Who really gives a flying s**t why they like it? Your opinion, as ridiculous as it is, is just that, it's an OPINION. Labeling someone as pretentious because they have their name on their bag makes you a far bigger douchebag than the person with their name embroidered on their bag. if you can logically explain why having your name on your bag is pretending to be a pro (which as much as you have tried, you have utterly and completely failed at successfully doing so) perhaps you may actually have a point. Unfortunately for you, this will never happen, so you will continue to be labeled as the douchebag who thinks it is pretentious to have your name on your bag if you are not a pro.

I beleive I have already said it once, and went back on it, but I'm done with this. It's like arguing with a little kid. You present them with logic, but because they are a kid and cannot understand logic, they continue to argue. It's a never ending cycle. So, go ahead and continue to label people as pretentious, and we'll continue to label you a douchebag, and all will be right with the world once again.

I beleive Mr Herbert has it right on this one.

The irony of what this topic has devolved into is that the person arguing staff bags and stitching on aforementioned bags as "pretentious" is now taking a very pretentious stand in this thread.

Can we just get back to the stories and agree that each person has their own idea of "good/bad" and that incessantly preaching your side doesn't make it more right in someone else's eyes?

Haha, you are comically ignorant and do a lot of lying to yourself. I am the only one using logic here, all you have said is "because they like it" that is your failed attempt at logic. The question is why do they like it and you and everyone else has still yet to answer that.

There is no legitimate reason to have you name stitched on a staff bag unless you are a pro.

If someone had their name written in big letters across the sides of their oversized SUV I guess you wouldn't think that's pretentious either. Despite it also serving no other purpose, just like the named staff bag.

I'm a little late to this party, but here's what really "grinds my gears" with fellow golfers:

1. People who automatically say "good shot" all the time before the ball has even had a chance to get 25 feet off my club.
2. People who give unsolicited swing tips or advice during a round. If I want help I'll take a lesson with a pro.
3. People who don't turn their cell phone ringers off during the round, or feel the need to take/make a call every 10 minutes. You're really not that important.
4. People who leave their cigar/cigarette ash on the greens.
5. People who are never ready to hit when it is their turn.
6. People who take multiple practice swings on every single shot, unless you're waiting on a group in front of you.
7. People who don't respect the fact that often I just want to play alone. This applies when the course is pretty much empty and a single comes up behind me. I tell them they are welcome to play through. I often say I'm working on my swing, playing 2 balls, etc. but some people don't get the hint.
8. People I don't know who insist or assume that they are welcome to keep my score for me in a casual round. I prefer to keep my own card.

I don't care what people are wearing or what kind of clubs or bags they have. As long as they are following the course's dress code and not trying to share a set of clubs between 2 players. If the dress code is "anything goes", then I don't care if you wear a t shirt and cut off jeans. If it's "collared shirts tucked into non-denim pants/shorts" then I would expect you to comply.

u n i would make a great pairing lol

ppl who hate on those who use titleist blades n scotty putters... what if thats the equipment that we prefer?

i'm the longest hitter in the 4-some i play with sometimes and i just hate it when i hit a bad drive and someone has to point out that they outdrove me. also, i hate it when people tee off first even if they didn't have the honors. (i was playing a middle school match and started with 5 straight birdies and i didn't get honors on any of the holes.)

Has anyone mentioned the early call?

It's bad when someone gives a full shot the early call, like as soon as it's airborne - "Nice shot!" regardless of the ball eventually hooking/slicing out of play or into a bunker.

But the worst kind of early call IMO is for a putt. Say your putt is tracking towards the hole. Now there are always the kinds who feel the need to exclaim "Nice putt!" before it's in the hole which arguably influences the ball to take a sudden break at the hole, or else lip out or occasionally stop right on the hole's edge.

I am not quite sure what compels people to make the early call. Are they trying to get first dibs on congratulating you? Are they trying to show off their special perspicacity and ability to make a qualitative judgment of a golf shot earlier than anyone else? Whatever the case it is aggravating. Missing putts by a hair is bad enough, the early call just piles on the aggravation. Stop it already, shut your flabby mouth and don't judge my ball until it has come to rest.

^^^^ Yeah that was #1 on my list. My bad drive is usually a weak fade that tracks down the center of the fairway and dies into the rough at the last minute. The "early callers" all say that's a great shot the second I hit it.

I don't comment on anyone else's ball until it has come to rest and is truly a good shot. Unless something crazy is happening, like it hits a tree in the woods and is now flying straight towards the hole. Or if someone hits a shot that might be OB. I'll say "it came out of the woods by the second bunker" or whatever is applicable in helping them locate it.

I can understand your frustration, but I usually only observe "honors" when playing in a match/tournament (rare for me). For most of my rounds, which are casual rounds with no betting or competition, I play "ready" golf as do most of the people I play with. Whoever is ready at the tee first hits. Sometimes the guy who just made a birdie has to go wash his ball, refill his water bottle, etc. while some other guy is ready to go with club and ball in hand. Saves a decent amount of time.

Saying people who pull out their rangefinder at 280 out annoying them is really funny to me imo. They'd have a heart attack playing with me :p I want a yardage to 87 yards, to 103 or 64 yards, from THE PIN, not the middle of the green.

Not too much actually bothers me to much, pretty laxidaisicle (sp?), I'm out there for a good time and to enjoy the challenge golf provides me with, so what's the point in letting the stupidity of others bother me.

Although when a guy pulls up in the snack cart that kinda really sucks :p

If I am lucky enough to be on a golf course, short of some idiot stealing my golf ball or my father in law talking in my backswing,
I am a happy camper.

I've played many rounds with low handicappers(I'm bout an 8-9 myself right, have been as low as 5), and while everyone wants to keep pace, no one ever steps in front of a birdie. Pars or worse no biggie, but one of the rewards of making a birdie is having the honor on the next tee usually(unless someone else also made one)....

While it's not as bad as a cheat, it's still a second class move IMHO to step in front of a birdie, especially if they didn't say to go ahead for whatever reason. "I'm ready before him" seems a little weak to me....unless you play in a group that makes 4 birdies each a round..

Here's something that annoys me:

Playing with a group (usually strangers with a new or poor player) and I make every effort to help That Guy find his ball.

Literally 12 or 13 holes of helping him find his ball; wading through the woods and crap, tracking his piss-poor shots, letting groups through 'cause he's going to take 10 minutes to find each ball....

Then, the one time I hit it into the deep rough, the guy is yukking it up with someone else in the cart, and clearly wouldn't dream of lending a hand.

This happened to me yesterday, I nuked a 6 iron and flew the green, we saw the "big" bounce as it hit the cart path behind the green, the ball of course went into the fairway of another hole that runs behind the green. I drive behind the green and walk out into the fairway, after checking that no one was on the teebox hitting to that fairway. There was a foursome waiting to hit to their green standing at their balls. I looked and realized I could only see 4 balls in the fairway. One guy says to me "can I help you? then says "these are our balls." I replied, "I nuked a shot and flew the green just looking for it. Sorry to interrupt." I am then asked "what ball are you playing?" I reply, " Callaway Tour I #4" the guy says to me, "are you sure?" I said "Huh?" He said "Did you mark it?" I chuckle as I now realize where this is going. I said "yes Sir, It has a Lime green line along the Alignment line, and the #4 is colored orange." Again he asked if I am sure. Reaches into his pocket and looks at the ball. Sure enough it was mine, but he says "I guess there is no way you could have guessed that." At this point I asked him his name, he replies Frank, I just reached in my pocket grabbed another ball exactly like it, took out a sharpie and wrote, To Frank, enjoy and signed the ball, tossed it to him saying here is another one for you, they really are better than that Nitro ball you are using. Turned, walked away, dropped at the cart path and finished the hole. I just hope he let it stop rolling before he picked it up.

You would think I'm second class then. When you're competing for something, then honors makes sense. Otherwise, you're just in ready golf mode for the entire round now all of a sudden you have to observe honors because someone made a birdie? Pain in the a**. If someone wants to observe honors for the whole round I am perfectly fine with that because then you know what to expect. I have a friend who does the no-honors-except-for-birdies thing, he has called me out for stepping up to the tee out of turn and though I will always defer and let baby have his bottle I still think it's an exercise in pointlessness.

Agreed. And if I'm playing a match, I care about honors even less. I'd much rather have the other guy go first. If he jacks one OB, then I'm teeing off with a 5-iron.

someone eating something crunchy while in about to swing

My club is loaded with older couples, 50+
Every time I am paired with old ladies I just hate it when I hit a drive 250-280yards it takes them 3 shots to get to my drive and I lose focus,

Well everyone I play with somewhat regularly with always tries to follow honors to begin with. Of course, we're not the types who need to be told to play ready golf. We walk up to the tee, whoever is up knows they are up, and we tee off. BUt many times if the guy wants to wash his ball or something, he will tell someone else to go ahead. But after a birdie it's usually insisted upon.

Ready golf is not something that needs to be discussed since we're not accused of slow play.

And there are plenty of other ways to save the 10 seconds "lost" waiting for the guy who made birdie.

The number one annoyance on a golf course has GOT to be sunflower seed shells spit out on the green!

Some idiot thinks that I should have to sweep away or, worse yet, pick up the shells that he had in his mouth just so I can take my shot. And Heaven help you if you don't happen to notice a shell and your well-struck putt hits one of those bad-boys and careens off at a 90 degree angle.

I will flat-out quit playing the game and go on a hunt to find the guy ahead that is spitting sunflower seed shells out on the green!

Just to add, in a casual round, I often have no idea what score my playing partners have made on the previous hole when on the next tee. I'm concentrating on my own game, not whether Joe took the proper penalty stroke or not. So to save the whole "so what did you get back there?" question we all just play ready golf.

I play a lot of state wide junior golf tournaments. Hate playing with spoiled CC brats, they always have the following: newest clubs, newest clothes, AJGA shwag, group of adults following. But when those kids play bad, they freak out... no respect for the game nor the course. One kid(age 17) looked at his mother every bad shot like it was her fault!

But makes it 10x better when I beat them, oo hail to the muni kids!

It may very well be. My old club hosted the provincial junior championship one year. I went over at night to practice and the range was packed with kids. Found an opening and started hitting some balls. The kid next to me had his mother right behind him, and she was giving play by play. "You pulled that a little." "A little thin." "That was ok." "You're pushing that one." I almost turned around and told her to zip it, if the kid is good enough to be playing here, he is good enough to know what he did with those shots. Fortunately they packed it in before I was driven to such a point. Just barely.

How do YOU marshall? I am really curious what they are to do about slow play when the couse is packed, 1-2 groups on each hole. What would you do as a marshall?

Good topic.

1. Crappy golfers waiting for the green to clear from 250. I've watched golfers who couldn't hit the side of the clubhouse wait for the green to clear then hit a duff hook 80 yards.

2. Slow play. No need to explain. Drives me nuts.

3. Guys who give me tips at the range. No thanks

4. "rules guys" - I play by the rules and respect the game as much as anyone but come on. In a match today, I was standing away and not exactly behind a guy putting. He's like next time you stand behind me, I'm calling the hole. I'm like suck it, I wasn't even close to being behind you.

5. Pitch marks on the green that are not fixed - Drives me nuts.

6. Anal proshop guys. Lighten up it's just a game.

Thats about it.

P.S. I want a big a** Nike VR Staff bag with my name on it!

I play Nike Blades and wore a pink TW shirt, White belt, use a Scotty and Shot 79 today. Poser club?

Guys who come up to their ball, pull a club, take some practice swings, address their ball - and then look over at me and say "you're away". If I'm away, don't act like you are about to hit, or go ahead and hit because we are playing ready.

My apologies to every player I've been "that partner" to. If I'm playing $30-$60 to play, then I need to GUARANTEE that I'll enjoy myself. My game isn't dependable enough to ensure that. Alcohol's effect on me is.

I can relate. Who cares about the money spent on the gear. I have an uncle who is like this. He started playing the sport about 3-4 years ago and he really loves it. He's in his mid 50's-- and he's very aware about etiquette, no so much about the rules, sometimes (I use this term loosely). He's all TM decked out, staff bag, irons, woods, etc. He dresse the part too, nice slacks and nice collar shirts. To me all that counts is he's having fun-- who gives a crap how much his gear cost.

Most people I see playing golf have worn out bags and clubs from who knows where. Thank you for the few that spend big on the staff bags and golf gear as they keep an industry alive that would otherwise collapse.

How about the guys who are so accustomed to fluffing their lie, that they do it to *every* ball, even in the fairway. Makes me sick just looking at it.

Semi-related, I found a tee in the ground in the middle of the fairway on a par 5 last Sunday. Right in the area you might land your tee shot. I guess someone really wanted a good lie to go for it in 2.

My top five:

-the early caller that says good shot when something is airborne or on the green yet 40ft from the pin
-the guy that waits for the green to clear on the par 5 just in case his perfect 3wd goes 250yds whiles his driver went 200 and sliced 20 yds into the rough
-the 30+handicapper that does not play ready golf. i understand we were all beginners at one point, but being a beginner doesn't mean you can putt out those two footers, take 3+ practice swings, and or take forever to line up your putt when there's a 50% chance your ball isn't going to go where you want it to go
-guys that don't respect the cart path rules and rush up to the tee box while you're teeing off.
-the guy that comments on the noise my nike driver makes. yes i know its loud and annoying, but its also in the middle of the fairway and 50yds past anyone else

Actually that doesn't bother me at all, unless that person is playing in a match or tournament. Then it's of course a huge no-no, because they are not only cheating themselves, but cheating the opponent or tournament field. How someone plays the rules in a casual round is their own business. If I'm just playing for the fun of it, I'll play extra practice shots, take the ball out from under a tree, etc. if I feel like it. Sure, my score won't be 100% legit, but it's not hurting anyone else.

Even if they post that score for their handicap, it will only hurt them later in a tournament or match.

Heck, when I'm 90, I will probably be so disgusted by my lack of distance that I'll want to tee it up from 100 yards out.

I'm kind of confused by this. You dont want a high handicapper to putt out (isnt the entire purpose of the game to get the ball IN the hole????), take practice swings, or line up their putts? Do you expect them to remain 30 handicaps for ever? Or do they have your permission to attempt to improve?

Are you ok with a scratch golfer doing any of the above mentioned activities?

I'm with Cherokee. as long as it is not a tournament round, or a money game, I couldnt possibly care less what someone does. I'll even write down a birdie for them on the score card after a couple of water balls if that is what they want to say they had. So long as they are just out playing for fun, why would it bother you?




Not saying this is the case, but I have put a tee in the ground in the fairway to rest my club on, when the course was playing cart path only, so that I did not have to put my grips in the wet grass. This could have been the case, or someone could have just teed one up in the fairway, I dont know, just throwing that out there.

This is true. I normally will use my divot tool, but a tee can come in handy in a pinch as well for this purpose.

Most of these posts have covered everything. My personal pet peeve is playing with a spitter. Whether they dip or not, some just spit.
They are usually shocked when I ask, do you have to do that? There answers really don't matter. We are outdoors, I dip, it's a habit. etc., etc.
Well mannered people do not spit. This was once a gentleman's game. Manners and etiquette, honesty and integrity. If you don't agree, you have defined yourself.
It bothers me to see Tiger spitting on t.v. Boo, well I expect it from him. No class and he's proud of it. Money doesn't buy it. It is a matter of respect for the course, the game, others
on the course and for yourself.
Sorry for the rant.

It bothers me because I'm sort of hyper-vigiliant and because it's only one of the most fundamental of golf rules. Once you take that away it's a very different game. When I'm on the golf course I like to feel that the game is being played properly. If you were out playing a round and you spotted some people in the fairway playing tennis surely you would be bumped. I know we live in a me-first, do-what-thou-wilt kind of world these days, but at some point certain conventions ought to be respected or else the whole f***** thing will eventually devolve into something sloppy and undignified.

It might not be the case here, but often when playing in a scramble format, a member of the group will put a tee in the ground to mark the location of the shot everyone will be playing from. Then everyone takes 1-2 clublengths or whatever and plays their ball. Sometimes people forget to take the tee afterwards, I've done it.

You know I agree. I hate when people fluff up the lie. In all honest, I might be a scratch golfer if i had a perfect lie from the rough every time.

How about when the starter lets a single out, who then forces everyone in his path to let him play through?? ..

Once we get to the tee box the guy that has the tee box takes forever to tee it up and hit. It seems that all of a sudden they become stupid and clearly enjoy having everybody wait on them.

Annoying:
-People who don't fix their ball marks.
-Seniors who think younger people must let them tee off first, won't let faster players play through, stop through 9 to eat or go to the bathroom or whatever it is they do and then get mad when people try to play through eventhough they've been holding them up the whole time all because they're elders and we must allow them to do this. We all paid to play, heck I even paid more than they do.
-People who think they hit the ball way farther than they do and then constantly talk about hitting 300+ yard drives all day. I love to step in and say well I've been hitting it around 290-300 most of the day, while I've been consistently 20-30 yards longer.
-People who don't count all of their strokes and then talk about how they're 1, 2, 3, or 4 over, well you get my point. Meanwhile my actual score would only end up being maybe 3-4 strokes better than them according to their score despite me shotting lower than them on basically every hole. I love to say well I'm even or 2 over, 1 under, etc, yet I've beaten them on 12 of the 15 holes we played together.
-People who constantly need to borrow tees.
-People who constantly need to borrow balls.
-People who constantly talk when I hit but then if I accidently make a noise or something when they hit and they get mad.
-People who don't pay attention to where their ball goes and then can't find it and waste wayyyy too much time and then complain about giving up strokes because they lost a ball.
-People who don't pay attention to where their ball goes and then think it ended up way farther then where it actually did.
-People who don't pay attention to where their ball goes, drop a ball, and then don't count the stroke.
-The foursome who all drives to one ball, and then the next, and the next, and the last, while waiting for the each player to hit their shot in between. Play faster, I can play with 3 guys who shoot above 100 and still play it under 4 hours without rushing.
-The group that holds everything up.
-The group that holds everything up and then won't let anyone play through.
-The group that insists on playing ahead of you when you both arrive on the tee at the same time and then they hold you up the whole round and won't let you play through.
-The group who drives around in their cart looking for the ball, get out its easier to find it when out of the cart. They always drive back and forth and around in circles.

I can name a million more. I work at a course and have to deal with this stuff everyday.

Not so annoying:
-Giving someone a tip and then it drastically improves their game.
-Making an eagle.
-Hot beverage cart girls.
-Playing on a good course, in good condition, in good weather.

lol, good topic.

i ran into this all day yesterday. a friend of mine like to go to twilight because its not as hot and less people and of course about $10 cheaper. people who drag their feet! i had to pat my line the whole day. i know plenty of people played through the day but seriously, is it necessary?