How Do You Deal with Defiant Pedestrians?

[Dthunderchicken]

I've encountered this many times. I usually throw so as not to risk nailing them and as I walk within earshot let them know they are endangering themselves by standing on a golf course. Most are just ignorant of that fact.

 

[davetherocketguy]

What works well for me is to explain to them that it will only take a minute to play through and they can go back to whatever they were doing previously. We have a pond to throw over and get folks fishing all along the shore all the time and this tactic seems to work well here. I try to take the approach of sharing the park with other users rather than taking the "OMG GET OUT OF MY WAY THIS IS A DISC GOLF COURSE" mentality.

And I didn't answer the poll either because I feel the options aren't great.

 

[JRW III]

After explaining nicely that they are on a disc golf course, if they don't move I fire away. Note, my home course is in a private park, so a little different politics than a public course.

 

[Flick Maniac]

In no situation can you just throw at a person. See any of the great posts above that have several likes.

On second thought, just to contradict myself, I've done it once myself though. "Urban disc golf" competition, completely on the up and up, squared with the city and all, safety measures, all things considered. Couple of inebriated guys set up shop on a bench* quite close to a basket outside of the circle I think but still there. Event staff people ask them to move, they refuse. Didnt feel quite right though but we played the hole (230ish over a river). We must have felt like nothing we can really do. (well, I guess every player could have forfeited the hole, take a par?). I dunno.

What would you have done?

*memory cant recall if the bench was taped not in use, I would like to think so, but cant me sure

 

[Hampstead]

I'll use it as an opportunity to educate them about disc golf. Skipping the hole doesn't really accomplish anything because if it's a busy course, eventually some chuckers will throw at them. A better educated pedestrian population is preferred to an angry because they've been hit pedestrian population.

 

[Nick Pacific]

I usually create my own hole 10 feet past them. Still get to play the hole, now it just got shorter and easier to birdie, plus I like to throw off the grass even more than cement. Often times they'll watch and be impressed, sometimes it will even lead to a hey that disc golf thing is cool how do I play type scenario.

Win win all around.

 

[Keller]

I've had this happen to me a bunch of times. It's not that the public is being defiant (at least it hasn't been in my experince) it's that they don't know.

Every time it has happened to me, I simply walk up and explain that they are sitting in the middle of a disc golf course, I show them what a disc looks like and getting hit with one might get them a trip to the hospital. Every time besides once, it's been a rather pleasant experience, got to meet some interesting people, explained the game and actually got one husband and wife to play.



Being a pig headed entitled jerk never gets you anywhere.

 

[Dcinmd]

A greater concern is the players who don't know what "fore" means.

Some players think "Fore" gives them the right-of-way. It does not. Nothing does.

Yelling "Fore" means you already threw and there might be a disc heading their way. If you are playing correctly, you should never have a need to shout it.

"Fore!" is an emergency warning, not a request for permission.

YOU don't throw at them. (By rule.) They are not required to - and are not expected to - get out of YOUR way.

No matter what you yell.

I can not like this comment enough. One time during a club monthly there was a foursome direct behind us for most of the day. The first two members of the group take their second shot approaching the pin behind us as we are on the next tee and yell Fore. So I was last up on the tee for our group and I hear a third "fore" from the group, the club member running the event and his shot hits the tee sign next to the pad.

But I yelled fore. Was his response.

I had a choice response that yelling fore was not protecting my head and he should have know better when the first two members of the group came very close to hitting us and and should have waited a whole minute for us to get off the next tee.

 

[Emoney]

A random pedestrian in the fairway is small price we pay for having mostly FREE use disc golf courses.

For us disc golfers to feel like we own the public park when we are playing ,is pretty sad. To throw a sharp piece of plastic toward a human is even worse.

Be the bigger person. Skip the hole or try and be extra friendly when approaching the pedestrian to see if they could move temporarily(they have every right to be there, you have NO RIGHT to throw stuff at them if they choose not to move)

 

[ChrisWoj]

B or C. If it is possible that the alternate shot shape is going to take me so far away from them that there is no chance (NONE!) of hitting them, I'll do that. For example: they're picnicking down left of where I am, and I can go way up right around like 45 degrees off angle to the right and a good 30' above ground level? I'll do that. But it has to be basically like throwing a completely different hole.

 

[Monocacy]

Home course shut down for a while early in the pandemic and neighbors got in the habit of walking down fairways rather than following walking trails. When disc golf opened back up I had quite a few interactions with folks out for a stroll down the fairway.

Usually when someone saw me on the tee they would apologize and hurry to get out of the fairway. I would tell them, "No hurry, this is a state park, you have as much right to be here as I do."

One nice older gentleman took a few steps to the side and gestured for me to throw. I wound up having a long and pleasant conversation with him, after explaining that he was giving me (and probably most other disc golfers) waaaaaay too much credit for being able to control the flight of our discs.

So, yeah. Don't throw on people. Calling them "defiant" doesn't change a thing.

 

[lee76007]

Some park employees don't have a clue. Last year I was playing a hole from the long tee pad, and to the right is a pavilion elevated above the tee pad. I threw my drive and the next I know I see a 4 wheeler driving in front of my disc, with the driver's back to me and he was bobbing his head up and down with headphones on. We'll just say I gave him a haircut from about 130 feet out, it was a low level throw to avoid hanging branches.
He had been emptying the trash from the other side of the pavilion towards my back, and he would not have been seen from the tee. He was on his way to pick up trash from the short tee on the hole I was playing. With the headphones and noise of the 4 wheeler, even if I had the time to yell fore, I would not of been heard. As I walked on by, I pointed to my disc down fairway, he just smiled and gave me the thumbs up. He had no clue, he was almost nailed to the head. Looking back on it, its now comical.

 

[Steve West]

B or C. If it is possible that the alternate shot shape is going to take me so far away from them that there is no chance (NONE!) of hitting them, I'll do that. For example: they're picnicking down left of where I am, and I can go way up right around like 45 degrees off angle to the right and a good 30' above ground level? I'll do that. But it has to be basically like throwing a completely different hole.

I've tried C when there was "no chance (NONE!) of hitting them".

Too many close calls. Including the time the next player took my throw as a green light.

Never again. I don't like that sick feeling.

If I have to throw that far off line, I'm not really playing the hole anyway, so why bother throwing? Everyone in the group gets a free birdie for skipping the hole.

 

[ChrisWoj]

I don't like that sick feeling.

Agree. I hate that feeling. I made the mistake of putting myself in situations where I had that feeling as a younger player, and it was a mistake. That said: I know where my 100% edge is. I need to be 100% certain. It needs to be 100% way off from them. And I definitely would be vocal if it looked like someone I was playing with saw it as a go ahead to throw the normal line.

If I have to throw that far off line, I'm not really playing the hole anyway, so why bother throwing? Everyone in the group gets a free birdie for skipping the hole.

I agree I'm no longer playing the shot for the hole. I'm playing a shot that's ideal for another hole. I'm practicing a shot. A completely different shot. One that means I'm not practicing that particular hole anymore.

 

[zenbot]

I take the time to walk up to people, tell them nicely what's going on, let them hold a disc so they know it's not a beach toy, and I've had pretty spectacular results.

 

[hiflyer]

Fully agree on the "approach them kindly and give a quick explanation of the game, and warn them of future groups coming through" thought process.

What I add to that conversation is a quick explanation of what "FORE!!!!" means, and how to respond. This addition usually results in a smile and a "Ohhhhh! Thats why I kept hearing that!" As its been mentioned, most peeps have no clue what you're saying when you yell "fore."

 

[dreadlock86]

i'll add that a lot of people have posted so far about "letting them know they are on a disc golf course"

they are not on a disc golf course. they are in a public park that also contains a disc golf course.

if i were a pedestrian and some disc golfer walked by and said "hey, you're on a disc golf course and you better watch out" with the attitude that some seem to have, i would probably respond "you're in a public park and you better watch yourself, dick"

 

[Hampstead]

Depends on the park, of course. Some areas in public parks are clearly more disc golf course than park. Just like a softball diamond in a public park is clearly more softball diamond than park.

 

[dreadlock86]

totally disagree

it's in our rules. you never throw on people. on public land, it is always a park first.

 

[Hampstead]

totally disagree

it's in our rules. you never throw on people. on public land, it is always a park first.

I don't disagree. I never throw on anybody. However, not all parks are the same. Local pitch and putt, Blendon Woods, is a metro park with a dedicated disc golf course. It's in a secluded area of the park. If you happen upon it, you clearly are on the disc golf course as there is no other reason to be there. Hole 1 is beyond a fence and as you walk off of hole #18, there is a sign that says "Exit Only" so that people don't randomly walk onto a disc golf course. Yet, it's in a public park. Not all park courses are the same.

As per your scenario, is this where I'm supposed to call you a "dick" now?