Hi,

Played over the weekend pairing up with another golfer of a similar standard and was suprised to receive no compliments of any sort after what I would call a good decent shot !? When I say good shot I mean like a long straight drive down the middle, mid to short iron approach shots to within ten feet and chipping / pitching to virtually stone dead !?

I did and would always compliment a good shot because I feel odd and rude if I didn't plus it is always nice to compliment a nicely played shot since we all know how hard this great game is. If it was a terrible shot then yes I personally would stay quiet and not be in any way patronising. I have been to a few pro events and even those guy's are always complimenting their playing partners with comments like "good ball", "shot" or maybe just a "yep" but still some sort of recognition !?

Found it a bit odd and strange so would be very interested in peoples views on good and bad shot scenarios with your playing partner/s !?

Cheers.

I'm with you. I always try to comment when someone hits a truly good shot, or a good shot for them. I hate it when I hit a great one and no one says anything. This usually happens when I'm a single and get matched with strangers.


I find myself commenting on my own shots if no one does or I'm solo. It helps me stay positive.

I have plalyed with GREAT guys and GREAT golfers that stay very quiet. they just get focused on what they are doing and pay very little attention to anything but their own game. Also, you just met the guy so maybe he was shy. SOme people dont like others talking to their ball, no matter how good the shot is. I used to play with a guy and he hated it when you you said anything about his shots no matter what. Just that guy and I learned to "keep my mouth off his ball"

I am with you, very strange to not hear anything.

However, I once heard a story about a pro (yes, very vague) that said something to the effect of, "Don't tell me it was a good shot because you dont know what kind of shot I wanted to hit." Maybe this guy just figured he would stay quiet and not offend?

Slightly strange, but who cares really? If the other guy wants to be quiet, fine.

Better than standing over the ball and hear him say "Your a** looks good in those shorts"

If I'm playing with strangers I usually don't comment unless it's a really obviously good shot like a nearly holed 2nd shot on a par 5 etc. I do comment when I play with my buddies all the time.

I personally dislike when other people comment on my shots unless it has already landed and stopped. I've had too many shots that we thought were all over the flagstick up 15 yards short from a gust of wind etc so I hate to jinx myself.

lol. I don't mind either way if someone says good shot or not. It's when you hit the ball like s*** and someone says great shot when you hit a piss poor shot. It might be a great shot from their standard though. That really gets under my skin sometimes

I know a group of low single digit or better guys that have a weekly skins game and you wont hear any conversation between them for 18 holes, then the go in after the round, tell storys, recount the round a whoop it up a bit. To these guys, the course is for golf and the clubhouse is for socializing. I wish some of my buddys would learn a little from thier example.

I agree, but that is part of gamesmanship tactics too. Compliment every half decent shot for a while, then stop and it can unsettle the other player. Or switch from compliments to "That'll be OK, but not your best today"

It can get annoying hearing compliments especially when you feel like you hit a bad shot. A pitching wedge to 25-30 feet is nothing to congratulate. I think it's even worse when someone wonders how you could possibly be upset when their expectation level is much lower. I generally keep comments to myself and prefer when others do unless it really warrants it. I guess this comes from playing competitive golf.

Thanks for the replies, it has been interesting seeing both sides of the coin especially how it is perceived at different levels of the game. I am only a mid-handicapper and to find the dance floor consistently from any distance in regulation is nice and then to get within ten feet is the goal but not always the result.

I think sometimes you get people for whom solid contact is a good shot, and they don't register(or care) that your draw is approaching the hook and is going to actually end up off the fairway. You hit it more solidly than they ever will so they think it's a good shot.

If I'm playing well and have a loose shot it won't bother me, but if I'm not playing well, and I've had several bad shots complimented it will get to me.

A shot is only as good as where it ends up, and unless you were in some serious trouble where you were hitting from, wait to see where it ends up.

I try to get a read of a person's skill level, and will say something on a shot that hits the fairway/green, but usually keep quiet when a shot goes off line.

Agree 100%.

I complement all shots unless it is a tournament format, where I am pretty much focused on my game and nothing else, but just a weekend game or a round with some friends I will even at times laugh at the bad ones with my buddies lol.

I may be in the minority here but golf "a$$ kissing" as I like to call it is one of my golf pet peeves. Slow play defiantly drives me nuts but all the "nice shot"..."good ball"...."that'll play".... or "good roll" comments are a close second. I play in a daily group with approx 12 guys, some days a few less depending on work commitments. Every time someone hits a ball that isn't lost you will hear the other 3 guys in the group saying some type of "atta boy" comment. These guys all can play as the caps in this group range from scratch to approx 10 with 2 of the members being club champ at some point in the last 5 or 6 years so a drive that goes 225-250 and ends up in the fairway or rough near the fairway is not anything in the realm of greatness but yet you will hear chirps of praise, same for everyones approach shot as well as on everyones chip, pitch shots or putts. Which comes out to approx having to hear "nice shot" approx 240 times a round if our average score is 80 for that day!!! That is way more than I need to hear ANYTHING in a 4 hour period. I like to hear nice shot if I hit a 300yd'er straight down the middle or stick an approach shot inside of 10 feet, something I do a few times a round and would want to hear it but not everytime I hit a ball that isn't lost... UGGHHHH! enough fellas. Like I said i am the first guy to praise a shot that is above a players skill level but I dont want to hear "good putt, you were right around the hole" when my 15 footer slides 10 inches by without ever even touching the lip of the cup...all the a$$ kissing needs to be stomped out!!! This topic is funny because we have joked about it before in our group either on the course or at the post round beer in the clubhouse so i will be printing this thread to distribute amongst the guys, i am sure they will all get a good laugh. Please dont take this post too seriously as i only have a spirited opinion about this because as I stated before it has been a topic of conversation at our post round beer/gambling $$$ pay out meeting.

As long as nobody "puts their mouth on my ball" until it reaches it's destination I don't mind. I hate it when someone says "nice putt" 4 feet from the hole and then it lips out or some such thing. You do know it's their fault when that happens right ?

Seriously though I try to be as complimentary as I can at all times, but I do like to wait until the ball reaches it's final rest.

Indeed it is interesting to here both sides of this. I generally follow the practice of "Nice Ball" on tee shots AFTER they have landed safely in the fairway with my regular buddies. If I'm paired with a stranger, I'll take a clue from him or her, if they appear conversational I'll give them the same compliment as I do my regular buddies, but if they are more focused I'll not comment.

What I can't stand and have a few buddies who do this is the constant trying to pick me up during a bad round. Now I'm not a club thrower, yeller screamer, self hater or any of that. And I'll still manage to keep a pleasant conversation going with my friends if I'm playing poorly. Howver, if I'm really hacking it up, I don't want to hear "Hang in there" "We've all been there" "Don't get down" "There's a lot of golf left" etc etc. Just take a cue from me and don't comment at all or talk about something non golf related.

I'm a golf ball talker, but I also know a good shot when I see one.

But I'm with you on this one. I've played with people who's standard of "good shot" is getting the ball airborne!

I guess I consider myself a good enough golfer and know my course well enough to get excited when I see a really good shot - I can't help myself! I will always say, "Nice Shot, or Nice Ball"....whatever.
But, if its just an ok shot or not so good, I'm quiet.

I couldn't agree more, its all about expectations. Just the other day I hit my second shot on a short par 4 from about 90 yards, the ball landed about 6 inches from the pin and spun off the front of the green. The guy I was paired with thought it was the greatest shot in the world but I obviously didn't land it as far as I wanted. I rarely ever say anything unless I know the person.

I think it's just common sense. You know if a guy can play as soon as he tees off on 1. So, if a guy is scratch, you compliment the 5 or so best shots of the round for him, and say nothing on all others. If a guy is just banging it around, and especially if you know he's nervous playing with a stranger, I always make sure to acknowledge a good shot (realizing that a good shot for him may not be such a great shot for somebody else). It's not rocket science....just basic manners. On the rare occasion that a guy is super serious and has no interest in talking, then I don't say anything....just leave him be and avoid the small talk (where do you live/work/ any kids?). I don't mind the small talk, but some people have no interest in it.

I was playing with a guy one evening who was making a putt. He hit the ball soft and I made a comment like "Go ball" or something to that effect. When he was done putting out, he said "don't talk to my ball again".

Some people just don't want to be talked to when they play.

I don't care too much if it's quiet or not. I've played a lot with guys that will compliment shots that barely get into the air. Even if I hate the shot, I just say thanks and move on unless it's heading toward obvious trouble. If a ball ends up in the fairway but wasn't struck particularly well, and you get a compliment then proceed to tell him why the shot sucked, you come off as a bit of a tool.

The exception which does kind bother me is when people try really hard to FIND something nice to say about every shot, even when they're obviously bad. For example, if I were to chop one fat and it comes up 10 yards short or the green, and the guy tells me what a bad lie I had there, or the wind really knocked that one down. It wasn't a bad lie, I just put a bad swing on it. Some shots just suck, and no amount of lipstick you try to put on it is gonna make me feel better about where it ended up.

During a hefty money game many years ago, I had three consecutive birdies, then a hole-in one. My opponent never said a word.

I'm glad he didn't. It made the rest story more interesting.

I can appreciate the sentiment from those who don't like hearing 'good ball' and 'nice roll' after every shot out there, but I'm a big fan of playing partners who compliment nice shots, and I try to reciprocate that to keep the mood positive and build a little camaraderie with whomever is playing with me.

One particular drive I hit while playing with my FIL and his friends was described as 'needing a telescope to see where it landed' - simple fun way to compliment the shot that because of it's uniqueness has stuck with me.

See, that is just being a jerk (not you.) "Don't talk to my ball again?" I'd have told him "fine, play by yourself then" and skipped up to the next hole.

I think it's occasionally amusing when the 32 'cap I'm paired with tells me "nice shot" if I hit a GW 30' long and left of the pin, but I'll chuckle to myself and leave it alone, there's no reason to be a jerk in return to someone being nice just because their standard of a "nice shot" might be different than mine.

I hate when people talk to my ball. If I hit a high cut yelling at the ball to hook is going to do nothing more than piss me off. I don't mind a nice shot every once in a while, but don't yell go ball or anything similar to my ball. It's completely pointless and is irritating. Again I think it depends on where your coming from but in tournament golf you would NEVER hear that.

exactly! I guess it's just how you have to read people and know what approach you have to take.

If the guy's going to curse after he tees off then of course you don't want to complement him but if he has no negative demeanor after he tees off, and the ball is in the fairway, I just give him a "good ball/nice shot" complement out of respect, despite what level of golfer he is.

I don't fish for complements but do appreciate a complement once in a while AND, do acknowledge his complements with a "thank you."

now just don't pat me in my rear!

"keep your mouth off my ball" guys are some of the biggest douches in the game.

No kidding. Just the expression is vile.

As somone who only ever gets to play as a single walk on, I try to play close attention to the group I join. If they talk, I will too, not so much as to join in, but just enough so that I don't come off as anti social. If others are quiet, I'll be quiet.

As for handicap, one gets a sense early on at what is a good shot, or bad shot from somone else, and what type of things a person might or might not say. I never point out the negative, like that ball did not hold, or man that never turned over, rather I point out the positive but only within the framework of the kinds of things the group I join has established based on previous comments.

To be honest I am pretty shy and I usually see how good a player is prior to commenting on his shots if the player is consistently hitting greens on par 3's and driving the ball I don't need to tell him nice shot on a 2 foot putt or a mildly ok drive. Its alright as long as it isn't negative or overdone usually you can tell how good a player is after a few holes and adjust I should probably take that time on fixing my game though . I would take it for what its worth some times its difficult to get a read on people and you are more concerned with your shot thus the other player isn't on your mind that's why I usually score better solo using the "foot wedge" helps

Out of curiosity, I have a question for the conversationalist type of golfer, why does where do you work? are you married? do you have kids? have to do with that days golf?

Because then if it is in a related field that I'm in that could be potential business or a vendor, I can justify the time and expense of having been out playing I'm mostly kidding about that but it has happened.

I was out of town playing as a single matched up with a husband and wife at a resort. It was mostly quiet basic conversation only about the round of golf as I didn't want to intrude on their time together. Toward the end of the round he asked me what I did. When I told him, it turned out he was the CEO of a major company and had a need (all be it a personal one) for my hotels. He has since given me business and I have been his guest a his club a few times.

I don't generally play golf to help my business, I usually want to enjoy the round, but I'm not adverse to talking business if someone else brings it up. As for the married and kids questions, I don't ever ask those since they are personal but I've had many people ask me and I don't mind answering since it's none to both.