What is your golf pet peeve?

[ChiefMikeOfficer]

2 hours ago, gtmeansgoodtimes said:

I was recently informed that in Sweden there is class and test that needs to be taken to earn a "The Green Card" for golf. I found a little info on it here https://nataliafranssongolf.com/the-green-card. This teaches people the basics of golf before they are allowed to play on a course, wouldn't work here but having something like this available might help. I teach a college golf class and I am always amazed at how little people know about rules and etiquette in general. I absolutely can't stand slow play and I think it is more than just not hitting when it's their turn or telling stories, it's the lack of understanding that they aren't just there with their foursome. They are connected to possibly 150 people on the course any anything that anyone does effects everyone else in a positive or negative way.

The Golfer's Journal recently published a good article related to the Swedish style too -- it's not the main focus, but a cool side plot of the story: https://www.golfersjournal.com/editorial/married-to-the-game/ (might need to be a member to read it -- I read it first in the print version). 

[matt_puttercup]

3 hours ago, Rtgreene10 said:

Random divot patterns on the range. It’s not rocket science on how to make a straight divot pattern. 

Amen!!  Or draw a solid shape at least.

[TSauer]

11 minutes ago, matt_puttercup said:

Amen!!  Or draw a solid shape at least.

Now I wanna see some divot art. 

[matt_puttercup]

1 minute ago, TSauer said:

Now I wanna see some divot art. 

Ha!  I live in western WA where grass ranges are rare, and those that are out there will open around july 1, but if I find one, game on. An evergreen tree would be doable and fitting to the locale.

[Spartan01]

SLOW PLAY, WHEN there are no adverse conditions and no real cause for it.

And people who flaunt the rules around improving lies and laying down grass, breaking branches , stomping ground and not adhering to grounding rules in bunkers

[Willie T]

On 2/27/2024 at 12:20 PM, GolfSpy_KFT said:

Watching a foursome on the green where three who are not putting stand around, then line up their putt only when it is their turn, irritates me to no end!!!

Saw this for most of the round yesterday, along with 0 ready golf in the fairway…granted they appeared to be making it a purely social round, still it was tough having hit, wait, wait and then wait some more…all they had to do was let us play thru as there was a two to three hole gap to the next group…oh well,  still have fun hitting the ball. 

[ChrisR227]

Paying for $600 drivers or woods or putters and leaving the covers off! All the YouTube people doit and some people I play with, drives me crazy

[mpgolf18]

I have 2. Slow play and guys who don't rake sand traps. The slow play is a killer. I believe in the saying "You can play good, you can play bad, just don't play slow". This is especially true if it's just because the foursome in front of you is just bs'ing on every hole or taking an inordinate amount of time to line up putts (usually just to save a triple bogey!). The failure to rake traps is just a sign of selfish disrespect for the game, the course and the other golfers playing that day. 

[GaryF]

My first frustration relates to slow play and having to do with ready golf.  Because of our terrain, the majority play with a riding cart.  Both hit drives of generally the same distance but one is on the right side of the fairway, the other on the left.  They drive to the nearest ball and wait for him/her to hit then drive to the second ball.  Rather, once the first gets their club, the second person can either walk to their ball if they know what club to hit or drive the cart.

Second, playing with someone who is always ‘mad’.  One guy I’ve played with a number of times is a 20+ index which is fine.  Obviously he has quite a few mishits, which angers him (maybe take some lessons?).  The anger builds with each mishit.  Then it spreads - the group behind us tees off and a drive lands 50-75 yards behind us.  No big deal, right. Wrong, more anger, how dare they ‘I’ll take as much time as I want’.  Now we’re  on the green and group behind drives to the ball behind us.  Guy is taking practice swings then they patiently wait fir us to finish.  One guy happens to put his hand on his hip - how dare him!   We rarely play together anymore.  

My basic rules are to focus on what is forward, not backward, and if I make a bad shot, I give myself 15 seconds to get over it. It’s just a game.  

Heres more - taking more than 3 minutes to find a ball.  It’s gone, just play on.  Fishing to find more balls so you break even slows play.

On the range, people talking loudly when they are separated by 4 or 5 stations apart and people not in their group are in between.   Greetings are fine but no one really cares about the bad meal you had last night. 
 

 

Edited March 15 by GaryF

[TSauer]

I'm going to drop another one in here since it just happened to me this week. We were sitting on a par 3 tee box waiting for the green to clear and just when you think the people on the green are done, they continue to drop balls to practice their chipping/putting... 

[TJ Hall]

Another one for me, on blind tee shots the group in front not leaving a cart where it can be seen from the tee.  

[Mr_BogeyPro]

39 minutes ago, GaryF said:

My first frustration relates to slow play and having to do with ready golf.  Because of our terrain, the majority play with a riding cart.  Both hit drives of generally the same distance but one is on the right side of the fairway, the other on the left.  They drive to the nearest ball and wait for him/her to hit then drive to the second ball.  Rather, once the first gets their club, the second person can either walk to their ball if they know what club to hit or drive the cart.

Second, playing with someone who is always ‘mad’.  One guy I’ve played with a number of times is a 20+ index which is fine.  Obviously he has quite a few mishits, which angers him (maybe take some lessons?).  The anger builds with each mishit.  Then it spreads - the group behind us tees off and a drive lands 50-75 yards behind us.  No big deal, right. Wrong, more anger, how dare they ‘I’ll take as much time as I want’.  Now we’re  on the green and group behind drives to the ball behind us.  Guy is taking practice swings then they patiently wait fir us to finish.  One guy happens to put his hand on his hip - how dare him!   We rarely play together anymore.  

My basic rules are to focus on what is forward, not backward, and if I make a bad shot, I give myself 15 seconds to get over it. It’s just a game.  

Heres more - taking more than 3 minutes to find a ball.  It’s gone, just play on.  Fishing to find more balls so you break even slows play.

On the range, people talking loudly when they are separated by 4 or 5 stations apart and people not in their group are in between.   Greetings are fine but no one really cares about the bad meal you had last night. 
 

 

My first frustration relates to slow play and having to do with ready golf. 

I couldn't agree more about ready golf. I cannot stand when you are playing and everyone is watching everyone's shot rather than going to their ball and getting ready to hit. Completely understand that it may not be possible if you are all in the middle of the fairway, but if both carts are on opposite sides of the fairway, go to your ball and ready for your turn. 

[jbern]

On 2/28/2024 at 10:40 AM, flyingwedges said:

Incorrectly using the word 'golf' in any sentence. The word 'golf' is a noun. The word 'golf' is not an adjective.  The word 'golf' is not a verb. 

You have an English degree (I'm just messing with you)?  

I was under the impression that all 4-letter words could be used in any way, as long as the intent and inflection is correct. Boondock Saints clips are a good example.

[jbern]

10 minutes ago, TJ Hall said:

Another one for me, on blind tee shots the group in front not leaving a cart where it can be seen from the tee.  

You know what, I have to admit that I do this. I haven't even really thought about it before. I definitely use a bell, if provided, but I haven't thought about just leaving my pushcart or golf cart at the crest of the hill to help the group behind.

Thanks for sharing that one @TJ Hall and sorry for being "that guy"

[TJ Hall]

Some courses don’t have bells, but it is nice when they do.  I have done it before too, not the biggest pet peeve of mine for sure.

I’ve hit into a group before not knowing they were there, they were well ahead of us and had a bad hole that took a while and they were right there over a hill (not a good feeling when the cart comes back up the hill), apologized to them and told them I had no idea they were there.

[Kurazawa]

Like most, SLOW play and the worst, armatures thinking their pros.  By this I mean an individual takes a minute to select club, 5 to 10 practice as wings and then at address re grips 8 to 15 times and waggles a lot before shanking the shot.  Needless to say I have been able to avoid playing with individual so far.

[ChiefMikeOfficer]

1 hour ago, TSauer said:

I'm going to drop another one in here since it just happened to me this week. We were sitting on a par 3 tee box waiting for the green to clear and just when you think the people on the green are done, they continue to drop balls to practice their chipping/putting... 

This made me think of another Par 3 Pet Peeve, which happens surprisingly often: packed course, waiting for the green to clear, next tee not visible. It finally clears with perfect timing -- our first guy steps up to his shot, and the group behind rolls up to see us standing on the tee with an open hole. They then make a comment about our pace of play. Things like "come on guys", "do you mind if we play through?", or "is there anyone in front of you guys?" -- no buddy, there's nobody in front of us, we figured we'd just wait on the tee for 5 minutes so you can watch us hit. 

Edited March 15 by ChiefMikeOfficer

[67MalibuSS]

Not fixing ball marks on the greens.

[Rob Person]

48 minutes ago, TJ Hall said:

Another one for me, on blind tee shots the group in front not leaving a cart where it can be seen from the tee.  

I've been doing this since my 2nd round ever playing. Wasn't a dogleg,  but I was in an alcove off to the right hidden by massive magnolia trees and thick bushes. Ball hit the cart and scared the bejessus out of me. Lesson learned!   

[Rob Person]

1 minute ago, 67MalibuSS said:

Not fixing ball marks on the greens.

Or just off the green in low cut fringe!

[JAYER38]

MAIN THING - Gimmie Putts... and by this i mean someone saying "ill give ya that" and hitting the ball away or back to you. I enjoy hearing the ball hit the cup. It is what seals the deal and gives me the accomplishment whether its a good or bad hole I can close out and start over each tee box

2nd - Range divots... Most don't know or probably don't care but have consistent divot patters. Can be 2ft long or 6inx6in square but just max it consistant and not all over the place ruining the range for everyone.

3rd - Ready golf/fixing course issues... By this I mean select your club and go hit. If you get to a bunker/green/tee box unless it affects your shots do not spend minutes fixing every divot or shoe mark you see. This causes slow play and annoys the crap out of me even tho it does help the course itself be better managed.

[GaryF]

1 hour ago, Mr_BogeyPro said:

My first frustration relates to slow play and having to do with ready golf. 

I couldn't agree more about ready golf. I cannot stand when you are playing and everyone is watching everyone's shot rather than going to their ball and getting ready to hit. Completely understand that it may not be possible if you are all in the middle of the fairway, but if both carts are on opposite sides of the fairway, go to your ball and ready for your turn. 

Yes, safety first and always.  Nice thing with our carts is the gps system keeps an update pD pace of play read out, and will indicate how many minutes ahead or behind we are.  There are times my wife and I are playing decently and end up waiting off and on during the round for the group in front of us.  I’ll check the PoP readout and see we are 10 min ahead, or even right on schedule, so waiting a couple minutes and relaxing isn’t such a bad thing.

Another nice thing with our gos screen is that it displays the hole layout from tee box to green, and any cart along the pathway is displayed on our screen.

Edited March 15 by GaryF

[Trenton 365]

On 2/28/2024 at 8:27 AM, Wheelieb said:

Let me add one. Mother Nature changing the weather when it was supposed to be nice and sunny, then a pop up rain storm just soaks everything. I hate you Mother Nature!!!

You Mother Nature always wins like Father Time. 

This image is from a recent round at Mercer County NJ Muni Princeton CC.

If any of you are in NJ let's connect.

 

[GaryF]

17 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

Or just off the green in low cut fringe!

That’s a good one and most always overlooked.  Just do the fix after you hit from the fringe if it’s anywhere close to your line of play (even if not made by your ball), otherwise it’s a penalty, regardless whether you putt or chip.  When playing casually some of my friends will putt even if 10-15’ off the green.  They’ll fix divots before putting or stomp them down.  I don’t usually say anything even though they will post in GHIN.  I have commented about that in general on the 19th hole tho. 
 

Edited March 15 by GaryF

[TSauer]

20 minutes ago, Trenton 365 said:

You Mother Nature always wins like Father Time. 

This image is from a recent round at Mercer County NJ Muni Princeton CC.

If any of you are in NJ let's connect.

 

All I see in that picture is practice balls  Our course is flooded with them as well

[jbern]

47 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

I've been doing this since my 2nd round ever playing. Wasn't a dogleg,  but I was in an alcove off to the right hidden by massive magnolia trees and thick bushes. Ball hit the cart and scared the bejessus out of me. Lesson learned!   

I'm surprised I've never had an issue like this. Not even when we walked in high school...

[Chris Keramidopulos]

The 1st is simple, slow play. You should already have an idea of the club as you get to your ball and you shouldn't take 45 sec. standing over your ball before you swing. Secondly, talking or fiddling around in someone's backswing.  You have plenty of time to talk/take off your glove/fiddle with your bag or clubs between shots. Just be quiet during someone's shot. My .02. Thanks. 

[Beakbryce]

I'm sure it's me, because all of  the above annoy the crap out of me.

Plus: and I didn't know this until we met a guy 20 years ago that would tee the ball up and then start telling a story. Often. A self aggrandizing story. I felt like a hostage without Stockholm syndrome. Please shut up and hit the ball.

He also told stories on the putting green, including to complete strangers. It wasn't unusual to hear him tell the same story 4 or 5 times before he teed off.

Incidentally, he was a former assistant pro so had swing thoughts for everyone. The first time we played he started in giving my wife advice after her first swing. I gently told him she already had an instructor and then finally told him to shut up, his help wasn't wanted. 

We didn't play with him much as he was in the regular foursome ahead of us. They were off first and our group second. The few times he played with us because the other guys didn't play and we had a spot, he annoyed the heck out of me but I let it go. Then about 5 years ago the first group let him go. On the putting green. Just before their round. He immediately walked up to us and said I guess I will be playing with you guys from now on. Wrong-o big guy. You are not playing with us either. Luckily we got a 4th so we never had a spot.

It's not that he wasn't a nice guy. I told him that I would be happy to go to the bar after a round to listen to his stories. He just couldn't help himself on the course. 

Now he plays in a group that gets 2 t times and has 7 to 8 guys. The guy doing the scheduling continually has to adjust who plays with him because some of the guys refuse. 

[RoyN]

Slow play! Suck faster!

But more specifically, when you are waiting on the tee box because the group in the fairway is waiting for the green to clear. But once the green clears there is always one person in the group ahead of you who has been waiting around and isn't ready to hit. They get up and measure the distance, pick their club, take 5 or 6 practice swings and then proceed to have a Brian Harman preshot routine. 

Also people that dont take care of their equipment. As a club builder it pains me to see. 

[Air4444]

I also hate slow play and slow players.  But I have noticed that I usually run into the problem at courses where there isn't anyone controlling the first tee.  I've been to courses where they schedule tee times as close as 6 minutes apart and it never works well for the golfer.  Sure, the course gets more money but at the cost of pleasure to the golfer.