Head-shaking - your strangest experience on course?

[The Pearl]

I was paired up with a gentlemen while traveling with my wife. Big guy, probably 6 ft 6 in and about 275, but not particularly overweight, just big and strong, especially for someone that was about mid 40's. I can honestly say in all my years of golf I have never seen an individual swing so hard at a golf ball. By hole 3 he was as lathered up as a race horse. He started off being a terrific host as we were on his "preferred track" as he like to call it. His caddy tips and hole descriptions made Stevie Williams look like a wannabe. He scraped it pretty decently through the front 9, about a 44 or so. Of course this was well above his normal 9 score as he informed me.

It all came unglued on number 11. He hit a ball as solidly offline as anything I have ever seen in my life. The sound was piercing and the ball started like a rocket down the right side of the fairway and proceeded to what appeared be as making almost a 45 degree right hand turn mid-flight and continued to arc and climb to what I would estimate was 100 yds offline. His entire game snowballed in an angry fury with swing speed increasing with each pass at the ball. Think Jason Zubak on meth. I am not lying when I believe he lost 8 balls or so over the next 3 or 4 holes.

The piece de resistance came on 18. With water down the entire left side of the fairway, he came over the top on his DRIVER! with such fury that the ball started what seem on a direct path left at 45 degrees over the water. The dimples finally did their job on his, "I only play ProV's", and the ball proceed to curve, cut, fade, slice about 50 yds and plunk down right in the middle of the fairway. Here is the best part...

As the ball began to arc back to the fairway and with him posing in his finish with both feet facing the target, he proclaimed, "that one should be about 320". As we got to is ball, I lasered back to the hole and it read 245. He asked how far that was and I said "245" In a state of amazement he trudged over to me asked if you could shoot it. Too his credit he was very polite. He took my laser, turned to the tee and shot the hole marker. In stunning puzzlement he did it 3 more times. After the 3rd time, he calmly handed me the laser, said "You are right, 245. Not bad for a 5 wood"!

His second to 18 was a short iron that flew about 30 yds right of the green onto the range. He proceed to zoom over there in his cart, circle the range and than disappear. I finished the hole by myself.

I really never dreamed anybody could curve a modern day golf ball like that.

[Splitter]

[quote name='Socrates' timestamp='1388526485' post='8375645']
[quote name='Splitter' timestamp='1388526203' post='8375621']
I've posted this a couple of times and am still waiting for someone to say "Hey, I was one of those golfers!"
[/quote]
Oh, that's gotta be phoney. Three guys all hitting the green?
[/quote]

Ha! It *might* be a little off. I remember being impressed by the shots and thinking how bitter the players must be with the kid.

But, after so much time, my wife and I still disagree on how many local kids were there and how many golfers. I'm pretty sure 3 balls hit the green and the 4th guy didn't try...

There is more story about the restaurant experience as well, but it's even more bizarre than the golfers. To this day, it's one of the strangest two hours of my life.

[robnplunder]

On a cheap muni course I frequented, on one particular hole, a little Chihuahau comes out of a small hole from a nighbor's fence and chases golfers, barking all the way. I have to immediately stand between the dog and my wife who is fearful of any canine, barking ones in paticular. It happens like a clock work. We hit drive, walk halfway down the fairway, dog comes out running & barking, I threaten to hit it with a golf club, it retrieves back and comes again, .... Same things happens a week later. It was annoying and amusing. Folks, if you got the money, play on a better course.

The same course has a homeless guy who walks around the entire course, loudly shouting unintelligent ramblings. Everyone does his best to ignore & avoid (giving him wide berth, walking around the area he frequents) To my surprise, one day, I saw him in parking lot selling a dozen used ball to a golfer.

[robnplunder]

[quote name='Splitter' timestamp='1388526203' post='8375621']
Local kid jumps up, runs across the green, baseball slides to the second golf ball, grabs it and runs back to his dad.
[/quote]

This happens a lot than you think . I hit a bad 2nd shot which landed left of a green near next hole's tee box. A lady didn't see me hit but sees the ball in rough, steps out of cart, picks up the ball, walks back into her cart, and drives off. She didn't slide, and her husband didn't return the ball. And I was too dumbrounded to yell at her to leave the ball.

[marrigo]

#1 Me and few others were waiting for a single to tee off #1 and I wasn't really paying attention at first but could hear him taking a bunch of practice swings on the tee. After about two minutes and at least a dozen practice swings he quietly picks up his ball and tee, grabs his bag and walks to his car and drives off. Apparently those weren't practice swings and he got embarrassed and left.

#2 First hole of the first round of a local tournament. Guy in my group snaps his drive OB, throws his club on the ground then re-tees. Snaps another drive OB, throws his club at his bag, yells "I'm done!" and walks off the course. Classy.

[robnplunder]

[quote name='marrigo' timestamp='1388528781' post='8375905']
#2 First hole of the first round of a local tournament. Guy in my group snaps his drive OB, throws his club on the ground then re-tees. Snaps another drive OB, throws his club at his bag, yells "I'm done!" and walks off the course. Classy.
[/quote]

Was waiting behind a tournament group at the 1st tee box, an average par 4 hole. One guy could not find his ball and comes back to re-tee. He hits 3 more shots OB, drives 100 yards past his 5th ball to look for it. The group waiting is yelling at him, maddly pointing to his ball landing area about 100 yards back. He finally finds it and I thought that was the end of long wait. The very next group step up. All 4 players hit 1 - 2 provisions each, the last guy going with 7 iron. I wish some of them walked off after the OBs. It was a 6 hour round that day.

[MadGolfer76]

I was playing like poo one day, hitting it OB...into the woods...into the water, etc. Then, this nice dog kept bringing my ball back and putting it in play in the fairway or on the green. Like, on every hole.

[nuthin but a hacker]

I have a couple for ya:

Playing at a packed course one Saturday afternoon, there were so many folks there we had to wait for carts to come in to tee off. A group goes off in front of us and they all appear to be new at golf judging from their shots. No big deal to us. Knew it would be slow and it was. We finally made it through the front 9 and 2 guys in my group want to stop at the club house. I go on down to #10 tee and wait for the slow group to hit. The group behind us stops at the club house and 3 of them go in. One guy in there group comes down to #10 with me. I wasn't paying any attention to him but I did notice he was walking around the tee box. The 2 from my group gets to #10 and sees that the guy from the group behind has teed up a ball and is waiting for the group ahead to clear the fairway. One of my buddies asks him what he's doing and he says his group is playing through! His group is still in the club house! My buddy says the hell your are and knocks his ball off the tee back towards the club house. He then tees it up and puts one in the fairway. The whole time this doofus is standing there with his mouth open in shock. He jumps back in his cart and heads back to his group. It was the weirdest thing I have seen a person do on a course.

Another time, we had 2 guys playing behind our group of 4. We kept saying if it ever looked like we were slowing them up we'd let them play through. But they never seemed to catch up to us. We stalled around at the club house thinking they would come by and we'd send them in front of us but no suck luck. So off to #10 we go. We all hit our tee shots and still no sign of them behind us. Everyone hits their 2nd shot but me. I hit a tree and can't find the ball. While looking they show up at the tee box so we figure we will let them come through and we'll wait. While waiting, I find my ball and I have a clear shot. We keep waiting to see these 2 guys come out to the fairway but they never do. After what seemed like a 10 minute wait, I ride back toward the tee and see 4 guys now up there teeing off. Looks like they let 2 more join in with them and are planning on playing through our group. Well, that's not happening. So I go back and hit, and we move towards the green. But now we have 4 guys trying to play speed golf and raining golf balls on us. One guy in my group yells back to them and tells them they can slow down because we aren't letting all 4 come through. Good thing too. Those guys were all over the place and we left them pretty quickly.

[dicko999]

About to hit my tee shot on a par 3 and suddenly the other members of our foursome are strangely in their carts when I'm addressing the ball. My friend tells me to not say a word get in the cart immediately. Glad I complied without any sudden movement because the rock formation 20 yards behind us had a mountain lion surveying an endless menu for lunch.

[alz]

We were playing with another two some this summer. On the 5th hole there is a creek crossing the fairway, this twosome stop their cart just in front of the creek, get out, grab a club and start walking towards there balls. And the cart starts rolling down a slight hill into the creek, cart sinks into about 5 inches of mud. The one guy loses his mind and starts cursing and just frieking out in general. He then decides he can get to the cart and back it out. No, he can't , and he slips into the mud. Again, a complete meltdown on his part. They finally call the clubhouse and they show up with a Jeep with a winch attached....."this happens all the time" says the guy driving the Jeep. Really!

[Canuckistan]

[quote name='Splitter' timestamp='1388527434' post='8375743']
[quote name='Socrates' timestamp='1388526485' post='8375645']
[quote name='Splitter' timestamp='1388526203' post='8375621']
I've posted this a couple of times and am still waiting for someone to say "Hey, I was one of those golfers!"
[/quote]
Oh, that's gotta be phoney. Three guys all hitting the green?
[/quote]

Ha! It *might* be a little off. I remember being impressed by the shots and thinking how bitter the players must be with the kid.

But, after so much time, my wife and I still disagree on how many local kids were there and how many golfers. I'm pretty sure 3 balls hit the green and the 4th guy didn't try...

There is more story about the restaurant experience as well, but it's even more bizarre than the golfers. To this day, it's one of the strangest two hours of my life.
[/quote]

I wouldn't mind hearing the restaurant part. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

[hacknhawkeye]

Our local 9 hole course hosts a spring and fall 3 man best shot tournaments every year. We were playing with a group (three brothers that make Dufner look like James Bond but they could really play!) that had won the tourney several times and were 7 under after nine holes. At that point, while waiting to tee off on the next hole, one of them unzips his bag and says "Anyone ready for a drink?" Whatever homemade concoction was in that jar must have been nasty cuz after three holes of guzzling that stuff down they couldn't hit the side of a barn with their fists. They were arguing amongst themselves and shot 4 over the second nine and didn't win a dime. We didn't know if we should laugh or not because they really acted like they were about to start brawling. From the way they've played since I think that was the last time they ever brought moonshine to a tournament!

[HighSpeedScene]

[quote name='thug the bunny' timestamp='1388511374' post='8374303']
[quote name='ctmason_98' timestamp='1388508499' post='8374069']
[quote name='HiSpeed48' timestamp='1388508404' post='8374055']
Last year I got paired with 2 randoms, one in a cart, and the other walking with me. We would all tee off together on each hole but the guy in the cart wasn't really playing with us. What I mean is he would rush up to his ball and hit his second shot, rush to the green and putt out, and then stand and wait for us to finish the hole. It was like he was trying to finish the hole as fast as he could, but there were several foursomes ahead of us so he had nowhere to go. [b]It didn't seem like he was even having fun[/b], he wasn't reading the putts or anything, just 3-putting every hole.
[/quote]

Irrelevant...he was KEEPING PACE....that's the key to growing the game.
[/quote]

So, wait, that's how we're supposed to play? Rushing ahead of others in your group even when they are away, and making them wait for you because you're on their target line? I've been doing it all wrong for 25 yrs apparently.
[/quote]

Busted sarcasm detector?

[RJRJRJ]

[quote name='HighSpeedScene' timestamp='1388550625' post='8377579']
[quote name='thug the bunny' timestamp='1388511374' post='8374303']
[quote name='ctmason_98' timestamp='1388508499' post='8374069']
[quote name='HiSpeed48' timestamp='1388508404' post='8374055']
Last year I got paired with 2 randoms, one in a cart, and the other walking with me. We would all tee off together on each hole but the guy in the cart wasn't really playing with us. What I mean is he would rush up to his ball and hit his second shot, rush to the green and putt out, and then stand and wait for us to finish the hole. It was like he was trying to finish the hole as fast as he could, but there were several foursomes ahead of us so he had nowhere to go. [b]It didn't seem like he was even having fun[/b], he wasn't reading the putts or anything, just 3-putting every hole.
[/quote]

Irrelevant...he was KEEPING PACE....that's the key to growing the game.
[/quote]

So, wait, that's how we're supposed to play? Rushing ahead of others in your group even when they are away, and making them wait for you because you're on their target line? I've been doing it all wrong for 25 yrs apparently.
[/quote]

Busted sarcasm detector?
[/quote]

I was at the Rose Bowl this afternoon...That place is gonna be a freaking mad house tomorrow. Good luck to your guys.

[360_CS]

I regularly play with a guy who paces his putts 2-3 times. I don't mind it as long as we aren't slowing anyone down. But it is strange, he is the only person I have seen pacing out putts.

[Gbyeball]

[quote name='360_CS' timestamp='1388558432' post='8377935']
I regularly play with a guy who paces his putts 2-3 times. I don't mind it as long as we aren't slowing anyone down. But it is strange, he is the only person I have seen pacing out putts.
[/quote]

Tell him to use a laser, might speed things up.

That was just too damn easy!!!

[Playaway]

[quote name='HiSpeed48' timestamp='1388508404' post='8374055']
Last year I got paired with 2 randoms, one in a cart, and the other walking with me. We would all tee off together on each hole but the guy in the cart wasn't really playing with us. What I mean is he would rush up to his ball and hit his second shot, rush to the green and putt out, and then stand and wait for us to finish the hole. It was like he was trying to finish the hole as fast as he could, but there were several foursomes ahead of us so he had nowhere to go. It didn't seem like he was even having fun, he wasn't reading the putts or anything, just 3-putting every hole.
[/quote]

Was the fast cart guy named Bill?

[Playaway]

Played in a 25 some skins game, yes, 25 of us playing together. On a par 3 a + handicap guy backs a 6 iron into the hole for a 1. 28 handicap knocks a 3 wood on the green and tanks the 40 footer for 2 net 1. No blood.

[Playaway]

Another time, a guy snap hooks his 5 iron out of bounds on a par 3. He re tees it and knocks that shot in the hole. I looked over and said, "Nice 3."

[Bogie_Nights]

[quote name='MadGolfer76' timestamp='1388529595' post='8375999']
I was playing like poo one day, hitting it OB...into the woods...into the water, etc. Then, this nice dog kept bringing my ball back and putting it in play in the fairway or on the green. Like, on every hole.
[/quote]

".... Blue skies, smiling at me..."

[The Pearl]

[quote name='360_CS' timestamp='1388558432' post='8377935']
I regularly play with a guy who paces his putts 2-3 times. I don't mind it as long as we aren't slowing anyone down. But it is strange, he is the only person I have seen pacing out putts.
[/quote]

My long time golfing buddy has a bit of OCD. He paces putts and chips off. Not three times though. Like you we are dumbfounded.

[URStillAway]

Pretty sure I have posted this story before in a similar thread but...

I was playing in a local two day tournament. Usually lots of drinking going on. i played my first round and was waiting by the 18th green for a friend that was a few groups behind me. The group behind ours comes to the 18th green. Tough looking guys. Anyway they putt out and walk off the green to add up their scores and hand in their cards. All of a sudden two of them start fighting. Shoving at first, then punches started flying with some solid head shots and then they get rolling around the ground. Right behind the green there is a 4 foot drop off to the road. They roll off the drop off onto the side of the road which is gravel. They continue to roll around in the gravel throwing punches and so on. Pretty viscous fight.

Finally the other two break up the fight. One of the fighters had a bright yellow shirt on. By now it was covered in dirt and blood, one sleeve torn, the pocket ripped and he was a mess.

This was in the afternoon. So we go to the evening banquet and the first thing we see is that foursome sitting together still drinking beer. Yellow shirt guy still wearing the shirt and he hasnt even washed the dirt and blood off his face.

[tinytim]

/this thread rocks!

[playa]

I used to play an unfenced course that was a public thoroughfare and saw plenty of strange things. One day we were walking down the 6th hole and noticed an asian lady with two children having a picnic under a tree between the sixth and seventh fairways. Another time we were hitting off on the last which is a par 3 with elevated tee. My buddy hit a worm burner which bounced over the lower tee area and two teenage heads popped up. They looked around, then got back to doing the business right on the forward teeing area.

[URStillAway]

Our local muni course decided to put in new hole signs at each tee box. Guys running the course do not golf or know a whole bunch about golf but they try.

Anyway they selected 6 foot tall granite gravestone type signs. And they installed some of them in dumb spots in that you could hit them if you were playing the back tees and hit a poor tee shot.

Second day of local tournament. You get flighted after first day and a lot of people follow the championship flight around. Guy I know is teeing off on the first hole and there a lot of people watching as the championship flight is next to go. So this poor guy heels his drive, hits the gravestone marker that is about 20 feet away and the ball screams back over his head and over everybody standing around the tee, over the bleachers and then down the road leading into the course. It happened so fast no one had a real chance to duck. Lucky no one was killed. After things settle down he has to try it again. Talk about a tough second shot.

Later in the afternoon another guy did the same thing. After a few years that marker and a few others that were installed in bad spots had dozens of ball marks on them. They finally moved a few but the one on the first tee is still in play and very dangerous. I imagine they are very heavy and hard to move.

[thug the bunny]

My son and I set out walking on a beautiful spring day. As arrive at the 1st green, I notice a 4 riding arrive at the tee box. For next 4 holes we both play well, pretty much hitting fairways and greens. A few times I looked back (I always monitor the group behind me) and the 4 behind was nowhere in sight. Then on #6 my son pulls his tee shot and we have to look for his ball a bit. We find it, and just as he is hitting his approach the 4 behind gets to the tee. No biggie. Next hole is a par 3 with water left. My son pulls his tee shot again, into the drink. He drops and gets on the green as the 4 get to the tee box. We get ready to putt out when a guy comes racing up in a cart with a nasty look on his face. "Hey would you mind if we play through" he says with a nasty tone of voice. I said, "but you're a 4 and you just arrived at the tee". Then he says, "We have been waiting for you on every hole". I was stunned. I wanted to call him a liar to his face, but I just said, "No you have not, but go ahead."

We go and sit in the rough and watch as three of the 4 put their balls in the water. They didn't even bother to drop and just went to the next tee. the 4th guy hit a nice shot and after he putted out he gave us a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders as kind of an apology for his buddy's behavior. For the rest of the round we rode their asses hard. Waiting in the fairways with our hands on our hips and other mean body language, etc. They were literally running to and from the greens.

Why do people want to play like that???

I'll bet after that round the Dbag guy posted about slow play on WRX

[thug the bunny]

[quote name='HighSpeedScene' timestamp='1388550625' post='8377579']
[quote name='thug the bunny' timestamp='1388511374' post='8374303']
[quote name='ctmason_98' timestamp='1388508499' post='8374069']
[quote name='HiSpeed48' timestamp='1388508404' post='8374055']
Last year I got paired with 2 randoms, one in a cart, and the other walking with me. We would all tee off together on each hole but the guy in the cart wasn't really playing with us. What I mean is he would rush up to his ball and hit his second shot, rush to the green and putt out, and then stand and wait for us to finish the hole. It was like he was trying to finish the hole as fast as he could, but there were several foursomes ahead of us so he had nowhere to go. [b]It didn't seem like he was even having fun[/b], he wasn't reading the putts or anything, just 3-putting every hole.
[/quote]

Irrelevant...he was KEEPING PACE....that's the key to growing the game.
[/quote]

So, wait, that's how we're supposed to play? Rushing ahead of others in your group even when they are away, and making them wait for you because you're on their target line? I've been doing it all wrong for 25 yrs apparently.
[/quote]

Busted sarcasm detector?
[/quote]

Ohduh. I didn't detect that because there are some WRXers who seriously believe that is the way to play.

[golf1931]

Kid in tournament peeing in the middle of fairways, running in sprinklers, and rolling down big hills rather than walking?????
He was a freak

[golf1931]

[quote name='thug the bunny' timestamp='1388511374' post='8374303']
[quote name='ctmason_98' timestamp='1388508499' post='8374069']
[quote name='HiSpeed48' timestamp='1388508404' post='8374055']
Last year I got paired with 2 randoms, one in a cart, and the other walking with me. We would all tee off together on each hole but the guy in the cart wasn't really playing with us. What I mean is he would rush up to his ball and hit his second shot, rush to the green and putt out, and then stand and wait for us to finish the hole. It was like he was trying to finish the hole as fast as he could, but there were several foursomes ahead of us so he had nowhere to go. [b]It didn't seem like he was even having fun[/b], he wasn't reading the putts or anything, just 3-putting every hole.
[/quote]

Irrelevant...he was KEEPING PACE....that's the key to growing the game.
[/quote]

So, wait, that's how we're supposed to play? Rushing ahead of others in your group even when they are away, and making them wait for you because you're on their target line? I've been doing it all wrong for 25 yrs apparently.
[/quote]

it was a joke

[Medic]

I miss the green to the right. My buddy hits a nice and pure wedge right into the center of the green. His ball comes to a stop about 20 feet from the pin. And then it happened. From the water hazard at the front of the green emerges this 6 to 8 foot gator who ambles up onto the green, turns his head sideways, grabs my buddy's ball, and meanders back into the weeds/water.

Brings all new meaning to the phrase "water hazard". He took a free drop and we finished the hole taking turns watching to make sure Godzilla didn't come back up for another bite to eat. When we finished the round we told the pro shop and they called in a gator hunter. Made the paper a couple of days later when the "nuisance gator" as the paper called it was removed to be relocated to a more remote location.