Should The Elderly Golfer Be Exempt From Etiquette ?

[bozza]

Most of the "older" players that play my course are the quickest players out of them all!

Most of them just walk up to the ball pull a club and hit it, they don't hit it that far but it's pretty much straight Southey rarely have to hunt around for their ball.

And add to that a fair few of them have them mobility scooters with their bag attached so they trundle around the course faster than you can walk.

 

[whackywoman]

advancing years is no excuse for bad manners regardless of where you are if anything they are old enough to know better ......rant over

 

[Matty]

If this is a serious question the obvious extension is to start exempting 'elderly golfers' from certain rules too. Why make these poor unfortunate souls play from the rough and bunkers for example - free drop back onto the fairway!

Clearly that's would be a nonsense - much like exempting them from Etiquette. Etiquette is all about behaviour on the course - there is no scope within that to start excusing large group (of any description) from following it as a code of respect to other players on the course.

 

[bignev]

Surely Etiquette is about more that age or slow play its about respect for other people. Being a senior (58 so only just) I play in both main club comps and senior comps and see the same lack of basic respect in both. IE Talking while people are putting, walking over players putting lines, throwing clubs and just general poor behavior. so to narrow this thread down to just seniors is not ideal as the problem with poor etiquette is across the board.

 

[Val]

Not a chance, they should do as others are expected to.

Many vets are prone to criticise members for the slightest thing, for example a number of years ago I was a member of a club where the first tee was always 8 am now to left of the first tee was the 4th tee so you could always start at the 4th if the first was busy which we did one Sunday, the 4th was a long par 3 and my partner and I were walking to the green when we heard a roar "you've walked on and there's folk waiting, you need to stand aside" and bla bla bla bla, this was shouted from around 100 yds away. Turns out this guy was a committee man who didn't know me, questioned if I was a member or not and dictated to me I shouldn't be walking on at the 4th. I kept my calm and queried why he started before 8am which was like a red rag to a bull, he lost it. I made an official complaint to the committee and it was washed over, I'm no longer a member at this club.

Long and short, older members need to treat and speak to people like they wish to be treated and spoken too or they will lose the respect of other members.

 

[Wolfman]

Not a chance, they should do as others are expected to.

Many vets are prone to criticise members for the slightest thing, for example a number of years ago I was a member of a club where the first tee was always 8 am now to left of the first tee was the 4th tee so you could always start at the 4th if the first was busy which we did one Sunday, the 4th was a long par 3 and my partner and I were walking to the green when we heard a roar "you've walked on and there's folk waiting, you need to stand aside" and bla bla bla bla, this was shouted from around 100 yds away. Turns out this guy was a committee man who didn't know me, questioned if I was a member or not and dictated to me I shouldn't be walking on at the 4th. I kept my calm and queried why he started before 8am which was like a red rag to a bull, he lost it. I made an official complaint to the committee and it was washed over, I'm no longer a member at this club.

Long and short, older members need to treat and speak to people like they wish to be treated and spoken too or they will lose the respect of other members.

I totally agree and i think my new law of banning old retired farts from social golf at weekends is a winner

Gives the working golfer a chance to play a game and keeps a balanced attendance at the course during other days.

I also think old folk should be banned from moaning as they seem to spend so much of their free time complaining ?? whats that all about !!

please note this is said very much in jest as i am oldish but still working and i love retired folk, just not at weekends, nor should they be allowed to go shopping at weekends !! that would free the traffic and car parks a bit

 

[MegaSteve]

Time for a 'curved ball'...

I am getting on a bit and just about hanging in there employment wise... If off first, playing with my partner of similiar age, we get around in about 3hrs 15/20mins... Not quick but not slow either...

4 hour rounds are the norm, I would say, at my regular track... So if we are keeping up with the game in front and as far as we can see games in front are doing similiar... At what point should I/we entertain letting games through when they insist they are playing quicker and are 'entitled' to be let through... Even been told by the group behind to fire one up the backsides of group in front to 'chivvie' them along... 'Problems' are usually with the 20/30 somethings though to be fair one pair of a similiar age to ourselves did, on one occassion, start insisting to be allowed to play through as they had an important business meeting to get to!

 

[viscount17]

Not often I agree with Homer, but my experiences in England would back this up. Players who first play society golf before joining a club are a nightmare, they understand so little about the game, the rules, handicapping and etiquette.

Not in the society I play with. There are too many who are also club members, several are also club officials, and most have been playing for too long to allow some ignoramus to spoil things for the rest. This season we tied up with Hertfordshire County and got quite a few involved in their adult starter coaching programme. Ask around, I suspect many counties have similar programmes.