Playing Through Etiquette

[Noill]

Most of the folks that play through groups I'm in tend to throw well... single players usually are experienced and such... yada yada not helpful I know.

Anyway, here's what I think when I'm single and play through... not something I like to do like the OP... I figure to myself wouldn't it be cool if I throw real well here and give a good show to these guys... they prob want me to throw well and so it would be cool if I do... and if I don't throw well these guys don't really care and won't be remembering it one minute after I am done on the hole...

so in the end OP... ppl just want you to do well usually and if you don't then they won't hold it against you and probably don't even care that much.

The other advice given that I found would be helpful is to skip the hole, slow down your play, or just say something like hey I'm practicing here... that last one is good b/c you could use that to say that you don't want to play through... say you are throwing multiple shots to practice or test new plastic out and that you don't want to play through and want to take your time... they shouldn't argue the point much. If they do it is b/c they want a break and want to slow their play down... can't begrudge them that I guess... just play through in that case.

It's all in the mental game... forget that group is there and just think about your game... don't throw until you have that zen in your mind and are ready to play your best game... good luck out there!

 

[josephreese]

I have no problem letting people play through if the situation calls for it but don't ever throw at me without permission.

Reminds me of a time years ago I was playing ball golf with my dad. He could be a hothead back in those days, and that particular day he wasn't having the best of rounds. Someone in the group behind us drove into us. We shrugged it off. On a crowded course these things sometimes happen. The second time it happened Dad left the guy's ball on a tall tee in the fairway as a reminder to be careful about hitting into people. (That hole had a blind tee shot.) Meanwhile Dad's round is getting worse and worse. The third time we saw the ball bounce by us, Dad must have figured they were doing it on purpose. He took a fairway wood and hit a beautiful fade back toward the tee box. Best shot he had all day. Luckily, no one was hurt, and there was no confrontation on the course (or in the lot afterward). I'm not advocating that approach, but I have to say they did give us more space after that. My brother and had a tough time controlling the laughter as Dad was fuming.

We would have let them play through if we were holding things up, but we were keeping up with the group in front of us as we're supposed to do in ball golf. Crazy happens sometimes.

 

[akray21]

It is funny that you bring up ball golf, because that was part of my reason for asking the question. In ball golf passing is not really a thing and groups are always waiting on one another.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

It is funny that you bring up ball golf, because that was part of my reason for asking the question. In ball golf passing is not really a thing and groups are always waiting on one another.

again, you should check out the rules on that one...


Let's answer this by posing another question, a pop quiz:
You are playing in a group of four. Several holes in front of your group are open. A single catches up to your group.

Should your group:
A. Offer to let the single play through
B. Ignore the single, because singles have no standing on the golf course
.Answer: The correct answer is - or should be - "A." If you answered "B," then you are one of those golfers who mistakenly believes that the rulebook says golfers playing alone have no rights on the course. And you probably have this belief because the Etiquette section of the Official Rules of Golf used to say just that! In fact, it said exactly this: "A single player has no standing and should give way to a match of any kind."

John Hutchinson, who runs the Web site RulesHistory.com, explains the reasoning behind that old statement by the R&A and USGA: "Up to that time, priority went in numerical order - four-ball gave way to three-ball, etc. The basis of this plan was that fewer players were presumed to be faster, and singles were (presumed to be) merely practicing, not competing." But note above that we said the rulebook used to include the statement about singles having no standing. That's because it no longer does; and, in fact, it now says the opposite.The statement "a single player has no standing and should give way to a match of any kind" was removed from the Official Rules of Golf in revisions for the 2004 edition, when, Hutchinson notes, "the emphasis changed to how fast any particular group were playing, regardless of the number in the group."
.In other words, beginning in 2004, the etiquette guidelines in the rulebook said that speed of play - regardless of how many golfers are in any particular group - determines whether a group should be allowed to play through.

But is a single a group? The 2004 revisions clearly implied that the USGA and R&A consider a single a "group," but did not explicitly state that. So another revision, in 2008, clarified that point and explicitly stated that a single is a "group," and has the same rights as any other group.

Here is what now appears in the Etiquette guidelines of the Official Rules of Golf:

•In the "Pace of Play" section: "It is a group's responsibility to keep up with the group in front. If it loses a clear hole and it is delaying the group behind, it should invite the group behind to play through, irrespective of the number of players in that group." (emphasis mine)
•In the "Priority on the Course" section: "Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, priority on the course is determined by a group's pace of play. Any group playing a whole round is entitled to pass a group playing a shorter round. The term 'group' includes a single player."
So, once and for all, a single on the course deserves the same consideration as any other group of golfers, according to the USGA and the R&A.
http://golf.about.com/bio/Brent-Kelley-8338.htm

 

[Dan Ensor]

It is funny that you bring up ball golf, because that was part of my reason for asking the question. In ball golf passing is not really a thing and groups are always waiting on one another.

It definitely is a thing in ball golf. Some busy courses put you on the clock and make it mandatory that you let people play through if you aren't playing at a reasonable pace.

 

[akray21]

I guess everywhere I have played ball golf has been packed and passing would not do anyone any good. Never seen a single playing ball golf, courses around me are always groups of 4, sometimes 5...

 

[josephreese]

I guess everywhere I have played ball golf has been packed and passing would not do anyone any good. Never seen a single playing ball golf, courses around me are always groups of 4, sometimes 5...

It doesn't happen all that often, but crowded courses have marshals that ride around and ensure that each group is keeping up with the group in front of them. I was in a really slow group once and the marshal asked us to pick up our balls and drive ahead to the next tee. After all, the more people they can squeeze into a day the more revenue they collect. When that's happening there is no reason to play through. That hectic rush is one of the reasons I quit ball golf. I want my leisure time to be leisurely

I used to hate playing through, too, but the more I do it the easier it gets. Most of the people I met on the course are there to relax and have a good time. If I mess up and throw my disc into the tall grass no one cares. We've all done it.

 

[blackcatsmith]

My local course won't even let you out alone when it's busy... they add you to another's card.

 

[Dan Ensor]

It doesn't happen all that often, but crowded courses have marshals that ride around and ensure that each group is keeping up with the group in front of them. I was in a really slow group once and the marshal asked us to pick up our balls and drive ahead to the next tee. After all, the more people they can squeeze into a day the more revenue they collect. When that's happening there is no reason to play through. That hectic rush is one of the reasons I quit ball golf. I want my leisure time to be leisurely

I used to hate playing through, too, but the more I do it the easier it gets. Most of the people I met on the course are there to relax and have a good time. If I mess up and throw my disc into the tall grass no one cares. We've all done it.

I see more playing through on small, not busy courses, because there are more boozing mobs out.

I definitely agree that practice makes perfect, even in playing through. I don't think anyone likes it at first. Especially since "at first" is usually while you're less confident in your game.

 

[hook_nuts]

Yeah? Its called being real with someone. YOU ARE JUST OUT PLAYING THE COURSE NO MATTER WHAT.. Its YOU VS THE COURSE. Why stress over nothing? I have decided to not play through groups ALLLLLLL the time. Its no big deal either way when using a little communication.

Lol this would be like being mad at someone for letting you go ahead of them in a checkout or on a waiting list. If you are just out doing YOU, then DO YOU!

Disc Golfers are strange creatures...

communication is very important. Without clear communication it leaves alot of room for assumptions. Maybe disc golfers aren't a strange creature. Maybe you're conditioned by society to judge people. It's not necessarily your fault, but if you are aware you can change it.

 

[zeerobb]

Some of my best DG friends are people who have caught up with me on the teepad and asked if I wanted to play a round or if they could play through...Also, if your a really bad player, how are you catching up with the group ahead? I just started 7 mo. ago and I am slowly getting better where sometimes I DO catch the group in front and that's because they are throwing really bad. So if I do play through and their watching it doesn't bother me, cause they are just chuckers like me.

 

[Kodachrome]

Toty? Lots of competition these days.

 

[PWaggoner]

Relax and play your hole. So your thinking about them watching... Guess what. People are going to watch especially if your skilled. Just do your thing and focus. Hit the bird and move on. Say thanks, peace!

 

[thatdirtykid]

My local course won't even let you out alone when it's busy... they add you to another's card.

Ha imagine OP being forced to play with a different card.

I would never be offended if I waited on a single to allow them to play through only to have them deny. I have been the single who denies playing through because its a course I was not familiar with and was enjoying following.
I would be offended if I were a single on a relatively empty course and caught up with a group (let alone a group throwing multiples or playing excessively slow socializing ect) and they did not let me play though. Thats when I end up skipping a hole.

Now if I offered to let someone play though and they drove into me there would be a confrontation. I have been seriously hit, and have had players I was playing with hit. Its not cool.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

Work on you. "To just ninjas, that is not our job, to be a man it is not that hard." -Dizzy Wright

OP, I told you. :|

 

[hook_nuts]

"To judge ninjas, that is not our job, to be a man it is not that hard." -Dizzy Wright

Fixed

 

[Kodachrome]

nobody's forcing you to throw. just let them know you're not in a rush, let them take their time. i personally ask if i can join them for the rest of the round if i think they're alright. but good luck once someone catches up to YOU while you're waiting for them. then you have to throw in front of people anyway.

my advice is to stop whining and grow some social skills or get off the course until you do. must be rough. if you can't, then just fake it 'til you make it or drink some beer and relax. nobody likes looking dumb. you think you look dumb. nobody else on the course does. or, god forbid someone does, so what? can you read their mind? we're throwing frisbees at metal. from a non dg perspective we all look dumb, including the person throwing frisbees that thinks you look dumb. what does it matter?

and this is coming from an introvert who really doesn't know how to hold long conversations in person even with people i see on a regular basis. learning to be around people and just ****ing deal with it is a valuable life skill.


there is just no way you can have this attitude and play dg happily without doing some crazy hole skipping like ALL OF THE TIME.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

#MNNice?! lol we must be crazy Koda... WHYZUSOMEANBRO!?!?!

:hfive: go throw some damn discs and STFU or play through'

 

[Kodachrome]

yeah, and don't get me wrong, i feel super awkward and somewhat anxious when i play through, or even just talking to people i don't know on the course. i dunno why. i understand how OP feels to an extent but they've incited more judgment here on the forums than any stray drive would. and yeah, everyone's different, some people have more social anxiety than others . . . but really? on a dg course?

maybe just avoid traffic by going early in the morning. that's honestly the only viable solution. it's either that or deal with it.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

exactly. I used to REALLY feel like that too but in reality the average disc golfer is HORRIBLE and that's not a bad thing-- they are looking for advice, discs, or just some fun and really could care less about you or I.... would be a hermit if I felt like the OP I guess.