From the article: Golf Etiquette
What does bad golf etiquette look like? We've probably all, unfortunately, experienced etiquette nightmares on the golf course. Share your stories here of etiquette nightmares you've encountered on the golf course - examples of bad golf etiquette. Share Your Stories
proper drops/out of bounds
- I play regularly with a group of friends, 4 to 24 every weekend and see rules broken all the time. I see balls that are out of bounds sometimes played, and watch improper drops from a cart path, or even drops from a foot right of a cart path dropped to the left because trees block the shot right of the cart path. Because these people are friends, that we go to movies with etc., I do not say anything but it bothers me. We play for a few dollars and they not only are cheating me but other players who play by the rules.
- —Guest keithdunk
terrible temper
- I play with these guys who have awful tempers. If they mis-hit a shot even just a bit they will go on swearing and and throwing their clubs. It is so annoying.
- —Guest Calvin
Couldn't wait for us
- A few weeks ago I was playing a local course with a friend of mine. We were walking (we are 16 and can't drive) and we were paired with 2 middle aged men in a cart. These men were much worse than my friend and I. On this course there is a rather long walk from the 16th green to the 17th tee. My friend and I arrived at the 17th and saw 2 different men at the tee, explaining that the other two played without us, as if we were slowing them down with our play. It ended up being a positive thing, because the two men waiting at the 17th tee were much friendlier and funnier.
- —Guest Justin
group of 6 - slow play
- I reached the 4th tee to find 3 guys (30 somethings) with their girlfriends, or women they were trying to impress. I watched in amazement each guy embracing their girl from behind and swing the club with the girl! After 10 painful minutes and 2 guys hitting provisionals, I asked if I could hit also and play through. I clearly heard one woman suggest I play through (maybe from embarrassment), he ignores her statement and directs them to go, so I wait. Hole after hole it goes like this until the par 3 8th hole. I hit my tee shot to within 30 yards of the green. I see one of the guys walk half way to my ball and see me walking briskly to my ball so he returns back to the green. The wannabe alpha males are up to their tricks again so I skip the 8th green and tee off at the 9th. I see a few of them look up and watch my ball land about 15 ft from the hole. As I walk to the green they approach the 9th tee. They stood there and watched me birdie the 9th hole - yeah, it felt good.
- —Guest Ray
"Hey! That's my ball!"
- At my home course the 340 yd par 4 10th and the 520 yd par 5 18th fairways parallel one another, with the 18th having a blind tee shot. I'm on the 10th tee, waiting for this threesome to finish on 10's green. Waiting & waiting while the morons drive their carts aimlessly around the 10th green. After 5 minutes I realize that they're playing 18 and had an errant tee shot or two. So I hit my two tee shots, (I was playing against myself), one 175 yds, the other about 200 yds, both in 10's fairway. Well, these drunken idiots come driving right up the 10th fairway, stop at my longer drive, one guy grabs an iron and hits my ball. I'm yelling, "Hey, that's my ball!", but to no avail. Then, as if that's not bad enough, they drive up to my first ball and the other guy hits that one too! Meanwhile, the third guy is busy playing his own ball up 18's fairway. When I reach them, one drunk says, "Ha, ha! Sorry, man!", and tries to give me a ball. I told him to keep it. They were banned for life! Wow!
- —Guest Tony Marony
Do not yell out following a shot.
- Why do people yell "In the hole" whwn every one knows that is the purpose of the game is to get it in the hole. To me that is the worst etiquette on the golf course
- —Guest adeljohn
ball hunting
- I live on a course and just can't understand why everyone needs to hunt for balls in my yard. I've have golfers looking for balls right under my bedroom window on a Sunday at 6 a.m.
- —texlongpre
Bad 'Tude
- My friend has the worst attitude I have ever seen. Every time he overshoots or just plain sucks it up, he throws his club. Once, we were on the 18th green and he missed a 12-foot putt and decided to make a massive divot with his putter followed by kicking his bag over and snapping off both stand legs. I probably will never play with him again!
- —Guest giggiddy
Won't play with a woman
- My husband and I signed onto play 18 at a rather nice Texas course and just being the two of us they put a single guy with us. We've been paired with men many times and this did not bother me whatsoever! Although it bothered him considerably as he looked ahead and saw a threesome with a little boy of about age 10 years. He looked at me and said "I'm going to join them I don't play with women!" Now this little act of machismo towards playing with a woman was too much as I proved later with my shots. They were slow because the young one was just learning. The jerk ahead of us had a really bad day with me behind him pushing him. The day ended with a beautiful sunset and lots of laughs!
- —Guest SOlson
Altering the putting surface
- In a normal money game, one of the regular guys (he worked on the greens crew) missed a 3 foot putt and that cost him a couple hundred bucks. His response was to tomahawk the cup with his putter thereby making sure no one else could play #18 either. I'm having a hard time seeing any sanity in that behavior.
- —Guest THC420
Safety first
- Never hit the ball when there is someone in the green in front of you. Normal etiquette. But sorry to say there are golfers who do not think of other golfer's safety. Crying 'fore' is not enough. I nearly got killed the other day when I was putting on a 3 par green when the people behind us teed off and the ball landed 3 feet away from me!
- —Guest MKBaruah
examples of bad golf etiquette
- Playing my home course on a comp day and I joined a group of three, they were in carts, I was walking. First thing was, no offer to ride...no big deal. As soon as they hit off, off down the fairway they would go, I had to hit into them. Approach shots to the green, same thing, I was always hitting to the green with them standing next to the pin. This was the first time I have ever left the course mid round.
- —Guest bubalobill
Bad attorney
- I played a round at Indian Creek with an attorney. Seemed like a pleasant guy. WRONG. after the first hole his anger level was up, the 6th hole after putting 3 tee shots in the drink. He threw his clubs in the pond and stormed off. Good riddance I thought. @ weeks later I get a call and a court summons. He was suing the golf course. After he cooled off the next day he went back to get his clubs, someone had beaten him to it. He was suing the course for failure to maintain adequate security to keep his clubs from being stolen. The course settles out of court. The custom fit him with brand new pings. Gave free range time, and free lessons. I saw him playing 6 months later. His game and attitude was still terrible. Wonder Why. Goes to prove deep down, very deep down. 6 feet down all attorneys are nice guys.
- —teeituptom
The Umpire
- Blatant cheating is still the ultimate in bad etiquette. Here's only one example: During a friendly Saturday round a member of my regular 3-some, a lifelong cheater hits an errant tee shot into the trees. He starts looking 30 yards ahead of where I thought it was. When I found it and knew was his because I saw the logo on his last putt, I yelled out "what are you playing". Being prepared, he says "it has a Court TV logo", which he had in his pocket and dropped where he stood. Like an umpire, this player is always prepared with several balls in his pocket. BTW, he carries a wood that guarantees lower scores. It's a pencil.
- —AJM.ME
Butts
- I can appreciate those who still love nicotine but it really twists me to find butts on the green especially but generally anywhere on the course is unacceptable.
- —Guest dcfblujeans
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