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I most often golf as a single walk on early in the am of a sat or sun morning. So of course usually it's with golfers I meet for the first time. Most all have always been very nice, friendly and a pleasure to play along side of. I am easy going, like to be friendly and even have a few laughs while playing a round and usually manage that with most strangers.

But- Every so often you end up with someone who is just not pleasant to be around or worse and can kind of put a damper on your enjoyment of being out on the course that day.

Just one example of many for me was the day one of the guys in the group ( all 4 singles) was a real snobby and arrogant guy with an atitude. Started out on the phone with his buddies on like every other hole to tell them out loud about his great play. Where he was going to play the next day and how well he golffed the other day.

Then at one point , one of the other guys in the group made an honest mistake of hitting this guys ball while the two balls were very close together in the left ruff. The guy just didn't realize that he had hit his drive to almost the same spot. I have seen this happen before, although very rare it has happened to me in the past and i have also done it once or twice through all the years as well. In any case this arrogant snob really made a big stink about it. And I was like " hey man, come on, it was just an honest mistake".

Now a few holes later. The other guy (a different one) in the group had just finished putting and was now standing behind this arrogant snob but in his rear view as he was lining up his put. Most people including myself would have just said pleasantly something like " please move over" or perhaps "would you mind movng please" etc.... But no, not this guy, this dweebie rich, arrogant snob, said something (dont exqactly recall) but it was pretty sarcastic and rude and just let it be known how very upset about it he was. The other guy just said. "Ok, take it easy, no problem". And respectfully moved on.

I mean what the heck. Most all the time things go very well but that just one example when they don't and there are other stories I can tell but you get the drift.
Have any you experienced bad days with strangers you paired up with and/or how often. Or anything you may like to add about goflng with strangers. Just curious on your thoughts, or stories if any.

[deethythitoth]

There're are a few idots out there. The rant thread is full of stories about them. I can't say I've been randomly paired with more than 10 or 15 people that were total asses in 40 years of playing. Like you, I'm social, and usually have fun with whomever. There are some who don't want a lot of back and forth, yet are still pleasant, and that can usually be figured out early the round. That's okay, too. With jerks you just play out your round and move on.

I figure people like that are probably miserable for most of their lives.

Kevin

[GustavM]

That's pretty lame. if you're headed out to a public course as a single you should be ready to be pleasant to a few strangers.

Sorry you had to deal with that mess rollin

[SpeavaJap]

I hate getting paired with people like that. It's no fun. They kill the spirit of the whole group.

[tyclislavaify]

I have never been paired up with anyone that really irked me or irritated me before. I have met up with people and joined their groups, and maybe they played a bit slower and messed around more than I would like, but we would still have fun and bust each others chops, without any ill intention. I got paired up with an older gentleman one time and he was a really cool guy to play with. And he was REALLY good. He was just striping it, one after another. And this is about the time I picked up the game again, so I was pretty raw. He didn't sweat it one bit. Even when I would hit a bad shot, he would give me some positive reinforcement (without being the "swing tip" guy). It was usually something like, "Well that swing looks really good. When it clicks, it's going to be good" or something along those lines. Never met him before, but he was a pleasure to play with and I actually played pretty decently that. Maybe it was because he was so good, or maybe it was because he never allowed me to get down on myself, I don't know.

I also got paired with a guy at Cog Hill once, that asked my buddy and I, around the 12th hole, if we minded if he smoked some grass. LOL. My buddy and I about lost it. I told him I didn't mind, just don't get us kicked off the course. This guy was a GREAT golfer too. He was a member there and was giving us the rundown of all the Western Opens and where our shots were in comparison to shots Tiger had hit. He was really cool. But we spent the next 5 or 6 holes going, "Tim, your wedge", "Time, you left your ball in the hole", "Tim, it's your shot". He was baked and still played bogey golf the rest of the way in.

There's good and bad, but so far, my experiences have been pretty good.

[PerfectCreditForYou]

Sadly, that is usually when I go full jerk-mode and mess with the person the rest of the round. Which, as anyone who has played with me knows, I'm totally easy going, so I rarely like touching those dark places in my personality. Although, admittedly, I usually end up with some funny stories!

[pupyississido]

which is why I do not like getting paired up.....now if I am playing and and I come up on a group of 2 or 3 and I can see hoow they have been playing and they ask me to join them, then I usually do that.

[lXvtm0ox]

I get paired a lot or join groups. I can't remember the last time I got paired with a jerk. Knock on wood. If someone was that much of an a hole I would have been one right back. But I doubt he'd be running his mouth like that to me.

[jojocomok]

I get paired up with folks often and in the last ten years I've only been paired up with one group that was a little tasteless, but hey they probably thought I was a stiff shirt and didn't enjoy it either. They were pounding down beers and wrecking carts and stuff, that I'm not a fan of.

[tinetttstation]

I haven't had any really bad pairings. I play alone during the week when I can get a round in and if there's someone to be paired with I don't mind. Wednesday I played a new course and on the first tee there were 2 fellas from Kenya. We played nine together and it was a lot of fun. They quit after nine so I started on the back nine. On the third hole I caught up to a husband and wife and joined them. Again I had a wonderful time. I find that most if not all of the time I run into people like this. If I do run into people that I'm not happy with I just use my back as an excuse to sit out a hole and let them go on ahead. I'd rather play alone and wait on them than let them ruin my day.

[Unergerah]

Fortunately I have never been paired up with anyone to that extreme, I guess there is a reason he was playing alone and would guess he usually does play without any regular playing partners. I like MikeT's idea about just claiming the back needs a quick rest and letting them just play on ahead, I will keep that in mind in case I need it in the future.

[AssinHT]

Being a junior I get put in open spots so I always end up with arrogant or snob people or little kids who cheat and don't know the rules.

[ssiikmuz]

I most often golf as a single walk on early in the am of a sat or sun morning. So of course usually it's with golfers I meet for the first time. Most all have always been very nice, friendly and a pleasure to play along side of. I am easy going, like to be friendly and even have a few laughs while playing a round and usually manage that with most strangers.

But- Every so often you end up with someone who is just not pleasant to be around or worse and can kind of put a damper on your enjoyment of being out on the course that day.

Just one example of many for me was the day one of the guys in the group ( all 4 singles) was a real snobby and arrogant guy with an atitude. Started out on the phone with his buddies on like every other hole to tell them out loud about his great play. Where he was going to play the next day and how well he golffed the other day.

Then at one point , one of the other guys in the group made an honest mistake of hitting this guys ball while the two balls were very close together in the left ruff. The guy just didn't realize that he had hit his drive to almost the same spot. I have seen this happen before, although very rare it has happened to me in the past and i have also done it once or twice through all the years as well. In any case this arrogant snob really made a big stink about it. And I was like " hey man, come on, it was just an honest mistake".

Now a few holes later. The other guy (a different one) in the group had just finished putting and was now standing behind this arrogant snob but in his rear view as he was lining up his put. Most people including myself would have just said pleasantly something like " please move over" or perhaps "would you mind movng please" etc.... But no, not this guy, this dweebie rich, arrogant snob, said something (dont exqactly recall) but it was pretty sarcastic and rude and just let it be known how very upset about it he was. The other guy just said. "Ok, take it easy, no problem". And respectfully moved on.

I mean what the heck. Most all the time things go very well but that just one example when they don't and there are other stories I can tell but you get the drift.
Have any you experienced bad days with strangers you paired up with and/or how often. Or anything you may like to add about goflng with strangers. Just curious on your thoughts, or stories if any.

I see this guy all the time yet he is playing as single. Not to say people who play as singles don't have friends but if you're so enthralled to tell your friends about it why not just play with them?

[Flikemommoilt]

There're are a few idots out there. The rant thread is full of stories about them. I can't say I've been randomly paired with more than 10 or 15 people that were total asses in 40 years of playing. Like you, I'm social, and usually have fun with whomever. There are some who don't want a lot of back and forth, yet are still pleasant, and that can usually be figured out early the round. That's okay, too. With jerks you just play out your round and move on.

I figure people like that are probably miserable for most of their lives.

Kevin

QFT!

I was getting really mad at a person like this once and my friend calmly told me, "He will be like that his entire life, that is punishment enough don't you think?" It completely changed the way I view these type of people. I think if this happens to me, I will probably tell the guy he can calm down or we will drop him off at the turn.

[Nurse_sero]

QFT!

I was getting really mad at a person like this once and my friend calmly told me, "He will be like that his entire life, that is punishment enough don't you think?" It completely changed the way I view these type of people. I think if this happens to me, I will probably tell the guy he can calm down or we will drop him off at the turn.

What a great way to think about it! I think I'm going to try to think about it when I see jerks anywhere, not just on the golf course. Thanks for the great post, Seth.

[BigBobdd]

Fortunately I have never been paired up with anyone to that extreme, I guess there is a reason he was playing alone and would guess he usually does play without any regular playing partners. I like MikeT's idea about just claiming the back needs a quick rest and letting them just play on ahead, I will keep that in mind in case I need it in the future.

well unfortunately its very rarely that you dont have a filled up course on my county courses and espec on the weekends. So ther is no where to go or move on to or play through etc.... You are stuck for the round. I mean thankfully that rare ocsasion when things like this may have happened I have never gotten to the point where I would just have to get forceful and/or really just do something about it other than small words. And most always things are pleasant but none the less it just not good and can ruin your enjoyment for the round.

[doogiehoussi]

What a great way to think about it! I think I'm going to try to think about it when I see jerks anywhere, not just on the golf course. Thanks for the great post, Seth.

It has really helped me to not stress the stupid people. Probably one of the single best things anyone has ever said to me.

[h0ldem]

I was playing in my province championship and played with some complete tools! They cheated as well so that was worse, only cheating themselves though.

[Pypeassesty]

You can find idiots or nice guys.....That's how Steele and I met...both playing as singles at our home course....he asked about my staff bag and albatross hat and went home and joined THP that night!

[VioletttaJosetta]

Sounds like the guy was a real jerk. But if you were all strangers, how did you know he was a "rich, dweebie" type? Just curious. Being a jerk certainly is not reserved for people with money, it can be found everywhere!

Hope the majority of your other experiences were/are good.