Walking off the course - right or wrong?

[njrose51]

Played today in my monthly tour event. Terrible traffic meaning arrived at course with 35 minutes to go no real time to practise. Hate that. Chucking it down and was soaked by 2nd. Bagged soaked by 4th so clubs wet. Played like a complete muppet. Got miserable. Decided to quit after 7 holes and 3 lost balls. I knew it was only going to get worse and couldn’t face another 2 hours. Also I wasn’t very good company for the other 3 in my group. Now home I feel like a d*ckhead for quitting. Felt like the Right decision at the time though. Anyone else done this or am I just being a bit of a ... (add appropriate swear word)

 

[fundy]

Played today in my monthly tour event. Terrible traffic meaning arrived at course with 35 minutes to go no real time to practise. Hate that. Chucking it down and was soaked by 2nd. Bagged soaked by 4th so clubs wet. Played like a complete muppet. Got miserable. Decided to quit after 7 holes and 3 lost balls. I knew it was only going to get worse and couldn’t face another 2 hours. Also I wasn’t very good company for the other 3 in my group. Now home I feel like a d*ckhead for quitting. Felt like the Right decision at the time though. Anyone else done this or am I just being a bit of a ... (add appropriate swear word)

its fine if a one off, less so if doing it regularly

at the end of the day its a hobby, if you werent enjoying it, and if walking off at the time was the best option for you, you were polite to your group, then no problem imo

 

[Curls]

If I were in 4 ball and someone was having an absolute mare, I wouldn’t begrudge them a walk off. As long as someone can mark the cards, your choice entirely imo.

 

[chrisd]

I've only ever walked in if I've been I'll or injured or if the whole group had decided to quit knowing that before the endit's pretty certain that play will be abandoned due to weather conditions

 

[Billysboots]

If I’m having a stinker and NR, I will still finish my round. It may be that I won’t putt out, deferring to playing partners who are still competing, but I just feel it’s slightly disrespectful to partners, organisers and certainly those who may have been unable to secure tee times if I simply walk off.

If it’s a weather issue, then the only time I will ever walk in is if my entire playing group make a joint decision to do it.

 

[Tashyboy]

I played once with a guy who had a nightmare. Our 18th is a down hill par five which runs alongside our tenth. He smashed his second shot which was 5 yards from goin OOB on the 10th. He walked down the 10th to his ball picked it up and kept walking.
To be honest it was dead funny. We totally understood why he did it. On a positive he had the beers in when we got to the 19th.
I wouldn’t beat me self up if I was yo.

 

[MarkT]

Cut yourself some slack, no big deal in the big scheme of things. If I arrived with 35 minutes to go I wouldn’t know what to do with myself

 

[Imurg]

I quit after a few holes at Hankley after Tandridge H4H a couple of years ago.
Bad night's sleep, driving through oceans of rain, course virtually a sea so no chance of playing - in my mind anyway....
Got it into my head that we're going home, course drained enough to play, head all over the place, swing even worse..
Hooked one into the jungle where elephants go to die, made my apologies and went home...I think Old Skier found my ball but I was in the car by then.

Sometimes it's not worth the anguish of being out there.
It is only a game and we don't make our living from it.

 

[howbow88]

I've played with many people before who I wish would have walked off, so I could have enjoyed my day a bit more

 

[PhilTheFragger]

I was gutted that I had to walk off after 9 at Tandridge in the H4H a couple of years ago,
Hernia playing up big time, so it was the right thing to do.

Need to go back and play the course again as some of the holes there are sublime.

 

[hovis]

Cut yourself some slack, no big deal in the big scheme of things. If I arrived with 35 minutes to go I wouldn’t know what to do with myself

I literally turn up at 06:59 for a 07:00 tee time ?

 

[jim8flog]

I play golf for enjoyment when it is no longer enjoyable I stop playing.

My mates and I have often walked off when the conditions have got that bad.

 

[jim8flog]

I literally turn up at 06:59 for a 07:00 tee time ?

Where I play in comps we have a requirement for a player to be at the tee 5 minutes before their tee time.

I hate playing with 'last minuters' because it bring ups anxiety about whether or not to go without waiting for them or to give them a couple of minutes.

I remember playing with one whose wheel fell off his trolley in his rush to get to the tee. Put us all in to panic mode.

 

[njrose51]

I like to get to a course early and feel relaxed have putt chip and go onto the range. Arriving after a stressful journey yesterday was the start of a bad day! Pryford didn’t blow me away either as a course so I don’t think I missed out there either!

 

[TreeSeeker]

To the question, never an issue if you are having a nightmare people will understand. So long as it doesnt cause an issue for the group.

I was shafted once in a 36 hole comp where both my pp's just walked off after 9, i understand why but i had started well. Needless to say didnt play with them again...

On the last minute thing, don't worry about them, can guarantee its more of an issue for you than them. Shouldn't be allowed to knock your game one bit, just go at the time and of they're late sucks to be them. They'll know its them and, when its me who is cutting it close i wouldnt begrudge them sticking to the rules.

 

[The Dog.]

Personally I don’t think you should walk off the course just because you’re playing badly. Golf is hard and a test of your mettle and character.

Giving up and leaving three playing partners on the course is pretty rude and a failure of that test.

Get over it, persevere, chalk it down to experience, enjoy the company of friends and the fact that you’re out in the fresh air. You might eagle the next hole!

But don’t be a mardy arse, tear up your comics and sulk in your bedroom. It’s only one bad round and you’re not a hormonal adolescent.

It’s different of course if you’re injured or the weather is foul and the consensus is to retire to the clubhouse.

 

[rudebhoy]

I've done it a couple of times. Each time, I was playing so badly it was untrue, shanking just about every shot. It was soul destroying, the harder I tried to do the right things, the worse it got. My head was gone, and I was convinced it was ruining everyone else's game.

Since then, I've developed a technique of just playing very simple shots with half a swing, and my feet close together, and doing this, I can hack my way round with a 7 or 8 iron.

Fortunately, it's been a while since I was in that predicament. It is horrible.

 

[PJ87]

I've walked off the course once

I was playing awful and every shot was hurting my wrist

So I called it a day on 10th

 

[arnieboy]

Seven of us played yesterday on a local nine hole course planning on going around twice but after nine we were so wet we called it a day. Brilliant cooked breakfast beforehand though!

 

[Sats]

If you're not equipped to deal with rain, and you're not enjoying it I don't blame you - I think the rain would be my reason rather than my form of play to be honest. I've not ever walked off a course yet, I think I'd only go off if I had an injury or if weather stopped play (storms etc.)