On the green etiquette

[mrt1211]

New to the board and want some opinions please.  Here's what happened... 18th hole, I'm down 3 bets on the back and Aloha press (double or nothing everything).  Par 5, I'm 10 ft for birdie and the player I pressed was 5 ft for par.  I lined up my putt and took my practice strokes and addressed the ball. Just as I was about to hit my putt the opponent walked directly past the hole about 3 feet behind the cup.  I stepped back from the putt and yelled what the $%& are you doing?  He claimed he was just going to stand by another player in my group.  Didn't apologize, basically his attitude was he didn't do anything wrong.  I was pissed, hit the putt and came up 1 inch short dead center.  Not so pissed about losing the bet but the fact he didn't admit what he did was bush league bull&*^%!  Would love to hear others thoughts.  He's my buddy but he needs to know that's not OK.  I've been playing golf for 40 years, its not about the money to me but basic etiquette on the green.

[David in FL]

Meh.  If it's a bet with my buddies, I expect a little gamesmanship.

Lighten up (and toughen up) Gracie.  Then sink the damn putt, look him in the eye, and yell booo yaaaa!  

[mrt1211]

David I hear ya.  I really shouldn't be too upset because we were playing in a group money game that day where Closest to the Pins were worth $125 ea and skins paid out $165 ea.  I won 2 closest to the pins and 1 skin. We don't normally play any schinaniggans with our personal bets other than by trying to mess with each other with chatter on the tee and pre-putt.  I just couldn't believe that he didn't admit that he shouldn't have walked directly behind the hole as someone is putting, many of my other golfing friends have said it was BS.  Ive played in groups where anything goes and this wasn't the case here.  Hit em straight everyone!

[Runnin]

You can't control what someone else does.  Yes, it was wrong but so what?  Just back away and start again.  Your error was acknowledging his actions while you were putting.  He did it to irk you and you let him succeed. 

Your only redress is to either choose you playing partners more carefully or develop better concentration.  The first one really isn't realistic because there always seems to be one or two people in the group who talk all the time or start the cart just as you're about to hit or slam their clubs in the bag, etc.  I play in Japan and people here seem babble non-stop on the golf course, even the female caddies. They start shrieking as soon as their ball is in the air.  Drives me nuts if I think about it.  The only thing I've found is to talk to myself in my head and only listen to myself.  I just say "This shot (or putt).  This shot, this shot, this shot... goes like THIS" over and over.  Listening to my own imaginary voice drowns out other noise. 

Edited September 7, 2017 by Runnin

[Lotok]

I agree with Runnin on that one. it may have been genuinely thoughtless or maybe he was looking to put you off. Really, just take a moment, realign and putt. No point letting little things annoy you.

[bones75]

I think it's weak if your friend played ignorant, but agree w/ other posters.

Kinda related: a group I used to play with somehow got into this tradition of playing proper etiquette all the way up to the 18th green.  On the 18th green tho (where there were always press bets on these last putts) the scene was similar to the last putt in the caddy tournament in Caddyshack. Near outright yelling, throwing stuff in the putter's line of sight, suggestive dancing behind the hole...  I know its different situ, but it was both fun as hell, as well as rewarding when you were able to putt through all that @#$%.

Anyone else have a similar thing going? It was really fun, and I don't remember many great shots from those rounds, but I do remember all the antics on the 18th, as well as those cold-as-ice putts that sank. 

Edited September 7, 2017 by bones75

[Lihu]

15 hours ago, mrt1211 said:

David I hear ya.  I really shouldn't be too upset because we were playing in a group money game that day where Closest to the Pins were worth $125 ea and skins paid out $165 ea.  I won 2 closest to the pins and 1 skin. We don't normally play any schinaniggans with our personal bets other than by trying to mess with each other with chatter on the tee and pre-putt.  I just couldn't believe that he didn't admit that he shouldn't have walked directly behind the hole as someone is putting, many of my other golfing friends have said it was BS.  Ive played in groups where anything goes and this wasn't the case here.  Hit em straight everyone!

So, the only people I know of who play for those kinds of $$$ per hole are generally pretty formal and polite to each other. They'd never walk behind the hole. Most definitely that was your Buddy's intent, in fact, it was totally his intent just to get you pissed off. He knew exactly how you'd react given he's your long time "Buddy". I'd say just figure out what pushes his buttons the next few rounds and without breaking "etiquette" possibly apply them judiciously or just in random bulk?

 

20 minutes ago, bones75 said:

I think it's weak if your friend played ignorant, but agree w/ other posters.

It was definitely not ignorance that his long time buddy would walk 3 feet behind the hole. Probably made a huge and obvious step over the putting line just to satisfy the "rules of etiquette". People who play for that much money have been doing it for a long long time. . .

Edited September 7, 2017 by Lihu

[mrt1211]

3 hours ago, Lihu said:

So, the only people I know of who play for those kinds of $$$ per hole are generally pretty formal and polite to each other. They'd never walk behind the hole. Most definitely that was your Buddy's intent, in fact, it was totally his intent just to get you pissed off. He knew exactly how you'd react given he's your long time "Buddy". I'd say just figure out what pushes his buttons the next few rounds and without breaking "etiquette" possibly apply them judiciously or just in random bulk?

 

It was definitely not ignorance that his long time buddy would walk 3 feet behind the hole. Probably made a huge and obvious step over the putting line just to satisfy the "rules of etiquette". People who play for that much money have been doing it for a long long time. . .

Very good remarks and I can see everyone's points.  A little more info. The big money ($425) I won had nothing to do with our Nassau bet.  The 2 closest to the pins and the skin I won were part of a 28 man group that anteed up $25 for closest to pins and $25 for skins.  The money I won had nothing to do with this bet.  Heck the bet was only a $5 nassau.  We pushed the front and I was down 3 bets on the back so I double or nothing (aloha press) on 18.  If you do an internet search on golf etiquette there is nothing I could find that says you shouldn't walk behind the hole while someone is in the act of putting.  Look if were an accident and he just said sorry, or I didn't realize you were about to hit the putt at that moment, i would have let this go.

 

3 hours ago, bones75 said:

Kinda related: a group I used to play with somehow got into this tradition of playing proper etiquette all the way up to the 18th green.  On the 18th green tho (where there were always press bets on these last putts) the scene was similar to the last putt in the caddy tournament in Caddyshack. Near outright yelling, throwing stuff in the putter's line of sight, suggestive dancing behind the hole...  I know its different situ, but it was both fun as hell, as well as rewarding when you were able to putt through all that @#$%. 

I've played with groups like this over the years and I get it.  Been guilty of it myself when its an acceptable behavior by the group.  This is not how we normally play in this group.  Like I stated before some harassing goes on but its always before someones preshot routine, whether it be drive, approach, chip or putt.

Like my other 2 playing partners said, I won $425 on the big group game and I should let it go.  But at the time it happened I didn't know I was going to win all of that other money and I don't like to lose.

It did feel really good paying him his $15 he won out of the stack of cash I came into at the 19th hole.

Just thankful to my Dad for teaching me golf etiquette before the actual rules of golf almost 40 years ago when I was a little kid.

[Buckeyebowman]

Naaaah! The guy was trying to screw with you! For the sums of money you're playing for, I can totally believe that! Hell, I'm a quarter skin, 50 cent birdie, and 5 buck eagle kind of guy. I've been playing golf for a while now, and I know when to move and when not to!

Next time, just brain the guy and claim that you swung your club when you didn't intend to!

[rehmwa]

It's an opportunity to learn to play regardless of distractions.  You and yours should carry airhorns on the rounds.

Nothing will shake you.

(Just another reason I can't stand betting)

[mrt1211]

To me a 5$ Nassau is not a big bet. I've played much bigger where the losing end gets really ugly. My main point is etiquette.  

Can anyone just say that walking behind the hole while someone is about to putt is not proper etiquette?

I'm done with this subject and have moved on from this. This guy will continue to pay me as usual on a normal basis, he got me one time with an abnormal tactic from how our group plays. (And yes we play with GHIN handicaps) Thanks for the input. I look forward to being on this cool discussion board. I will not escalate this in our next round. I prefer to keep this as a gentlemens game as my father taught me. Thank you to everyone that responded. 

[iacas]

9 minutes ago, mrt1211 said:

Can anyone just say that walking behind the hole while someone is about to putt is not proper etiquette?

I don't think you need someone to say that. You already know it is.

Do as you've said, move on, and join us in some of the other topics. They're often more fun than discussing this jerk. 

[Keith White]

I never bet, apart from everyone sticking the same starter sum in the pot for a winner takes all day, and then it's only a fiver.  I played with a guy once who wanted so many side bets it was a headache at the end trying to figure out who had won or lost what.

Regardless of betting, the guy was wrong to walk around the ball.  Cheating is always ugly in my opinion.

[NJpatbee]

Sounds bush league to me, but he's your buddy so you treat it as you choose.  I do not usually play for big bucks and some gamesmanship goes on, but when there are 4 or 5 skins on the line it is as quiet as a professional tournament on the green and no shenanigans.  And if the opponent is truly your buddy I would tell him on the 19th hole that he was a royal pain in the a$$.  

[The Hook Meister]

He was wrong to walk across the green while you were putting. You should not have reacted that way. You should have backed off and started over.

[caniac6]

I don't care where folks stand, within reason, but stand still. Not too sure I'd play with that guy again. I'm not a big fan of gamesmanship. I don't mind if a guy beats me with his clubs, but I think it reflects poorly on golfers that try to win in other ways.

[CT207]

I used to play with a guy that, when closer to the hole, he would at times walk around, pick up or move /adjust his ball while I was putting.  (This is a guy that said he could "feel" the break of the green by walking it)...

I wouldn't say anything, I would just back out of it, maybe clean off the club face, and then just stand there. After a few moments he would then give me this "are you going to putt" look or actually say it.

I would reply with a "I thought YOU were putting first".  I would then go back to my putting procedure.