Etiquette question about teeing off

[MrJones]

I look at it like this:

Par 4

 

Group A is waiting for green to clear.

 

Group B tees off knowing they can't get to group A.

 

Group A finally gets to play to green and Group B is already heading out to fairway.

 

Group A finishes hitting approach shots. Group B has arrived to hit second shots.

 

At this point Group B has to wait while Group A rides up, possibly chips/bunker shots/pitches onto green. Gets on green and putts.

 

How much time did group B actually save? Did they unnecessarily rush Group A? And most importantly did they stand in the fairway the entire time, hands on hips, wondering what in the world is taking so long?

 

 

As for pressing forward I know guys that will play slower on purpose if they think they're being pushed. That type of scenario tends to escalate into something ugly and unfavorable most of the time.

 

Now insert three of the four guys in Group B hitting their balls out of play, one in the left woods, one in the right woods and one that they were sure they'd find in the rough but they never did.

 

One can suck at golf and not be slow about it. Trust me, I've been there.

 

Well that's kinda my point. Group A isn't playing slow either. They're just having to wait. So why push them? Is there really any benefit to it?

[North Butte]

I look at it like this:

Par 4

 

Group A is waiting for green to clear.

 

Group B tees off knowing they can't get to group A.

 

Group A finally gets to play to green and Group B is already heading out to fairway.

 

Group A finishes hitting approach shots. Group B has arrived to hit second shots.

 

At this point Group B has to wait while Group A rides up, possibly chips/bunker shots/pitches onto green. Gets on green and putts.

 

How much time did group B actually save? Did they unnecessarily rush Group A? And most importantly did they stand in the fairway the entire time, hands on hips, wondering what in the world is taking so long?

 

 

As for pressing forward I know guys that will play slower on purpose if they think they're being pushed. That type of scenario tends to escalate into something ugly and unfavorable most of the time.

 

Now insert three of the four guys in Group B hitting their balls out of play, one in the left woods, one in the right woods and one that they were sure they'd find in the rough but they never did.

 

One can suck at golf and not be slow about it. Trust me, I've been there.

 

Well that's kinda my point. Group A isn't playing slow either. They're just having to wait. So why push them? Is there really any benefit to it?

 

You're not "pushing" anyone by hitting when your landing area is empty. Nobody here is advocating hitting into the group ahead.

[chippa13]

That group ahead doesn't know if you nutted the ball or duffed it. All they know is there are balls landing 30-40 yards behind them and there is nowhere they can go, so yes, you are pushing them.

[North Butte]

If you're going to play golf on a crowded course, I'd suggest you really need to steel yourself against the possibility of a ball ending up within 30-40 yards of you from time to time. If every golfer waited until there was zero possibility of his ball ever landing with 100 yards of another human being, most public courses would just have to shut down.

[MrJones]

I look at it like this:

Par 4

 

Group A is waiting for green to clear.

 

Group B tees off knowing they can't get to group A.

 

Group A finally gets to play to green and Group B is already heading out to fairway.

 

Group A finishes hitting approach shots. Group B has arrived to hit second shots.

 

At this point Group B has to wait while Group A rides up, possibly chips/bunker shots/pitches onto green. Gets on green and putts.

 

How much time did group B actually save? Did they unnecessarily rush Group A? And most importantly did they stand in the fairway the entire time, hands on hips, wondering what in the world is taking so long?

 

 

As for pressing forward I know guys that will play slower on purpose if they think they're being pushed. That type of scenario tends to escalate into something ugly and unfavorable most of the time.

 

Now insert three of the four guys in Group B hitting their balls out of play, one in the left woods, one in the right woods and one that they were sure they'd find in the rough but they never did.

 

One can suck at golf and not be slow about it. Trust me, I've been there.

 

Well that's kinda my point. Group A isn't playing slow either. They're just having to wait. So why push them? Is there really any benefit to it?

 

You're not "pushing" anyone by hitting when your landing area is empty. Nobody here is advocating hitting into the group ahead.

 

Yes no one has said they would hit into another group I realize. That wouldn't be pushing, that would be dangerous. But it was described in an earlier post as "pressing forward" which to me is pushing the group ahead to play faster. I don't see the benefit.

 

It's also worth mentioning that many in this thread have said they wouldn't appreciate hearing balls landing behind them as they prepare for their approach shot.

[Augster]

If your landing area is open, you hit. It's pretty simple.

 

I'm really surprised this is a thread that has gone two pages.

 

Real scenario from Monday. 410 par 4. College golfers all hit it 290-300, have 100 to 110 in waiting to hit approach shots. Group of old timers on the tee. None drive it over 200.

 

They should wait????

 

Absolutely preposterous. A couple of the old timers will have to hit it good, TWICE, to get to where the college golfers are standing.

[North Butte]

If your landing area is open, you hit. It's pretty simple.

 

I'm really surprised this is a thread that has gone two pages.

 

Real scenario from Monday. 410 par 4. College golfers all hit it 290-300, have 100 to 110 in waiting to hit approach shots. Group of old timers on the tee. None drive it over 200.

 

They should wait????

 

Absolutely preposterous. A couple of the old timers will have to hit it good, TWICE, to get to where the college golfers are standing.

 

Yeah but what if one of those college golfers has rabbit ears, hears a ball landing in the fairway behind him and goes sprinting back to punch one of the old guys in the face? :slow_en:

[chippa13]

And now you've got a group on the green, a group in the fairway, a group farther back in the fairway and a group on the tee. That 5th group is loving this plan.

[North Butte]

And now you've got a group on the green, a group in the fairway, a group farther back in the fairway and a group on the tee. That 5th group is loving this plan.

 

If the 5th group is upset about the pace they're able to play at they ought to find a less crowded course.

 

Why do you think the 5th group would be happier if they were two holes farther back while every fairway was being left completely open ahead of them?

[MrJones]

It's just like traffic.

 

Someone is clogging the lane. You have 2 choices:

 

1.Ride their tail. Is dangerous, can cause accidents, leads to road rage. You still will move at the same pace they allow.

 

2. Back off and maintain pace. Less crowded, less dangerous, and slightly less road rage.

[chippa13]

How are these fairways completely open? Once a group hits their approaches and moves on the next group is putting balls into that fairway.

[North Butte]

I'm just trying to recall the last time I arrived at the 15th tee to find a group on the green, another 200 yards out in the fairway and another on the tee. I really don't think my response was anything like, "Boy, I wish that group in the fairway had waited to tee off. That way this group on the tee would still be waiting on 14 green and I'd be waiting in 14 fairway. Yep, I'd be much happier waiting farther back on the course!".

[North Butte]

It's just like traffic.

 

Someone is clogging the lane. You have 2 choices:

 

1.Ride their tail. Is dangerous, can cause accidents, leads to road rage. You still will move at the same pace they allow.

 

2. Back off and maintain pace. Less crowded, less dangerous, and slightly less road rage.

 

We're not talking about tailgating. Where the heck are you getting that from this thread? We're talking about HITTING AS SOON AS THE FAIRWAY IS CLEAR IN YOUR LANDING ZONE.

[chippa13]

It's just like traffic.

 

Someone is clogging the lane. You have 2 choices:

 

1.Ride their tail. Is dangerous, can cause accidents, leads to road rage. You still will move at the same pace they allow.

 

2. Back off and maintain pace. Less crowded, less dangerous, and slightly less road rage.

 

Precisely, a group of cars traveling 80 on each other's bumpers will cause a much worse backup when they catch that single car doing 70 than if they were each better spaced doing 75.

[chippa13]

I'm just trying to recall the last time I arrived at the 15th tee to find a group on the green, another 200 yards out in the fairway and another on the tee. I really don't think my response was anything like, "Boy, I wish that group in the fairway had waited to tee off. That way this group on the tee would still be waiting on 14 green and I'd be waiting in 14 fairway. Yep, I'd be much happier waiting farther back on the course!".

 

Who are you kidding? You'd still be tromping around the woods on 13 with the other 2 guys who sprayed their tee shots.

[Nessism]

It's just like traffic.

 

Someone is clogging the lane. You have 2 choices:

 

1.Ride their tail. Is dangerous, can cause accidents, leads to road rage. You still will move at the same pace they allow.

 

2. Back off and maintain pace. Less crowded, less dangerous, and slightly less road rage.

 

There's always "that guy" that allows a large gap to grow in front of their car, behind the car ahead, even though traffic is moving fairly slowly. Now I know his name: "Mr. Jones!"

[North Butte]

We all have read feel-good posts from time to time about people getting together to play golf with others they've encountered on GolfWRX. This thread is like the opposite of that.

 

I'll have to chalk this up as another case of my apparently leading a charmed golfing life where I never encounter in the Real World some of the inexplicable stuff that gets talked about here. Maybe my club is just a one-in-a-million bastion of politeness and common sense but I just never see anyone getting bent out of shape by a ball landing 40 yards behind them in the fairway and I certainly never see people waiting for the group ahead to reach a Par 5 green before they tee off, lest someone ahead of them feel pushed. I ought to write an open letter thanking my fellow members for being such paragons of virtue.

[Noles]

Thanks for the replies. I was in Group 1 in the scenario and I believe that Group 2 should wait. We had it out on the 18th tee and safe to say that myself and the guys in Group 2 will not be speaking to each other around the club any time soon.

[chippa13]

It's just like traffic.

 

Someone is clogging the lane. You have 2 choices:

 

1.Ride their tail. Is dangerous, can cause accidents, leads to road rage. You still will move at the same pace they allow.

 

2. Back off and maintain pace. Less crowded, less dangerous, and slightly less road rage.

 

There's always "that guy" that allow a large gap to grow in front of their car, behind the car ahead, even though traffic is moving fairly slowly. Now I know his name "Mr. Jones!"

 

I think it depends on how far Mr. Jones is backing off. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say not enough to give me an aneurysm in the car behind him.

[MrJones]

It's just like traffic.

 

Someone is clogging the lane. You have 2 choices:

 

1.Ride their tail. Is dangerous, can cause accidents, leads to road rage. You still will move at the same pace they allow.

 

2. Back off and maintain pace. Less crowded, less dangerous, and slightly less road rage.

 

There's always "that guy" that allow a large gap to grow in front of their car, behind the car ahead, even though traffic is moving fairly slowly. Now I know his name "Mr. Jones!"

 

Only if I don't see an opportunity to get by! Remember i said "slighty" less road rage. I'm still gonna fuss.

 

Just don't want to be that guy in the video that rides tail, gets brake checked, and ends up in a ditch. ;)

[North Butte]

Thanks for the replies. I was in Group 1 in the scenario and I believe that Group 2 should wait. We had it out on the 18th tee and safe to say that myself and the guys in Group 2 will not be speaking to each other around the club any time soon.

 

So you "had it out" with a group who had the audacity to hit some tee shots that could not possibly reach you? Did that make you feel so much better that it was worth being on non-speaking terms with four of your fellow members from now on?

 

P.S. I'd suggest you might want to hold off on running for the Board any time soon.

[MrJones]

We all have read feel-good posts from time to time about people getting together to play golf with others they've encountered on GolfWRX. This thread is like the opposite of that.

 

I'll have to chalk this up as another case of my apparently leading a charmed golfing life where I never encounter in the Real World some of the inexplicable stuff that gets talked about here. Maybe my club is just a one-in-a-million bastion of politeness and common sense but I just never see anyone getting bent out of shape by a ball landing 40 yards behind them in the fairway and I certainly never see people waiting for the group ahead to reach a Par 5 green before they tee off, lest someone ahead of them feel pushed. I ought to write an open letter thanking my fellow members for being such paragons of virtue.

 

If you and I played in a group together you'd be stuck waiting for me to tee off anyway. Not because of me being overly polite, I just haven't ever on a par 4 been in a position where I could safely tee off with a group already in the fairway. And I'm not WRXer long either.

[chippa13]

If there was nowhere they could go then why push them? That is like the guy behind you in gridlock who honks his horn. It isn't getting you there any faster and all it does is annoy everyone else.

[North Butte]

I played a late afternoon weekday round at a certain rather elite British golf club a few years ago. I was playing with the club's head professional. Near the end of the round, two members who had been playing on the front nine "cut in" ahead of us to play the final holes. They were walking to their balls in the fairway when we arrived at the tee.

 

I was amazed when the professional pulled out a 5-iron and bounced a ball about 20-30 yards behind them, the members kept walking but both sort of waved an arm in our direction. Then they briskly played their shots and were out of our way.

 

I asked him what that was about and he said, "They know they aren't supposed to be there. That was just to assure them I'm paying attention". Very strange.

[chippa13]

Never cut in on a hole if you can't be completely gone from the fairway by the time the group you cut in front of reaches the tee.

[Nessism]

I played a late afternoon weekday round at a certain rather elite British golf club a few years ago. I was playing with the club's head professional. Near the end of the round, two members who had been playing on the front nine "cut in" ahead of us to play the final holes. They were walking to their balls in the fairway when we arrived at the tee.

 

I was amazed when the professional pulled out a 5-iron and bounced a ball about 20-30 yards behind them, the members kept walking but both sort of waved an arm in our direction. Then they briskly played their shots and were out of our way.

 

I asked him what that was about and he said, "They know they aren't supposed to be there. That was just to assure them I'm paying attention". Very strange.

 

I like it!

[jaygween]

I think in these scenarios, it all depends on what group is the one that is holding people up or playing slow. I don't think it is bad etiquette to "press forward" a group that is behind pace. If you are hanging back on the tee or playing slower than you normally would, the slow group may have no idea that they are playing slow and holding the course up. This definitely doesn't mean hitting into them, but if they notice you waiting on the tee or in the fairway on every shot they might get the message. However, pressing forward a group that is already stuck behind other slow groups seems pointless and could lead to confrontations.

[Payant208]

If there is no chance of reaching the group in front I feel as they should tee off

[Hot Rod 71]

Some of the folks here advocating for hitting tee shots while another group is in the fairway are the same guys that would get mad if they were on the green at a par 5 and a ball came rolling onto the green, hit by a guy that "didn't think he could get there".

[Shilgy]

I played a late afternoon weekday round at a certain rather elite British golf club a few years ago. I was playing with the club's head professional. Near the end of the round, two members who had been playing on the front nine "cut in" ahead of us to play the final holes. They were walking to their balls in the fairway when we arrived at the tee.

 

I was amazed when the professional pulled out a 5-iron and bounced a ball about 20-30 yards behind them, the members kept walking but both sort of waved an arm in our direction. Then they briskly played their shots and were out of our way.

 

I asked him what that was about and he said, "They know they aren't supposed to be there. That was just to assure them I'm paying attention". Very strange.

That situation is totally different. They had no business being there.

 

This is the same question as the one we have debated about second shots on par 5's. If you can't reach the green at what point do you wait anyway for the group ahead to finish putting? I hate being hit into AND hate hearing that thump of the ball landing 30 yards short of the green. When you hear that sound you don't know for certain if the ball is about to hit you or stay short by 15-20 yards.

 

Some of the folks here advocating for hitting tee shots while another group is in the fairway are the same guys that would get mad if they were on the green at a par 5 and a ball came rolling onto the green, hit by a guy that "didn't think he could get there".

Said the post that evidently types a bit faster than I do! :)