Ever find someone practicing on a hole you are playing right in the middle of the course?

Agatsu · October 16, 2008

The course is a nine hole muni known for the number of beginners and hackers but also as a quick place for any sort of player to get in some inexpensive practice. My brother and I were playing a quick nine there late one night a few weeks ago. As we walked onto the tee at the third hole we notice a single player putting on the green. At first I assumed he was the last player of the foursome ahead of us just finishing up. Then I see him bend down pick up a few balls and proceed to drop five or six balls and take practice putts. Like I said a lot of people practice here, but they are playing and usually appear to have paid and have the right to be on the course. It is not unknown for people to skip a hole or replay a hole depending on what part of their game they want to focus on. So I am usually not surprised to find different groups ahead or behind us at any given time.

We can now see that no one else is with him as he continues to practice his putting. As it became clear that he was not moving I waved my arms and yelled down the fairway to ask what he was doing? He looked up and waved us on. The thing about this hole is that it has two completely separate greens. The flags are alternated between them. The practicing guy was on the green with no flag today and was clearly there to just practice his putting. He didn’t even have a bag or any other clubs with him, just the putter and a number of balls. After we hit our shots up onto the green with the flag I walked over and asked him what he was doing?

He actually gave me a surprised look that basically said “what business is it of yours what I am doing here? What he said was: “Oh they know me here. I go to the club house tell them I’ll be practicing out here and they say OK”. Well the BS meter was clanging loudly at this point. I made the comment that not only was that not probable but that by standing where he was not only was he in danger of being hit by a ball but because we ( and other players) did not know what he was doing that he was holding up play for everyone on the course. He again insisted that “they” know him here and that they are ok with him practicing here. After a quick “UH-huh” I went back to my game and moved on.

I had asked if he lived in one of the houses that were a few yards away through some trees, to which he replied no. As we walked to the next tee were found a car pulled over on the side of the road, basically in the middle of nowhere. We could only assume it was his car and he had walked on. It was a nice car (bmw) he was maybe in his early thirties, not a kid who looked to need a cheap way to get in some practice. Plus the course has a practice putting green which never seems busy, let alone too crowded for him to have just gone there.

I was going to mention this odd occurrence to the guy in the starter shack but by the time we got back to the beginning it was dark and the shack was closed. There was no one to mention it too.

It was just so odd, but funny enough that I thought I’d share :rolleyes:

Walkin36 · October 16, 2008

I have no problem with it. He waved you on, and was on the green not in play. There is a course that I play alot that has a 9/pw par three completley over water that I find someone with a bag of balls hitting shots to it. The response is that the hole always gets them, and are just trying to get the shot down. I personally think it is great and have never run into anyone that has created a problem. The course probably does know he is there, and is not too concerned about it. He might know the guys, or play there really often. Who knows, he might own the place! I say leave him be, it isn't like it was Sunday, 10 AM, at your Counrty club...it was near dusk at a 9 hole muni out in the middle of nowwhere.

Hope that didn't sound rude, not intended to be. Just relax and enjoy the game.

atlanta golfer · October 16, 2008

I've got a better story than that. I was playing last year at North Fulton (Chastain Park) in Atlanta and a family (that obviously was not familiar with our American customs) walked from a nearby road right into the middle of the fairway and sat down to have a picnic. They motioned us on the tee, to go ahead and hit. But seeing as how they were sitting there right at about 240 yards out, we just didn't think it would be right to take that kind of risk with small children and women. After about ten minutes of hand waving and yelling, we finally persuaded them to move off the fairway and into the rough near a pond.

Dizz · October 16, 2008

I was playing a muni where I live and in between the 1st and 9th fairways is a big hill the city made into a sled hill for winter months. Doesn't really come into play on 1 but a pulled drive on 9 and it will. Well its about 90 degrees outside last summer and there was a kid sledding down the hill...just hilarious.

EC603ProSpec · October 16, 2008

this happens all the time with the homeowners that live on the course i play on. but one time, a guy in the middle of the fairway who was hitting balls onto the green on this par 4 waved us on to go ahead and tee off, so we did. while we were on our way to out to hit our balls he continued hitting his balls onto the green, then stopped to let us hit out approach shots. when we got up onto the green to make our putts, he started hitting more balls onto the green while we were putting! now, it was a big green and he was keeping his shots on the other side of the green from where we were, but my buddy got so pissed off that he started throwing the guys balls back at him and they actually started shoving each other around and i had to pull my buddy away! the guy said he wasnt hitting the balls near us on the green (which was true), but we just thought it was disrespectful to keep hitting balls up onto the green while we were putting out.... some people......

larrybud · October 16, 2008

The University course I play at has a lot of weddings and other events near the 17th green/18th tee. Couple of months ago this stream of kids come running down the path, just off the fairway, very much in the line of play. We were on the 18th tee, and tried to get their attention (in addition to the couple of adults that were there) and they ignored us. We attempted a number of times to move, but no reaction, so we eventually hit (full course behind us).

As we get up to hit our 2nd shot, the kids took off, and the two women are walking IN PLAY near the 18th green (maybe 100 yards short of the green). At this point, we're on the green, trying to tell her that she shouldn't be there because other golfers are going to be hitting up. Turns out she didn't speak a lick of English, and just continued to wander around the 18th fairway when we left. Utterly clueless.

Agatsu · October 16, 2008

Hope that didn't sound rude, not intended to be. Just relax and enjoy the game.

Hehe

carogers1

Noworries,....certainly not rude in my opinion. "Each to his own opinion" works for me. ; )

Honestly I usually don't have a problem with people doing any sort of extra practicing on the course as long as it isn't slowing me down. However in this case I still feel this guy is in the wrong he was in the way and only waved us up when I shouted to him.

I probably was far more concerned with one of my wayward shots hitting him than anything else. But also I am amazed at the boldness of some people, like the stories others have added here. Personally I could never have the nerve to practice in the middle of someone elses round.....the picnic is a great story...I'll add this there is another muni near me that is attached to a city park. While the biggest pond in the park is smack dead in the middle of the golf course people are always picnicing and fishing at the pond. But at least the pond does not come into play. It's set off to the side so the fishermen are not on the fairways or greens lol :rolleyes:

dan360 · October 17, 2008

The homeowners on the courses I play do this a lot.

They're pretty cordial and will clear the area for approaching golfers so can't say they are a pain.

smithjohnjr · October 17, 2008

Hope that didn't sound rude, not intended to be. Just relax and enjoy the game.

Hehe
carogers1
Noworries,....certainly not rude in my opinion. "Each to his own opinion" works for me. ; )

Honestly I usually don't have a problem with people doing any sort of extra practicing on the course as long as it isn't slowing me down. However in this case I still feel this guy is in the wrong he was in the way and only waved us up when I shouted to him.

I probably was far more concerned with one of my wayward shots hitting him than anything else. But also I am amazed at the boldness of some people, like the stories others have added here. Personally I could never have the nerve to practice in the middle of someone elses round.....the picnic is a great story...I'll add this there is another muni near me that is attached to a city park. While the biggest pond in the park is smack dead in the middle of the golf course people are always picnicing and fishing at the pond. But at least the pond does not come into play. It's set off to the side so the fishermen are not on the fairways or greens lol :rolleyes:

I think the part about your post I bolded is the funniest. Dont mean to be rude, but the boldness of people, and here you are questioning some one you dont know abou this why is there, who he knows and what is he doing to hold you up. That seems bold to me. It seems he did the right thing and wave you up. he probably didnt notice you.

my .02

jjj912 · October 17, 2008

I think that if you are practicing on or near a hole and a group arrives on the tee to play, you and your equipment needs to pull a disappearing trick so fast it would make Houdini's head spin. I find it distracting and annoying to have someone near the hole because you have to get their attention and get them to move out of the way. I don't want to hit you with one of my all-too-frequent offline shots and if you are anywhere near the hole (or the fairway for tee shots), you're within range.

As for the picnic group, they clearly didn't understand the risk of being hit by a golf ball. Grownups can usually get away with being hit (just to be clear, being hit by a golf ball is still a dangerous thing), but a kid has a real chance of being killed :( by a golf ball if he/she is hit.

Agatsu · October 17, 2008

Hope that didn't sound rude, not intended to be. Just relax and enjoy the game.

Hehe
carogers1
Noworries,....certainly not rude in my opinion. "Each to his own opinion" works for me. ; )

Honestly I usually don't have a problem with people doing any sort of extra practicing on the course as long as it isn't slowing me down. However in this case I still feel this guy is in the wrong he was in the way and only waved us up when I shouted to him.

I probably was far more concerned with one of my wayward shots hitting him than anything else. But also I am amazed at the boldness of some people, like the stories others have added here. Personally I could never have the nerve to practice in the middle of someone elses round.....the picnic is a great story...I'll add this there is another muni near me that is attached to a city park. While the biggest pond in the park is smack dead in the middle of the golf course people are always picnicing and fishing at the pond. But at least the pond does not come into play. It's set off to the side so the fishermen are not on the fairways or greens lol :rolleyes:
I think the part about your post I bolded is the funniest. Dont mean to be rude, but the boldness of people, and here you are questioning some one you dont know abou this why is there, who he knows and what is he doing to hold you up. That seems bold to me. It seems he did the right thing and wave you up. he probably didnt notice you.

my .02

Hmm interesting point smithjohnjr

I guess I look at it this way: I paid to play the course. It was clear that at this point he did not.

He may pay to play there every day but it was clear that he just walked on at this point. It is a town owned golf course. I paid for the right to play the course. I should have the right to play it free of others preventing my freedom of play. He was in danger of being hit by my golf ball which I more than likely would have been liable for any injuries he got from that hit.

I was just trying to point out to him in a more or less decent manner that I felt he had no right to be there. It's cool if you feel it's ok for people to practise on the middle of the course, I don't happen to agree with that though.

This isn't really weighing very heavily on me. LOL I just thought it was funny I had not run into some practising on the middle of the course before. However, from the replies in this thread I see that it is more common than I would have imagined.

oks871 · October 17, 2008

my bro and i do it when the course is empty, even at 2:00 on a friday afternoon

but we know when to stop and when we can

were relatively fast players, no to brag, just to make a point, the we played nine in 1:20

mfreeman · October 17, 2008

This a little off topic but some of these stories remind of a time at my course when some family was driving on a nearby road and accidentally turned on a cart path on a hole that we tee off over the street. they end up driving their car down a cart path in the middle of the course. absolutley hillarious they could figure that for a street or an entrance.

i would agree with the original OP that someone practicing, especially if they haven't paid, should clear well away from paying customers when they are playing the hole and should never come close to holding up play. i believe if they are practicing they should keep an eye on play behind and have any balls or clubs picked up and cleared by the time you get on the tee so you don't even notice them. my guess is if you were practicing in front of them and they were playing a round that they paid for they would flip out that you could do such a thing to them.

TMfan54 · October 17, 2008

love these stories.. i got a bunch but ill just share one for now.. i was playing a round and got paired with another single. turned out that he was the former club professional at montclair country club(where the NFL player, lpga (sybase?? or seomthing), and champions tour play once a year) so me and him play 16 and head to the 17th. mind you weve been waiting all day behind these guys, wouldnt really be a problem, but we were waiting minimum ten mintutes on the fairways and tees. the round was already at 5 and a half hours for just two guys! ok so anyway we get to the 17th and the guys in fron of us exit the green and are about 20 yards to the right. the guy im playing with is about 80 yards out hit his shot and lands 15 feet or so to the pin. out of nowhere (not exaggerating i swear) these guys all turn and start walking towards us. they get to us and start yelling at him for hitting. i started laughing! but then they got realll serious and got in his face and so he apologized. just to try and make them stop. he didnt do anytthing wrong. but they wouldnt stop yelling and now they were yelling at me. lol so me, being kinda pissed from waiting allllll day, give it right back to the guy.. they were palying from the tips and were all well over 100. so i said something about that and one guy came up to me and swung! haha i just moved outta the way and threw him to the ground. then the other three came up to us. now it was four on us two. they were 4 very small guys and im like 6 foot 185 pounds and the guy im with is about 6 4 220 and jacked. we woulda dominated them, but he just told me to get in the cart and we drove away.. one chased us but got tired and stopped ahahhaa. long story sorry but it was funny when it happened

EC603ProSpec · October 17, 2008

love these stories.. i got a bunch but ill just share one for now.. i was playing a round and got paired with another single. turned out that he was the former club professional at montclair country club(where the NFL player, lpga (sybase?? or seomthing), and champions tour play once a year) so me and him play 16 and head to the 17th. mind you weve been waiting all day behind these guys, wouldnt really be a problem, but we were waiting minimum ten mintutes on the fairways and tees. the round was already at 5 and a half hours for just two guys! ok so anyway we get to the 17th and the guys in fron of us exit the green and are about 20 yards to the right. the guy im playing with is about 80 yards out hit his shot and lands 15 feet or so to the pin. out of nowhere (not exaggerating i swear) these guys all turn and start walking towards us. they get to us and start yelling at him for hitting. i started laughing! but then they got realll serious and got in his face and so he apologized. just to try and make them stop. he didnt do anytthing wrong. but they wouldnt stop yelling and now they were yelling at me. lol so me, being kinda pissed from waiting allllll day, give it right back to the guy.. they were palying from the tips and were all well over 100. so i said something about that and one guy came up to me and swung! haha i just moved outta the way and threw him to the ground. then the other three came up to us. now it was four on us two. they were 4 very small guys and im like 6 foot 185 pounds and the guy im with is about 6 4 220 and jacked. we woulda dominated them, but he just told me to get in the cart and we drove away.. one chased us but got tired and stopped ahahhaa. long story sorry but it was funny when it happened

Good God! Talk about Grumpy Old Men! haha!