Etiquette .... Is it gone forever?

[Leftie]

Until I joined this forum I never realised that "Seniors" and ladies were the cause of most pace of play and bad etiquette problems on golf courses.

I must apologise to all those I have upset with my rudeness and slow play and will now have to consider retiring gracefully from the game that we all love.

 

[forefortheday]

Until I joined this forum I never realised that "Seniors" and ladies were the cause of most pace of play and bad etiquette problems on golf courses.

I must apologise to all those I have upset with my rudeness and slow play and will now have to consider retiring gracefully from the game that we all love.

Well it's never your own age group is it Leftie

There's a guy I see almost everyday walking to the course near work he's got at least two miles to walk to it then he does 18. A lad I work with (who's 25) has played with him and said he's like Speedy Gonzales round the course! He's at least 65 probably closer to 70.

At the risk of sounding like a Parrot, some people are idiots,some people have no concern for others,lets be glad we aren't walking around in the darkness of our own ignorance and can enjoy the full glories of golf.

 

[Leftie]

Well it's never your own age group is it Leftie

You are 100% right there FFTD - at least from what I have seen with the guys I know at the club and all the other "Seniors" I have played with/against in inter club Vets friendlies. Still, a limited sample maybe

There's a guy I see almost everyday walking to the course near work he's got at least two miles to walk to it then he does 18. A lad I work with (who's 25) has played with him and said he's like Speedy Gonzales round the course! He's at least 65 probably closer to 70.

QED (ducks for cover and runs....)

 

[KeefG]

I think a lot of the problems of etiquette disappearing can be attributed to clubs themselves.

How often do you see in local club rules No jeans/workwear, no sportswear, shorts must be tailored, no groups of 5 or more etc etc....and then you get out on the course and see a group of 5 chavs wearing jeans and football tops tearing the course up?

To be perfectly honest is p****s me right off when i spend 30 mins or so ironing my trousers, making sure i have a collar on (or polo neck if that floats your boat) and making sure I at least look the part only to be met on the course by some scruffy clowns who spoil the occasion for me.

Golf is a gentelmans game that should be played by gentlemen (or women) and the new batch of chavs taking over some courses is getting pathetic!!

Clubs should be taking more responsibility over who they let play on their courses!!

edit: this post may make me sound 70yo but i'm actually only 33!

 

[Cernunnos]

Although there are many senior that do course slow play, or having bad etiquette. I really don't see we can lump every senior in the same bag, as I've played with some seniors who if they played any quicker would be back in the clubhouse in under 2 hours given the chance. Sometimes it can be more like a Yomp, than a Route March, though I've experienced both. I see good manners at near enough every turn in as much good meassure as bad maners

Same goes for ladies, kids, or any playing group, there is a real mixture of allpaces of play all standard of play & every sort of personality under the sun, both good & bad.

Thing is if someone has been discourtious to you, you are lesslikely to be inclined to be courtious back & so on & so forth. Once bad etiquette & bad maners & behavious start to creap in at a course, its a long slippery slope.

Society & the pace of modern life does have to take most of the blame & if people cannot be educated by their betters as they grow up then there is little hope really of maintaining any standard of etiquette on the course.

Problem is with the breakdown of the family unit & the way families used to be decades ago, where for instance, sunday lunch & several generations would be round the same table at the same time. Activities would be shared. Glimmers of experience & commons sense too.

I don't think etiquette is gone forever, not all hope is lost, but a return to a pace of life & value of life has to be recaptured first. This is why we do get alienation between certain parts of the social & age & gender differences on for instance the golf course.

It would do us all good, to occasionally be made to make upamixed fourball, consisting of one senior, one lady, one junior & one adult member as a group, so as to encorage understanding & exchange of, well, many points of view. Maybe then next time they all hit the course, they wont be wanting to hit more than that, even in their imagination...rofl.

 

[andiritchie]

Agree with you KeefG about jean wearers,last summer had a game with some lads from work,i turned up dressed to play they had the jeans on,no care for the course,walking over my lines etc etc Oh and cheating numerous times inc standing on my ball because a winning

I felt the odd one out being dressed properly and me saying 'i thought you played golf, you men' didnt go down to well.

Iam only 25 myself and belive good dress and manners are all part of golf not the ability to play

 

[KeefG]

and belive good dress and manners are all part of golf not the ability to play

You've hit the nail on the head there fella!

I played a few rounds with a guy who supervises for me, every time he'd turn up in jeans or combats and a work t-shirt & trainers and everytime I moaned like hell at him to sort himself out. The last time we played i told him when we'd finished that i wouldnt be playing him anymore until he invested in some proper golf attire.....that was 5 months ago!!! Its his loss as i make him work every friday now instead of getting 18 holes in and getting paid for it!! lol

I'm a staunch believer in looking the part, and i loathe those that cant be bothered to make at least a small amount of effort.

 

[haplesshacker]

Lets face it, a pair of chinos and a collared 'T' shirt from primark is a tenner. It doesn't have to cost the earth to make that little bit of effort.

Some people just don't want to conform because if afronts their 'common', working class ethics!

 

[KeefG]

I'm working class all the way....its just that golf lets me escape for 5hrs to a world where i dress & act middle class lol

 

[KeefG]

Ok, i feel i now have to have another say on this as previously i havent had a bad word to say about our older golfers.

Yesterday i played golf for the first time since October with a group of 30+ people i've never met before. There was 3 in my group, 1 youngish lad, 1 middle aged and 1 chap in his early 70's....i have never witnessed such blatant cheating & bad etiquette in all my life than i witnessed from the old boy.

The course was a little damp, needless to say they were playing preffered lies when you hit the fairway, well that didnt count to the old fella who proceeded to pick his ball up no matter where it landed, not mark it & clean it. This was in rough, semi rough & fairway. I put up with it until the 7th hole when i challenged him about his antics and he shrugged his shoulders at me, me & the other 2 lads couldnt believe it.

Etiquette wise he was just as bad, forget about who had the honour, if he got to the next tee first and was ready he was off....if he was x amount of yards in front of someone else down the fairway he wouldnt wait, he'd line up and be off. He stood on my line on the green about 4 times, never waited his turn on the green and just generally made a complete t**t of himself whilst me and the other 2 younger ones in the group observed etiquette impeccably!

Again i challenged him about parts of his etiquette and was greeted with a blank expression and he never spoke a single word to me after that

 

[Cernunnos]

A mate of mine only plays his local Muni course turns up in jeans, doesn't have proper golf shoes. To be honest he's been ribbed that much at work about it, that he's promised to get some decent golf clothes, just for golf.

Personnaly I see nothing wrong with jeans for golf, just so long as whoever is wearing them has chosen smart ones & a decent golf Polo, or similar & is wearing a nice pair of Golf shoes.

Now I'm the biggest snob out there, but I really do think that banning blue jeans from the golf course is at least a little behind the times, just so long as its not the ripped variety I suppose.

I always take a pride in the gear I wear on the course & probably spend more over a year on my golf clothing than equipment & maybe even balls too. This doesn't mean we need to spend a fortune to get all the right stuff, not simply Primark or Matalans finest & there is nowt wrong with either. But some sort of golf related brand logo need not cost the earth.

For instance I'll just kit someone out with some links off Direct Golf Website....

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothi...hats-caps/p7524

Founders club Bassball cap..0-99p

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothing/hotblade/two_tone_plain_golf_polo_shirt_shirts/p4596

Hotblade Polo £4-99

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothi...rs-shorts/p2981

Founders Club Trousers £9-99
(Sports Direct do Dunlop Chino's for £7-49)

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_shoes/nike_golf/sp3.5_golf_shoes_golf_shoes/p3113

Golf Shoes £20-00

Sub Total £35-97 & that includes the shoes.

Add a waterproof suit..

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothing/proline/waterproof_golf_suit_waterproofs/p3216

£29-99

Hell lets splash out on some socks...
http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothing/founders_club/cushion_sole_golf_socks_3_pack_socks/p2629

£3-99 & that's for 3 pairs of branded socks.

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothing/ashworth/ace_fleece_golf_pullover_sweaters/p7616

Ashworth Jumper £14-99... Bargain.

Total...£84-94 & thats everything you could ever want
Cap, Polo, Jumper, Trousers, Rainsuit, socks, shoes.

OK, lets say we are a bit more brand concious

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothing/taylormade/r7_sport_golf_visor_hats-caps/p1991

Taylor Made Visor... £2-99

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothing/callaway_golf/solid_pique_golf_polo_shirt_shirts/p8957

Callaway Top £9-99

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothing/ashworth/ez-tech_golf_trousers_trousers-shorts/p5346

Ashworth Trousers £19-99

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_shoes/stuburt/prolite_golf_shoes_golf_shoes/p7921

Nice Leather shoes by Stuburt £39-99

Subtotal... £72-96

Now add a good quality rain suit

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothing/sunderland/club_3_waterproof_golf_suit_waterproofs/p9056

by Sunderland £99-00

Ok, same as before lets get some socks

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothing/callaway_golf/crew_golf_socks_socks/p8753

Callaway @£3 a pair so for three pairs this would be £9-00

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_clothing/ashworth/intarsia_lambswool_golf_sweater_sweaters/p7578

Nice Lambswook Jumper, have really pushed the boat out & spent £34-99 Now Icould shop around & get the same for less at say TK Maxx, but as a one stop shop this is a good deal. Heck nothing wrong with the fleace one in the other example...

Anyhow

Total...£215-96 And includes more decent logo's than you can shake a stick at Infact talking about waving a stick, its only about £16 more than most of us are prepared topay for the average new driver. And you're kitted out with some decent clobber.

So where's the problem

 

[Cernunnos]

Ok, i feel i now have to have another say on this as previously i havent had a bad word to say about our older golfers.

Yesterday i played golf for the first time since October with a group of 30+ people i've never met before. There was 3 in my group, 1 youngish lad, 1 middle aged and 1 chap in his early 70's....i have never witnessed such blatant cheating & bad etiquette in all my life than i witnessed from the old boy.

The course was a little damp, needless to say they were playing preffered lies when you hit the fairway, well that didnt count to the old fella who proceeded to pick his ball up no matter where it landed, not mark it & clean it. This was in rough, semi rough & fairway. I put up with it until the 7th hole when i challenged him about his antics and he shrugged his shoulders at me, me & the other 2 lads couldnt believe it.

Etiquette wise he was just as bad, forget about who had the honour, if he got to the next tee first and was ready he was off....if he was x amount of yards in front of someone else down the fairway he wouldnt wait, he'd line up and be off. He stood on my line on the green about 4 times, never waited his turn on the green and just generally made a complete t**t of himself whilst me and the other 2 younger ones in the group observed etiquette impeccably!

Again i challenged him about parts of his etiquette and was greeted with a blank expression and he never spoke a single word to me after that

Something that really gets my back up, though I rarely say anything about it is people wandering down the fairway infront of me to their ball when I'm yet toplay. I've one mate who Iwill wait till he's played his shot.I never walk past level, then when I walk up to my ball, he's off down the fairway like some sort of rabbid hare right on my line of sight towards his ball before any of the rest of us have alsoplayed our shot.

Its the same on the tee. We all play our shots, now he knows perhaps one of us needs toplay a provisional & will have stated this... Does he wait, no, he'd off after his ball like a dog after a stick. No consideration for anyone or anyone elses game. And yet we'll always wait for him & even suggest he takes a provisional if we think his first is in trouble. Ok, there are times when we all have a lapse from time to time & start wandering off, but most of us have some consideration & can come back to planet earth enough to know what is going on around us when we need to.

Oh & on the point of honour on the tee. Well I'll always wait till its either my turn or offered the honour with the well used line "Go If you're ready..." Meaning the person who should be going is not quite ready, but seeing as you have club ball & tee in hand, why hold up play. Which in my book is far enough, just so long as that's agreed by all in a group.