Playing Through Etiquette

[JTdisc]

My question is, what is proper play-through etiquette? How do I avoid having to play through when playing solo? I know most people are trying to be nice, but I don't enjoy playing through at all, and I don't enjoy it even more when I am waved through while the group is in the middle of the hole.

1. Just play through and say "thanks".

2. Don't refuse. That's saying that it is okay for you to stare at them and make them nervous but not okay for them to watch you throw. Don't be that guy.

3. If you really get that freaked out, just skip the hole.

 

[DeadEye]

When I'm playing solo I typically throw multiple discs.. That way I can practice new lines, throw different discs, and putt at every angle on the green. If you do that you can decide just how fast you want to play the course.. wanna slow down? Putt a little longer. Want to go fast? Only throw 2-3 drives instead of 5-6. It'll give you more practice, and you can speed yourself up or slow yourself down while still practicing.

Oh, and what they did was pretty much the right way to let people play through. The best way I've found to let people play through is to throw all the drives, wait at the tee box for the behind group/player to drive, then everyone walk down.. let the person/group playing through finish out the hole, then the slower group finishes.

Just stop feeling self-conscious about throwing around people. No-one's gonna think badly about you, no-one's going to say anything negative, and if they do.. that's on them.

 

[1978]

Just stop feeling self-conscious about throwing around people. No-one's gonna think badly about you, no-one's going to say anything negative, and if they do.. that's on them.

unless you post the form video here.

 

[akray21]

1. Just play through and say "thanks".

2. Don't refuse. That's saying that it is okay for you to stare at them and make them nervous but not okay for them to watch you throw. Don't be that guy.

3. If you really get that freaked out, just skip the hole.

I always do play through, but usually end up throwing horribly, lol.

And I am always trying to improve my mentality about things like this, it is not like I want to hate playing in front of people it's just how I naturally am.... One could say socially awkward about things like this... :\

 

[clard]

I mean this very sincerely, but it sounds like your mental game could use some work.

Also, take control of the situation! No one can "force" you to play through; they are trying to do the courteous and proper thing. If you don't want to play through just say "I'll just run on through, and skip this hole!", and don't give them a chance to say anything back. Just say that back to them as you scamper down the fairway waving and say Thanks.

 

[markmcc]

I play solo rounds almost exclusively, so run into this regularly. And I share the same sense of "anxiety" about joining a group for a single hole and shanking my drive off into never-never land. That being said, short of skipping the hole or staying behind a much slower group, you've got to join them for a bit and take your best shot.

I've found that some groups will actually let you tee off and then run up ahead to finish the hole before the tee, and others will let you tee along with them, and hurry ahead to finish the hole. Either works fine for me and I always thank the group for letting me through. I recognize that I may not play my best on that hole, but I'm not that good anyway...

There have been times when I'm near the end of the round and I just don't want to bother with playing through, so I'll do some of the things suggested by Trifocal. My favorite is to go back and repeat the hole. If there is no one crowding you from behind, why not??

The other thing that I've found is that if you catch up with one or two players, or they catch up with you, joining them on their round is a good way to meet other golfer and maybe enjoy something other than a solo round for a change.

 

[akray21]

I mean this very sincerely, but it sounds like your mental game could use some work.

Also, take control of the situation! No one can "force" you to play through; they are trying to do the courteous and proper thing. If you don't want to play through just say "I'll just run on through, and skip this hole!", and don't give them a chance to say anything back. Just say that back to them as you scamper down the fairway waving and say Thanks.

I know that my mental game needs work, it has always been the weakest part of my game in all sports/activities. I am probably one of the worst mentally. I do like the idea of just skipping the hole, because I too don't want people waiting on me while I play out the hole.

 

[hk chef]

Hello, Im painfully awkward Rob Lowe

 

[akray21]

I play solo rounds almost exclusively, so run into this regularly. And I share the same sense of "anxiety" about joining a group for a single hole and shanking my drive off into never-never land. That being said, short of skipping the hole or staying behind a much slower group, you've got to join them for a bit and take your best shot.

I've found that some groups will actually let you tee off and then run up ahead to finish the hole before the tee, and others will let you tee along with them, and hurry ahead to finish the hole. Either works fine for me and I always thank the group for letting me through. I recognize that I may not play my best on that hole, but I'm not that good anyway...

There have been times when I'm near the end of the round and I just don't want to bother with playing through, so I'll do some of the things suggested by Trifocal. My favorite is to go back and repeat the hole. If there is no one crowding you from behind, why not??

The other thing that I've found is that if you catch up with one or two players, or they catch up with you, joining them on their round is a good way to meet other golfer and maybe enjoy something other than a solo round for a change.

Good advice. Maybe I need to jump into a tournament if only to remove some of my anxiety of throwing in front of others.

Hello, Im painfully awkward Rob Lowe

Win!

 

[@iDiscGolf]

I always do play through, but usually end up throwing horribly, lol.

Haha, that's everybody!

I've played through and lost my disc on THAT hole and the people "letting me play through" had to help me find it so we all could move on... Haha

It happens, Murphy's law, right?

 

[akray21]

Haha, that's everybody!

I've played through and lost my disc on THAT hole and the people "letting me play through" had to help me find it so we all could move on... Haha

It happens, Murphy's law, right?

Haha, it's not that I hate failing in front of people, it's that I hate wasting people's time by throwing 10 shots in front of them, lol

 

[Anon]

tell them you aren't that great, play through, and watch as they don't really care how you throw. you'll be long gone before they get to the next tee.

either that or just explain that you don't mind waiting and will let them know if you change your mind.

you need to remember. these groups letting you play through are doing the polite thing and won't be thinking about how you threw 5 minutes after you play through. they are more focused on their round and playing at their own pace.

most of the 'playthrough etiquette' threads revolve around slow groups that won't let fast solo/duo groups through and end up congesting the entire course. consider yourself lucky to have such aware players at your local course!

 

[JC17393]

Haha, it's not that I hate failing in front of people, it's that I hate wasting people's time by throwing 10 shots in front of them, lol

If they were worried about you wasting their time, they wouldn't let you play through. They'd keep you behind them where you can't slow them down.

 

[Stardoggy]

Just like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get. Also, the better you get, the better you'll get in front of people.

But seriously, a group of strangers isn't going to give a rat's patoot how you throw. Hell, you might get lucky, and some kind soul may gently point out something you could work on, and you may learn something.

 

[akray21]

If they were worried about you wasting their time, they wouldn't let you play through. They'd keep you behind them where you can't slow them down.

True, I guess I never thought about it like that. But what stinks is when you pass a group, but the next group ahead of you is slow and you end up sitting at the next teepad with the group you just passed! LOL. This has happened to me as well.

 

[Anon]

True, I guess I never thought about it like that. But what stinks is when you pass a group, but the next group ahead of you is slow and you end up sitting at the next teepad with the group you just passed! LOL. This has happened to me as well.

this is when the time honored tradition of 'passing the peace pipe' or, if that is not your thing, just 'shooting the ****' comes into play. hackey sack works too.

if the course is that slow and i'm solo... i'd probably just attempt to join up with the group as long as they didn't seem like total d-bags.

 

[Dan Ensor]

True, I guess I never thought about it like that. But what stinks is when you pass a group, but the next group ahead of you is slow and you end up sitting at the next teepad with the group you just passed! LOL. This has happened to me as well.

Play with the group you're sitting with.

 

[grotto]

You're worrying too much about nothing OP. I used to be the same way the first two years I played, I was more afraid of looking like a neewb idiot than just getting my head on straight and making a decent (not killer) shot.

My epiphany came once when I came upon a 5 some getting ready to tee off on a long par 4. They all looked the part, carts, grip bags and more plastic than the local PIAS. I just picked my most reliable disc at the time (Star Valkyrie) and just concentrated on a nice smooth shot as to not look terrible. Shot was fine, nothing killer, just placed down the fairway and I moved on. Whew! That was over! Made my second shot and got out of the way.

Walking up the fairway I turned around to watch 4 of the 5 throw terrible drives. Watching them drive on other holes as we zigzagged back and forth was an eye opener. Just because they looked the part, didn't mean they could play. Now on the other hand, never trust the guy with the beat discs and old bag, those guys can be pretty damn good!

In the long run, get over it OP. You might meet another player who's a nice guy and can teach you a few things even if you only watch how they play. Getting used to other people in the long run will help your game and your mental approach as well, it may just slow you down and concentrate more.

 

[jeffmonty]

Easier said than done, but you should try to learn not to be so self-conscious, at least out on the course. There's a pretty good chance that a few in the 4-some you are playing through are going to nail a tree or shank one off the box themselves. Even if not, yours won't be the first bad drive they've seen, and they won't care anyway. Everyone throws bad drives occasionally.

If you can't get past that, as suggested earlier, just skip ahead a hole, come back and finish it later.

 

[captain jack]

I'm the opposite. I play 99% of the time solo, but for some reason, I play better when people are watching me.
The only part about playing through that I dont like is being hurried to clear the hole, because I usually like to take my time and enjoy my round.