Our part of the world is renowned for its friendliness and some golfers need to remember that for the vast majority of us this is a hobby, not a chance to play golf club sheriff, writes Northern Golfer editor Dean Bailey
Every club has them – the people who are angry with the world, self-centred and keen to spread ill-will, contempt and misery wherever they go – but why should we put up with them?
You know the sort – the folk who will whinge and complain loud enough so everyone can hear them; the belligerent soul who’ll stampede across the 18th green to berate a child practising their putting in shorts and a t-shirt, or the person who’ll angrily demand you speed up despite the fact you’re standing on the tee with the group ahead of you within 150 yards – as they have been for the last 12 holes of the competition as you’re in a twoball among threeballs…
The list of things like this sadly grows longer the more time you spend trying to enjoy this game.
As a rule of thumb, I like to stick to the following – never speak to anyone else on the golf course or at a golf club unless it’s to ask how their day is going, find out where the toilets are, or apologise for hitting a shot towards them and having to shout fore.
There should never be a point in your day at a golf club where you feel you’re empowered by some sort of golfing sheriff status to confront or berate other people who have as much right to be there as you do. I don’t know if it’s something that’s happened outside of golf, or some strange thing that happens to these people when they drive through the gates of a golf club – or God forbid have some kind of title and a parking space – but it has no place in golf.
Any of us who’ve played the game for a long time know this is not an elitist sport, it’s something we do to relax, and we are just trying to enjoy the game and maybe get a bit better at it.
Golf is a game of manners, and respect for your fellow competitors. That’s why we rake bunkers and replace divots for those behind us. We must protect that, endeavour to keep ourselves to ourselves, and enjoy the game.
To the 1% this column is aimed at – keep your misery and power trip to yourself, thank you. I’ve got a limited amount of time to enjoy my hobby and I won’t let people like you spoil it.
