How many here are guilty of ever hitting into anyone?

[Chas]

I almost did it today.  The group in front (par 4) were walking away from their second shots and I had a 3W in my hand on the tee.  They seemed well out of range but I hit a strongish draw, rare for me with that club.  The ball landed well short but rolled a long way, up to within maybe 20 yds of the rearmost player.  None of them noticed it as they were facing the other way and kept on walking but I was a bit embarassed, though pleased at the ball flight.  I should have waited another 30 secs or so for them to be even further out of range - no good reason for the impatience.

I probably do it a couple times a year, usually when someone suddenly appears from another fairway or has hung around out of sight for no apparent reason.

[mailman]

Originally Posted by rehmwa

this is a great line and applies to my hitting

Sometimes a little bit of humour can go a long way to defusing a tense situation :)

Regards

Mailman

[mailman]

Here's a question for you guys. Do you think the sense of impatience is increased with the longer you play the game?

Perhaps beginners who are just happy to be out playing will be slightly more forgiving than a seasoned campaign veteran who maybe has developed a sense of ownership of their course?

Regards

Mailman

[bkuehn1952]

Originally Posted by mailman

Here's a question for you guys. Do you think the sense of impatience is increased with the longer you play the game?

Possibly.  I think, however, the reaction is more tied into the personality of the player or somewhat how he/she is playing.  There are people who seem to go through life looking for an excuse to start a conflict and some people, when playing poorly, look for an excuse to vent.  The former are going to take issue with any perceived slight and the latter will sometimes stir up a fuss.

[el shanko]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

Or, if some nimrod putts out on the green, replaces the flag, and then walks backward along the water hazard looking for lost balls while his pals drive to the next tee.

this is some things that you need to watch out there, last Sunday i played an early round with my 83yr uncle his son and a 79 yr john deere dealership owner. my cousin was up on a tee box fixin to crank one down the fairway he was addressing his shot when some dude comes out of know where about 70 or so yards from our tee box i saw him and immediately told my cousin to step away, this dude meandered around looking for his ball or got lost it was a WTF moment.

[dak4n6]

Don't know if this counts, but we were behind a really slow 4some a few weeks ago, and on #3, a par 5, I had 225yd into the wind, and knew I couldn't get my 3i there, but I have to admit I figured they would at least see my ball landing short of the green. And, sure enough, it trickled up a few yards in front, and, they did pick up the pace and we played a 4hr round.

And, once, I was waiting on a 2 in front of us with 140yd in. I saw them finish and get in their cart, so I stepped up and did my preshot routine and made a few practice swings. I took my address, and the last time I looked for my aim point they were still sitting there, but I hit anyway, figuring they had to be moving by now. Nope. I striped a 9i all over the pin, but this green is an inverted bowl, and the ball took a big hop left and rolled up against his cart tire. The driver came at me screaming and yelling and all I could do was apologize saying I thought they were already driving away. Nothing came of it, but why the fock would it take someone 3min to get their cart rolling towards the next tee?

[Big C]

I've done it twice that I can remember. The first time, I couldn't have been older than 15 or 16, and was playing a round of golf out in Palm Springs with my dad and some of his friends. We approached the 9th hole, which was a straightaway Par 4 measuring 316 yards. At the time, my best drives were probably going 260, so I figured we were safe. The problem is, Palm Springs in the summer plays a whole lot different than in the winter months. The grass dries out, fairways run forever, etc. Of course, I hit the drive of my young golf career - probably flying it 265 - and watch as it caroms down the fairway and up into the middle of the green, with a foursome still putting out.

The good news is, the group in front of us (a foursome of older gentleman) couldn't have been nicer about it. They complemented me on a great drive and even stayed around the green to see if I would hole my eagle putt (I missed).

The second time is a bit less fun to remember. I hit into the group in front of me by pulling my tee shot approach to the 10th green so badly that it was headed straight towards the 11th tee box. Unfortunately, this time I did actually hit someone. My 5 iron approach nailed the guy in front in the jaw, on the fly no less. He dropped like a stone. Fortunately, he was one tough SOB, and after getting knocked cold for a few seconds, he was able to get up and shake it off like nothing happened. I was fortunate that my shot didn't do any serious damage. Any time I'm tempted to hit into someone to "prove a point," I think back to that moment of extreme panic I felt in my gut that day, and the urge subsides pretty quickly.

[Chas]

I agree. Taking more than the time necessary to put clubs back in the cart before heading off to the next tee is inexcusable.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by Chas

I agree. Taking more than the time necessary to put clubs back in the cart before heading off to the next tee is inexcusable.

It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

Last year I told this story of how I was in a tournament and paired with our club's president and secretary or whatever.  They had the audacity to sit at the 18th greenside in our carts and count up at least half of the scorecards!  I was actually growing nervous that somebody was going to hit into us.  The 18th green has water on the left, so the prudent play is to miss right...which is where our carts were.  The worst part is that the club's board members (who make rules for slow play, etc) are the ones doing this crap.  I kept dropping hints that we should do this in the clubhouse but to no avail.  Ridiculous.

[rehmwa]

Since we're using words like 'inexcusable', etc......

General question here to anybody:  without any additional info - if you see someone waiting next the green in front of you for an unusual amount of time, what is your initial assumption?  does it change if you are waiting for them so you can hit?

I'll scale the choices from one extreme to the other - though I'm just wondering about 2 vs 5 really and what people assume normally.  I suspect there are basically two kinds of people.

1 - I'm so mad my last shot was bad that I don't care why, I'm gonna kick him right in the nuts.

2 - They are oblivious *******s slowing everyone down

3 - They must be waiting for their passenger to come out of the trees

4 - clean your balls and score the hole on the drive to the next tee, you dork

5 - the group in front of them is still on the tee and they don't want to drive up and disturb them with the cart noise until they are done hitting (and it's slow today so no point in rushing or the next two groups will just cluster up on the next Par 3 anyway)

6 - shucks, I better run up there and help those guys, clearly the cart is broken or someone lost something

7 - Hey, something shiny!!

8 - I could just stand here in the sun all day, work sucks and I'm not ready to go home

just wondering - (the point is there is no other info, the next tee is behind a stand of trees or whatever.  I get that there are scenarios where we have more info, or at least 'think' we have more info) - like mplewis' above, yeah, plenty of time add up the card in the bar.......that's where it happens, right?

golf gets some really cool personalities and attitudes - it's an individual activity no matter how you look at it, but it's also very social.  That creates very interesting mixes of incompatible personalities.  It's inevitable.  Couple that with a society that is increasingly narcissistic as each generation comes up and we see some crazy things.

[bkuehn1952]

Originally Posted by rehmwa

General question here to anybody:

4 - clean your balls and score the hole on the drive to the next tee, you dork

Good question.  I usually jump to #4.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by rehmwa

Since we're using words like 'inexcusable', etc......

General question here to anybody:  without any additional info - if you see someone waiting next the green in front of you for an unusual amount of time, what is your initial assumption?  does it change if you are waiting for them so you can hit?

I'll scale the choices from one extreme to the other - though I'm just wondering about 2 vs 5 really and what people assume normally.  I suspect there are basically two kinds of people.

1 - I'm so mad my last shot was bad that I don't care why, I'm gonna kick him right in the nuts.

2 - They are oblivious *******s slowing everyone down

3 - They must be waiting for their passenger to come out of the trees

4 - clean your balls and score the hole on the drive to the next tee, you dork

5 - the group in front of them is still on the tee and they don't want to drive up and disturb them with the cart noise until they are done hitting (and it's slow today so no point in rushing or the next two groups will just cluster up on the next Par 3 anyway)

6 - shucks, I better run up there and help those guys, clearly the cart is broken or someone lost something

7 - Hey, something shiny!!

8 - I could just stand here in the sun all day, work sucks and I'm not ready to go home

just wondering - (the point is there is no other info, the next tee is behind a stand of trees or whatever.  I get that there are scenarios where we have more info, or at least 'think' we have more info) - like mplewis' above, yeah, plenty of time add up the card in the bar.......that's where it happens, right?

Everybody probably has a different definition of what an "inordinate amount of time" is, too.  For me, if they don't drive off immediately after getting in the cart, I first assume #4.  If they're still sitting there after 10 seconds or so, then I'd jump to #3, another 10 seconds I'll go to #5, then after that comes #2 and a whistle or yell.

I'll say, though, that I can't remember the last time it's gotten past stage 1 for me.  I just don't find people to be, in general, nearly as bad around here as it sounds like they are elsewhere.

[bplewis24]

I always go with #4.

If somebody is teeing off on the next tee box, I typically drive the cart to a halfway point from the prior green to the next tee so as not to disturb.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

I always go with #4.

If somebody is teeing off on the next tee box, I typically drive the cart to a halfway point from the prior green to the next tee so as not to disturb.

Good point.  Does anybody still have gas powered carts?  So long as you aren't right next to them, it's easy enough to roll fairly quietly.  Besides, it's not like you have to wait for the whole group to hit, you'd only have to wait for the one guy who already started his pre-shot routine (which should be no more than 15 seconds or so anyways).

[dpgator33]

outside of a few times where I came up on a hole, didn't expect or see anyone in front of me, and then found out someone was in the woods looking for a ball or something.

[rehmwa]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Everybody probably has a different definition of what an "inordinate amount of time" is, too.  For me, if they don't drive off immediately after getting in the cart, I first assume #4.  If they're still sitting there after 10 seconds or so, then I'd jump to #3, another 10 seconds I'll go to #5, then after that comes #2 and a whistle or yell.

I'll say, though, that I can't remember the last time it's gotten past stage 1 for me.  I just don't find people to be, in general, nearly as bad around here as it sounds like they are elsewhere.

First - #4, then #3, then #5, then #2....... I'm chuckling.  it's quite a journey.

as for your last observation, I suspect it's true, but it's more likely that people that are irritable just post more about stuff that bugs them....and more stuff bugs them.  But a forum is a good place to vent and doesn't hurt anyone

[Chunky]

I would have looked him in the eye and said I didn't realize you guys were so slow.

The ones that get me are the guys that get upset because your ball landed and rolled to a stop 30 yards behind and you knew that was the best you were going to do.

[caniac6]

Originally Posted by Chunky

I would have looked him in the eye and said I didn't realize you guys were so slow.

The ones that get me are the guys that get upset because your ball landed and rolled to a stop 30 yards behind and you knew that was the best you were going to do.

This happened to me. I was playing alone,using a cart to get a quick 9. I start on the back, and catch a twosome in a cart on 13. I stay on 13 green making 8 practice putts to give these guys plenty of time to get to the 14th green. I get to the tee and these guys are standing inside the 150 marker talking. I wait for awhile, and knowing I can't hit inside the 150 marker, tee off. My ball is about 20 yards behind them, but they wait for me to drive up. They then say they would have been done talking in about 30 seconds and I should be patient. There was no one in front of them, and I told them I had hit a bunch of practice putts in order not to push them,and they should have had plenty of time to get out of the way. Eventhough my ball was 20 yards behind them they had a few choice words, and threatened to hit into me. I told told them they would never see me after I got by them. I found out later, they started at least 30 min. in front of me.