Ever been called out for NOT hitting into someone off the tee?

[ZappyAd]

So this is another bizarre chapter in the book of slow play at my course.

I got to the second tee just as a couple of guys with a cart were teeing off.  They were really slow to get going and took a lot of time over each shot, hitting about 75 yds each time.  I'm just standing on the tee watching this and being all zen about how lucky I am to be outside because I know I'm not going to get waved through.  

They get to a point that is about 300 yds away, just before a lake, and guy 1 is walking over to his ball.  He then stops and looks back at me on the tee, making some exaggerated hand movements to shield his eyes as if he is looking way too far into the distance, and shrugging his shoulders.  I didn't get what he was doing at first but it went on for about 30 seconds and I finally realised he was indicating to me that he was too far away and that I should have hit my tee shot already.  Then he hit his ball and did the whole 'how far away is that' act again.

The thing is that this hole is quite downhill with a firm fairway and it is not that hard to hit a 3w into the lake.  Today there was a strong one+ club wind behind so I knew I could reach where he was standing with a 5w.  Sure enough when I finally hit my shot it ends up about 10 yards from where his ball lay.

This was a first for me - I never hit into people so I am possibly a bit too cautious off the tee but equally I know how far I hit it.  I could see how someone behind me could tell me to hurry up but how does someone in front think that's ok?  They weren't waiting on the green to clear (the threesome in front had disappeared up the next fairway) and they weren't waving me through so this guy was basically stopping me from playing through and at the same time telling me to hurry up!

 

[mcanadiens]

It always confuses the hell out of me, when someone runs off the tee, gets into the fairway and, only then, waves me through. It's not always clearly beginners either. They flap their arms at me, then slowly walk towards the rough, which is where my tee shots often go anyway. This just makes me that more nervous and usually results in something awful.

Let people through on the tee. Duh.

[Vinny Cap]

ZappyAd, That is one strange story and I am not sure what I would have done.  It is nice when they tee off and then let you tee off to play through.  I will often let others through when I play with my son from the fairway as I am teaching him the game but dont do like what you said the dude in the fairway was doing.

Did you ever get close to them again to get an explanation of the odd actions he was doing?  Just curious as that was strange.

[Patch]

I have been told that I have the patience of a "rock". Others have said that personally trait of mine is just plain stubborness.

I don't crowd others on the golf course, and I will never play through when asked, unless those in front of me, doing the asking,  are on the tee box, should I catch up with them. 

[bkuehn1952]

When you caught up with them did you ask what they were signaling?  Or did you just sort of shadow them, as a single, and never get close?

It is hard to imagine they were urging you to hit even though they had no intention of letting you play through. 

[Hardspoon]

13 hours ago, ZappyAd said:

This was a first for me - I never hit into people so I am possibly a bit too cautious off the tee but equally I know how far I hit it.  I could see how someone behind me could tell me to hurry up but how does someone in front think that's ok?  They weren't waiting on the green to clear (the threesome in front had disappeared up the next fairway) and they weren't waving me through so this guy was basically stopping me from playing through and at the same time telling me to hurry up!

That is so ridiculous...even if they weren't in range.

If I'm a single, playing behind another group, I'll let them get on the green before I tee off...I'd rather wait longer on the tee and then be able to play the hole without waiting.  I can't imagine someone wouldn't understand that.

13 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

Let people through on the tee. Duh.

Yeah.  Or on a par-3.

[ZappyAd]

11 hours ago, bkuehn1952 said:

When you caught up with them did you ask what they were signaling?  Or did you just sort of shadow them, as a single, and never get close?

It is hard to imagine they were urging you to hit even though they had no intention of letting you play through. 

 

The third tee is quite far from the second green around the lake so I didn't get chance to ask them when I reached the green.  And at that point I just decided to head back to the range and do some practice.  Some days it just isn't worth all the waiting around.

[newtogolf]

Our starter / ranger tells us that rather than wait to tee off, we should hit our tee shots, locate our balls and then allow faster groups (if they catch up and are ready at the tee box) to hit up and play through because that is the most efficient method.