Practice ground etiquette

[talksalot81]

A little rant, maybe you guys will tell me if this is just me being a prat...

Practice ground. We have two, either side of the entry road to the club. They are not super busy and it is rare that both sides will have someone on them. As such, I always choose the other side, if one is occupied. This seems to me to be logical and means we can both bash away without concerning ourselves with which balls belong to who and having to worry about potentially hitting the other when collecting them. But that isn't the way most people seem to go about it. I am forever finding myself hitting away with no one around only to find someone comes along and starts hitting beside me. There is a whole practice ground over there, no one on it - so why are you stood 10 feet from me!? Kids seem to be the worst so the holidays are extra annoying. Today I was hitting some balls on one side and along appeared 2 youngsters. I was just going to collect balls and they knew this much. So rather than going across to the other side and hitting away, they stood there waiting for 15 minutes whilst I picked up. More, the side I was on was covered with leaves and the other side was clear (which is why it took me so long to pick up my balls). More again, they started hitting balls right into where I was hitting them, not a thought as to whether I was actually finished or just collecting ready to hit again!

So... am I just nuts or is it reasonable to hope that, with space available elsewhere, someone doesn't come and crowd you at the range?

 

[Curls]

When I'm standing in a queue at an airport, several hundred feet of floor space around, and someone stands on top of me rolling their suitcase into my leg, I want to go postal.

People have different views on what constitutes personal space, and while I like you would obviously go to the unoccupied side there are those who insist on using the urinal next to you in a huge empty bathroom of life.

Kill them. Kill them all. Show no mercy.

This is the only advice I can offer.

 

[CMAC]

When I'm standing in a queue at an airport, several hundred feet of floor space around, and someone stands on top of me rolling their suitcase into my leg, I want to go postal.

People have different views on what constitutes personal space, and while I like you would obviously go to the unoccupied side there are those who insist on using the urinal next to you in a huge empty bathroom of life.

Kill them. Kill then all. Show no mercy.

This is the only advice I can offer.

:rofl:


I went into a busy Dr surgery late evening and sat in the only available seat left- right beside a very attractive lady in business attire- there was a backlog hence why it was busy and only 1 Dr on call, so as each was called and left the place emptied and it was only me and the gorgeous unattached model (she was in my head) left sitting side by side in what now felt like a warehouse size waiting room, just as my embarrassment was forcing me to say something she was called through.....Awkward or what.


@ OP I feel your pain, every clubs range I've been to has the same type of f@nnies

 

[Curls]

: just as my embarrassment was forcing me to say something she was called through..(

Na, she was probably just about to ask for your number. That's how I see it, she didn't move either, you were well in there son



(Now enrolling at the Curls school of unfounded self-confidence - be all you aren't)

 

[woody69]

Are you sure they always know about the other practice ground? I'd always be tempted to go to the furthest one, or say practice ground on the other side is empty.

IMO people are generally a little too uptight and instead of getting worked up, a few words with a cheery voice and everyone would just get along a little more. Better than wallowing

 

[chellie]

Is it common to have to provide your own balls for practice. We don't and no extra charge either.

 

[One Planer]

Is it common to have to provide your own balls for practice. We don't and no extra charge either.

I do.

I have a practice bag (.... For balls) full of battered pro V1's I use for my practice.

OP. We have a similar issue, but with only haveing the one practice area we just make the best of the situation. Luckily our area is seldom used the times I play and practice at so I have no issues

 

[cookelad]

When I'm standing in a queue at an airport, several hundred feet of floor space around, and someone stands on top of me rolling their suitcase into my leg, I want to go postal.

Kill them. Kill them all. Show no mercy.

This is the only advice I can offer.

My walk from the office to the train involves me walking along High Holborn eventually arriving on Cheapside now the pavement on Cheapside is a good 7 or 8 metres wide, why is it then that someone can walk straight out of one of the many retail outlets immediately into the path of my "brisk" walk? And then there's the Schumacherers that force you into walls/on-coming traffic with their meanderful walking line! What are you doing???? (and breathe)

 

[Stuey01]

People are often lazy, they don't want to walk over to the far practice ground. I bet if you did all your practice over there you would rarely be disturbed.
If the near one was covered in leaves and the other one clear why weren't you over there anyway?! Bit lazy yerself? :thup:

 

[Doon frae Troon]

It never ceases to amaze me how many clubs have triangular shaped practice grounds with a flag in each corner.

BTW.......I concentrate so hard on the practice ground that I am unaware of any outside influences.

 

[talksalot81]

If the near one was covered in leaves and the other one clear why weren't you over there anyway?! Bit lazy yerself? :thup:

I knew someone would come up with that! There was someone on that side when I arrived... i normally go there for the reason you said.

And yeah, these are effectively just two huge big grassy areas. There are no facilities beyond them being mown and having some nice areas to hit from. So you bring your own balls.

Worst of all today was the fact that it was kids - when I was a kid, I would have done my best to keep away from adults. To come and walk on their toes is a bit much. It is the sort of thing which could prompt a letter to the club requesting that the young member be schooled a bit and prompted to think a bit more about others around them!

 

[davidy233]

I've never ever seen our practice ground empty - there are usually three or four people there at any one time - I dream of balls being supplied that I don't have to pick up

 

[chellie]

I do.

I have a practice bag (.... For balls) full of battered pro V1's I use for my practice.

Didn't realise.

I dream of balls being supplied that I don't have to pick up

We must be spoilt at ours then although have had to pick them up a couple of times when the machine was broken.

 

[harpo_72]

I spend a lot of time on the range, the pro when he's teaching even makes room for me. I spray my golf balls with red car paint, this makes them identifiable and also shows the impact on the club face. When I collect my golf balls up I walk up the side where I am less likely to get hit. I have had a couple of run ins but frankly they just bad tempered spoilt old men who are used to people grovelling around them ( board directors etc... ). I have yet to have a stand up row with them and I have not been called into see the sec, but you never know here could of been some grumping.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

At the moment the hitting area on our practice ground is rather uneven and so it tends to funnel players together on the flattest parts. I have a couple of preferred areas and just accept others will be close by. You can use your own balls and the etiquette is others stop while you collect yours. Most are pretty good and will either hit a few short pitches or wander into the bunker for a few minutes.

The practice ground is supposedly being levelled out and so there will be more room. If I was the OP I would be using the furthest field each time and making sure others were made abundantly clear that smacking balls while I'm collecting mine isn't on. Once I put down to ignorance. A second offence isn't and I'd be ticked off and would consider reporting it, especially if the balls are in close proximity

 

[DCB]

Worst of all today was the fact that it was kids - when I was a kid, I would have done my best to keep away from adults. To come and walk on their toes is a bit much. It is the sort of thing which could prompt a letter to the club requesting that the young member be schooled a bit and prompted to think a bit more about others around them!

And there we have it. A perfect example of why it's difficult to get more youngsters playing golf in this day and age. "kids" on the practice ground, whatever next.... If you do think that writing a letter to the club is the answer then the answer to your original question is a resounding yes. A little interaction with the "kids" , we have junior members known to all as "juniors", and it would have been easy to suggest to them that moving along the ground a little bit might be a good idea. Instead you wait to come on here and bleat about the fact that the "kids" had the temerity to set up beside you on the practice ground.

Yes, it's a resounding YES from me

 

[Robobum]

Worst of all today was the fact that it was kids - when I was a kid, I would have done my best to keep away from adults. To come and walk on their toes is a bit much. It is the sort of thing which could prompt a letter to the club requesting that the young member be schooled a bit and prompted to think a bit more about others around them!

Good to see attitudes are moving on!!

Best you get penning that letter, pesky kids!! We're they a bit good? Is that why you didn't want them hitting near you?

 

[talksalot81]

I was done and I did suggest to them that the other ground might have been better but they had already started hitting balls.

I have nothing against kids on the practice ground and I probably was one of the most frequent users but kids aren't paying £1500 a year fees. The club rules are pretty clear that member take precedence over juveniles. If you don't make sure that the kids respect this sort of thing, then they turn into the real problem people at the club when older. Personally I would sooner have the club make some generic recommendations to juveniles than find a bunch more prats driving into the back of me in a few years time.

Also, strange how the view changed when the 'kids' element was put forward.

 

[Curls]

But that isn't the way most people seem to go about it.

To be fair while you mentioned the juniors as an example the original post did read much more like this was common practice among most members as quoted above.

As much as I agree that folk need personal space lessons there's no need to make this about Juniors, a post that attacked their behaviour directly and solely would have met with a different response, absolutely. Why? Cos they're kids, maybe they'll grow into the adults we're berating or maybe they'll learn, you can't tar them with the same brush. If you had just come on to rant about the juniors you would have been advised, as above, to have a quiet word with them in a nice way and see if they are decent young fellas. An adult who couldn't care less about your space will most likely tell you do one, not that they're in the right, quite the opposite. Thats why you should kill them all as advised. A junior who this has been pointed out to is much more likely to change his behaviour. I guess it's how we all learn and its nicer to be told about it it a nice way than shouted at or pulled up in front of someone who has just had a letter in.

And please leave the fees out of it, they don't have a job! Now you must excuse me a man held up traffic for about 5 minutes today because he chose to pull up in a ridiculous place so no one could pass and I got his plate. Work to do.

 

[DCB]

Also, strange how the view changed when the 'kids' element was put forward.

That'll be this bit in your first post then

Kids seem to be the worst so the holidays are extra annoying.