beachbuzzard

I just had this situation occur to me the other day while playing with my son. We got paired up with another father/son duo that was waiting on the first tee when we arrived. My son is a decent golfer (90s).... his was a newer player. We were able to stay with the group ahead of us with no problem as they weren't very good either.

A single got up behind us on the 2nd hole, and I mentioned to the other father we should let him play through. He refused and wouldn't allow it. The guy played up on us through 4 holes, then he approached the other father as we waited on the 5th tee box. When he told him no because there was no where to go, I just shrugged at him (the single). I had no control of the situation... I had already recommended to the other father it was the polite thing to do, but he wouldn't hear of it.

To be honest it made me uncomfortable having that single waiting behind us... I've been that single and I don't like it. Kind of ruined my round out there because I was paired with this other father that was being a jerk.

65nlovenit

Sometimes when your a single you get the feeling the whole world is Ping on you. Our club has a two for one on tuesdays, and today everybody who owns a set of clubs decided to take advantage of the bargain, to the point that the marshal would not even let singles out today. Fortunately our club put in an exec-par 3 last summer, so to keep the marshal happy I took the oportunity to work on my short game, actually it was kinda fun, and pointed out some things I got to work on.

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The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large tree.

indiginit

this year, i've been going to the course as a single about 3/4 of the time so this is a reoccuring issue in my golf life.

ideally i try to join someone(s) while waiting for the first tee. i usually walk because i like the exercise and reduced cost, an i've found my pace walking is nearly exactly that of a two-some in a cart, so thats what i look for in playing with strangers on busy course days. if i cant find anyone to play with on weekend afternoons, though, i usually look for something else to do. or go out later in the day.

its hard to play as a single. i hate to say it, but older members are the worst as a group (i'm 30). they are often the ones that will not invite me to play through, or worse yet, skip ahead of me and make me wait... i almost hit someone last week because i thought they were a hole behind me! now i keep my eyes open for personalized carts with grey hair racing along the treelines. member rights do not extend this far in my book (non-private courses)... but thats another topic. nevermind.

please, nobody take any personal offense to the 'older golfer' comment, but i have alot of experience playing as a single... figured it was a good way to get it off my chest, so to speak.

not many of my friends golf, or like to play as much as i do. a few of them are good for a round a week or so, but thats not enough for me.

while i accept that a single does not have the RIGHT to play through, its frusterating when you know theres open course in front and you can hit the ball much further than the foursome's tee-shot landing zone. theres no worse feeling than hitting a blind tee shot only to find that you didn't wait long enough. (then theres OFTEN NO CHANCE they will let you play through then... out of deserved spite, i think)

my favorite tactic is waiting for someone behind me on the next tee IF i don't get a play-through invite to an open course. it gives me an opportunity to judge the group behind me and invite them to join me. at least they will know i made an effort to pace the course if they decide they want to stay behind me. the wait and conversation usually gives me a hole or two of clear sailing if the group behind declines.

Fourputt

I'm a bit puzzled... you just said that the course was clogged up in front of you, then you are bothered by the other guy not wanting a single to play through. If he plays through, all it accomplishes is that you are waiting on him instead of him waiting on you. He's still going to be waiting on the group that's currently ahead of you, so what have you really solved? When the course is busy and you come out as a single, you take your chances. Either you get paired up with a random group, or you wait a lot.

I, too, have been that single, and I wouldn't expect to play through in that situation, nor am I going to let a single play through when there is no place to go. That way you are giving the single player the right to slow everyone else down as HE plays through group after group. Why should HE have that advantage?

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Rick

Driver - Mizuno MX-560 9.5°
3W - Mizuno F-60 15°
4W - Mizuno F-60 16.5°
22° & 25° TM Rescue hybrid
6I thru GW King Cobra 3400I/XH

SW - Cleveland CG11 56°
Putter - Golfsmith Enterprise

USGA Index 12.6

beachbuzzard

I understand what you're saying, but I don't know if there may or may not have been clear sailing out ahead of the group in front of us. And nothing from nothing, but I get bothered when a guy is just standing there, hole after hole, waiting behind me. No, he has no more rights than anyone else. I know that. But I'd still rather let him through (for the few minutes it costs me) and let him maybe hit some open course out there somewhere.

Fourputt

My course, I can usually tell whether or not there is open space 2 or 3 groups ahead, and I would base my decision on that. If he has to play through 3 or 4 or more foursomes to get clear, then I'm not inclined to let him through. If he asks I'll explain why, but I stand by my feeling that if the course is busy and he comes out as a single, he takes the hand he gets dealt.

Along this same train of thought, I got an email from my brother the other day. He was playing as a single, shot 83, and would likely have shot better except the the group in front of him insisted that he play through them. In trying to get ahead of them, he got a bit rushed (maybe unconsciously), took a triple on the hole, and that was the only bad hole in his round. Had they just let him hang back where had been for the last 4 holes, he may or may not have broken 80, but he would likely have been at least been a couple of strokes lower. I realize that the situation is slightly different, as my brother wasn't asking to play through, but they wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

__________________
Rick

Driver - Mizuno MX-560 9.5°
3W - Mizuno F-60 15°
4W - Mizuno F-60 16.5°
22° & 25° TM Rescue hybrid
6I thru GW King Cobra 3400I/XH

SW - Cleveland CG11 56°
Putter - Golfsmith Enterprise

USGA Index 12.6