Twilight golf and two fat heffers

[Matt_B]

A bit of a rant, this one...

Played a round of golf straight from work yesterday - 6.15pm tee off. Was really looking forward to it, having played well a few days before.

However upon arriving at the first tee it became apparent that it would be a rather lengthy round. We peered down the fairway to see two middle-aged women playing their next shots. Watching them, we soon discovered that these were very casual players and could only hit the ball a few yards at a time, then slowly walking up and playing the next shot.

I kid you not - it must have taken them 10+ shots EACH per hole.

Now I'm all for letting golfers of all abilities play on courses, but one thing I absolutely detest is the total ignorance of these women.

At no point did they allow us to play through.

We literally had to stand there and wait about 4-5 minutes everytime we approached our balls to take our next shots.

Well, four holes in and it takes its toll. They ignorantly teed off once more whilst we were on the third green. At the fourth tee we shot straight away whilst they were looking in the rough about halfway down the fairway.

Our balls went passed theirs and they gave us a look that would turn you to stone! They just carried on regardless and oblivious of the situation, which was that every playing group behind them were all backed up now.

Luckily they departed after the front 9 and we carried on from 10. Unfortunately due to lack of light we had to cut out two holes and finish early.

What I found totally ironic after the ninth hole is that a member of staff came up to us and moaned at my playing partner for not having tailored shorts on - never mind the slow play of those two women!

One rule for them, another for us.

Won't be returning to that golf course for a while.

 

[Robobum]

Not to excuse their slow play, but couldn't you have spoken to them and asked to play through?? If they refuse your request and don't get a move on then you can inform them that you will be playing through them.

Hitting balls past them without them acknowledging you playing is very dangerous and out of order IMO.

 

[birdieman]

Agree you got to be careful hitting through other players without telling them, if you hit one of them you're in big trouble.
They should also realise they're holding others up of course. Not much you can do other than speak to the committee so they can have a word about etiquette to the ladies.

 

[19th]

As you were going to lose two holes at the end, due to fading light, why did you not just walk past them onto the next tee thereby losing only one hole and completing the rest of the round with little frustration?

Their speed obviously meant that there were many holes free in front!

 

[Kellfire]

A tough situation and I've been in the uneviable position of being in front of a group who teed off without a signal.

I was part of a fourball but we weren't playing slow, we were actually being held up by a few other fourballs in front of us but it was early afternoon at a weekend, so no rush. Walking up the fairway of a par 5, I notice a ball about 250 yards up in the left rough. I ask everyone in my group if it's their ball, all say no. I look at the group playing the hole beside ours, all have long walked past and no one else is playing that hole. I pocket the ball.

We play on, get to the green and I'm just about to chip up when a guy runs up behind me asking if I saw this ball, which he described and was the one I'd lifted. He went ape at me, "How dare you steal my ball! What right have you? Have far did it go? Drop it exactly where you found it!!" before he snatched it back and actually gave himself what amounted to a 350 odd yard drive that his mates didn't even argue.

I know technically I shouldn't have lifted it but no one saw it come past us and it was so far in front of me when I first saw it, that I couldn't have imagined it came from the group behind.

 

[mjsw13]

A tough situation and I've been in the uneviable position of being in front of a group who teed off without a signal.

I was part of a fourball but we weren't playing slow, we were actually being held up by a few other fourballs in front of us but it was early afternoon at a weekend, so no rush. Walking up the fairway of a par 5, I notice a ball about 250 yards up in the left rough. I ask everyone in my group if it's their ball, all say no. I look at the group playing the hole beside ours, all have long walked past and no one else is playing that hole. I pocket the ball.

We play on, get to the green and I'm just about to chip up when a guy runs up behind me asking if I saw this ball, which he described and was the one I'd lifted. He went ape at me, "How dare you steal my ball! What right have you? Have far did it go? Drop it exactly where you found it!!" before he snatched it back and actually gave himself what amounted to a 350 odd yard drive that his mates didn't even argue.

I know technically I shouldn't have lifted it but no one saw it come past us and it was so far in front of me when I first saw it, that I couldn't have imagined it came from the group behind.

I'd have walked back to the exact position his ball was at, drop it down, smile courteously, then jump up and down on it until you can't even see the numbers on the ball - before flicking the Vs Liam Gallagher style.

HOW VERY DARE YOU

 

[USER1999]

The correct reply in this instance is 'what ball?', and walk off. He doesn't deserve to get it back.

 

[muttleee]

"How dare you steal my ball! What right have you?"

I would have replied "How dare you drive into us! What right have you?!"

 

[Kellfire]

It was a reasonably well to-do course so I didn't want to press the issue, especially as I had to play there again the next day. It was one of those moments where I wasn't sure exactly if I had any come back or not.

 

[Junior]

If the course was clear in front of the ladies they should have waved you through. If not, i'd have jumped a tee and gone off ahead of them, not hit through them.

I do feel for 2 balls if they are stuck behind several a 4 balls, from what i've seen, thats what seems to ruffle feathers the most as sometimes they expect to just play through the course.

 

[Dingle]

I was playing as a single the other morning and I was waiting behind the most ignorant 4 ball in the world. I waited from the 1st tee, I caught up with them at every tee afterwards, not once did they let me play through. I waited untill one of the pars 3s and skipped the hole.

I love old people but sometimes Oh my god!!!!

 

[Imurg]

Got called through yesterday as the 4 ball in front were looking in the rough. We teed off and set off up the fairway only to see them abandon the search and move on.
Got through them 3 holes later but we had a chuckle....

 

[pokerjoke]

Not to excuse their slow play, but couldn't you have spoken to them and asked to play through?? If they refuse your request and don't get a move on then you can inform them that you will be playing through them.

Hitting balls past them without them acknowledging you playing is very dangerous and out of order IMO.

Ive got to agree with robo here matt im sure you only had to ask the ladies politely and im sure they would have let you through,course ettiquette works both ways and you should not have hit through this shows nievety on your part.IMO.

 

[DCB]

Back to the OP, This happened on Thursday evening... traditionaly a Ladies Day at many courses ?

Anyway you live and learn. Just remember to be courteous and ask if you could play thru next time


PS what coulour of shoes was your mate wearing....it might have been black shoes and black socks that drew attention of the fashion police

Where ever you go to play, you have to remember, it's their course and you have to fit in with their dress requirements no matter how you see them.

 

[Whereditgo]

I do feel for 2 balls if they are stuck behind several a 4 balls, from what i've seen, thats what seems to ruffle feathers the most as sometimes they expect to just play through the course.

We had this exact same experience yesterday, playing a 2 ball after 4 holes we were held up behind a number of fourballs, looked like the whole course was backed up, we invited a 2 ball behind us to join us as we were all waiting on the same tee together, which they did. Couple of holes later we were being pushed by a 3 ball, could tell that they were getting frustrated but what was the point of letting them through? They would just have been stuck behind the group in front effectively holding us up. Surely in that situation letting 1 group through would just slow play up even more?

 

[Leftie]

I think that I may have mentioned it before but ......

The way I see it is that if a group is let through when the field in front is stacked up , then the whole of the field behind is delayed by 5/10 minutes and this time may not be recoverable. So you let a smaller group through, as do several groups in front over several holes, and your round could take 1/2 hour longer.

As long as all groups are reasonably close to the group in front of them, then if the group behind are pushing and are a 2 or 3 ball mixed in with a field of 4 balls, then tough luck.

It's when gaps appear that they should be let through and any slowing down of the following field shouldn't last for long.