Good- meeting new people. While I have friends that play the game sparingly, I've made some new ones that are real passionate about the game and now frequently will play with them if I'm looking for a round.

Bad- I believe there's a certain skill level that is needed to play an 18 hole course. One time I was paired with a couple of teenagers that had only picked up the game for a couple of weeks. Luckily they only played 9, but it was the most excruciating round I have ever been a part of. I would say, if it takes you double par on every hole, you shouldn't be playing an 18 hole course.

Pretty much every stranger I have played with no matter the skill level has been fun. However, recently I did find someone that I was paired up with real annoying. I chipped the ball within 2 feet of the cup and while picking up the flag I have my putter and try to putt it in the hole. It didn't go in. The guy makes a comment of it not being good. This happened a second time during the round and I found it very rude how he would criticize how I played my round. It doesn't affect him at all and if I want to give myself 10 foot gimmes, that's my prerogative.

I also really like playing with players with better skill levels than me. Just watching them play and how they maneuver around the course is a great learning experience. I also find me having to focus more because I don't want to look like an idiot on the course versus playing with high handicappers where I may be more nonchalant.

I've only had one bad experience. A older oriental guy, just kept zipping right out in front of me, wouldn't help look for balls. I stood 45 yards out, waiting to pitch onto the green because he was up there trying to knock in his 8 footer already. I'm all for ready golf, but I nearly killed the guy twice on the 1st hole. Come to find out, the club has been haviong problems with this "member" all year.

Other than that, I have come to thoroughly enjoy getting my butt kicked by someone almost three times my age. The 200 yard drive down the center of every hole. The 150 yard 3 wood a chip and a put everytime. Meanwhile, from the trees, I contemplate a hooked 5 iron that Mickleson couldnt pull off or a skulled wedge.

Mostly good experiences with an occassional bad one.
Worst was a guy who was a member and had to give tips on every hole as well as comment on how you 'won't like the result of your shot'. On a par 3, I hit it to 6' past the pin..."oh you are going to hate being there", sure it was a slider, but come on dude.
Those times when you can tell you do not necessarily hit it off - people are typically respectfully quiet.

Oriental is not the preferred nomenclature, Asian American please. (always wanted to use that line)

He does sound pretty annoying, though. I would have "buzzed his tower".

My only bad experience was getting "Titleist Hal" (as we labeled him) added to my threesome. Titleist Hal held up his new Titleist
driver to show me the bottom of it and asked me if I had ever taken golf lessons.

I usually feel uncomfortable showing up as a single and getting grouped with strangers. Most of the time those you are grouped with have established relationships and can view you as an "outsider" horning in on their round. This has happened to me a few times this season. They went about their business as a group and left me feeling like the odd man out. I think over the 3 or 4 rounds like this I played that after the introductions and pleasantries maybe 10 words were spoken between me and the groups all day. Made me very uncomfortable to the point where my play was affected. So I decided if I want to swing the sticks and none of my regular buddies can play I'll either hit the simulator or play the little 9 hole executive near by.

Even though I prefer to play with my buddies, I find playing with strangers quite enjoyable. I am the “joiner” about 60% of the time. As a walk-on, I have found myself “unwelcome” only a few times. Once I was forced on a couple. I could tell that they didn’t want me. But since it was a muni, they were stuck with me. I started talking and soon I was welcome. Still, they left at the turn. Maybe they had other activities in mind.



On the back nine, I was put with yet another group. I tried to be helpful by providing the yardages from my GPS. I got some nasty words from one of the group who bitched at me for doing so. He said he would figure it out himself. I don’t know, maybe it was part of his pre-shot routine. But, he probably could have used a different tact. Anyway, I don’t volunteer yardages unless asked.



I am now careful, (when as a single) I am put with another group. If I can tell they don’t want me, I will wait for another group.

Playing with strangers is all about attitude. If one decides to not play because of the potential to either be paired up with strangers or have a stranger added to your group, then you're going to miss out on a lot of fun.

Yes, I've played with strangers who have indeed been strange, but I've also played with some wonderful people who treated me like a life long friend. Less than 10% of the time the other players have been in some way objectionable.

Here's what I say to myself to cope with this situation: "Remember your life isn't so precious that a few hours playing with these people will be spoiled and your golf game or this round aren't the most important thing in your life."

I've played with people from all walks of life. If you travel and play golf it's almost a necessity. You just have to have confidence in your game. I'll play from the tips, I'll play forward—it doesn't matter to me.

I've run into so many interesting and unique people I could write a book about them. The xssholes I've encountered wouldn't take up more than a page or two.

So sure I've run into the guys who play in front of you, guys who want to play from the tips (but can't carry the ball far enough to reach the fairway), the guy who stands directly behind you giving commentary, the guy who is just learning, the guy who moves around on your line when putting or hitting from a trap, the guy who's on his phone all the time, etc.

Just remember this: your life isn't so precious that a few hours playing with these people will be spoiled and your golf game or this round isn't the most important thing in your life. The positive experiences far out weigh the negative…probably 100 to 1.

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Who are you to say to anyone if they should only play 9 or 18? just because someone is at a different skill level than you doesnt mean you should think that they cant play 18... Ever think of helping the guys out? afterall teaching the game to others is what also what this sport is about right?

playing with strangers is always a crap shoot. i often find myself going to the local muni as a single, since my buddies shcedules are different than mine. for the most part, i've had a good experience, mostly keep to myself when playing and compliment good shots. i'll join in in a good laugh once in a while.

on one occasion, my name was called to join a threesome (seniors, two guys and a lady) anyway went up to them and started to introduce myself and they said they had a fourth joinging them in a minute, so i backed off and joined the group behind them. well, thorughout the whole 18, the fourth never showed. made me think that if they didn't want me to join them, they should have said "we prefer to play as a group". somehow when i first approached them, i got that nasty feeling (racis...), naw, i gave them the benefit of the doubt and enjoyed my game.

Best movie ever. Sometimes I'll use the "mark it 8 dude" when playing with one of my buddies.

Oh my god. Please don't make this turn into that "other" thread in this forum. I stand by my statement that if you can't shoot double par on every hole, you shouldn't be playing 18. And I think that's pretty generous score to say. A lot of times a less experienced golfer are likely to join their more "accomplished" friend on the course. That's understandable, but as mentioned, once have I been joined with 2 teens who just picked up the game two weeks ago and decided to go out and play on an 18 hole course. It was the worst golfing I had seen in a long time.

And believe me, when players play this bad, you are forced to give tips just so you hope that it will speed up play. But because they are so green to the game, it's tough for them to understand the simplest concepts.

When I ever play executive courses, I expect to see beginners on the course. The range is college baseball, executive course is the minors and 18 holes is the majors. Going from the range to the course is an awfully big jump and you're probably going to get overwhelmed.

That being said, if they paid for the course, they do have every right to play. I just don't think it's going to be that enjoyable to yourself and it will likely affect the hole course and the pace of play.

I dont mind playing with strangers as long as they get on with the job. Nothing worse then spending over 3.5 hours on 9 holes. Playing in open tournaments can be a frustrating affair. Advising what clubs to hit and where to aim (almost during my backswing). Local knowledge is pretty much useless to me if the guys handicap is triple mine! I let a guy have it once for that kinda cr*p. I pretty much try to avoid the walk down a fairway if he's wrecking my head by blasting it in another direction (towards the pin anyway). And finally - the stranger that looks for their ball when it was clearly out of bounds or in deep deep rough.....then a miracle....they found it! makes me laugh. Great topic. Feels good to vent every now and again

I can relate, a few weeks ago I was with my golfing buddy at his local club. The day was going pretty well until we got to the 12th hole and paired up with another twosome. These two originally had a threesome but the other guy left (not sure why, maybe it was the constant yapping from one of the guys).

Anyway, he invited us to join them after holing out on the 12th, of course I was thinking it couldn't hurt since there's a fivesome infront of them and playing very slow. Well, the last six holes became the worst part of the day, constant talking, unwelcomed tips, and most importantly unwelcomed comments on post shots.

I have almost always had positive experiences while playing with people I dont know. Although I think its funny that most people think I am 18 (actually 25). Good story though... While playing this weekend my buddy and I were paired with another twosome. They were very nice guys and by the end of the round one of them gave me a job offer to do accounting at a fortune 500 company. I am happily employed, but it just goes to show you never know who you will meet. As always golf is a great way to network and meet new people.

Some people say they like playing with better players for the educational value. Personally, I get nothing out of playing with a guy who hits it 290 followed by a wedge on every hole. I mean, it's impressive, but it doesn't relate to my game at all... it's arguably a different game than the one I'm playing. But watching someone like the above description give themselves a real good shot at par on every hole does help my game. I would pay a little extra to get paired with one or two each time out

That said, some of the best and worst of my rounds have been with strangers. I was never so flattered as when, after playing the front nine really solid, a threesome I was playing with inquired if and where I played college golf. For a self-taught, never-even-had-a-lesson guy like me, that was a high compliment. On the other hand, the two guys I almost killed ( with golf balls ) last month, really wrecked an otherwise good round. Just because you think you're invincible doesn't mean you aren't distracting when you're 60 yards ahead of me in the fairway, or standing next to the pin while I'm chipping.

Back when I was in college, I took a train half-way across the country. I will never forget the guy in the seat next to me, as long as I live. He was bound for Boston, to see his kids, from San Diego, so he'd been on-board a while already. A few minutes after we left the station, and after some minimal small talk, he reached into his bag and pulled out a fruit and 6 inch curved, and quite sharp, knife. As he applied the knife to his dinner, he told me with a grin that he'd taken a lot of long train rides, and that they could be good or bad, depending on just one factor. "It's like prison, depends on who you're in with."

I think those words apply to many situations in life... definitely including rounds of golf.

I agree and disagree with the OP on different points.

I am a 23-year-old, and I'm quite often the junior member of any group I'm in, usually by a fair amount. I know the younger ones of us tend to screw around a lot, and I do my best to not be one of those stereotypical 'dumb kids.' I try to remain pleasant, but still show a certain amount of respect to those who are my elders.

When I first started, I would never, ever dream of playing a full-length 18 hole course. I didn't avoid it because I felt like it wasn't my place to be there, but rather because it would be an unwise thing to do, and not an enjoyable experience. No one likes being kicked around by a course that's above your skill. Why would I want to put myself in that position?

But note the wording. I said I thought it was unwise. I didn't say that it wasn't my place, or that punk kids should stay out of the hair of others. After all, the only way to learn things is to try them and learn from your mistakes, right? I would think that as long as they kept up pace, the score they shot isn't important.

Double par is a bit much, though. That moves into the "likely slow play" category.

*************************Story Time!******************************

On a related note, some of the least mature people I've ever met were some of the oldest people I've encountered on the golf course. A few weeks ago, I was at a local muni, playing by myself. I went in to pay, and was chatting with the man behind the counter for a bit before paying. An older gentleman and his wife come in as I'm talking. I step aside, even though I was in there first, and let them pay ahead of me. They pay and move out to the putting green.

This was twilight, so the tee-off order was very lax - as long as you're not trying to cut ahead of people or holding things up, you just tee off whenever is reasonable. Since the other two are on the putting green, I move up to the tee and stretch just a bit, waiting on the man ahead of me to move out of shooting range. The man and his wife drive up.

We exchange short greetings, and after about fifteen seconds, he says, "That guy's taking too long, we're gonna skip ahead to the next hole."

Meh, whatever. If you want to do that, I won't stop you.

I play through the first hole. I tee off on the second hole, and I'm -already- waiting behind the very same people that had skipped ahead. I'm somewhat peeved at this, but I try to blow it off. The hole finally passes after what seemed like forever waiting behind these people.

The next hole, I'm right behind them again on the teebox. One of them sliced a ball, and stood there looking for it for two or three minutes. By this time, I'm pretty irritated. They're off on the fairway on the hole to the right looking for their ball. I was playing from a shorter set of tees (27 handicap), and the direction of the shot was much different than theirs, allowing a pretty safe shot on my part. I hit mine, and I slice it, but got about 150 yards farther than where they were searching. While setting up for my second shot, I see one, then two balls, rolling just a bit closer to the hole than I was. They were pretty much hitting into me.

I think about getting really mad at these people, but instead decide to take the high road. I guess I can understand how being passed without being asked would be irritating, too. I pick up my ball, and move along to the next hole in an effort to put some distance between us.

The next hole is a short par 3. I tee up, and don't get a clean hit on it. The green is set so that it's wider than it is deep from the teebox. The flag is set in the right side of the green, and I barely manage to keep it on the left fringe. At this point, the man, his wife, and another guy are on the teebox right behind me. (It turns out that this man is the one that they tried to pass up at the first tee, and ended up picking him up as a third.) I pick up my bag and start walking, and I hear a sharp "WAIT!" behind me.

...excuse me? Baffled by this behavior, I turn around and let out a confused "...what?"

"YOU NEED TO WAIT. I'm going to hit you if you don't wait." Note the wording, because I sure did. He didn't say that he might hit me, or that the possibility existed. He said he would.

He continues, "I'm going to shoot. You need to wait." After a moment of him trying to stare me down, I let out a flabbergasted, "So, then, play!"

I stood there with my jaw hanging open for a moment afterwards. You start the round by skipping ahead of me and another person, then play extremely slowly (with a cart, mind you), and then have the friggin' gall to say that to me? I was at a loss. So I wait for his wife and the other man to take their teeshots, and walk up with them to the green... I didn't know what else to do.

He then drives his cart up right next to the green (thanks for failing to keep it 30' off the green, jerk), and asks me if I'd like to join up with them, like nothing ever happened. I reply with a curt "No, thanks." I didn't yell it, nor did I do any of that head-bobbing finger-snapping garbage. I made sure to let him know with my tone that it was a dumb thing to ask, though.

The hole we were on is one of the few holes that, due to the design of the course, meets up with the holes of the front nine. Seeing that there were no people playing the hole next to me, nor any playing the hole before or after that, I pick up my ball off the green and start walking over. Why put myself in the same position, now that tempers have already flared? As long as I'm not holding anybody else up, I don't see a problem with it. But I get no further than ten feet when the -other- man opens his mouth. "What are you doing? You're only going to be in the same position on the next hole, and you're going to have to wait again."

I had it.

"DUMBASS. I'm going (point sharply at the teebox I was headed to) over THERE. It's not even on the same SIDE as you. So you go over (point sharply at the tee for the next hole) there, and play your terrible, slow game." I begin to storm off. He lets out a loud, exasperated sigh.

I turn around. "Keep running your f***ing mouth. See what happens." He was silent afterwards.

I then went to the other side, and enjoyed the rest of my evening, completely unimpeded.

Now, I won't say I was free of fault in this situation. Both myself and his group made poor decisions, and if we'd all remained cool, then things probably wouldn't have gotten out of hand. Thinking back on it, essentially threatening that man was an unwise decision as well. Although it was a very empty threat (I've never actually been in a fight in my life, and don't plan to), it was a highly aggressive move against someone who could have been carrying a gun or something. I don't know how seriously it would have been taken, but he possibly could have called the authorities as well.

But, REALLY? You skip me, play slowly, smart off to me, and then threaten to hit me with a ball? Did you eat paint chips as a kid? Seriously? Are you two brain damaged or something?

I really try my best not to be that 'punk kid.' As stated in the earlier part of my mini-novel here, I really do try to show respect to others and try to get along. But I won't stand for that garbage. You don't skip ahead of people and then get angry when that same person does it to you. You have no moral ground to stand on.

********************Story Time is over. Sorry, kids.***********************

After all my rambling, what's the moral of the story? Playing with strangers can be good, but some people are dumb as a rock. I choose not to play with others because of this possibility, although I won't turn down a new playing partner on courses without such lax tee-time policies. Some of the best people I've played with were strangers - but more often than not, they're worth avoiding if at all possible.

If you made it all the way down here, thanks for sitting through my tangents and ramblings. If you're looking for a too-long-didn't-read-it version of the story, here it is:

- There are good choices and bad choices of golf courses depending on skill. There aren't, however, people that "don't belong" on a certain course due to skill.
- Playing with strangers, in my experience, is typically bad more often than it is good.
- On a tangent, age does not equal skill or an automatic level of respect, especially after being an idiot.

Thanks.

Wow...there's no way I'm gonna match the volumes written by the previous poster. But I will say this...I've had good and bad pairings, but the good ones FAR and away outdistance the bad ones by a country mile. In fact, I can only think of one 'bad' experience getting matched up, and it was a fairly mild case of the "let me give you some swing tips"...I say mild becuase it was actually directed at my buddy, not me.

As for the good, they range from a father out playing a round with his two sons, both on the high school golf team to the wife/husband/son out for a quick Sunday evening 9. All in all, I've met some really nice people and it never seems to matter what the handicap is, the tee boxes played from etc. At some point everyone has to realize that we're all out there for essentially the same thing...to enjoy golf...no matter whether your enjoyment is shooting the low round of your life or just getting away from the screaming kids for a little while.

I walk on and get paired up at least once a week. The vast majority of the time is with great people... occasionally with "that guy." Today, I got paired up with two really funny guys and the best part is we walked 18 in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Nothing is better for getting into a rhythm that a consistent pace!

I say, "Please don't talk to strangers, baby"
But she always do
She say, "I'll talk to strangers if I want to
'Cause I'm a stranger, too"

lyric by Randy Newman, writer of "Have you seen my baby"

I often play as a single our with one other player so we usually get paired up with one or more players. The bad part is players with no personality. I mean if you cant relax and have a good time being outdoors and playing golf I would hate to see you in a stuffy setting. People with no etiquette. I shouldnt have to listen to you crack a beer or talk during my backswing or follow you around and repair your ballmarks on the green. Last but not least slow play. The good. Meeting cool people with various backgrounds. Getting paired up with random good sticks that make it a good match. Playing with cool oldtimers that are full of great stories. Getting randomly paired up with anyone who has the Hammer driver now thats 18 holes of fun especially if they let you hit it. That one actually happened to me 2 weekends ago. They couldnt play a lick but they had the hammer and it made my day. I beat the 3 of them by an average of 43 strokes, but man was it fun watching them hit the hammer. They even let me hit it a few times.

Ye-ah... sorry about that. It started off as a short post, and then that incident popped into my head. 45 minutes later, that's what was made.

Put me down as someone who has never had a bad experience and I've been playing since '76. I'm comfortable around strangers and see it as an opportunity to make friends.

Giving swing tips to strangers or even your friends is a very delicate subject on the course. I have found myself giving advice a few times because I felt my round was moving a little too slow. These guys were shooting in the 100s.

As far as getting advice, I actually don't mind it if it comes from a single digit capper. It's tough for me to digest your tip if you can't play the game well yourself, but feel compelled to help a stranger out.

We've met all kinds. Guys we've hit it off with. Guys who we didn't, but we both respected the game and had a cordial round. And finally the guys who we wish we never met--those were few and far between thankfully.

I will say that I've gone out, late in the afternoon with my beginner wife for us to walk and play together. It's not a social thing, but more of a couples thing for just she and I to enjoy a nice walk--that's why we go in off peak times. I do resent the single guy that gets put in with us who inevitably feels the need to give my wife swing tips. (Yeah, we ditched that guy--sorry Mario)

I love joining any group, but I'm finding more and more my play follows the group's. if they're bad my game goes down and if they're good I play better.

Walking on as a single is no big deal. The good is nice people are usually a joy to meet; regardless of golf skill and I get 2-man tournament invites now and again after they see my game. My wife and I have made some nice friends over the years getting put out with male two-somes where one guy hopes to find people to play with as couples. Today, I still get together with a few guys that I met fifteen years ago as a walk on. For a few years the four of us met up at 7am on Saturday and the course would squeeze us in.

Good and bad example… A couple of the courses I frequent I am known by the starters. One starter is a great guy and a “player” in his own right. He likes introducing me to playing partners by saying he (me) knows the course really well, he’ll show ya. Even though I take his kind words as a compliment, depending on who he says it to it sets me up as the "shell caddy answer man" on a very difficult course that requires shot making skills on every hole. For some people they start taking advantage on the first tee others wait for a few holes watching how I play, then start asking.

Generally I don't volunteer info or advice, keeping to myself. But when asked my answers are based on how the course tells me to play it, no ego. I respond with how I view each hole; how it can be played aggressively or conservatively. What that often equates to is them watching me use 3 wood or 2 iron instead of driver to find the best landing areas and keep the ball in play. I like the ones that ask a few key questions, listen, and then step up their game so they don’t embarrass themselves.

Anyways, the bad comes from those showing signs of frustration when I suggest clubs other then driver. Funny thing is it always surprises me. That often leads them to ask why I am not hitting driver often. I say a lot of holes don’t call for need driver. Some have assumed I can’t hit driver or am having problems with it. It blows me away when they go that far, talk about doofuses. Its no wonder they don’t improve they have one line of thinking. Pull driver, hit it hard, find the ball if possible and then… carding 2-4 over par walking off the green. It shows so many don’t really have a clue what goes into carding good scores. They are either in their own way or like dragging their knuckles. Either way, I have no patience for numb nuts so I stay away for the rest of the round. Reason as a single I always take my own cart or walk.

There are 2 huge peeves of mine when I get paired with some people. My friend and I like to go play some nice courses and we always play the tips. My handicap is +1 and my friend is a 2 handicap, so we do have the game to be playing from there. I hate when we get up to the first tee and the twosome we have been paired with pull out their spalding executive 3 irons and ask which tee box we are playing. We let them know we are playing the tips and they look at each other and say, we've never played from there before, we will join you. After they each hit 3 balls into the canyon which must be carried to reach the fairway they say they will just drop on the other side. The carry was 240 yards. Then, after 16 holes they tell us that they have never played this bad and they don't know what it is...I do, you are playing the course at 1000 yards longer than you should!

The other is when I stuff a wedge or knock a chip really close they feel the need to rush up and knock the ball back to me. LEAVE MY BALLS ALONE!! I enjoy the satisfaction of finishing every hole and especially the satisfaction of converting a tough up and down or tapping in a birdie putt. I have actually yelled at a couple of people for hitting my ball back to me...I then explained that I putt every thing out. Most of the time they understand, but there are a few who continue to hit the ball back.

Thanks for a place to vent!

I ran into an interesting situation a while back. I was playing as a two-some with a buddy and we were paired with a single. The single turned out to be a gal. And it was a quite attractive lady at that (mid 40's, but in very good shape).

I thought that (for an attractive female) that took a good bit of nerve. I'm not saying that there was anything inappropriate at all, just that you reallly don't know what you might run into in this case.

Anyway she was a nice gal and a decent golfer. We were polite and we all enjoyed the round.

dave

It takes "a good bit of nerve" for an attractive woman to play golf? Why might that be?

I try to make friends with everybody. Never know who you'll meet.

I'm that guy(the single) that gets paired up with people. As my sig says i'm a 7.7 but at one time was a 4 and always got paired up with 2's and 3's. I've always had a good experience with all. I've played across the country with top executives to people who aren't. And always walked with a smile on my face with a good experience.

It isn't the golf - it is linking up with strangers for four+ hours. In my experience most women wouldn't do that. Have you ever seen a single woman on a golf course? Our club has (literally) hundreds of active female members - never seen a single before.

dave

My guess is that most women are unwilling to subject themselves to four hours of unsolicited golf instruction. lol

For me, only a few bad experiences, by far, mostly good. I once got stuck with three members of the ASU womens golf team for nine holes. Do you realize how hard it is to keep your gut sucked in for TWO HOURS ???

A great story from a friend of mine who went on a two week solo golf excursion to Scotland this summer. Every round playing with strangers. One round turned out to be with a fellow who was a member at a nearby club. The result: an invitation to play the famed Muirfield links later that week.

tjy355, I have absolutely no trouble understanding this comment! And yes, I suppose I do understand how hard it is!

Based on how the weather is breaking and my work schedule I'll often decide to play a round at a moment's notice. So it's pot luck who I get paired with. It's always interesting, variety is the spice of life. Played once with a very attractive woman member who works in sales, and she made me feel like a million bucks by the time the round was over, complimenting my game, etc. Only had to keep my guy sucked in while on the tee and green.

Having worked at muni's for many years, I have found that there are a lot of girls/women who like to golf and come out as singles or even two-somes. Some are just there to play golf but there are some that are there to hook up. Some women don't say that is what they are there for but some are very candid and will ask you to set them up with likely candidates They will get paired with hopefully single guys and they have a whole round to find out if there is any potential for extracurriculars. There is no pressure for them and they can easily shake hands and leave if there is no interest and no one is the wiser or have hurt feelings. It is a safe way to meet people (you can find out a lot in 4 hours) and if the guy is a real jerk, they can leave after 9. For two girls that did this on a regular basis one hit the jackpot and married a golf date. The other one was left to look on her own.

Also, I once had a young starter who met a couple (man & wife) who played regularly and asked him to join them for a round. He soon figured out that not only did they like his company but they wanted him to join them as a 3 some after the round. He was flattered but declined.

You just don't know what you are going to get when you join up with a group at a golf course. So those of us that come out as singles looking for a game, might just find more game going on than golf.

Socrates

Smart girls. A quicker and better plan than those girls that apply to law school to meet the one. 4 hours, many candidates versus devoting 2 years of your life and only so many candidates. Plus they would have to wait for the guy to make the big bucks. I wish more girls would golf.

I love to play with strangers, and have had over the 37 years that I've played mostly good experiences with them...but I too have a story:

Got thrown into a group of 3 on the first tee...introductions...lets go.

Make a sloppy bog on the first hole, and while waiting to hit my drive on the second "that guy" gives me a totally stupid swing tip...with slo-mo demonstration.

Make a practice swing with his "new move" and ask him if my swing looked better...he and his friends say yes.

I take my backswing, and at the top I stop and then bring the club straight down over my head like I'm chopping wood and hammer/auger the ball and tee about 5" into the ground.

I look at him and his buds and say "Sorry, but I think I'm going to have to take your tip to the range tomorrow."

All 4 of us almost crapped our pants laughing, and I still play with the 3 of them when I have the chance.

Golf...I love it.

Why does that read "Dear Penthouse....." in my head??

The story would've had to have started, "I'm from a small mid-western college..."

I played today with all strangers.... not big deal right....?

Well, one guy....was "that guy".....

On the first hole... my ball was close to his on the green... he was eyeing the green...

So I said..."do you want to see my line...I'll wait for you."

He replied... "this is against the rule..." and I replied... "not my rules." He then says the rules are the rules.... Keep in mind this is a public course.... just guys playing for fun...on the nice sunny day in NJ.

I proceed to sink my putt...and he did the same... This guys was talking to himself whenever he hit a bad shot which was the entire back nine. He fought with another guy over holding the flag.....and he shows me his gap wedge...like I never saw one. At first, I thought this was my club...he then says...you do not see it? He replied...we're playing the same irons....and I said oh okay...

I'd say he was the biggest jerk played with this year...and he was not much of a golfer to be so concerned over the "rules."

I'm a self taught golfer and play to 5, sometimes as low as 2. I played with this guy at a charity tournament. He first told me that I should start playing right handed for no good reason. After the 1st hole, he was trying to give me a lesson on my swing. I told him no thanks as it would have DQed me for taking pointers from a playing partner. He claimed that he was a scratch and used to teach. I shot 74 and he ended up shooting 93. He said he was just having a bad day. Are you kidding me????

Being paired up with someone on the golf course is like a first date except you can end the first date as soon as you know its not going well. For golf, you have to stick with your date for 18 holes unless it's so bad and you're willing to give up the round - Raincheck please!

I wanted to play a quick nine yesterday off at the local public course after messing around on the range. My wife was with me and playing too. We could see the first tee was backing up with everyone getting out to enjoy the unexpected sunny/warm day.

When we finished practicing we walked to the first tee. There was a foursome on the tee and a single behind them. After chatting a bit with the single I suggested he pair up with us to avoid what might be an agonizing wait between a foursome and a twosome. He said, okay and off we (eventually) went.

He wasn't a particularly skilled golfer, but he was one heck of a nice guy. After about 6 holes he told me he just hoping to break 50 on the nine and he only needed an average of 5 per hole on the last 3 to do it. I'd say he was your true average golfer. No lessons. Technically horrible swing, but determined and a good putter. His equipment was discount store, but it didn't matter to him.

I enjoyed every minute of playing with the guy dispite not playing particularly well (I ended up with a 43 with a pair of three putt greens and a pair of wayward approach shots on two others). I sometimes look at someone like this stranger I'll call "Joe" and admire their ability to play with what they have and still enjoy the game week after week, year after year. Nothing complicated--just the love of the game.

Turned out to be a very nice day.

Part 2 to my original today....

One of the guys, who happened to be playing the same driver as me... says "nice driver" on the first tee which was my thought as well.

He was a good guy and someone that I did enjoy playing with today. For some reason, I believe we were both sending bad vibes to the jerk today for he must have gone 50+ on the back 9.

I would like to also add most guys are just great to play with. Several gave great information on equipment, courses and just about anything. I found only two bad this year and I typically play with at least 1-2 strangers per round.

Been playing for years and never had a really bad experience playing with strangers. I guess it is all about what you make of it. Sometimes I get right into the chat, other times I hardly say 10 words. I expecially enjoy playing with the old boys who have been at the club for 50+ years and tell you all about the history of the place and the old layouts etc. Always very interesting.

I don't know about the dates you've been on, but I've never ended up naked at the end of the round... well, cept that one time when I took my date golfing...

My buddy and I played with another twosome couple of weeks ago. Guys were about the same age, said they normally play the tips... so I figured they were players. They both proceeded to duck hook their drives OB on #1... whatever, I generally don't care about the quality of golf of my playing partners unless I'm looking for golf balls all day long.

Anyway, the one guy wouldn't shut up the entire round. I mean, talking right up to the point of taking the club back, and often during the damn swing. I think he thought nobody could hear him "whisper" to his buddy right next to him, but hey, I'm 10 feet from you.

On top of that, they kept checking their phones before EVERY shot to keep up on the latest college football games. One audibly kept notifying the guy after every update. So we soon fall behind the group in front of us, and this after chatty cathy tells me that they play "ready golf", and that order of play isn't important to them. I guess "ready golf" meant he'll hit when he's good and ready, which came later than soon.

Not once did they tee off before me. I don't know what some people are doing after the cart stops, but why it takes a minute to grab your club and hit the ball is beyond me. Of course the ranger tells us we're at least 10 min behind on the 9th hole (he was being nice, probably more than 20 minutes, as I couldn't see the group ahead of us on the next hole either). I just nod my head, said "I know", as I walked 100 yards ahead of these guys. The one guy makes some disgusted comment about being behind, as if he can't POSSIBLY be behind.

A number of times they both hit to about the same area, and the one guy just sat in his cart, and didn't get up and grab a club until his buddy was done and sat back down.

Finally, to complete the trifecta, they both would move around while you'd be hitting, especially on the tee box, because they were so slow to get out of the cart that you'd already be addressing the ball when they decided to move. My buddy had to back away twice on the same shot, once for each guy, as they walked behind him, dragging their long shadow over his ball.

I figured i was stuck with them for 4.5 hours (well, longer for how slow they were) and that I'd try to use it as a self lesson on keeping focus... it didn't work. Putted like absolute crap, worst of the season except for the first round in March.