Why does talking bother people?

[Old Skier]

Don’t mind if people are talking, my problem is when they all off a sudden decide to start.

 

[hovis]

If you want to talk just talk. Its more distracting listening to people whispering trying to be quiet. I have no problem listening to my group chatting as I'm teeing off. But on the flip side to that my one friend opened a can of coke just as I started my downswing. Let's just say it was a comedy moment

Some people need to curb their self importance. Your playing a game of golf not trying to win a green jacket. The people that I have personally come across that are sensitive to noise are usually the hackers of the group that are looking to excuse their bad golf. Have you noticed they only moan about the noise after they hit a bad shot? I don't usually hear complaints after they've steamed one down the middle

 

[Mandofred]

Well clearly you don't really understand.
The players in all those, and plenty of other sports, show respect to others by keeping still and quiet.
Rugby is slightly different, obviously I'm talking about penalty kicks and conversions, the opposition can't scream and shout but they can run at the ball.

It's called respect for other players.

Guess maybe I was thinking along different lines than you. I don't see much of a difference in 50,000 people yelling at you and a couple people who are on the playing field with you just talking to each other. The vast amount of sports will allow you to talk to other people. You can find something to be upset about almost anywhere.
Just a quick list of the most popular sports in the Uk....which of these demand absolute quiet (can't talk to teammates etc) from everybody near you or watching? Tennis kind of likes you to quiet down a bit while someone gets ready to serve.....but even that isn't all that quiet, just the screamers.

• Football (Soccer)
• Athletics
• Cricket
• Netball Super League
• Ice Hockey UK
• Rowing
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Badminton
• Rugby

Now....I'm just winding people up a bit.....but some golfers get a bit crazy and take things waaaaay too seriously.

As a side story....a guy I play with regularly just had some truly weird luck last summer. On the 16th green there is a field very close and the farmer uses an air cannon to scare birds. It goes off every 5-10 minutes or so (although I haven't heard it for a while). This guy was literally either in the middle of chipping onto the green or in the middle of his putting stroke 3 weeks in a row when that thing went off. THAT gets your attention.

 

[hovis]

.

As a side story....a guy I play with regularly just had some truly weird luck last summer. On the 16th green there is a field very close and the farmer uses an air cannon to scare birds. It goes off every 5-10 minutes or so (although I haven't heard it for a while). This guy was literally either in the middle of chipping onto the green or in the middle of his putting stroke 3 weeks in a row when that thing went off. THAT gets your attention.

We have the same thing on our 15th about 10 feet from the tee box. We play a friendly rule that allows a mulligan

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Guess maybe I was thinking along different lines than you. I don't see much of a difference in 50,000 people yelling at you and a couple people who are on the playing field with you just talking to each other. The vast amount of sports will allow you to talk to other people. You can find something to be upset about almost anywhere.
Just a quick list of the most popular sports in the Uk....which of these demand absolute quiet (can't talk to teammates etc) from everybody near you or watching? Tennis kind of likes you to quiet down a bit while someone gets ready to serve.....but even that isn't all that quiet, just the screamers.

• Football (Soccer)
• Athletics
• Cricket
• Netball Super League
• Ice Hockey UK
• Rowing
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Badminton
• Rugby

Now....I'm just winding people up a bit.....but some golfers get a bit crazy and take things waaaaay too seriously.

As a side story....a guy I play with regularly just had some truly weird luck last summer. On the 16th green there is a field very close and the farmer uses an air cannon to scare birds. It goes off every 5-10 minutes or so (although I haven't heard it for a while). This guy was literally either in the middle of chipping onto the green or in the middle of his putting stroke 3 weeks in a row when that thing went off. THAT gets your attention.

Most if those are team sports, with not the same need for concentration for the "moment", as golf or snooker. Tennis asks people to be quiet for the serve.
Perhaps you are winding people up, and, yes, I'll bite.
This is a subject which may cause me an infarction or an infraction!, because there is an underlying facet to it.
It's this modern "I should be able to do what I want, when I want, without respecting your right or respecting good manners. Symptomatic of "I've never been told to behave so why should I ? "
Golf has always respected the good manners of allowing someone to concentrate on his shot without those who he is playing with making what may be distracting noises. An example of that is manifested by the stewards holding up " quiet "
notices at Pro Competitions etc. It's trying to give each competitor a level playing field.
If people talking when you make your shot/putt doesn't bother you, then that is irrelevant. It's not about you. It's about the good manners of golf.
You chat on when I'm teeing off, I'll ask you politely not to. You do it again,
I'll tell you to STFU.
Do it again, and I walk in.

 

[Orikoru]

General background noise doesn't put me off, you can tune that out easily enough. A sudden noise half way through your swing is a bit different.

One of my mates is awful for being put off by noises. Sometimes he'll hit a bad shot and complain about some noise that I didn't even hear or notice while I was watching him hit. We were talking about it yesterday actually, as there was a shot where some people on another tee the other side of a hedge were being a bit loud and he let it put him off - I said it's more your annoyance at people talking loudly that puts you off than the actual sound and he agreed. He hears them and thinks "rude noisy bastards - I bet I'll duff this with them putting me off" and then inevitably it's self-pepetuating and he does hit a poor shot. But it really needs to be mind over matter as it just comes across as an excuse.

 

[Orikoru]

.

As a side story....a guy I play with regularly just had some truly weird luck last summer. On the 16th green there is a field very close and the farmer uses an air cannon to scare birds. It goes off every 5-10 minutes or so (although I haven't heard it for a while). This guy was literally either in the middle of chipping onto the green or in the middle of his putting stroke 3 weeks in a row when that thing went off. THAT gets your attention.

We have something similar behind the 11th tee at our place. I don't know if it's a firing range or what but you will often hear a couple of loud bangs going off. I will concede that that can definitely put someone off a shot.

 

[Diamond]

In my opinion all sport is about concentration. STFU when anyone is taking a shot.

 

[Mandofred]

Most if those are team sports, with not the same need for concentration for the "moment", as golf or snooker. Tennis asks people to be quiet for the serve.
Perhaps you are winding people up, and, yes, I'll bite.
This is a subject which may cause me an infarction or an infraction!, because there is an underlying facet to it.
It's this modern "I should be able to do what I want, when I want, without respecting your right or respecting good manners. Symptomatic of "I've never been told to behave so why should I ? "
Golf has always respected the good manners of allowing someone to concentrate on his shot without those who he is playing with making what may be distracting noises. An example of that is manifested by the stewards holding up " quiet "
notices at Pro Competitions etc. It's trying to give each competitor a level playing field.
If people talking when you make your shot/putt doesn't bother you, then that is irrelevant. It's not about you. It's about the good manners of golf.
You chat on when I'm teeing off, I'll ask you politely not to. You do it again,
I'll tell you to STFU.
Do it again, and I walk in.

Fair enough. But it isn't quiet at the tennis....they are just trying to get people to stop screaming, they are still talking and trying to prevent someone from making a sudden/loud noise.

I'm fine with being quiet. I just don't understand why someone would go crazy over it......or get so upset that you would walk off the course. I've been cussed out from another fairway because I was talking to a playing partner trying to find his ball. THAT.....is way too sensitive.
Remember this?

 

[Mandofred]

No it's not.
You just obviously don't respect this important part of the game.

So by your standards......before you say anything to anybody you are playing with.....you have to look all around at other fairways (anywhere within....200feet or so?) just to make sure there is no way that somebody could possibly hear you talking to your playing partner.

 

[Mandofred]

I don't need to because I don't talk unnecessarily loudly.
And yes, I do make sure I am aware of other golfers before I open my mouth.

You are strange....

 

[hovis]

So by your standards......before you say anything to anybody you are playing with.....you have to look all around at other fairways (anywhere within....200feet or so?) just to make sure there is no way that somebody could possibly hear you talking to your playing partner.

I'm with you mate. What makes laugh is my friends won't play golf because they're convinced the course is full of self important people that like to moan and grumble at e everything. They're not far off

 

[Mandofred]

No I'm actually fairly normal.
It sounds like you're a selfish loudmouth.

Where in anything I have written have I said I am not quiet when my playing partners are hitting? All I have asked is why some people are so sensitive to it.

 

[hovis]

Where in anything I have written have I said I am not quiet when my playing partners are hitting? All I have asked is why some people are so sensitive to it.

Because they think they will hit a better shot if their concentration isn't broken. They believe talking breaks their concentration. These people should not work in bomb disposal!!!!

 

[USER1999]

The etiquette of the game dictates that you respect the person playing, and are quiet whilst they play. This is the game of golf, etiquette is important. It makes golf different, from say, football.
If you don't want to play golf, don't. Go and play something similar, somewhere where I am not around, and it will look like golf, but I can guarantee you, it won't be.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Can anyone on here give me a valid reason why they can't keep quiet for 10 seconds?

 

[Pathetic Shark]

As several people have stated, you only need to keep quiet for a few seconds whilst your playing partners hit a shot. It is not difficult. It is basic etiquette and common courtesy. The same with if someone is playing a shot on another hole nearby. It is not the fault of the player for being easily distracted, it is 100% the fault of the ignorant fellow player not respecting the game.

 

[Orikoru]

Can anyone on here give me a valid reason why they can't keep quiet for 10 seconds?

As several people have stated, you only need to keep quiet for a few seconds whilst your playing partners hit a shot. It is not difficult. It is basic etiquette and common courtesy. The same with if someone is playing a shot on another hole nearby. It is not the fault of the player for being easily distracted, it is 100% the fault of the ignorant fellow player not respecting the game.

I don't think it's just about that though. Sometimes you will hear chatter from an adjacent tee or green, and I think people need to be able to focus past that as well.

 

[Grant85]

I'm one of those people who just doesn't care if someone is talking while I'm taking a shot. For the second that I'm swinging there isn't much you could do that will bother me.....just don't throw anything at me or maybe a bloodcurdling scream. Others get horribly upset/mad as heck if there is even a whisper from a mile away. But....at the same time.....the squawking of the peacocks? on the course doesn't bother them and other sudden loud noises. When the rollups are going there is always a crowd of people at the first tee who just keep talking and laughing at people and these same people don't mind the talking at that time (or just live with it).

Granted, I'm coming from a basketball background growing up.....and then into coaching of various sports (more volleyball towards the end) and you just get used to people screaming at you while you are playing so you ignore it.

Loud sudden noises I could see being an issue, but anything else seems just a lack of concentration.

I'd tend to agree with this, but it's still wrong to talk through someone's shot.

A guy I played with the other week was having a horrendous day. Started off with a 7 and barely had a par on the front 9.
On the 10th tee, the group behind us were chatting, clearly audible, on the 9th fairway.
He duffed his shot and then angrily shouted at them a two word phrase, the second word of which was 'off'.
I'm sure he wouldn't have done it if he wasn't mates with one of the guys, but ultimately if you want to be put off by something, you'll find something to be put off by.

It's like Monty complaining about a spectator moving behind the green 180 yards away, meanwhile Tiger won 15 majors with all the circus that goes with a Tiger round at a major. Dozens of photographers, journos, sound guys, 3000 fans following every day etc.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I don't think it's just about that though. Sometimes you will hear chatter from an adjacent tee or green, and I think people need to be able to focus past that as well.

Yeah I get that and it's a difficult thing. People are on the golf course to relax and enjoy themselves. If you shut up for every shot that is played around the course then people wouldn't get the chance to socialise. But people chatting in your own group whilst playing a shot is totally unnecessary.