I played golf last week and it’s a wonder how I am not in penitentiary after this happening for the 4183rd time.
The group behind me was mad because I was waiting so long to hit and the group in front of me was mad because they felt I was hitting into them.
Here is the kicker. I was playing in a twosome, so basically after I hit and my partner hit his second shot, they had an open tee shot while I waited to hit my second. The irony is they waited on the tee for me to hit my second shot before they hit…LOL.
The group behind me saw me hit several really nice long drives, so they knew how far I hit it. On one hole they pull to the tee and one guy says, “are you waiting again?”
I asked him if he noticed how far I was hitting it and if he was suggesting I fly my tee shot into the group in front.
His response…”why do you have to try and drive the green, why don’t you hit an iron so you don’t make us wait?”
So I ignored him and hit it on the front edge about 2 or 3 paces off the front.
He said, “Big deal, it will probably take you 4 to get down from there.”
I asked him if he cared to place a wager. He wimped out and only agreed to $20 that I couldn’t get it up and down.
I left it about 6″ short right in the jar. I got the $20 and I didn’t see or hear hide nor hair of them the rest of the day.
Streaming Video Series
Absolutely no sympathy. In a casual round pace of play should take precedence over how far you can hit it.
Golf is a game that prides itself on sportsmanship and civility is it not? Do you not have a club in your bag that you can hit that fits the way the hole was designed? This is a sore spot with me since there is a short par four at my course where the young limber-backs pile up foursomes behind them while they wait for the green to clear. In competition wait all you want. In a casual round be a gentleman and hit the damned ball with an appropriate club.
Calvin, that makes no sense. What is the difference between them waiting for me to hit to the green on my tee shot, versus waiting for me to hit my second shot to the green?
Why not just enjoy watching a professional trying to hit a 300 yard shot with that much accuracy…as is the case with most people.
…and what about the hypocrisy of them waiting on the tee for me to hit my second shot?
“club in your bag that fits the way the hole was designed?” You have to be kidding right?
What you really meant to say, is “can’t you play the hole the same way I play the hole since I can’t hit it as far as you?”
No. At 70 my chest pounding days are over. I play sometimes with a 13 year old who hits driver by me close to 100 yards. What matters to me? Courtesy and sportsmanship. I really don’t care how far you hit it.
You get plenty of sympathy from me.
I only go to the range, from the time that leagues start until they finish. When there are Fall rates and the temperature is preferably below 50ºF and the course is virtually empty, I can play with no waiting.
I say play the hole however you want as long as you aren’t consistently missing the green badly. A guy that can hit 300 yards but is in the woods nine out of ten times shouldn’t be waiting for the green to clear, but if you have a realistic shot at the green, go ahead and wait. Playing fast is great, but not at the expense of having fun and shooting low scores – especially if you are keeping up with the group in front…
Sportsmanship & civility is not hitting into the group in front of you and having the patience to wait on the group in front of you if they’re keeping up with the group in front of them. Why should anyone have to play his/her game differently in a casual game vs competition in regards to club selection? I can see not waisting time stepping off chips and taking minutes vs seconds to read a putt, etc… but come on, expecting a guy to take less club to avoid hitting the group in front is rediculous. Amazes me that sportsmanship and civility is sooo one sided at times….
It is a casual round we’re talking here right? No trophy riding on it? Why not take three iron, 8 iron and make it a little more of a challenge for you instead of driver, chip? I’m all about pace of play but it seems not many others are.
Why should he have to alter his course management for others? It’s not like he’s waiting for the green to clear on a hole he can’t reach in 1. If we’re gonna make it challenging, why not just give him a 3 iron and tell him to go enjoy his round.
I don’t think you’ll get an argument from anyone about pace of play but like Monte says above, I don’t see where overall, hitting driver & chip takes any longer than 3 iron 8 iron…. I had a simular thing happen Saturday. On the T box, I’m waiting on the group in front of me to clear a very short 268 yard par 4. The guys behind are in thier carts and you can tell they’re getting impatient. One of them asks what I’m waiting on and I tell them, “I’m waiting on the group in front to clear the green” “Why, what are the chances you’re going to hit it?” was the reply. Like Monte, I ignored him and hit the ball just off the back of the green after they had cleared it. The funny thing was, a couple of guys in my group did take a short iron to T off with to lay up to 100 yards out. I waited quite awhile for them to hit thier 100 yard shots, miss the green furhter than I did and finally chip on… My driver – chip was a heck of a lot faster than thier short iron-short iron- chip. But what difference does it make, we were still waiting on the next T box for the guys infront of us to hit thier second shots when we got there…
I blame it all on the STARTERS, they too mant times do not allow 14 minutes which is customary for Championship courses. If they waited even if it’s clear to start, you would not have many of these problems. A GOOD starter sets the pace for a nice round of play, a bad one can ruin your day. The same goes for the Marshalls who sould be out there keeping an even pace.
Wally speaks
Tell management “at these prices how can you run this place like a municipal golf course”
I hate to admit this, however, it probably takes More time to hit TWO SHOTS, then it does for Monte to drive the green in ONE, besides there fun to watch, unless of course, watching a real golfer hit a long drive makes them fell like they are LESSER men. SO why don’t you under-acheive so the rest of us hackers can feel normal
Wally
LOL.
I hit it further than most guys, not Monte’s length, but I can certainly relate. I’ve had people give me looks while I wait for someone to clear a lot more room. Usually after I hit their glares turn into awes.
Bottom line, I am out there to have FUN just like everyone else and I like to take the lead out. I pay money for my round of golf just the same as everyone else. They will not dictate to me how to shoot my 70 round.
Sometimes idoits don’t know who’s actually holding things up.
Same thing in a car on the highway. They pass you going to the right lane because they see you as the hunk of metal holding them up. They gain a few car lengths but the left lane soon blows by them. And then the guy is right back on your ass ready to do the same thing.
Etiquette is enshrined in the Rules of Golf at Section I. With regard to Pace of Play: ” It is a group’s responsibility to keep up with the group in front. If it loses a clear hole and is delaying the group behind, it should invite the group behind to play through, irrespective of the number of players in that group. Where a group has not lost a clear hole, but it is apparent that the group behind can play faster, it should invite the faster moving group to play through.”
The group behind Monte’s twoball may have been assholes, but the problem was created by the ignorance of the group in front.