Music on the Golf Course?

[BShizzle]

Big fan of music in the course.  I have multiple speakers from small and subtle to a turtle box with a microphone for beer scrambles.  Use your judgement on decibel level and have a good time.  

[Ragtop27]

Music is fine as long as it isn't loud!  

[Jonknowsgolf]

As long as it's at a reasonable volume I love music on the golf course. Helps break up the monotony of a slow round. 

I have a buddy who is always looking for an excuse for this bad shots, and loves to blame it on someone's music. Funny thing is though, he'll then put his airpods in to tune everything else out, so apparently it's only other people's music that bothers him?

[dpaulus]

I love music. Several   types. Even play some myself  but do not like music on the golf course. It makes it hard to concentrate and at my age I want to enjoy the outdoors without the extra noise.

[MarvChamp]

Yes, my group plays music. I have a couple of speakers. Depends on the tastes of the group though. For me, it helps me be less tense...A distraction from the technical, tension-buiding swing thoughts that I don't like. The heart of rock 'n roll is still beatin' in this old guy!

Best, -Marv

[Ted Tedeschi]

Prefer no music, but if someone in the group likes to have music playing, I'm okay with it to a point. Not everyone on the course wants to hear the music that one person likes! Yes, that one person has "rights", but irritating everyone on the course is not a right! If the players are considerate of other golfers, I'm good with it.

[Drive2Survive]

Yay on weekends. I’m in Orlando and weekend rounds are awfully slow here. Cannot play too seriously so let’s sprinkle in some fun and music!

Nay during the week or if play is fast enough. 

[Chubbs1991]

Enjoying music on the golf course can enhance your experience, but it's important to do so considerately. Keeping the volume at a level where it's only heard near your cart or bag ensures that you can enjoy your tunes without disturbing other golfers. By being mindful of those around you and maintaining a respectful volume, you can strike the perfect balance between enjoying your music and respecting the etiquette of the game.

[chisag]

6 hours ago, Chubbs1991 said:

Enjoying music on the golf course can enhance your experience, but it's important to do so considerately. Keeping the volume at a level where it's only heard near your cart or bag ensures that you can enjoy your tunes without disturbing other golfers. By being mindful of those around you and maintaining a respectful volume, you can strike the perfect balance between enjoying your music and respecting the etiquette of the game.

 

... So common sense and being considerate of others? I am repeating myself on this topic because it seems like whenever MGS posts about hot topics we get first posts from someone that didn't read the previous responses. 

... We should all be able to do whatever makes our rounds more enjoyable long as it doesn't infringe on others ability to do the same. If someone prefers no music at all (and I used to be firmly in that camp) it is easy enough to play music so low they will never hear it. The only exception would be sharing a cart with someone you get paired up with and in that case I simply would not play music. 

... It should go without saying but it is amazingly inconsiderate and rude to play your music LOUD enough to disturb others. I play 4 to 5 times a week and honestly it is rare for Bro Golfers to do this but they are usually the same group that drives on tee boxes and near greens, doesn't rep[air ball marks to divots and drink to an excess. The thing is if it happens twice a week it seems like a lot but they are certainly the minority in my experience. 

... The bottom line is it is possible to please all the people all the time as long as you are considerate of your partners.

 

[JumboOctapus625]

If someone is going to listen to music, I definitely would prefer if they did so in headphones as not everyone likes the same genre and is in the same mood

[Nameste]

I enjoy listening to music on the course when it’s just me and my husband. However, we keep the volume low out of respect for others. I have played on some courses when it seemed someone had installed a subwoofer to the cart because I could feel the vibrations from 3 fairways away!  That, is not cool. 
 

if we are playing with others, we usually ask if they are ok with it and go with the consensus. We are all out there to have fun at the local course so no need to add any more drama!  

[iamvietness]

if i'm playing a round with my buddies for fun then i don't mind the music...plus we usually play with these cards that make you do dumb s*** each hole so we're just out there enjoying each other's company.  if i'm playing by myself or paired with strangers then i wear my airpods to either listen to music or to block out everything else .

[TheHollow11]

I love having my speaker in the cart but I keep my music low enough you can't really hear it outside of the cart. I understand not everyone wants to listen to what I listen to and I'm self-conscious when I can hear it on the green so I keep it loud enough for my cart and that's it. 

[Paul Hedrick]

On 5/17/2024 at 2:09 PM, TheHollow11 said:

I love having my speaker in the cart but I keep my music low enough you can't really hear it outside of the cart. I understand not everyone wants to listen to what I listen to and I'm self-conscious when I can hear it on the green so I keep it loud enough for my cart and that's it. 

I wish everyone had your consideration.

[MN_Bogey_Master]

I go both ways.  Somedays its nice to have music, to break the ice and have a good time.  Other days its nice to golf in the peace and quiet.  My opinion, as long as its not blaring were its bother other golfers, its no bid deal.

[10Hockey]

I am at the golf course to play golf , not listen to music.  On my way to the course I listened to music in my car and on the way home I will listen to music in my car ( my stations / my kind of music) .  Don't put others in a position to say no to YOUR MUSIC!  Our club does not allow music or cell phones and it is quiet and there are no issues .  Music is personal , don't bring  it or turn it on. You will live without it for 3-4 hours. 

[tinfoil]

Absolutely under no circumstances should music be played on the course.  It is rude and inconsiderate of others and otherwise obnoxious.

[Grintch]

No. I go to socialize, chat between hits and golf. That's it. Wait till you're on the way home to listen to your music.

[russtopherb]

I wonder if everyone who complains about music getting in the way of talking or socializing are completely silent when listening to music in the car with others, or perhaps don't speak at all when going out to dinner and there's music playing in the restaurant? Or is it just the golf course where music is offensive, and everywhere else in life it's OK?

[Shankster]

After my last round with some of the absolute worst rap “music” I have ever heard in my life… I stand by my staunch support of no music on the course.

[67BUDFAN]

Personally, I enjoy the experience of escaping into the set apart world of golfing in nature (even when the course is in the middle of a city it feels so much different than walking the streets downtown). However, the "written and unwritten rules of golf" change for lots of reasons (including etiquette), and so I am open to people asking me if I am ok with them playing music. My response is to say, "I would prefer that you not since it makes it hard for me to focus".  If people simply decide to play music without asking me, I tell them before I hit my first drive that I find it very distracting and that it makes it hard for me to focus when I can hear their music. If they still insist on playing their music, I tell them that I would appreciate it if they kept the volume as low as possible when I am hitting. 

[chisag]

4 hours ago, russtopherb said:

I wonder if everyone who complains about music getting in the way of talking or socializing are completely silent when listening to music in the car with others, or perhaps don't speak at all when going out to dinner and there's music playing in the restaurant? Or is it just the golf course where music is offensive, and everywhere else in life it's OK?

 

... I swear this subject is like the blind men and the elephant*. Yes, with music at a low level you can still hear everything on the golf course from the birds chirping to the sound of the wind. It adds to the other sounds, it doesn't detract from them. But of course human nature means if you play a lot you will run across every level of volume to very low and appropriate to very loud and most inappropriate and everything in between. But like landing in a divot, it is annoying but really doesn't happen that much. I have said this a million time but it just comes down to being considerate or inconsiderate to your playing partners or in the extreme examples, the rest of the golf course. 

... Nobody loves drunk bro's playing music (and usually bad music) so loud you can hear it several holes away. I have been paired up with others that ask me to turn up my Acoustic 70's rock and I will do so to a level that they can hear if walking with me but not on the green or tee box. I want the best of both worlds and walk with a remote cart but in summer when temps are 105*-115* I ride and play my music at a level so low you have to be in the cart with me to hear it. 

... We all have different reasons for playing music, but being an air personality at Radio Stations from '71-82 it fills me with a positive emotion that adds to my round. But again, I can play my music and carry on a conversation with a push cart walking right next to me and hear every sound of nature. I also play 4 to 5 times a week and am semi retired but imagine if I were working, especially in a big city with it's hustle and bustle and only played once a week I would enjoy the solitude without any music. It just isn't as cut and dried as many here touching the trunk or tusk or side of an elephant thinks it is.  


*The parable of the blind men and an elephant is a story of a group of blind men who have never come across an elephant before and who learn and imagine what the elephant is like by touching it. Each blind man feels a different part of the animal's body, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then describe the animal based on their limited experience and their descriptions of the elephant are different from each other. In some versions, they come to suspect that the other person is dishonest and they come to blows. The moral of the parable is that humans have a tendency to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people's limited, subjective experiences which may be equally true.

[poprocksncoke]

Love music and listen to it all the time.  On the golf course I don't typically listen to it but if someone wants to that's ok by me.  Just don't blare it so the people on the next hole can hear it.  Biggest problem I have with it is when your teeing off and the group behind you pulls up to the tee with music blasting, this happens way more than it should.

[Vertical]

Love the peace and quiet of being on a golf course. If you want to listen to music wear ear buds…but don’t impose your noise on others. 

[chisag]

13 hours ago, Vertical said:

Love the peace and quiet of being on a golf course. If you want to listen to music wear ear buds…but don’t impose your noise on others. 

 

... I am always perplexed by those suggesting ear buds when you play. Golf is a social game. Ear buds are the exact opposite and put you in your own world. I have only experienced it a few times but truly disliked the experience. "Nice shot" and they take out their ear buds "What?" and then repeat nice shot to a head nod and ear buds back in. I end up just ignoring my partner which seems very unnatural. If that player has mental issues or are extremely introverted, I understand but those are extreme examples. 

... As many of us have stated ad nauseam, and I am assuming many post without reading previous responses, you can play music at a level that lets you hear everything and converse with your partners with a low level of music playing. It doesn't impose anything on others because unless they are standing right next to you, they can't hear any music. 

Edited May 29 by chisag

[GolfSpy_KFT]

16 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... I am always perplexed by those suggesting ear buds when you play. Golf is a social game. Ear buds are the exact opposite and put you in your own world. I have only experienced it a few Tims but truly disliked the experience. "Nice shot" and they move their ear buds "What?" and then repeat nice shot to a head nod and ear buds back in. I end up just ignoring my partner which seems very unnatural. If that player has mental issues or are extremely introverted, I understand but those are extreme examples. 

... As many of us have stated ad nauseam, and I am assuming many post without reading previous responses, you can play music at a level that lets you hear everything and converse with your partners with a low level of music playing. It doesn't impose anything on others because unless they are standing right next to you, they can't hear any music. 

This is the correct answer, right here. 

[FrogginBullfish]

57 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... I am always perplexed by those suggesting ear buds when you play. Golf is a social game. Ear buds are the exact opposite and put you in your own world. I have only experienced it a few times but truly disliked the experience. "Nice shot" and they take out their ear buds "What?" and then repeat nice shot to a head nod and ear buds back in. I end up just ignoring my partner which seems very unnatural. If that player has mental issues or are extremely introverted, I understand but those are extreme examples. 

... As many of us have stated ad nauseam, and I am assuming many post without reading previous responses, you can play music at a level that lets you hear everything and converse with your partners with a low level of music playing. It doesn't impose anything on others because unless they are standing right next to you, they can't hear any music. 

I also would say earbuds/headphones on the course is dangerous. If you can't hear your playing partner right next to you, how are you going to hear a FORE?

[ctg44]

I don't really care one way or the other about music as long as it's reasonable.  When I can hear someone's rap or bad country music from 4 holes over, that is actually annoying.

 

When I walk a quick 9 after work or practice on the range, I'll put my earbuds in and listen to Spotify or Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio, depending on the day and what's on at the time.