Why do people do this?

[MUNIGRIT]

Watching the Senior open and Kelly did one of the most disgusting things I see golfers do and never seen a tour pro do it. 

 

Why do people lick their golf ball or like Kelly put the whole ball in your mouth to clean it? Freaking disgusting. That ball has been rolling through goose feces and other mud, Fertilizer and other bacteria.  Don't be that guy.

[phizzy30]

Happens all the time in baseball when pitchers lick their fingers after touching the rosin bag and the baseball.  I think it becomes a habit.  Yes, it's disgusting but we all have our idiosyncrasies. 

[jholz]

My brother used to do it. I think it was a generational thing in the 80's and 90's. When I caddied for him, I would see a lot of players his age doing the same thing.

[JeffreySpicoli]

I would never put a ball in my mouth. But that’s just me.

[MrFlipper]

When I was a teenager everyone did this, you clean the ball in your mouth, take the ball out, then spit out the dirt. I'm 64 now, not that much older than Jerry Kelly.

 

I quit when I read that curtis strange thought his dad got cancer from licking golf balls, long time ago. Hardly ever see anyone do it anymore, even old guys. Spitting on the ball is as close as I get nowadays.

[Break68]

Disgusting!!!

 

[caniac6]

I'll be 67 next month, and have been playing since I was 13. I have never done this. Never thought about doing this. Also, I worked at courses, and know what kind of crap is sprayed on greens.

[Gsea]

22 minutes ago, caniac6 said:

I'll be 67 next month, and have been playing since I was 13. I have never done this. Never thought about doing this. Also, I worked at courses, and know what kind of crap is sprayed on greens.

100%, and the old school bs everyone did it, is stupid is as stupid does, what an excuse.

[Soloman1]

 

As my grumpy old father used to say, "Son, just because somebody else is stupid doesn't mean you have to be stupid."

[Loki]

I grew up in the same county Kelly did, just a couple years older.

 

And I worked at a CC setting cups, etc. so I knew about the chemicals they were throwing around. During a HS practice round, another kid was licking his ball. I said "Do you know the stuff they put on the ground in fertilizer?" I got a "Shut up" back. Like someone else said, you can't fix stupid.

[RSinSG]

I started a thread on this several years ago that has a link about a fellow who had both legs amputated after contracting meningitis from licking golf balls. Just don’t do it. 
 

 

[Ghostwedge]

H*ll

I cringe every time Drew Brees licked his fingers when breaking the huddle.

Guilty of sticking a tee on my mouth on occasion ( not a used one.) lol

[diddy2]

I saw that too and was thinking the same thing, definitely prefer a towel to clean my ball but that’s just me 

[Ferguson]

65% of people do not wash their hands after using the bathroom.   

 

[dlygrisse]

60% of the people in the world don’t have a flushing toilet. 

Edited July 27, 2021 by dlygrisse

[llewol007]

I played with a player like that who licked his golf ball. One time, I noticed that spray fertilizer on it and to my surprise he did it again but this time spit it out. Well he isnt around anymore. For some reason, they have him stand on end of the waters edge by the pier to help guide boats in during blinding storms. 

[lefthack]

On 7/26/2021 at 1:35 PM, JeffreySpicoli said:

I would never put a ball in my mouth. But that’s just me.

 

What you do with your balls is your business. Just saying.

 

<edit> I barely wipe my ball off half the time. 🤣

Edited July 27, 2021 by lefthack

[LeoLeo99]

No worries for me.  My mouth doesn't open far enough to fit a golf ball.  

[miamistomp]

 My dog does it, but those are his balls 

 

 

[erikro]

[ohioglfr]

There are other gross things.  Like tour players finishing a round, remove their hat, run their hand through their sweaty hair, then use the same hand to shake hands with everybody.

[bscinstnct]

Why not just walk around and pick up random stuff on the ground and put it in you mouth? Lol

 

Goose crap? yum

 

Discarded gum? There you go

 

Dead worm? Tasty

 

 

[Baitkiller]

All these boys act like they never drank hose water. Shake my damn head.

[dropkicked]

wtf

[bscinstnct]

12 minutes ago, Baitkiller said:

All these boys act like they never drank hose water. Shake my damn head.

 

You reminded me in Uncle Rico football back in the day. Wasn’t like now where you gotta give the kids water, prolly Gatorade, whenever they want.

 

Back then was very different….no water! You’d practice, then at the end of the first half of practice we’d all get in a line and this insane coach would hold a hose and you’d go to drink some. You’d maybe get one or two gulps and he’d be like,

 

Next!

 

And you had to clear out or they’d make you “king crab”.

 

Was total state of dehydration for the rest of practice! Pretty bad in retrospect…

[tiderider]

30 minutes ago, Baitkiller said:

All these boys act like they never drank hose water. Shake my damn head.

well water, at that ... grew up with it ... 

 

but i saw him do it live ... thought the same thing myself ... man, don't do that ...

[MattyO1984]

I played with a guy a few years ago, maybe even 10 plus years ago. On the putting green, he marked his ball, licked it cleaned and then dried it by wiping it on his beard. 

[iBanesto]

"Licking your balls makes your shots go straighter." - Ben Hogan from Ben Hogan's Five Lessons.

[tacklingdummy]

Weird he would do it when he has a caddie. Better to spit on the grass and then rub the ball on the grass if you don't have a ball cleaner, but don't do it on the green. 

[RSinSG]

11 hours ago, bscinstnct said:

 

You reminded me in Uncle Rico football back in the day. Wasn’t like now where you gotta give the kids water, prolly Gatorade, whenever they want.

 

Back then was very different….no water! You’d practice, then at the end of the first half of practice we’d all get in a line and this insane coach would hold a hose and you’d go to drink some. You’d maybe get one or two gulps and he’d be like,

 

Next!

 

And you had to clear out or they’d make you “king crab”.

 

Was total state of dehydration for the rest of practice! Pretty bad in retrospect…

My short football was in the late 60’s - way before humans needed to drink water during strenuous physical activity. But not wanting to seem uncaring the staff handed out salt tablets like Halloween candy.

 

I learned that when we were told to take a knee for a lecture I looked for a sprinkler head so I could suck water from the slimy head. This was way before Uncle Rico who I’m sure had access to water whenever he wanted like my boys and grand sons have. Some change is good.