Your most unpopular Golf opinions?

[nvr3putt]

There should be a golf equivalent of an AYCE restaurant. One green fee, infinite holes.

[nvr3putt]

There should be a golf equivalent of an AYCE restaurant. One green fee, infinite holes.

[shankasaurus rex]

On 1/31/2024 at 9:05 AM, jda said:

 

If pace of play is an issue, then no money games on the course during peak play.  I find less bad golfers to be slow players.  It is all of the douchers who are playing their 50 cent game like it really matters... not picking up, reading their chip from both sides, etc.  Never conceding anything.

This!!!!! 100 percent this. At least at the courses I play, the old dudes in a skins games are holding up play for more than any high-handicap player. I understand that $1 will buy a lot of Vienna sausages, pops, but a 1-foot putt doesn't need a read from both sides and 20 practice swings.

[RmoorePE]

8 minutes ago, shankasaurus rex said:

This!!!!! 100 percent this. At least at the courses I play, the old dudes in a skins games are holding up play for more than any high-handicap player. I understand that $1 will buy a lot of Vienna sausages, pops, but a 1-foot putt doesn't need a read from both sides and 20 practice swings.

 

This is actually a good point. My group usually has a game going and I have noticed that it slows us down on the greens. We never really have POP issues, but a lot of times we have to make up ground from tee to green.

 

However, for most of us a game without any juice just isn't as much fun. Golfing without money on the line is just practice.

[shankasaurus rex]

6 minutes ago, RmoorePE said:

 

 

 

However, for most of us a game without any juice just isn't as much fun. Golfing without money on the line is just practice.

Eh, they have groups for people with gambling problems.

[jda]

15 minutes ago, RmoorePE said:

 

This is actually a good point. My group usually has a game going and I have noticed that it slows us down on the greens. We never really have POP issues, but a lot of times we have to make up ground from tee to green.

 

However, for most of us a game without any juice just isn't as much fun. Golfing without money on the line is just practice.

 

The ones that I notice would NEVER play ready golf and hit if there is somebody still behind them even a foot.  If somebody is struggling and the other three are on the green, they do not putt or work while the struggling one is walking up.. they just stand there and wait.  They wait for a guy to run back to the cart to grab a different club before they hit their approach.  There is NO WAY that they would give up their advantage.  When you talk to them about it, it is all etiquette about "being out" and that they don't have to go ahead and play to speed things up.  But they had etiquette problems with the guy who brought his kid or girlfriend who are hacking it all over the place but also pick up on every hole to keep speed going.  For me, the high cappers are the most aware of what they do to the course... they are rarely a problem.

 

Lots of guys who play a game have this stupid insistence that maybe somebody behind them will miss a green or hit a terrible putt and they might not have to sweat out a three footer slows down the whole course.  ...and it only takes one of the four to slow everybody else down.

 

Pay attention sometime.  This can add up to a minute or two on every hole.

Edited February 2 by jda

[akronswitness]

1 hour ago, jda said:

 

The ones that I notice would NEVER play ready golf and hit if there is somebody still behind them even a foot.  If somebody is struggling and the other three are on the green, they do not putt or work while the struggling one is walking up.. they just stand there and wait.  They wait for a guy to run back to the cart to grab a different club before they hit their approach.  There is NO WAY that they would give up their advantage.  When you talk to them about it, it is all etiquette about "being out" and that they don't have to go ahead and play to speed things up.  But they had etiquette problems with the guy who brought his kid or girlfriend who are hacking it all over the place but also pick up on every hole to keep speed going.  For me, the high cappers are the most aware of what they do to the course... they are rarely a problem.

 

Lots of guys who play a game have this stupid insistence that maybe somebody behind them will miss a green or hit a terrible putt and they might not have to sweat out a three footer slows down the whole course.  ...and it only takes one of the four to slow everybody else down.

 

Pay attention sometime.  This can add up to a minute or two on every hole.

 

Amatures not playing 'ready golf' should be a crime. It should be a clearly stated rule at every single public course on the planet. I don't necessarily think it has to do with gambling all the time, but the fact some are just crazy rule followers and want to play like they are on the Tour because 'that's what the pros do.' Let's be honest too, 99% of people are not good enough golfers to have going in order make any impact on their round or provide any benefit to them specifically for scoring. Whether I make or miss a 10 ft. putt had nothing to do with my partners ball being marked 2 ft. from the hole or off the green entirely. 

 

[Bad9]

2 hours ago, RmoorePE said:

 

This is actually a good point. My group usually has a game going and I have noticed that it slows us down on the greens. We never really have POP issues, but a lot of times we have to make up ground from tee to green.

 

However, for most of us a game without any juice just isn't as much fun. Golfing without money on the line is just practice.

If you notice it I would bet groups behind you do and think you have POP issues

[Phabs]

There should be a shot clock on every green for the amount of time you have to hit your putt.   Also those sweet lulu joggers you have on,  makes you look like a little high school girl on her way to starbies for her 14th nine dollar coffee of the week 

[Denny100]

My unpopular opinions would be:

 

1) Yes, you can play too fast. Maintaining a good pace of play is one thing. Playing utterly crap just for the sake of finishing in 2 and a half hours is just silly. or even if you play well, its still silly.

 

2) Youre not better at golf because you hit a draw.

 

3) Youre not better at golf because you play blades and clubs with bag appeal

 

4) Limiting the ball is a solution to a non existent problem

 

5) Banning the belly putter was a solution to a non existent problem

 

6) Golf is popular with people it really shouldnt be popular with, who really shouldnt be out there. I can explain who

 

7) Riding around a course in a cart is bullxxxx

 

8 ) People who wear shorts all year, buy a pair of trousers you absolute prunes

[vtpachyderm]

On 2/2/2024 at 3:42 PM, GowerND11 said:

 

 

I get it with you being in Norway and your short season. With that said, I am between an 11 and 12, and three of my buddies range from 13-17. That is clearly more than your 30 cap. But despite these "high caps" we regularly get through a round in 3:30 if others in front of us don't slow the whole course down. 

Hence the unpopular opinion :-).

I totally acknowledge there are high cappers that play quick, efficient ready golf, but in this new era of golf, those are getting fewer and fewer. I have no problems with them taking their time on off-peak hours at the club - hey they need to get their practice in to get better, but using prime time tee slots to hack around is in my admittedly grumpy opinion not the time for that.

 

Like I said - alternative is to play Stableford on the weekends.

 

[vtpachyderm]

Duplicate post - deleted. Sorry.

 

Edited February 5 by vtpachyderm

[vtpachyderm]

Multiple post - deleted.

 

Edited February 5 by vtpachyderm

[vtpachyderm]

10 hours ago, Denny100 said:

My unpopular opinions would be:

 

7) Riding around a course in a cart is bullxxxx

 This I can totally agree with! Unless you physically/medically are unable to walk - walk. Especially now we've got electric pushcarts.

[RmoorePE]

On 2/2/2024 at 8:14 AM, shankasaurus rex said:

Eh, they have groups for people with gambling problems.

 

Yeah, they are called foursomes.

[JesusVillalobos]

1) Golf is becoming to casual (Im a gatekeeper).

2) If you're bad at golf, take a drop and stop looking for the ball.

3)Taylormade and Callaway sell us the same product over and over again.

4) Get fit for a golfball (It has the most tech in golf).

5)Good Golfers should stop complaining about hitting a bad shot... ( Bro Its 5 feet away from the pin) 

[nsxguy]

10 minutes ago, JesusVillalobos said:

1) Golf is becoming to casual (Im a gatekeeper).

2) If you're bad at golf, take a drop and stop looking for the ball.

3)Taylormade and Callaway sell us the same product over and over again.

4) Get fit for a golfball (It has the most tech in golf).

5)Good Golfers should stop complaining about hitting a bad shot... ( Bro Its 5 feet away from the pin) 

 

1) "too" (I'm a wanna-be English major)

2) If I had your money I'd burn mine.

3) Yeah, so what's your point ? 

4) NOT an unpopular opinion - just not followed very often.

5) Yeah, but my previous shot was only 3 feet from the pin.

[gripandrip]

I have no issues with people using iron covers.

Edited April 22 by gripandrip

[bobfoster]

Top ten hints for a doofus-free golf course (things I've said with my inside voice at various times, each prompted by something I observed during a round):

 

1. Holding your finishing pose for 10 seconds is not really necessary. I get that you're proud of the lesson you just got from Coach YouTube this morning, and you're rockin' your new Blue Steel follow-through silhouette, but there probably isn't a golf magazine photographer lurking in the bushes.

 

2. A club twirl after you just badly sliced your shot into a lake may not be the best look. It would be like a quarterback spiking the ball in the endzone - after he's been tackled for a safety. Great sentiment, weirdly wrong time.

 

3. What you write on a scorecard really is, in fact, supposed to bear at least some relation to what you've been doing on the course. It's kind of a golf tradition thingy. There's no hole on the planet where a 9 is a bogey. "Out of the trap" is technically not the definition of a stroke - if it takes three tries to do it. It think there's a book somewhere that talks about stuff like this.

 

4. If you are literally standing on the 100 yard marker looking at a pin in the center of the green, your laser rangefinder is not all that necessary, now is it?

 

5. If you are a single, and my foursome is ahead of you and waiting for 10 minutes on every tee box, because the whole course is backed up in front of us, hitting into us is probably not going to speed us up (though being like that may explain why no one wants to play with you). It's 10AM on a public course on a Saturday morning in June. You aren't going to have a two and a half hour round. Chill. Download Netflix on your phone or something.

 

6. If you were actually good enough at golf to give advice, you'd know better than to give it when it isn't asked for. 

 

7. Rake the damn trap. Rake the damn trap. Rake the damn trap. Rake the damn trap. Rake the damn trap. Rake the damn trap. Rake the damn trap. Rake the damn trap. 

 

8. That's someone's yard. It is private property. You can tell by the fence with the "No Trespassing" sign. That flower garden is OB. Yes, they understand they bought a house next to a golf course and balls may sometimes come into their yard, but "next to" is the key phrase here. It is still their property. They are already thinking about getting a Rottweiler. I think in Florida and Texas they could probably legally shoot you. It's just a golf ball. Breathe out and let it go.

 

9. Granted, "Cart Path Only" is a truncated sentence clearly missing a verb, which may be why you're confused. It's part of a Secret Golfer Code. It means "It's been raining off and on for three days, the course is soggy and we don't want our fairways to get chewed up by yahoos like you, so please do us a solid and only drive your cart on the path". I mean seriously, the ball's 12 feet away. You had to walk farther than that to get to the clubhouse from your car. 

 

10. Finally, yes, the cart girl has heard that line before. Like, about a thousand times. Golf is unfortunately full of terms suggestive to the crude and feeble minded. Ball, shaft, stick, hole. Do you actually think you've come up with something new and clever? C'mon man, she's a GenZ college student. You're a 54 year old GenX bald fat guy. She secretly loathes you, but will smile politely because tips help with tuition. Have some respect. Don't make her be all:

 

Edited February 8 by bobfoster

[st1800e]

1 hour ago, bobfoster said:

"Cart Path Only" is a truncated sentence clearly missing a verb, which may be why you're confused.

No, it’s a Jeopardy answer, question is “where can we drive our cart today?” 
😉

[PedronNiall]

10 hours ago, gripandrip said:

I have no issues with using people using iron covers.

[vtpachyderm]

Here's one that made me think after my son brought it up comparing golf equipment to table tennis equipment and I initially was a bit offended by it, but it kind of makes sense.

 

Custom fitting/variety in equipment is not about optimization, but more about damage control regardless of level. He was insinuating that rather than try to change or 'fix' some flaws in the swing, you try to find equipment that minimizes the effects of those flaws. Especially true with putters which is by far the most easy to practice and find a repeatable stroke, yet there are so many different types of putters out there.

[dugue4]

11 hours ago, st1800e said:

No, it’s a Jeopardy answer, question is “where can we drive our cart today?” 
😉

Wouldn't that be, "What is cart path only?"

[Warrior42111]

Unpopular opinions for the forum

 

1.  I suck enough to have to spend energy caring about someone else's swing, music, what you wear, drinking, conversation. As long as you take care of the course you're fine.

 

2. Golf carts are good, playing in Florida summers I would struggle to walk then go play / take care of my kid. Also the way courses are designed here I still get about 5 miles walking while riding. 

 

3. Too many of us would rather tell new golfers what to do, rather than explain to them what to to do. You retain more info when explained and you don't come off as an douchecanoe that way making others get defensive. 

[KansasHacker]

Any course not designed to be walkable is a bad golf course.

 

Also, golf is only a sport if you walk the course. Using a cart is just driving around and hitting balls.

Edited February 7 by KansasHacker

[mshills]

Golfers spend too much energy concerned about what other golfers are doing:  how they are dressing, what they are talking about on the range, what kind of irons someone else is playing.

 

If your music is quiet enough that it doesn't disturb me, I'm good.

If you don't blow smoke in my grill, leave butts on the ground, or ash on the greens and tee boxes, I'm good.

If you get hungry for sunflower seeds, as long as you don't spit the shells everywhere, I'm good.

Golf is a sport.  It's 85 degrees and 88% humidity?  If you're not wearing shorts you are crazy!

Emulating TW with the mock collar shirt like it's 2002?  All good, you do you.

Want a beer during the round?  Cool.  Want 18 beers?  NOT COOL.

[PuffyC]

On 2/1/2024 at 6:49 AM, smoova said:

 

I don't disagree.  Do you think golfers would be willing to pay the exact same rate for a 15-hole round that they do for an 18-hole round?

 

Not a chance. If we have a choice of 2 different courses where one is 15 and the other 18 but both are charging the same rate, we're never playing the 15. And you know that's how it would go. You can cut 3 holes off the course but nobody's lowering their rates to match.

 

As to golf cart hostility, that's often the only time you get to really chat with who you're playing with assuming that matters to you. Plus if we're a foursome and the other 3 insist on riding I'm not going to lone wolf it even if I would (and do) prefer walking. Might as well go out as a single. Besides, if it's the exercise angle you're looking for, I've counted steps walking vs riding and the difference is less than 20%. Park your car a half mile up the street or take a 20 minute walk that evening and you'll break even.

[Double Mocha Man]

10 minutes ago, PuffyC said:

As to golf cart hostility, that's often the only time you get to really chat with who you're playing with assuming that matters to you.

 

The guys I play with are usually all walkers.  If I want to chat with one guy I'll walk alongside him as he's on his way to his ball, off to the right, in the rough.  I'll veer off with 50 yards to go to get to my ball, left center of fairway.  I'm hitting my ball 10 seconds after he hits his ball.  And we got in some good conversation.

[TiScape]

I’m regularly being grouped with strangers as most of my rounds are my son and I. As a very social person I often find myself talking with someone we just recently met while waiting for a green or fw to clear. Typically until my son glares at me and mouths ‘shhh, he’s about to hit’. Thanks son 😊

[gripandrip]

7 hours ago, dugue4 said:

Wouldn't that be, "What is cart path only?"

I guess that would depend on who you're asking. 😳