Most ridiculous thing heard on the range

[Need4spd]

Not on the range, but just a couple days ago I overheard someone say to his group of buddies on the practice putting green that Odyssey is the best and most expensive putter you can buy.

 

Hopefully you’ve got a couple spare Odyssey’s in the trunk. Walk over and tell him you’ll sell them to him “cheap”!

 

Not a bad idea. I have three or four ready to go on the BST as soon as I take pictures of them, too bad I didn’t have them on me that day.

[FourTops]

A guy shanking while playing Dancing Queen by ABBA.

[finleysg]

Not exactly something I heard on the range, but I was amused at the old guy above me using his ball retriever to fish a few extra shots out of the net:

 

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[MountainGoat]

"Man, you've got a beautiful swing."

[Birdie Mac]

"Yeah, I've had that same problem in the past, but I've worked hard on it and got it figured out. Here's what I do..." *clank!* "Ok, well, something like that anyways..."

[evansmar004]

"I got thirty more yards and hit more FW with this Twist Face". Ha ha ha

 

(And I play a TM Driver btw...2016 M2)

[Jrhemming]

A dad forcing his 5 year old son to learn a pre-shot routine. Have seen him and his wife forcing the kid to hit balls almost daily for well over a year now. Most of their sessions turn to negotiations where Jr is trying to get done sooner so he can get off the range.

 

That's terrible :(

We gonna be like Tiger Woods and his daddy!

[golfman79]

Heard an Assistant Pro tell a student "No golfers on the PGA Tour ever want to hit a straight ball."

[Pieter P]

Warming up on the range a few years ago, before the last round out a local tournament.

Heard the most awful sound of ball and club making contact behind me, followed by grunts of someone in physical pain.

Looked around and saw a mate of mine that I was paired with for the final round warming up. We were a few shots behind the leaders.

 

He hit it terribly on the range - thin, left , right, fat etc. and I was thankful that I would probably not bring in the worst score of our group that day.

 

He had a screamer of around, 67 of the stick, making every putt he looks at, hitting it beautifully, winning with a few too spare.

 

I still tease him about that awful warm-up on the range that day.

[3offthetee2]

“Jim, if you wear cargo shorts one more time to the course im gonna fill them with bricks and toss you in the pond.”

[deadsolid...shank]

“Jim, if you wear cargo shorts one more time to the course im gonna fill them with bricks and toss you in the pond.”

 

That’s too funny. I bet Jim takes the money most of the time, he’s in that guy’s head big time, before they ever hit a ball.

[ebrasmus21]

“Jim, if you wear cargo shorts one more time to the course im gonna fill them with bricks and toss you in the pond.”

 

That’s too funny. I bet Jim takes the money most of the time, he’s in that guy’s head big time, before they ever hit a ball.

 

 

Jim probably also goes driver, 3w, 5w, 7w, hybrid, hybrid, hybrid to start out his bag.

 

Never play for money when the other guy is wearing cargo shorts with that bag.

[archer1]

This is from a few years back. Teaching professional at the Turnberry resort after introducing himself to a seven year old boy whose father had brought him in for a lesson - "So, what are you working on?".

[kp6622]

"I can't practice off mats. It's not even worth hitting balls if you can't take a divot."

 

Also saw one guy telling his friend you want to swing more "in to out" to fix his slice and then demonstrated by ripping the club back waaayyyyyyy inside and then coming down super over the top - "inside -> outside".

[starsail85]

I once got asked by a guy at the range about some of the local

Players in the area and if I knew “somebody” , I said pretty well

( he asked me if I knew me)

[shoot4par]

Heard an Assistant Pro tell a student "No golfers on the PGA Tour ever want to hit a straight ball."

 

Think Henrik Stenson would debate that

[3_Jack_Par]

Had this happen recently, empty driving range except for a few guys hitting off mats. I walk to the end with my small bucket to hit off the grass, checking out some wedges. Two kids walk up and park it 5 ft to my back side, one kid had two large plastic range buckets (empty) the other two large full buckets. Kid with the empty buckets throws down a ball and frames the it with the buckets. He then sayʻs to his buddy “ this will get rid of your slice “ he then takes out a 5 wood and blasts the outside bucket waist high at me i give it the “oleʻ” move and give em the “WTH” look. lol

Kid is petrified, i said letʻs try this guys. “Give me two teeʻs, letʻs put one back right and front left (gate drill) now you wonʻt smack anybody and maybe help get rid of the slice.” They looked relieved. Probably about 10-12 yrs old.

 

Good on you GW for helping them out instead of just chewing them out.

Absolutely—I don’t understand the mentality of someone who would get mad rather than help in that situation, but it seems like that’s a more common reaction than I’d like to think.

[BIG STU]

Had this happen recently, empty driving range except for a few guys hitting off mats. I walk to the end with my small bucket to hit off the grass, checking out some wedges. Two kids walk up and park it 5 ft to my back side, one kid had two large plastic range buckets (empty) the other two large full buckets. Kid with the empty buckets throws down a ball and frames the it with the buckets. He then sayʻs to his buddy " this will get rid of your slice " he then takes out a 5 wood and blasts the outside bucket waist high at me i give it the "oleʻ" move and give em the "WTH" look. lol

Kid is petrified, i said letʻs try this guys. "Give me two teeʻs, letʻs put one back right and front left (gate drill) now you wonʻt smack anybody and maybe help get rid of the slice." They looked relieved. Probably about 10-12 yrs old.

 

Good on you GW for helping them out instead of just chewing them out.

Absolutely—I don't understand the mentality of someone who would get mad rather than help in that situation, but it seems like that's a more common reaction than I'd like to think.

3 Jack I am with you 110% with you and GW on that one. Some folks say I am a big and intimidating guy but I do not try to carry myself that way. Basically I describe myself as happy go lucky do not give two hoots. In that case I would have laughed my a** off and proceeded to help them as GW did. Some people are born a**hats and some work at it all their lives. Not to be misleading I can use my stature and intimidation factor when and if needed but I prefer not to

[BIG STU]

Got a new one to add to all of this. Tuesday I was at my home course going to the range. Now we have one of those new ball dispensers that uses the tokens etc. Now I keep plenty of tokens so I do not have to go inside and deal with the tourons that can not find their arsses with both hands and a flashlight. Any how I put my token in and promptly got 6 balls. LOL I went inside and asked the assistant Pro WTF. He laughs and said it was more than likely out of balls and he came out with me. I helped him unlock the machine and it was out. So he went in the back to get some> I was standing there and this guy walked up and asked if the machine was working? I told him it was out of balls and they were bringing up some from the back He asked but does it work? I just looked at him dumbfounded typical touron snowbird. He then proceeded to try to take the 6 balls in my basket under the chute. I told him those were my balls and he got the deer in the headlights look. The assistant came out with the containers of balls and told me to scoop me some. That guy attempted to do the same thing and he did not have a token. The assistant stopped him. the guy asked why I could do that and he could not? The assistant told him because I had already paid for a token and besides I was a member. He told the guy go in and get a token and he could scoop his. I just snorted and laughed as I made my way to the range. Never saw the guy on the range or practice area. I think he was trying to scam balls

[RichieHunt]

A father talking to his 10 year old son about the different torques (alpha, beta and gamma) in the golf swing when the kid couldn't break 50 for 9 holes. What was equally ridiculous posting this on Facebook and the question (seriously) was 'is he a trained biomechanist?'

 

If you're from the Syracuse area and played golf in the 90's, you probably know who I'm talking about, but there was one pro who used to sell clubs at super cheap rates, but they would take...for whatever reason...9 weeks to ship to you. One day we were at his range minding our business and out of nowhere he comes up charging at my friend and yelling really loud 'THAT'S THE WRONG CLUB! THAT'S THE WRONG CLUB FOR YOU!! and went on a tirade over how my friend was hitting a driver that doesn't fit him. Then another friend of mine got a lesson from him later on and I watched and I think half of the discussion was about his conspiracy theories in life.

 

One of my friends had a swing that changed more planes than a stewardess (I'll be here all week). Our HS just got one of this swing plane trainers made out of PVC pipe. We finally got him on it and after a few slow motion swings we told him to take a full speed swing and in just 1 swing...he obliterates the whole thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[sheppy335]

Wwwwwwhhhhhhhaaaaaaaa?????

[Dustin_J]

"You look like you know what you're doing!", some very pleasant stranger said to me. I proceed to Army March (left...right...left..right..left) the next handful of shots before my head fully deflated.

[BIG STU]

A father talking to his 10 year old son about the different torques (alpha, beta and gamma) in the golf swing when the kid couldn't break 50 for 9 holes. What was equally ridiculous posting this on Facebook and the question (seriously) was 'is he a trained biomechanist?'

 

If you're from the Syracuse area and played golf in the 90's, you probably know who I'm talking about, but there was one pro who used to sell clubs at super cheap rates, but they would take...for whatever reason...9 weeks to ship to you. One day we were at his range minding our business and out of nowhere he comes up charging at my friend and yelling really loud 'THAT'S THE WRONG CLUB! THAT'S THE WRONG CLUB FOR YOU!! and went on a tirade over how my friend was hitting a driver that doesn't fit him. Then another friend of mine got a lesson from him later on and I watched and I think half of the discussion was about his conspiracy theories in life.

 

One of my friends had a swing that changed more planes than a stewardess (I'll be here all week). Our HS just got one of this swing plane trainers made out of PVC pipe. We finally got him on it and after a few slow motion swings we told him to take a full speed swing and in just 1 swing...he obliterates the whole thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

Richie you will know where this place is because you spent time in Myrtle. I was over at Indigo Creek a few years back on the range minding my own business. Now they have this crackpot golf instructor trying to teach golf and he had a student. Like I said I was minding my own business hitting balls. He told this student " see that guy over there he lays the club off at the top?" talking about me. I ignored him until about the 3rd time and the student which was a older guy said " well he might be laying it off as you said but he is hitting it pretty well" . I could not resist and told the instructor--- You do not know crap about golf because I do lay it off at the top but loop it down in the slot on the downswing. You did not tell him this did you? I told him that when he was done with the student the 10th tee was open and he could play me straight up for $100 9 holes. He did not take me up on it and went in and complained to the Pro/ General manager. Which the pro knows me well. The pro asked me about it and I told him what happened. The Pro said "well he should have never said that" he also added that the instructor better be glad he did not take me up on the bet. In those days I had a longer backswing and had a pronounced loop to get the club on plane in the hitting zone. That was an entirely natural move on my part. Now with age (this was more than 10 years ago) I do not pull the club back as far and so I do not have much of the loop anymore. I actually ran into the student at a restaurant a week or so later. He wanted to know if I taught golf? I told him no that what I did could not be taught that it was a natural homemade swing. I do not think that guy is there anymore but I really do not go over there any more. I hang my shingle so to speak at Indian Wells

[TomBomb51]

This was more of a "what I saw at the range" story, but here goes.

 

Me and a buddy went to the local golf dome for a Taylormade Demo day. I was next in line and got the hitting bay with the Flightscope, which was awesome as I have never really been on a monitor before. I show him my current driver and he gets me in an M2 with a non Handcrafted HZRDUS Yellow 6.5. My swing speed is about 108-110 with driver, poking it out about 275-280. While my friend waits for me to hit a few, he was going to step in. A young kid comes up behind him and starts talking to him, looking at my numbers on the iPad. Questioning what it was, how cool it was, like hes never seen one before. After I wack a few, he asks if he can give it a shot. Sets up, real narrow stance, pipes one with a draw and it hit the back of the dome in a heartbeat. I didnt even look at the iPad at first and as soon as he hit it I just say "you sandbaggiin son of a b****"...He just smirks and says "WHAT!?". Look at his numbers, 120 clubhead speed, 320 carry, 335 total.

 

Dude was a plus 2 handicap at one of the harder local courses and the NJCAA D3 National Champion. Weirdest moment of my 20 year golfing life.

 

This story gets even weirder.

 

I was playing in the CNY Tournament of Champions last fall. I see a name on the board in the open division, name sounds REALLY familiar. I ask him about his name, its this dude's father! (story in quoted post) We played in the same group and I guess his son is now in Florida playing in mini tours "trying to make it".

 

I chipped in on 18 for a 77 and he 3 putted for a 77 and I beat him in the first playoff hole :)

[wheelman]

Some dude takes the stall next to me at the range and I notice he’s barefoot. He proceeds to do yoga poses for the next five minutes, and I’m thinking this must be the most zen golfer out there.

 

Finally takes his first swing, badly shanks the ball, then unleashes a flurry of curse words while slamming his club against the ground!

[TomBomb51]

I could seriously post here every week when I go to the local golf dome...

 

I was with a buddy and he took the bay directly in front of me, then the bay in front of him was open. In rolls a guy with a PXG hat and his GF. She sits down behind the fence and he takes some practice swings. I dont remember what bag he had, but I noticed jet black SM7s and PXG irons. I was like hot damn, we got a player in here!

 

Boy, I couldnt be more wrong. After like 30 or 40 minutes of ONLY 20 yard chips (thats normally fine, but upstate NY in the middle of winter, I feel like most GOOD golfers really want to take as many full swings as possible since we cant really golf this time of year), he ups his chips to about 50 yards and cold shanks about 5 in a row. Okay, maybe he just has a case of them. Starts going through the bag and barely reaching the end of the 95 yard dome with mid irons. I couldnt believe it. Takes out driver, brand new TS3, and skied about 5 in a row. It hurt to watch and hear.

 

His girfriend was video'ing him, thats fine....but maybe spend less on the bag and more on some lessons?

[Jimjam651]

Not sure if this would count as 'overheard'

 

However as I was walking down the range a poor chap, who was wearing business shoes presumably with no grip, went flying during a swing... did a full twist and fell through the net dividing the bays!!

 

Sadly I wasn't paying attention until i heard it happen and don't know if he went during the backswing or downswing:(

 

 

[TIM929]

Some dude takes the stall next to me at the range and I notice he’s barefoot. He proceeds to do yoga poses for the next five minutes, and I’m thinking this must be the most zen golfer out there.

 

Finally takes his first swing, badly shanks the ball, then unleashes a flurry of curse words while slamming his club against the ground!

HAHHAHAHHAHHHAHA!

[USCHawks31]

I could seriously post here every week when I go to the local golf dome...

 

I was with a buddy and he took the bay directly in front of me, then the bay in front of him was open. In rolls a guy with a PXG hat and his GF. She sits down behind the fence and he takes some practice swings. I dont remember what bag he had, but I noticed jet black SM7s and PXG irons. I was like hot damn, we got a player in here!

 

Boy, I couldnt be more wrong. After like 30 or 40 minutes of ONLY 20 yard chips (thats normally fine, but upstate NY in the middle of winter, I feel like most GOOD golfers really want to take as many full swings as possible since we cant really golf this time of year), he ups his chips to about 50 yards and cold shanks about 5 in a row. Okay, maybe he just has a case of them. Starts going through the bag and barely reaching the end of the 95 yard dome with mid irons. I couldnt believe it. Takes out driver, brand new TS3, and skied about 5 in a row. It hurt to watch and hear.

 

His girfriend was video'ing him, thats fine....but maybe spend less on the bag and more on some lessons?

 

This really wouldn't bother me one bit. Sure, he may be a s*** golfer with nice equipment, but as long as he isn't boasting about how great he usually hits it and is just doing his thing then I'll have no problems.

[sprcoop]

Not sure if this would count as 'overheard'

 

However as I was walking down the range a poor chap, who was wearing business shoes presumably with no grip, went flying during a swing... did a full twist and fell through the net dividing the bays!!

 

Sadly I wasn't paying attention until i heard it happen and don't know if he went during the backswing or downswing:(

 

Played with a random visiting Tucson one round, nice guy. He ended up about 2 over. Found out after the round he was using borrowed clubs and wearing wing tip street shoes. Teaching pro.