What would you do?

[irip]

I am an Artisan member at my golf club, which means we get cheaper fees for working on the golf course, we are our own section and nothing to do with the main club but do have the tee booked for our competitions and interclub matches.

On Saturday we were playing against another club in a friendly match, i was out last playing with a new member of our club (it was his first club match) and we were playing with/against two guests.

On the 2nd hole as we were leaving the green a ball from the group behind landed fairly near to us, not dangerous but rolled up to us, i noticed it was a 1 ball in a buggy so said to our group we will wait until he has putted out and invite him to play through.

When he arrived on the 3rd tee he said are you going to let me play through, no hi guys or friendliness i said yes of course but just to warn you we are in a club match and the last group out so it is busy in front but the boys will let you play through, he then responded with you have no f*****g standing on the course, i did inform him we had a booked tee slot and this was available for all members to see on the club info board in the lobby and that the other course was actually the one to be used for free play, he then repeated what he said before he smashed his drive out of bounds and drove off to the clubhouse to complain about our attitude.

Now since Saturday i have been mulling this over and it is really bothering me, i think in terms of my Artisan club i have done the right thing and been polite to the parent club member but part of me thinks if the guy was that rude to me in a different situation i would of have had more to say and feel a little bit like i have let myself down.

I know life is too short and i should forget it but what would you do in a similar situation?

And breathe, lol.

 

[Imurg]

Find out who he is
Find out where he parks his car
Hire a flock of pigeons to give it the once over...
The bloke is a grade A Knob but you have the moral victory
Possibly a sly word with someone in authority without making it a formal complaint...?

 

[User 105]

I'd say you have as much standing as he does. So what if you're an artisan member,. You paying for you're membership by a combination of money and time. Still a member in my books.

Find out who he is and have a word with the club. He's bang out of order in my book.

 

[shortgame]

I'd have told he would be called through if he'd like tonask politely otherwise 'sorry, match in progress is ring fenced and won't be calling anyone through'

Pompous 🔔🔚

 

[clubchamp98]

Just bad manners , you have every right to be where you where.
Some people amaze me I would never speak to a stranger like that.
Report him officially not on the QT so the club can’t just sweep it under the carpet.
Confronted his kind usually yield.

No wonder he was playing alone first rate Bell.

 

[User20205]

Start by finding out what the artisan standing is. Then report him anyway or get a friendly ‘full’ member to do it. It can only work with respect on both sides. He’s got none

 

[richart]

Think you should have an official word Ian. Even if just to give your side of the story. You were representing your club, and a member has let the club down with his behaviour in front of guests.

Bet you wish you had smashed his ball into the trees now.

 

[tigerwes]

Your reply to "you going to let me flipping through" should have been. We were but we won't be now.

 

[shortgame]

However you decide to go about it you have to report it

As well as being down right rude to you, it's embarrassing to the main club and your Artisan section - who I'm sure put a lot of effort into the club/course

Do not let him get away with it!


Oh and I'd probably have pocketed his ball too and told him it couldn't possibly have been his as surely he wouldn't have played whilst you were in range 😜

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

Find out who he is
Find out where he parks his car
Hire a flock of pigeons to give it the once over...
The bloke is a grade A Knob but you have the moral victory
Possibly a sly word with someone in authority without making it a formal complaint...?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This

 

[irip]

Thanks guys for all the replies, he went to the pro shop to complain so it is being looked into by the club and i have explained what has happened, fortunately the 2 guys we were playing with saw the funny side and we had a laugh about how rude he was and they have both offered to write in if needed, hopefully it won't come to that.

Our standing on the course is that if we have a tee time booked (we did for one hour) then we do have full standing on the course and it would say on the computer screen in the lobby that the tee was booked for an artisan competition between 4-5, i don't think he even looked at this. But irrespective of whether we was in a comp or not i would still let a quicker group through it was his attitude which annoyed me and have been wondering since did i react in the right way.

I would like to add this is the first time anything like this has happened and for the main part we get on great with the main club

 

[Khamelion]

BY what you wrote, the single player reads like the type of person that if you hadn't let him through he would've been firing balls into your group for the rest of the round, not where you would want to be.

On the flip side, there are some decent people out there. We played on a course last night which was new to us, an old fella behind playing by himself caught us up, we asked if he wanted to play through and he said he was in no hurry. ON the par 3 6th he caught up again as we waited for the green to clear and asked if he could play the last couple of holes with us, as he was going off after 8, which we had no issue with. Nice fella, told us a little about the club, some comps they run and on the last couple of holes where to aim as the green was out of view.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Think you should have an official word Ian. Even if just to give your side of the story. You were representing your club, and a member has let the club down with his behaviour in front of guests.

Bet you wish you had smashed his ball into the trees now.

This, although it sounds like you've already started to do that. Personally I'd be going further and making enquiries about who the bloke was, informing the club he was endangering players on the course, even if the ball had rolled up first time, chances are they would get close and closer and that his attitude in front of visitors to the course puts the main clubs reputation into as much disrepute as it does the artisans and that are they really happy to get guests going back and saying that about the membership

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

You must report the incident as it reflects very badly on the main club...

 

[Orikoru]

I don't care about 'standing', people who are pompous knobs like this chap get no standing from me! What else can you have done other than let him through?

I do hate it though as well when you're a bit taken aback at the time, and once the moment has gone you think of a whole host of choice words you should've said! But it's probably better to be the bigger man as you were.

 

[r0wly86]

Your response at the time was spot on IMO. You'd have got no more out of the situation by being more confrontational although I understand the temptation and I probably would not have been so nice.

The situation seems to be progressing in the right channels but don't let it slide away. You were in the right, you acted very graciously. He was both in the wrong and total end of a bell, if he's done it to you I would put money on that he has done it to others and will continue to do it

 

[londonlewis]

Sounds like you handled in brilliantly and you had good playing partners on the day too.
The guy does sound like a complete buffoon whose head is lodged quite firmly where the sun doesn't shine.

 

[Robster59]

I think you handled it correctly on the day BUT I would make sure there was an official complaint by yourself into the club and I would ask your playing partners to write in as well to confirm how the situation went.
At the end of the day, if it isn't nipped in the bud now, he'll do it again and again.
He's wrong on the rules of the club and needs to be put in his place.

 

[Jasonr]

I have only just recently joined a golf club so was oblivious to the fact that they may have competitions in the week.

When I got off work early, I was thrilled and I rushed to my club it was about 6pm and around May time I saw empty holes 1-3 and off I went thinking if I can rattle around quickly I may get 9 holes in. It was at about hole three that I noticed the course was a lot busier than normal for that time of day and it was only after speaking to some guys on my return to the clubhouse that I found out I had teed off at the tail end of a comp.

I had a couple of choices. If I had the ability I could have thrown ball after ball close to the group in front, got all wound up and stroppy and kept asking to play through and creating a miserable time for all or I could have acknowledged that I was a bit of a muppet for not checking, and being the more nimble party (i.e. a one ball) I could hole dodge or I could play two balls or I could just slow right up and really take my time and practise or if I was at your course I could have teed off from the other course as I was instructed.

I think you handled it perfectly.

 

[North Mimms]

My Club has an Artisan Section and their tee times and matches are clearly displayed on Main Club diary. During those times, they have priority.
I'd be extremely embarrassed if any member spoke to another member like that in front of my guests.
You should take it further through official channels.
Main club should NOT support any member who behaves like that