guys i went out today for my weekly sat comp. Played with guys i hadn’t played with before. the three lads were genuinely nice guys, however they played incredibly slow, stopping to chat for five minutes before the last guy teed off on nearly every hole. this didn’t bother me toooo much.
I was playing average, not helped by one of the guys (who thinks he’s david leadbetter) constantly trying to tell me what i was doing wrong. also this guy talked NON STOP. while i was on the tee, while i was putting- seriously non stop. on the seventh (after i hit a great drive) he continued to provide advice. my exact response was the following: “Mate, I don’t mean to be rude but i’d appreciate if you would stop giving me advice as its really starting to piss me off. I know you’re trying to help but all its doing is making it harder”.

At the ninth I realised that I was not enjoying myself at all and i did not want to continue as i would have got really angry, and politely stated that I was going to leave at halfway. I asked if this was ok as i didn’t want to cause any dramas with signing cards etc. They all said not at all, we shook hands had a laugh about a couple of things then i went home.

Was my form acceptable?

Gribbles.
What you did was understandable but a better course of action would hav been to inform your fellow contestant that under rule 8-1 of the rules of golf it is a 2 stroke penalty for giving advice and get his marker to add it to his score. That should shut him up.

It is a great pity that a lot of players just do not understand the etiquette of the game.

not sure what you mean slick- i was pretty sure i handled it ok- i don’t want people thinking i’m an ass.

and i was aware of that rule, but i didn’t really want to say it, as it may have looked like i was blaming someone else for my poor play

Gribbles, You done what a lot would like to, what I meant is a lot of players do not understand etiquette,in general, eg. Do not talk when a player is having a shot , mark your card after you have a tee shot, walk straight to your ball, not via some other players, rake bunkers after use, repair divot on green, carry a sand bucket to fill in divots, etc. I was not having a shot at you.

Listen here Gribbles, that is completely unacceptable !!! You have no ettiquette what so ever.

If I was one of those players, I would report you to the committee formally in writing requesting that you present an excellent argument as to why you should be allowed to continue your membership at that club.

Poor form !!!!!!

Gee thats a bit harsh sherman tell us what you really think

Hybrid,

Do you work on the US tour?? Just thought you might, stating that you know rule 8 -1, or do you have a rule book in front of you while you chat on the net ???

Your a sad man if it’s the latter !!!!

Shermantank
You obviously don’t take the rules seriously so get off the course you CHEAT!!!!

Listen here “19 Handicapper” – Obviously you don’t like my opinion and that’s fine, however the word “CHEAT” is a strong, powerful word. I’ve been playing A Grade golf for a very long time, and would know more about the game than yourself.

i’d like to know on why i should explain my actions? i was not rude and ensured my playing partners weren’t upset after telling them why i was leaving. where was my etiquette fault?

asking someone to stop giving unwanted advice?
or leaving midway through a round?

when I first started playing, I thought the players who went home after the first nine were complete idiots. But now having had some years playing comp, I now know why it happens.

I do not think what you did was bad etiquette. If I was with a group I did not like, I would walk off too. How many times can you put up with people talking while you are teeing off. That is totally unacceptable. When this happens to me, I just keep on doing practice swings with the ball already teed up. Then when someone asks why I’m not hitting off, I tell them I will start as soon as its quiet. A little more time practicing swings wont hurt, and it will soon piss them off till they get the message.

If you are down to play and apart of a full field on Saturday comp, there maybe another member who has turned up to try and get a spot and can’t, due to the time sheet being fully booked.

If you pull out, you are not only being a bad sport, but you are blocking the opportunity for the keen golfer to miss out on his much anticipated, once a week, round.

If I was playing with you, you would have some explaining to do !!!

Maybe some people should not play in comps and play by themselves in a group of 1 on a Thursdays afternoon.

hack2: yeah, that was my thought. they were nice lads though, and on any other day i would happily sit and have a beer with them at the clubhouse. The reason i chose to leave rather than continue is bc they obviously play together most weekends, and i’m guessing this is the norm for them, so i would have felt really rude asking them to change the way they play.

Don’t get me wrong, i have a laugh and a joke whenever i play, but i’m not a coach so i never offer advice unless its requested.

Hozel: directed at me?

Sherman: so what would have been a more appropriate way to handle the situation?

I’m happy to listen to suggestions

golf is about 6 inches ‘between the ears’ you should of just played the remainder 9 holes and move on.

Take “Hozel’s” advice…..........he’s on the money.

The club i’m a member at, would not tolerate a member to pull out after nine holes with an “excuse” such as yours.

The committee would take a stand and provide you with a first warning, with the second meaning a suspension !!!

sherm: Out of curiosity, where do you play? my home course is very relaxed. i agree that a no show on a comp day is poor form, but how is dropping out of the running (by leaving) any different to continuing and having a horrible result anyway?

and i’ve also played a couple of times with guys who are having shocking days and getting shitty, and i didn’t want to be one of those guys….

Are you smoking anything in particular tonight ?? You are on another planet.

You aren’t listening to what i’m saying….............by pulling out is taking away the opportunity of another member playing his comp day. The one day of the week that he looks forward to.

I’m a member of Indooroopilly Golf Club, in Brisbane and have played a lot of representative golf over the years.

Mate i understand what you’re saying…..........................................
But by flapping your gums loudly and non stop through someones tee shot, approach, pitches and putts you’re taking away their opportunity to enjoy the one day they look forward to also, right?
Surely with your experience and the level you’ve played at you would not appreciate it either, perhaps you may have handled it differently but i thought i handled it the best way possible and didn’t get into a disagreement or complain at my fellow players,
If anything comes of it i’ll take it on the chin however.

Mate, I understand. I wouldn’t be happy if you were to pull out. However, you need to learn how to grind your game out, whether you are playing bad, difficult playing partners etc (refer the ability of Tiger Woods’ mind).

Again, refer to “Hozel’s” comments earlier.

Mate, I understand. I wouldn’t be happy if you were to pull out. However, you need to learn how to grind your game out, whether you are playing bad, difficult playing partners etc (refer the ability of Tiger Woods’ mind).

Again, refer to “Hozel’s” comments earlier.

yeah i gotcha, i’d be pissed if i was to miss out and someone bailed.
i know i already said it, but i only did it after talking to the guys i was with. have had a 6 year lay off from the game, and i guess not playing to the standard i expect of myself is frustrating me- maybe i was just looking for excuses. but i posted this up for comment so i haven’t been trying to argue, just guaging people’s opinion yeah? probably should have handled it as you said like tiger rather than john daly.
thanks for the input, guess i couldn’t expect everyone to agree with me :)

If you are down to play and apart of a full field on Saturday comp, there maybe another member who has turned up to try and get a spot and can’t, due to the time sheet being fully booked.

If you pull out, you are not only being a bad sport, but you are blocking the opportunity for the keen golfer to miss out on his much anticipated, once a week, round.

If I was playing with you, you would have some explaining to do !!!

I would have thought if they were that keen that they would have booked a tee time at the earliest opportunity and not missed out at all.