one was going anywhere fast.  The group in front of us and so on were very slow.  I again invited them to play in or through, but they declined.  The next hole, they did it again.  I picked the ball up and put it in my pocket.  They rolled up and asked, "did you see my ball?"  I replied, "Yes."  He asked, "well, where is it?"  and I said, "In my pocket."  He said he wanted it back and I said, "Kick my @$$ and take it."  I then said, "If you hit in on me again, I'm teeing it up and hiting it back at you.  Now if you don't mind, I'd like to continue playing with the brand new Titleist you gave me."  They never hit in on us again the rest of the day.

[x129]

Escalating the conflict works great until the guy decides to start the fight and you learn despite the fact is is 5 inches shorter and 30lbs lighter, he did unarmed combat in ranger school and whips your ass. Or takes a swing at you with a club and shatters you knee. Or you whip his ass and the cops are called and you get to spend the night in jail. Or any of a dozen other things.

Originally Posted by BugDude

Many years ago it was a particularly slow day, backed up, and no one going anywhere.  There were two of us and a twosome behind us.  We offered to let them play in with us on the tee and they declined.

Everyone is waiting on every shot.  We get to the 4th hole and the guys hit in on us.  Clearly within distance and sight, and you could see the next group ahead from the tee.  One landed 15 yards or so behind me and rolled up fairly close.  I sat there and waited for them to drive up.  I politely asked them not to hit in on us because it was dangerous and no one was going anywhere fast.  The group in front of us and so on were very slow.  I again invited them to play in or through, but they declined.  The next hole, they did it again.  I picked the ball up and put it in my pocket.  They rolled up and asked, "did you see my ball?"  I replied, "Yes."  He asked, "well, where is it?"  and I said, "In my pocket."  He said he wanted it back and I said, "Kick my @$$ and take it."  I then said, "If you hit in on me again, I'm teeing it up and hiting it back at you.  Now if you don't mind, I'd like to continue playing with the brand new Titleist you gave me."  They never hit in on us again the rest of the day.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Interesting that you claim a "score" whilst playing as a single, too.

Originally Posted by Shorty

My point is that if you're playing on your own, you're practicing, as far as I'm concerned. Others disagree, that's fine.

Part of taking golf seriously is the undersatnding that there is a social dimension to it - and that a stranger asking to play with you is one of the beauties of the whole experience. Head off to the practice tee if that unsettles you.

Most importantly the USGA disagrees with you.  There is no requirement that you be playing with someone to have a postable score.  If a player's score is not posted solely because the player was an unaccompanied single then the player is violating the USGA handicap rules.

5-1a/2. Score Made When Playing Alone

Q: If a player plays alone, should the score be returned for handicap purposes?

A: Yes, provided the round is played in accordance with the Rules of Golf.

I agree with the other part of your post.  And while if I were the other guy I wouldn't have hit into the OP I WOULD have considered him a bit of an @$$ for saying no.

[BugDude]

It was a risk I was willing to take.

Originally Posted by x129

Escalating the conflict works great until the guy decides to start the fight and you learn despite the fact is is 5 inches shorter and 30lbs lighter, he did unarmed combat in ranger school and whips your ass. Or takes a swing at you with a club and shatters you knee. Or you whip his ass and the cops are called and you get to spend the night in jail. Or any of a dozen other things.

[saevel25]

Well he had the right to think i was an Ass, like i had the right to think he was a douche for hitting into me.

Thats why i like the game of golf, because the rules imply that people will do the right thing. You can call penalties on yourself. You watch NCAA basketball and every other foul is like, "What did I do" You fouled him thats what you did. In golf you have greats like Bobby Jones who calls a penalty on himself. Basically he could have scored lower, just because you play alone doesn't mean you can't cheat like you weren't. Who was that guy a few years ago, saw himself graize a limb on the way back, called a penalty. They had to use high speed to see the club did and it was considered inproving the lie. I mean that is amazing.

[mtsalmela80]

LOL no. This is from neighboring fairways. McCann is a shooting gallery on the weekends. I myself was guilty of hitting close to the group in front of us a couple times, but only when I hit my driver just perfect.

Originally Posted by darkhunter139

All from the same group? I would have been pissed.

If someone does it once and it was clearly an accident then I don't mind but if it happens several times I start getting kind of pissed off.

[Fourputt]

I'm not trying to beat up on you, but the Etiquette of the game also implies that you will be courteous and respectful to other players.  You could be considered as discourteous by your curt "no" when he made his request.  His act may have been the greater breach of etiquette, but yours was the first.  If he was that good a player to bomb a drivve over your head on a hole where you play a layup, then you might have been able to learn something from him by letting him join you.

And it's just barely possible that you might have started a new friendship if you had been more polite.   A lot of the people my wife and I know socially were golf friends first, met on the course when we joined up to play together.

[saevel25]

I get that, but its a two way street, no? What about my right to play a round of golf the way i want to play. Shouldn't he respect my decision even if he doesn't like it. I would have been courteous to him if he would have just caught me on the next hole and say, "Hey wait up, i want to play through" Which would be fine by me.

It was just one of those days i guess. Now if it was a hot girl who asked to join up, then i might have changed my mind ;b

[newtogolf]

I know you're joking but it doesn't help your argument.

Originally Posted by saevel25

I get that, but its a two way street, no? What about my right to play a round of golf the way i want to play. Shouldn't he respect my decision even if he doesn't like it. I would have been courteous to him if he would have just caught me on the next hole and say, "Hey wait up, i want to play through" Which would be fine by me.

It was just one of those days i guess. Now if it was a hot girl who asked to join up, then i might have changed my mind ;b

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by saevel25

I get that, but its a two way street, no? What about my right to play a round of golf the way i want to play. Shouldn't he respect my decision even if he doesn't like it. I would have been courteous to him if he would have just caught me on the next hole and say, "Hey wait up, i want to play through" Which would be fine by me.

It was just one of those days i guess. Now if it was a hot girl who asked to join up, then i might have changed my mind ;b

Yes, and sort of yes.  I already told you what I would have done in your shoes; give a little bit longer response to his original question other than just "no" even if it did include a little white lie about needing to be in a hurry or something.  Now if I was in his shoes my initial reaction would have been a thought to myself something along the lines of "What a d*&k;!"  I would have probably stewed on that for the rest of my ninth hole, then when I got to the 10th tee and saw that you were out of my way already and I could play, my thought would have switched to "What a d*&k; ... I'm glad I don't have to play alongside him."  And that would be about the end of it.  The fact that it bothered him so much for those 90 minutes or so that he was still ready to fight or get into a confrontation (what else was he hoping for by trying to hit past you?) means he's probably got some anger management issues.

[Doctorfro]

I would have to say that you should have let him play on ahead if you really HAD to play alone.  But if the course is really that busy it helps everyone if you do pair up as much as possible.  I can understand if you want to play alone, work on your game, play two balls, etc. but it doesn't sound like the course was barren enough to do so that day.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by saevel25

What about my right to play a round of golf the way i want to play.

In as plain a language as I can say it, "you have no such right."

[saevel25]

So basically if i am going to the golf course i am screwed if i am going to enjoy the day or not. Thats a great way to promote the game, Hey kids, you want to play golf, well better not get your hopes up, your playing with the ******* today. Un Huh that makes perfect sense. When i mean, "What about my right to play a round of golf the way i want to play." I don't mean in a sense were i would just walk all over the course, or play outside sportsmanship of the game. I am talking about, if i have the option, i should have the right to pick who i should play with. Like i said before, if the course is full, i don't have that option. If the course is open, i should.

[Jim Ludden]

I agree with you that it's never right to hit into anyone, ever. As for starting on the back for a nine hole round you should have waited till the people on nine tee made the turn. Our club won't allow unless there's a gap meaning no ones on the ninth tee. You have to remember that if you were the group who's on nine tee and see someone who wasn't in front of you before teeing off, it makes for upset people thinking someones jumping in front of them and likely results in a call to the pro shop. then the marshall comes out checks with the guy and then makes him wait till the turning groups pass.

[ejimsmith]

So basically if i am going to the golf course i am screwed if i am going to enjoy the day or not. Thats a great way to promote the game, Hey kids, you want to play golf, well better not get your hopes up, your playing with the ******* today. Un Huh that makes perfect sense. When i mean, "What about my right to play a round of golf the way i want to play." I don't mean in a sense were i would just walk all over the course, or play outside sportsmanship of the game. I am talking about, if i have the option, i should have the right to pick who i should play with. Like i said before, if the course is full, i don't have that option. If the course is open, i should.

if you wanted to play alone, then you should've let the guy that was already in the middle of his round play through. everything else you did there and have said here makes you come across as the a**hole.

[iacas]

So basically if i am going to the golf course i am screwed if i am going to enjoy the day or not. Thats a great way to promote the game, Hey kids, you want to play golf, well better not get your hopes up, your playing with the ******* today. Un Huh that makes perfect sense. When i mean, "What about my right to play a round of golf the way i want to play." I don't mean in a sense were i would just walk all over the course, or play outside sportsmanship of the game. I am talking about, if i have the option, i should have the right to pick who i should play with. Like i said before, if the course is full, i don't have that option. If the course is open, i should.

You're reacting poorly to people who aren't saying things that are all that bad. You're "screwed" because it's common courtesy to play with people? You think that course owners should just let everyone play by themselves? Guess what? Courses would go out of business. That wouldn't be a good way of promoting the game The course was "busy enough" that day that you should have probably paired up with that guy. It's that simple. I'll try this another way: you have the right to pick who you play with, but sometimes it comes down to this: you either fill your own foursome or you get the right to choose not to play (because you don't want to play with that guy, or that guy, or that guy...).

[TheGeekGolfer]

I practice when i am playing with a group. Its in my preshot routine. I developed some drills i do in my preshot to help me make the shot i want. Its a way for me to gain practice time while i play. DiMarco use to do this when he won the masters, he would draw the club back and stop, so he had the right position.

I wouldn't really call this 'practicing', it's just a pre-shot routine. And just for the record - DiMarco never won the Masters, he came close in 2004 & 2005, but never closed the deal. Back to the original thread... I agree with most of the posters here. Yes, he was wrong to hit into you. But, if he was coming from the 9th green while you were teeing off on the 10th, then yes, it is his teebox and you are 'cutting' in. It doesn't really matter if the starter saw him or not, it's his teebox.