A bad day of golf leads to a question of etiquette

[Alin]

I play a lot of rounds solo and even more in groups. The proper etiquette here is imho:
1. When playing in a larger group, always offer the smaller group to play thru. The only exception is a group of total noobs who may be too dangerous to play behind me. I'd rather have the dangerous group in front of me.
2. When playing in the smaller, faster group - or solo, I always greet the group in front, ask to play thru as I grab a disc out, and proceed to the tee pad. This way I'm polite; yet, I show my intent to play thru whether you like it or not. Besides, I'm a complete show off and enjoy getting a great fly in front of anybody!!
3. There are always those days when the course is just too crowded. Given a chance to skip around a few holes is 50/50 depending on the course. I do fly a lot of rounds at one course that offers this opportunity. There are 4 instances where holes return to the parking lot, so, it's easy to skip around. On courses where this isn't an option - time to wait...just like tourney style.
4. I never, ever fly up on a group playing in front of me - under any circumstances!! I'd just as soon wait on those fool asses!!

 

[sidewinding]

They might have been deaf disc golfers. It's amazing how many there are out there. I know of at least five or six here in Austin. Maybe the female of the group had some partial hearing and ability to speak. Imagine how you would have felt if you came around a blind corner and found a dead deaf disc golfer and his two deaf friends grieving over his lifeless body and crying that crazy sounding cry that only a deaf person can do?

 

[Jay Dub]

They might have been deaf disc golfers. It's amazing how many there are out there. I know of at least five or six here in Austin. Maybe the female of the group had some partial hearing and ability to speak. Imagine how you would have felt if you came around a blind corner and found a dead deaf disc golfer and his two deaf friends grieving over his lifeless body and crying that crazy sounding cry that only a deaf person can do?

Wow. I forgot about this.

Last Sept at the Ohio meet up by Columbus we let a group of 5 play through (yeah, we were playing that slow). Turns out they were all deaf. They all had game and watching them was interesting. They were very talkative with each other.

 

[mrstiggy]

I dont think they were deaf, I could hear them talking amoungst themselves. Still a deaf person can give you a nod

 

[Jay Dub]

I dont think they were deaf, I could hear them talking amoungst themselves. Still a deaf person can give you a nod

oops...my comments were off topic. Everyone in this group nodded and waved a thanks as they walked down the fairway.

 

[mrstiggy]

oops...my comments were off topic. Everyone in this group nodded and waved a thanks as they walked down the fairway.

no offense dude... just saying :wall:

 

[mashnut]

I really have a hard time understanding why people won't just ask to play through. Yeah, it's a little rude for the slower group not to offer, but usually all it takes is asking. IMO, throwing on someone is a way bigger breach of etiquette than not letting someone play through.

 

[BionicRib]

You got a lot of patience not to ask stiggy. I usually wait two holes (unless the group is enormous then I don't wait) I'm pretty blunt so I don't have a problem to ask. At pay to plays this doesn't happen too much though. Any park open to the public is going to have these issues and sometimes you just need to be a bit assertive when helping those whom are etiquettely (is that a word?) challenged.

 

[Pwingles]

Imo throwing when you know someone is there, is the same as saying F#%! you, and regardless of their rudeness what you did is worse in that you couldve injured someone. Ask to play thru, wait on them, or jump morethan one hole ahead imo

 

[ohtobediscing]

As for them not talking to you: I would've ignored you too. I DON'T ENJOY TALKING TO WEIRDO STRANGERS. It makes me uncomfortable and if people tried to engage me every time I went disc golfing, I would quickly stop playing. It may be rude, but you certainly don't have any right to a returned greeting. The notion that people should exchange pleasantries simply because they happen to be in geographically similar locations at a particular time is a social construct the importance of which you've inflated in your head.

I thought weirdo strangers were a common component of most DGCs.
What an attitude: must be that famous New Englander standoffishness. :thmbdown:

 

[Rondpitt]

My response is going to take a slightly different tack.

Take DG out of the picture. We have two groups of people -- and a building tension.

What Would You Do????? Easy Easy Answer:
Walk up with a big koolaid grin,
Introduce myself,
Shake hands with each one
Look them in the eye.
And make a friend.

When you make the conscience decision to be a DG Ambassador (even on a strange course) everything tends to smooth out. The issues of playing through, throwing on folks, etc just go away.

We are people first. DG is further down the list.

Ron Pittman

 

[PhattD]

I knew I would not hit them.

You may know you can't hit them but they don't know you can't hit them. Would you like to try to line up a putt wondering if some chucker is gonna get a hold of one and bomb it in on you? I usually wait politely for a play thru and will occasionally ask but I never pressure people buy playing up their... well you know.

 

[KenTyburski]

When I find myself in those situations, I take time to throw 5 or 6 discs on each hole. That way I get more practice and I don't have to wait on the next hole.

This. If I'm playing by myself, I will generally toss 2-3 on each hole anyway, perhaps even from each lie along the way. Since I record all my scores, I do remember and throw from the first one, but I more or less become a threesome of my own.

Other times I am playing speed golf with a mid and putter, just trying to blow through 18 in 30ish minutes before it gets too dark or something. When I catch a group, we generally ask and offer the play through option simultaneously. Hooray for the niceties.

 

[medicinalfunk]

in these situations, i'm tempted to send a perfect drive right over their heads directly under the basket so they realize how dumb they are for not letting me go through

 

[Moify]

in these situations, i'm tempted to send a perfect drive right over their heads directly under the basket so they realize how dumb they are for not letting me go through

Now we're talkin'. You got the skills, man, take the risk. But I still stand by my original post. Bean one in the head, and then you can take on the other two.

 

[SteezeOG]

Ever had a non disc golfer walk up by a basket while you wait on the teepad and just stare until you throw into them? I had a lady do that a few months ago. I think she was the same one walking her dog picking up trash a few weeks later. She's got big stones. I figured I would give her a show and parked my avenger ss under the basket. She was impressed. Now if only she wasn't in her seventies. I might have asked her out.