Course Marshall stories

[Left53]

Everyone must have one.

Last year I was the first one at my local course when it opened on temp greens.My group had the first tee time and there wasn't anyone behind us however the marshall kept telling us to improve our pace.perhaps he was just getting in form for the real season since our bunkers were filled with snow.

[Supra GTR]

For the most recent one: I hit a wedge shot and hit the divot into the pond, so I could not fix that, and the Marshall went off on my for a minute or two. And the list goes on and on and on for hours.

[RobGW]

The most aggravated I ever got was a marshal blaming us for the slow pace for the entire course, even though we were always waiting on the group in front of us. They were waiting for the group in front of them, etc. - it was backed up all over. The marshal seems to have decided we were the problem, and gave us grief for a number of holes in a row. At a short par 5 I had a little less than 200 for my second shot, and was waiting for the green to clear. The marshal went ballistic on me, and ordered me to hit my shot, "NOW!" I told him I would not hit into people intentionally, and he said something to the effect of, only in your dreams can you hit it that far. Fortunately the green cleared before it escalated any further, and I hit it to the right fringe (I was shaking mad, so I'm surprised it was that decent). Unbeknownst to me one of the other guys in the group pulled out his phone and called the clubhouse to complain. 15 minutes later the marshal came back hopping mad. The guy who called flipped him off. The marshal said he was going for the cops, but never came back. We made a complaint after the round, and I even mailed a letter to the manager the next day. Never heard anything, and I have never gone back to that course (it also wasn't my first bad experience there).

[Jim Clark]

A member at our club went into a tirade at a marshal who was trying to get their group moving. They were way out of position and backing up the course on a busy weekday afternoon. The 2nd time he talked to the member, the guy went nuts. He was playing with three guests, probably customers or clients. This marshal was a nice guy and always VERY polite when asking people to please pick up their pace. The member was way out of line and probably should have been suspended for the way he treated the marshal. Weekday afternoons in the summer can get really slow because members will bring three guests (usually customers or clients) who don't play much and most probably play public courses where 5+ hours is the norm. It's the member's responsibility to keep them moving. He should lecture them before the start of the round on the importance of keeping up, and insist on "ready" golf.

[KYMAR]

Playing in a 3some at a very busy track and we always know this is going to take 5 hours plus on weekends. But it is a super course and we were prepared for it. there was a 2 some walking 2 groups in front of us. (NO idea why a 2 some was allowed out at all, but whatever) and the one guy was struggling! Imagine your NFL teams biggest lineman walking the hilliest course you have. That was this cat.

Anyway, between is this group of 4 teenagers. They all seemed somewhat competent and could get the ball around decently enough. We were waiting every shot, but so where they. So we get to a par 3 and this marshall comes up and tells us that he is going to tell the kids to let us hit up before they putt out. So he drives down there, screams these instructions to them and quickly drives away. it was OBVIOUS none of these kids understood what he was trying to say, so they proceed to finish out the hole. This was not at all bothersome to us because we knew they were not the problem. But, the ranger comes back from where he went and sees them walking off the green and absolutely lays into these kids. It was Brutal! "I told you to let them hit up to the God d****** green! Are you deaf or stupid?!" I could hear this from the tee!! On and on he goes. These kids are standing there in stunned silence. So he comes back up the cart path right past the tee and the look on this guys face was intense. Almost scary. So we play the hole and get to the next tee and the kids are there waiting and man, it was a horrible seen. This one kid couldn't have been more than 13-14 and he had obviously been crying. They were debating even continuing to play. We talked to them and and assured them we did not share the rangers opinion that they were to blame for the pace of play. We had a few minutes with them and we got them to see it for what it was.

After the round, I spotted the ranger and told him I thought it was way out of line the way he talked to those kids. He said i was right and that he had sought them out in the clubhouse after they were done (they only played 9) and apologized and he apologized to us too, he explained that he was frustrated by the walking lineman group and there was nothing he could do to speed them up so he was trying to compensate by making the squeeze behind them that much tighter. Seemed sincere enough so that was cool. Sorry this was so long.

[Goldenhawk]

During a scramble tournament last year, the course marshall was caught/seen by several people swiping and removing golf balls from play. When confronted by one person in my foursome, the marshall told him that he's taking balls off the course to speed up play. Lame excuse, considering he never gave the golf balls back.

[mshills]

After the round, I spotted the ranger and told him I thought it was way out of line the way he talked to those kids. He said i was right and that he had sought them out in the clubhouse after they were done (they only played 9) and apologized and he apologized to us too, he explained that he was frustrated by the walking lineman group and there was nothing he could do to speed them up so he was trying to compensate by making the squeeze behind them that much tighter. Seemed sincere enough so that was cool. Sorry this was so long.

 

That is absolutely not cool, and is completely unacceptable. I would do everything I could to see that marshal lose his job. Apology or not, if I'm running that course, that guy is fired on the spot. Where else could you curse out a 13-year-old and expect to keep your job? Way to grow the game. Well done.

[KYMAR]

After the round, I spotted the ranger and told him I thought it was way out of line the way he talked to those kids. He said i was right and that he had sought them out in the clubhouse after they were done (they only played 9) and apologized and he apologized to us too, he explained that he was frustrated by the walking lineman group and there was nothing he could do to speed them up so he was trying to compensate by making the squeeze behind them that much tighter. Seemed sincere enough so that was cool. Sorry this was so long.

 

That is absolutely not cool, and is completely unacceptable. I would do everything I could to see that marshal lose his job. Apology or not, if I'm running that course, that guy is fired on the spot. Where else could you curse out a 13-year-old and expect to keep your job? Way to grow the game. Well done.

 

I totally agree with this. And I was ready to lay in to the guy if he defended it, but he sort of took my ammo away when he agreed and made a point to say that he sought them out. I have no idea what that conversation consisted of, I do know that the guy felt really bad. And who knows what else the guy is dealing with that made him go off like that. If the guy had acted like he had done nothing wrong then i would have taken the issue to management, but you can see sincerity in someone in a situation like this and i believe the guy was sincere in his guilt over it. No sense in kicking the guy at that point. he knew what he had done and did his best to make it as right as he could.

[richard t]

I've been a teacher for 30+ years. There have been times... With kids or adults, in whatever the situation, if you are the person in the authority position and you cannot control your own anger/rage/frustration then - out,- done -go. I always think what if the situation was reversed? How would he/you/me feel? Also, what if one of those kids had lost it and hit him with a club? Whose the adult here? He'd be gone off my course apology or not.

[jholz]

Not a marshal story, per se, but rather a starter story. I was playing by myself at a local resort course where I used to be a member about three years ago. The starter, a typical bonehead retiree hacker working at the course for free golf, was sitting in a cart near the first tee box and after checking my receipt and telling me the tee was mine, he got out of his cart and followed me to the tee box for some reason. I was a bit nonplussed as he stood silently behind me while I got my things together, stretched a bit, and took a few practice swings waiting for the group in front of me to clear the fairway, but I did my best to ignore him. Once the group in the fairway was clear I teed up, lined up, and went to address the ball. The entire time the starter stood behind me on the tee box, not saying or doing anything - he just stood there. "Whatever," I thought. The tee box was mine. Right as I begin taking my swing the guy starts shouting "Whoa! Hold up there!" and he comes waddling over to me with his arms up and a pissed off look on his face. I stop mid-swing, totally freaked out and turn to look at him. "What the hell could be wrong here?" I wondered.

So I say "What? What's the problem?" And the starter pompously replies, "Well, we like to put a bit more distance in between groups out here. You should wait until the group in front of you has cleared the green before you tee off." Now being a member I knew this was a load, but honestly that wasn't what pissed me off. If the dude wanted to tell me that, he obviously had a lot of opportunity to do so before I stepped over my ball. So I question the guy on the point. I say "Why did you wait so long to tell me? Much less, why did you very purposely walk over to the tee box with me, stand behind me for ten minutes and not say something sooner?" His reply, "I was looking out at the lake and wasn't paying attention."

Man, I saw red and I started laying into the guy, verbally of course. I start shouting at him: "You do work here, don't you? They do pay you don't they? I don't think they are paying you to stare at the lake all day. etc. etc. etc." I don't think I have ever dressed anyone down so thoroughly or so well before in my life and as a teacher, I get plenty of opportunity. I know it is hard to find good help these days, but with the increasingly common practice of courses hiring a bunch of guys who think they are on vacation to act as marshals and starters, the quality of golf course employees has certainly seemed to diminish. What the hell was that dude thinking?

[rvgolfer]

The marshalls on a course we play frequently are known for their lack of common sense,,one example,,today,,when my ball was very close to a removable 150 yard marker, we were told in no uncertain terms that we should move our ball rather than remove the marker. Now this isnt a marker stake,,its a removable yardage marker in the center of the fairway, and is removed each time the fairway is mowed.

It seems that there are absolutely no qualifications to actually be a marshall,,except to be willing to work for peanuts.

[mickw]

[quote name='KYMAR' timestamp='1328193898' post='4196883']
Playing in a 3some at a very busy track and we always know this is going to take 5 hours plus on weekends. But it is a super course and we were prepared for it. there was a 2 some walking 2 groups in front of us. (NO idea why a 2 some was allowed out at all, but whatever) and the one guy was struggling! Imagine your NFL teams biggest lineman walking the hilliest course you have. That was this cat.

Anyway, between is this group of 4 teenagers. They all seemed somewhat competent and could get the ball around decently enough. We were waiting every shot, but so where they. So we get to a par 3 and this marshall comes up and tells us that he is going to tell the kids to let us hit up before they putt out. So he drives down there, screams these instructions to them and quickly drives away. it was OBVIOUS none of these kids understood what he was trying to say, so they proceed to finish out the hole. This was not at all bothersome to us because we knew they were not the problem. But, the ranger comes back from where he went and sees them walking off the green and absolutely lays into these kids. It was Brutal! "I told you to let them hit up to the God d****** green! Are you deaf or stupid?!" I could hear this from the tee!! On and on he goes. These kids are standing there in stunned silence. So he comes back up the cart path right past the tee and the look on this guys face was intense. Almost scary. So we play the hole and get to the next tee and the kids are there waiting and man, it was a horrible seen. This one kid couldn't have been more than 13-14 and he had obviously been crying. They were debating even continuing to play. We talked to them and and assured them we did not share the rangers opinion that they were to blame for the pace of play. We had a few minutes with them and we got them to see it for what it was.

After the round, I spotted the ranger and told him I thought it was way out of line the way he talked to those kids. He said i was right and that he had sought them out in the clubhouse after they were done (they only played 9) and apologized and he apologized to us too, he explained that he was frustrated by the walking lineman group and there was nothing he could do to speed them up so he was trying to compensate by making the squeeze behind them that much tighter. Seemed sincere enough so that was cool. Sorry this was so long.
[/quote]

The sad reality of this situation is that it's easier (read: safer) to yell at a group of youngsters than it is a hulking lineman...and still walk away with your teeth intact. He took the easy way out when he hit his boiling point...

[+Church]

[size="3"][/size]I was playing a local course and it wasn't very busy out,but the pro shop did a poor job spacing out groups. There was a threesome incarts in front of myself and my guest, we were using pushcarts, and a foursomebehind us in carts. The threesome consisted of three middle aged guys that couldn't hitthe ball more than 75 yards. We caught up to them rather quickly, playedappropriate shots into the fairway and never hit approach shots with them nearthe green. Multiple times we finished our hole before they all took their nexttee shots. Anyways, we had to wait because they were not ok with us passing.Which I feel was rude but if it was fine by me, it was a beautiful day, and Iwasn't in a hurry. Since we had to wait on the tee, the foursome caught up tous. The "leader" of the group asked(in a yelling manner) why wehaven't taken our tee shots. I replied "because the other players are inthe fairway, you guys are more than welcome to play through if you're in ahurry." He said no, just hit the damn ball... Ok, I waited until the groupin front was out of the way and took my tee shot. The foursome started hittingtheir tee shots before we even got to our balls. We stopped at the next tee boxand said "guys, we insist. Just play through us." The leader guyagain said no, he said "just pick up the pace." Now I'm a little frustrated. Isaid sir, I’m not comfortable hitting a ball at someone and since you areplease go ahead, we'll wait. He just kept telling me to go, and get going. Themarshall came over and asked what the problem was. The guy said that wewouldn't go and were slowing the pace of play. The marshall asked him why don't youguys just play through. he says, we're just out trying to have a fun day andthese guys are ruining it. I walked away and took my tee shot, I was so donetalking to this guy. The marshall later pulled us aside and suggested if we'renot going to abide by the rules we should try and find another course to play.I explained my side of the story, and the marshall simply walked away in themiddle of my sentence. Turns out complaing to the pro shop doesn't get you anywhere either. I'm not sure why being in my 20's makes me such a bad person in the eye of, well, most golfers i've encountered at the course.

[size="3"][/size]

[jholz]

[quote name='+Church' timestamp='1328623059' post='4229699']
[b]I'm not sure why being in my 20's makes me such a bad person in the eye of, well, most golfers i've encountered at the course.[/b]


[/quote]

Right there with you dude. With age comes the delusion of privilege I guess.