To all the non bell ringers out there!

[Canary_Yellow]

Age is completely irrelevant. There are golfers of all ages that show terrible course manners and golfers of all ages with impeccable course manners.

Fact is anyone that doesn't use the bell is putting not just themselves in danger but everybody else that uses the course. If people lose confidence in the system because the fairway is often clear when no bell has been rung then it's only a matter if time before someone tees off and hits a group that are slow looking for a ball or whatever else it could be. If there's a bell to be rung it should always be rung. End of story, no excuses.

 

[Hack-Man-Hob]

DRIVES ME CRAZY

A course I play regularly 1: a par 4 steep up hill 300 yards, landing zone is out of sight after 150 yards.... 80% of the time it's never been rung/rang/ringed/donged whatever despite the MASSIVE SIGN on the tee saying RING THE BELL.... I've been stopped from taking out my sharpie and writing "YOU IDIOT" on the sign.

Luckily and childishly for me the bell is up by the next tee.... yup I chime it like big ben when I'm clear and death stare the dumb dumbs teeing off praying my actions get questioned, maybe I should tone the stare down a bit, sheepish shuffle off and 50% increase in pace of play from the said group is the usual response.

I must add this inner annoyance has evolved over time after countless attempts to explain politely the bell is there for your own safety. Responses range from "didnt see the sign" "we did ring it" "couldn't find it" "we dont drive that far". It really is a big sign on the tee and the fairway and quite a big bell and painted rather brightly. The tipping point: A busy sunday morning - asking the group in front to ring the bell (it never happened) the group behind discussing the annoyance of it with us (all in agreement) and asking the group behind to wait untill we rang the bell (never happened). A ball hitting my pp back of the leg he was ok but my brain popped a few cells with fury. It doesn't help I actually 3 putt bogeyed it maybe thats why I hate that hole I just take it out on the bellophobics :rant:

 

[Sweep]

Playing once in an Open, my 3 ball waited an eternity for the group in front to ring the bell. When we didn't hear anything we assumed they had forgotten to ring the bell and my playing partner teed off. No sooner his ball was in the air, the bell rang. When we got to his ball it was very close to the bell, so couldn't have missed the guy ringing it by much, though I guess it could only have rolled up to him slowly. However, he had decided to protest by placing my playing partners ball on a tee! We are playing a comp. What the heck do you do now? You can imagine the conversation in the bar.

 

[Billysboots]

How can you possibly know that unless you've observed games by all categories of player on all three holes?

The clue was in the words "In my experience". It may well be that juniors, ladies, 20-somethings, 40-somethings, embryos, toddlers and the long since departed all fail to ring the bells at our course, but I have no real experience of it. The visitors playing in Seniors Opens, on the other hand......

It absolutely mystifies me why, on this forum, when a contributor refers to his or her own EXPERIENCES, others challenge those experiences because they appear to stereotype. I can only speak from experience as I tend to play a lot at the same time as Senior Open events. It may stun you, but I don't spend my time 24/7, camped underneath a bell to see if the rest of the golfing world rings it.

 

[virtuocity]

On a nice calm day, no wind and little noise, why the heck wouldn't you want to ring a big-ass bell? DING DING DING DING!

That's right- I hit it 4 times. FOUR.

DING.

 

[need_my_wedge]

We have bells on two holes, the 4th and 5th. Was playing in our Pro-Am a couple of years, playing down the 5th, we were the last group out and had already played our second shot after the bell had been rung. The group in front had slowed down quite a bit and we were standing round waiting to play when a ball came sailing over and hit one of my friends square in the back of the head, pole axing him. Bearing in mind that the course was closed for the comp, and the three ball behind us shouldn't even have been there, they knew they were playing behind the Pro-Am and should most definitely not have been pushing. Fortunately my friend has a thick skull, I ran back up the hill shouting, one of the guys came to apologize, by which time my friend was up and went for him, had to hold him back. We still had 4 holes to complete, but this totally put everyone off their game, especially felt sorry for the Pro with us for the additional delay, certainly shook everyone up. Found out later that the guy who did come to apologize, wasn't even the guy who played the shot that hit my friend, he'd skulked off and was hiding in the woods before sneaking home. Wasn't best pleased.

I am a stickler for the bells being run, get very upset when they are bypassed.

 

[vkurup]

We have two bells on our course... on the 7th and 11th. People usually ring the 7th, because it is visible. The 11th is on a downhill and sometimes with the wind, the people on the tee cant always hear it. Interestingly the hammer has come loose and is kept behind the bell, while the tiny chain still hangs around. So it can be funny when people try to ring the bell with the tiny chain rather than use the hammer!!! :rofl: