Rude Fans at PGA Tour Events

[dogburger]

https://sports.yahoo.com/rory-mcilroy-tired-heckling-wants-limit-alcohol-sales-pga-events-033840940.html

 

Rory says hes getting fed up with some of the 'fans' at PGA events . He had one guy following him round at the weekend giving him the constant bird . This is golf guys , supposed to be a game of etiquette and has no place on a golf course (apart from the Ryder Cup ) 

Is the pro game changing , the polite applause that accompanied good shots is now drowned out  by the shouting of idiots . What to do with these fools ,or maybe you think it goes with the modern game , thoughts ?

[jsgolfer]

You'll always have some knuckleheads at any tournament.  Not sure how you would limit the alcohol at the events.  There is far too much ground between all of the places that serve food and beer.  

As long as they don't yell in the pro's backswing, grow a set Rory.  I wish they could oust the people that yell baba booey after every drive or some other nonsense that they yell out.

[woodzie264]

13 minutes ago, jsgolfer said:

You'll always have some knuckleheads at any tournament.  Not sure how you would limit the alcohol at the events.  There is far too much ground between all of the places that serve food and beer.  

As long as they don't yell in the pro's backswing, grow a set Rory.  I wish they could oust the people that yell baba booey after every drive or some other nonsense that they yell out.

Concur

[upndown21]

Just wait for the Masters

[MacDutch]

I wish the (shouting of) idiots could be banned from the course. So alcohol only served after play.

Edited March 19, 2018 by MacDutch

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, jsgolfer said:

Not sure how you would limit the alcohol at the events

Sell vouchers at the entrance to the event. You can only buy 2-3 vouchers that can be used to buy alcohol. If you lose them, you done.

 

[skydog]

I may be in the minority here but I'm getting a bit fed up with the likes of Rory and JT who seem to view the fans -who pay for their livelihood- as nothing more than a means to an end. I'm not condoning idiotic behavior at tour events, but it seems like some of these guys don't understand that the gigantic purses they take home these days are supported by larger crowds and with that inevitably comes a more diverse and raucous crowd. 

So Rory would you rather make $200K for winning the API and have a small group of polite golf clapping fans in the galleries or win $1.5M and have to deal with a couple idiots here and there? Your choice. 

ESPN ran the same story a couple of days ago and quoted Tiger who I think characterized things best- he said (paraphrasing) that as long as people aren't yelling in backswings, then most everything else is fine. 

[RussUK]

11 minutes ago, skydog said:

I may be in the minority here but I'm getting a bit fed up with the likes of Rory and JT who seem to view the fans -who pay for their livelihood- as nothing more than a means to an end. I'm not condoning idiotic behavior at tour events, but it seems like some of these guys don't understand that the gigantic purses they take home these days are supported by larger crowds and with that inevitably comes a more diverse and raucous crowd. 

So Rory would you rather make $200K for winning the API and have a small group of polite golf clapping fans in the galleries or win $1.5M and have to deal with a couple idiots here and there? Your choice. 

ESPN ran the same story a couple of days ago and quoted Tiger who I think characterized things best- he said (paraphrasing) that as long as people aren't yelling in backswings, then most everything else is fine. 

I can see your point but i think that some of the "fans" take it too far. The odd dig at a player is to be expected but when the so called fan(s) are making personal comments aimed at the players wife/partner or family then those are the sort of people that need to be removed from the event.

You wouldnt make those kind of comments to a stranger in the street so why would you say them to a sports person? 

[skydog]

9 minutes ago, RussUK said:

I can see your point but i think that some of the "fans" take it too far. The odd dig at a player is to be expected but when the so called fan(s) are making personal comments aimed at the players wife/partner or family then those are the sort of people that need to be removed from the event.

You wouldnt make those kind of comments to a stranger in the street so why would you say them to a sports person? 

I don't disagree but it's a hard/impossible standard to uphold and takes a subjective interpretation to enforce. There's no objective and widely enforceable standard to apply as to what constitutes inappropriate comments. Any kind of yelling/comment during a swing should be met with immediate ejection but beyond that I think it's best to just ignore the trolls and develop tougher skin. 

[GrandStranded]

3 hours ago, dogburger said:

https://sports.yahoo.com/rory-mcilroy-tired-heckling-wants-limit-alcohol-sales-pga-events-033840940.html

 

Rory says hes getting fed up with some of the 'fans' at PGA events . He had one guy following him round at the weekend giving him the constant bird . This is golf guys , supposed to be a game of etiquette and has no place on a golf course (apart from the Ryder Cup ) 

Is the pro game changing , the polite applause that accompanied good shots is now drowned out  by the shouting of idiots . What to do with these fools ,or maybe you think it goes with the modern game , thoughts ?

I'm curious. Why do you feel it's okay for the Ryder Cup? That event along with the WMO, are the prime examples of events with poor fan behavior. It's sad how the Cup has evolved so far from the "spirit of competition " originally intended

Edited March 19, 2018 by GrandStranded

[jsgolfer]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

Sell vouchers at the entrance to the event. You can only buy 2-3 vouchers that can be used to buy alcohol. If you lose them, you done.

 

But then someone will buy their allotment and sell them on the course to other patrons for a higher price.  

But in general, there are very few knuckleheads who are annoying the Players and limiting the enjoyment of the majority because a few people can’t act appropriately, isn’t the way to go imo. 

 

[Aaron from Baltimore]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

Sell vouchers at the entrance to the event. You can only buy 2-3 vouchers that can be used to buy alcohol. If you lose them, you done.

 

How about just having one guy located at each tee who throws these idiots out? After people start getting thrown out they will get the message. Does it make sense to go through all this alcohol discussion thing every time one of these yells? Punish the remaining 10,000 people for the actions of a small percentage of idiots? I hear the same thing every time someone runs on the field at a baseball games, 48,000 people and one idiot runs on the field, the response is: Ban alcohol!!! 

and what makes you think that banning alcohol (or limiting it) will prevent this? These people are idiots, they are going to yell this stupid sh*t whether they sell alcohol or not. 

[saevel25]

3 minutes ago, Aaron from Baltimore said:

How about just having one guy located at each tee who throws these idiots out? After people start getting thrown out they will get the message. Does it make sense to go through all this alcohol discussion thing every time one of these yells? 

Its not one yell. It's the same guy hounding one player.

No one cares if someone yells, "Mash Potatoes!" The PGA Tour should care if people become belligerent and hostile to the players. Sad to say, alcohol exacerbates these type of traits.

4 minutes ago, Aaron from Baltimore said:

Punish the remaining 10,000 people for the actions of a small percentage of idiots? I hear the same thing every time someone runs on the field at a baseball games, 48,000 people and one idiot runs on the field, the response is: Ban alcohol!!! 

I'm not saying ban alcohol. I am say there might be a way to ban excessive drinking with out banning alcohol. There is a big difference.

5 minutes ago, Aaron from Baltimore said:

and what makes you think that banning alcohol (or limiting it) will prevent this? These people are idiots, they are going to yell this stupid sh*t whether they sell alcohol or not. 

Again, it isn't about them yelling stupid catch phrases. It's about them being hostile. People's inhibitions are drastically lowered when drunk. They care even less about their surroundings and social courtesy.

[Aaron from Baltimore]

13 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Its not one yell. It's the same guy hounding one player.

No one cares if someone yells, "Mash Potatoes!" The PGA Tour should care if people become belligerent and hostile to the players. Sad to say, alcohol exacerbates these type of traits.

I'm not saying ban alcohol. I am say there might be a way to ban excessive drinking with out banning alcohol. There is a big difference.

Again, it isn't about them yelling stupid catch phrases. It's about them being hostile. People's inhibitions are drastically lowered when drunk. They care even less about their surroundings and social courtesy.

ok, we are officially in semantics. How about throw people that misbehave out? I know the age of personal responsibility is dead and we have to save people from themselves by limiting their alcohol intake and hold their hands in the hopes they can behave so I relent. Lets come up with a way to make sure idiots don't drink too much. Have at it. Good luck!!

Don't hold people accountable for their actions. Help them so they don't drink too much.

I'm on board now! 

 

Edited March 19, 2018 by Aaron from Baltimore

[saevel25]

19 minutes ago, Aaron from Baltimore said:

ok, we are officially in semantics. How about throw people that misbehave out?

Define misbehave?

It's not semantics. There is a difference between someone yelling some catch phrase versus a drunk belligerent person following a golfer and calling him terrible names or making offensive gestures.

[Aaron from Baltimore]

4 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Define misbehave?

It's not semantics. There is a difference between someone yelling some catch phrase versus a drunk belligerent person following a golfer and calling him terrible names or making offensive gestures.

I think you just defined it. "I can't define pornography but I know it when I see it" 

US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart......

But you convinced me, don't hold people accountable for their actions let's try and help them not be idiots. 

[Eric C]

20 years ago I used to go to the Byron Nelson every year with some buddies.  We would hang out in the tents where there was live music, talk to hot chicks and get absolutely shit faced.  We were there for the party - we never even considered watching golf because out on the course you had to be relatively quiet and respectful. The way it should be, the way it was meant to be.

Sitting on the second hole with my wife yesterday at the Bay Hill, it was clear that we have strayed from that level of respect for both the game and the players. Sure, the purse is also about a million dollars more now than it was 20 years ago, but should that really make a difference? Of course it shouldn't, and it doesn't, but as @Aaron from Baltimore mentioned above the age of personal responsibility (and respect) has ended.

We're never going to limit alcohol, that's just a non-starter and really not worth the waste of time it takes to discuss it.  The only viable solution, IMO, is to publish a code of conduct attendees agree to, and then to enforce it. Some people will get butt hurt about it, but if we don't take the steps required to restore some decorum to the game now then it will never happen.

[krupa]

I think this discussion isn't just about the players.  Drunk idiots degrade the experience for others around them as well. 

Some* baseball stadiums have a phone number that you can send texts to when unruly/excessively drunk people are in the stands.  The PGA Tour can set up something like that.  If there's a drunken idiot following player X around shouting things that you don't want your kid to hear, text the number.  A plain clothes official comes around and tries to find the guy and if he's being too abusive/unruly/rude, he's gone.

This isn't a perfect system, the drunk could wander off to bother a different player or just quiet down of his own accord.  However, you don't have to limit alcohol sales, you don't have to rely on players "outing" fans, and you, the fan, don't have to confront the drunk yourself.

 

* I'd say all stadiums do this but I'm only willing to speak about the stadiums I've been to.