Biggest Golf Pet Peeve

[sandycove]

Hi Evan...

I like (most) Americans just fine. (And most other folks, too.)

I am an American. Kansas City (where I went to school with Tom Watson, a pretty fair golfer you might have head of), and Arizona, on a cattle ranch.

I was an American country clubber (and club championship runner-up twice), and a greens committeeman, and starter, and golf writer, and operated a senior tour tournament press room and even toted a senior tour loop once.

Sorry my post was too prolix for your taste. I did not at all mean for you to infer any anti-American sentiment, only that the ancient British traditions embodied in the rules don’t translate fully to modern American culture and the current golfing environment there, particularly as golf has spread out from its upper middle class roots and become more democratic (and trendy).

I see that you are a moderator and that you judge that my comment is without merit.

So, that’ll be my last visit here, hoss...

That’ll save some typing...

[djj6835]

[ QUOTE ]
Why didn't you just invite the single to play in your group?

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We would have, but he always stayed on the previous green and practiced putting. There wasn't anybody behind him.

This actually reminds me of something that happened to me about a week ago. I was in a twosome playing behind another slow twosome. There was a fairly fast threesome behind us. Over the course of the first nine holes we were at the tee waiting as the guys in front of us were teeing off and the not once asked if we wanted to play through or join them.

Finally on the eighth hole which was a par 3 they were not even on the green yet and we had been waiting to tee off for several minutes and the motion up to us to hit our tee shots. We do so and then they finish putting as we do the same. Before we have a chance to say anything they drive off to the next hole, tee off, and then continue without us. WTF???? Needless to say the group behind us wasn't happy at all. We discovered that they had complained and a ranger informed the group in front of us to let us join them or play through. Apparantly they didn't realize thet we were joining them for the entirety of the round and not just that one hole. All they did was create more of a back up. It was awful.

[Weir]

OK i got a new one..........i was watching the John Deere classic just now and they were talking about jonathan byrd and began to criticize his putting stroke for a few minutes, calling it wooden and citing it as the thing that is holding him back blah blah.

Then they started talking about his playing partner Lucas Glover and how free flowing and good his stroke was or whatever....

well as of right now Byrd is -6 and Glover is -2


and jonathan byrd is ranked THIRD on the pga tour in putts per GIR (glover is 41st)

[Troll_Inc]

[ QUOTE ]

I am an American.

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sandy's bio:

Vietnam Veteran -- 1LT/Inf, 1st Cavalry Division, '69-'70
American expat / Kansas, Arizona, New York City

[LetItBe]

I had a similar ranger experience...on a Denver muni course of all places! We got yelled at for grabbing a beer and hotdog (to go) on the run. The ranger chewed us out on 10, saying this was our one and only warning, kicked off the course, etc. etc. Well, 11 is a Par 3...we get to the hole, and there is one foursome on the tee, another waiting behind them, and then us.

The ranger started coming towards the hole, not realizing what was going on. He finally got close and looked at the backlog, then looked at me, then turned right around and sped away.

[HDPM]

[ QUOTE ]
I had a similar ranger experience...on a Denver muni course of all places! We got yelled at for grabbing a beer and hotdog (to go) on the run. The ranger chewed us out on 10, saying this was our one and only warning, kicked off the course, etc. etc. Well, 11 is a Par 3...we get to the hole, and there is one foursome on the tee, another waiting behind them, and then us.

The ranger started coming towards the hole, not realizing what was going on. He finally got close and looked at the backlog, then looked at me, then turned right around and sped away.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which course? I am thinking Wellshire since 11 is a par 3. You might have enjoyed the day when an old pro opened a $100 window on 9 after a tournament. He laid odds on whether people could hit the green. Play got backed up needless to say since guys betting several hundred aren't going to give up the tee to casual players. The starter went absolutely nuts and there was a big dispute. Eventually it led to a little scandal where some Denver city employees- not the starter- looked bad. Got some news coverage. Interesting day.

[JackInDaCrak]

HATE HATE HATE all the denver muni employees. What a bunch of cantankerous old codgers.

Too bad because that's the courses I play, mainly.

[LetItBe]

Why yes, it was Wellshire! That is an awesome story...that green is not the easiest to hit, I bet that guy made a killing that day! How long ago was that?

[HDPM]

[ QUOTE ]
Why yes, it was Wellshire! That is an awesome story...that green is not the easiest to hit, I bet that guy made a killing that day! How long ago was that?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, he made money until things blew up The hole looks easier than it is and the guy laying the odds had a good idea of what they should be. He knew his way around a golf bet. The 4 par 3s at Wellshire actually do a decent job showing some of Donald Ross's ideas I think, but that is probably another post. I wish I paid attention to that stuff when I played there a lot. Not Ross's best or anything, but the course has some interesting features.

Anyway, this happened in the '80s, I want to say 1983 or 1984, so it was a while ago.

[knicknut]

[ QUOTE ]
On singles (although admittedly a grand way to enjoy the day), they, by rule, have no standing on the golf course and are almost always impractical -- a steady flow of foursomes is always preferable and two-somes, unless engaged in a formal match, are discouraged as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not talking about a full or even busy golf course. The course I was trying to tee of on was empty for a half hour before I teed off. I wouldn't have run into anyone for a while. Instead, I had to wait 20 minutes and play the round in close to double the time behind a foursome. How is that more practical?

On the other occasion, I was in the middle of my round. I would have paced myself behind the group in front of me. Are you telling me because my playing partners left me, I have lost right and standing to be in my place on the golf course? Should I have to suffer and wait because I might "disrupt flow" by holding my group's spot?