Opinion & Analysis
Yabba Dabba please shut up
“Get in the hole!”
That’s how it started, innocently enough, and not in an obnoxious way.
If we peel back the evolution of post-shot yelling on the PGA Tour all the way to the beginning, the pre-cambrian era of yelling if you will, the early yellers were actually genuine supporters of their favorite golfers.
They were yelling “get in the hole” on chips and long putts — situations where an actual hole out was possible and/or likely. It was a simpler, more peaceful time on the PGA Tour, but it didn’t last.
Somewhere along the evolutionary chain, the DNA of golf yellers started to shift. Much like the first fish who climbed out of the water and started breathing oxygen, there was a yeller who thought it was funny to yell “get in the hole” off of the tee on a par 5.
Of course, there was no chance that the ball would actually go in the hole on that par 5. It was a joke, and a few laughs were had, no doubt. Maybe even a few pros found it funny. But no one would have laughed if golfers knew what one innocuous scream would spawn.
Back in the “get in the hole” days, it was easy for spectators to get some air time during a golf broadcast. The galleries were pretty quiet, with the exception of the golf yellers who made “get in the hole” their battle cry. These early yellers — think of them as the ancestors of modern golf yelling — would later go home and watch the golf telecast, pointing out to their friends that they were the person screaming every time Tiger hit a tee shot.
More civilized golf viewers tended to tolerate the behavior of the yellers — it wasn’t hurting anyone or too ridiculous. But then the yelling evolved, and “get in the hole” gave way to new phrases: mashed potatoes, baba booey, yabba dabba do and several others that I’d rather not mention for fear of adding more fuel to the fire.
Right now, golf finds itself at a breaking point. The yelling has spread.
Yelling has taken over golf fans like the zombie virus in “World War Z.” I’m picturing Tim Finchem in a bunker somewhere showing one of those graphics where it has the infection spreading over the U.S. over a determined timeline.
“And this is what it will look like in three months, and this is what it will look like in six months. And in two years, we’re looking at a total loss here.”
His advisors would appear horrified. You know how these things go.
The bottom line is that the Tour is reaching a breaking point. I watched a round recently where a fan followed a player around and yelled after every single shot. Drives, irons, chips, etc. Every. Single. Shot. And this wasn’t Tiger Woods, either — just a normal Tour player.
Simply put, it’s not funny.
If you were at a party and you told a joke to 20 people, and two of them laughed, 10 of them said nothing and eight seemed genuinely annoyed at you, would you tell this joke again? Probably not.
Yelling after a shot is one of the few ongoing jokes that seems to annoy the vast majority of people who hear it. For every chuckle, there are 10 people who want to punch the yeller in the face, including the players. These guys aren’t funny — they’re the guys on Facebook who you unfriend, or the guys on Twitter you don’t follow.
It makes the players look bad
OK, this one takes some explaining. Golfers have always faced the issue of being taken seriously as athletes, with a lot of the naysayers saying things like they are pampered, don’t need to be in good shape, don’t have to do much stuff that is actually physical and athletic, etc. Fine, throw your barbs at them.
But the one that bothers me is that every time a player complains about fans yelling or moving for any reason, it gets brought up that they are spoiled and can’t hit a ball if a pin drops within a square mile. It’s just not true.
Plenty of times tour pros hit perfect shots with a distraction (Jim Furyk did it late in his final round at the PGA Championship), but they only tend to complain after a poor one. This might be the fault of the players, but I wouldn’t say it’s fair.
The players hate the yelling because it’s dumb, not because it makes them worse. Could Adam Scott shoot 67 while fans were cheering and/or booing the full round? I think so, because like most top golfers he’s used to it. But they shouldn’t have to get used to it.
Imagine if someone followed you around your office yelling “mashed potatoes.” Would it really make you worse at your job? Maybe not. But would you want to punch him or her in the face on your bad days? Probably.
It is only going to get worse
“It’s safe to say we do have some concerns over where it’s going and what may happen.”
– Kerry Haigh, chief championships officer of the PGA of America
Newton’s Law says essentially that something will move until it meets an equal and opposite reaction. So far there has been none. Except this phenomena isn’t moving along a straight path, it’s snowballing down a hill and gaining momentum.
Yelling on Tour has gotten so bad that people compete to be heard first and will risk yelling in the players backswing if it means getting the jump on their yelling rivals. Watch a round — any time you see a player check his swing on the tee box, someone probably yelled.
Fans (or worse, players) may take this into their own hands
Someone is going to snap. Hopefully it won’t be a player (this means you, Ian Poulter). But already, whenever there is a checked swing, you promptly hear “mashed potatoes” followed by several murmurs of “shut up!” It’s only a matter of time before some fan just walks up to the guy and slugs him.
Ask the NBA how great it was for publicity when there was a brawl in the stands. The Tour will have to release a statement condemning the incident, while every outside agent congratulates the guy. Most rational people think yellers are dumb, so why not just nip this in the bud before things turn violent?
I don’t believe that the Tour is incapable of solving the problem. Golf is a sport that has rules determining the difference between a live snake on the course and a dead one. Golf can’t take action against embarrassing fan behavior? It can’t rule against a problem that 99 percent of fans want to see go away?
Why not tell fans that they’ll be ejected if they do anything within three seconds of a swing? Doesn’t “baba booey” lose some of its luster if the player is putting his club back in the bag when it’s yelled?
The marshalls already have signs that say “quiet please.” Tell fans if they say anything while that sign is up they are gone, and banned from the event for five years. They can’t do this? Ty Votaw, the Tour’s vice president of communications, has admitted that the Tour has considered the behavior, but that it is hesitant to act on anything not directly impacting play. But it is starting to impact play. And it won’t stop as the competition to be heard becomes more fierce.
Right now, the Tour thinks that it has no choice and but to leave yelling alone, but I think it has no choice but to ban it.
Please do something, Mr. Finchem. Save our sport from the yelling. I’ll even stop by your office and tell you “you’re the man” if you do.
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again
After another strong showing in Australia, LIV Golf will head to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore looking to build off of what was undoubtedly their best event to date.
Sentosa Golf Club sits on the southern tip of Singapore and is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The course is more than just incredible scenically; it was also rated 55th in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses in 2022-2023 and has been consistently regarded as one of the best courses in Asia. Prior to being part of the LIV rotation, the course hosted the Singapore Open every year since 2005.
Sentosa Golf Club is a par 71 measuring 7,406 yards. The course will require precise ball striking and some length off the tee. It’s possible to go low due to the pristine conditions, but there are also plenty of hazards and difficult spots on the course that can bring double bogey into play in a hurry. The Bermudagrass greens are perfectly manicured, and the course has spent millions on the sub-air system to keep the greens rolling fast. I spoke to Asian Tour player, Travis Smyth, who described the greens as “the best [he’s] ever played.”
Davis Love III, who competed in a Singapore Open in 2019, also gushed over the condition of the golf course.
“I love the greens. They are fabulous,” the 21-time PGA Tour winner said.
Love III also spoke about other aspects of the golf course.
“The greens are great; the fairways are perfect. It is a wonderful course, and it’s tricky off the tee.”
“It’s a long golf course, and you get some long iron shots. It takes somebody hitting it great to hit every green even though they are big.”
As Love III said, the course can be difficult off the tee due to the length of the course and the trouble looming around every corner. It will take a terrific ball striking week to win at Sentosa Golf Club.
In his pre-tournament press conference last season, Phil Mickelson echoed many of the same sentiments.
“To play Sentosa effectively, you’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full 6-, 7-, 8-iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well.”
Golfers who excel from tee to green and can dial in their longer irons will have a massive advantage this week.
Stat Leaders at LIV Golf Adelaide:
Fairways Hit
1.) Louis Oosthuizen
2.) Anirban Lahiri
3.) Jon Rahm
4.) Brendan Steele
5.) Cameron Tringale
Greens in Regulation
1.) Brooks Koepka
2.) Brendan Steele
3.) Dean Burmester
4.) Cameron Tringale
5.) Anirban Lahiri
Birdies Made
1.) Brendan Steele
2.) Dean Burmester
3.) Thomas Pieters
4.) Patrick Reed
5.) Carlos Ortiz
LIV Golf Individual Standings:
1.) Joaquin Niemann
2.) Jon Rahm
3.) Dean Burmester
4.) Louis Oosthuizen
5.) Abraham Ancer
LIV Golf Team Standings:
1.) Crushers
2.) Legion XIII
3.) Torque
4.) Stinger GC
5.) Ripper GC
LIV Golf Singapore Picks
Sergio Garcia +3000 (DraftKings)
Sergio Garcia is no stranger to Sentosa Golf Club. The Spaniard won the Singapore Open in 2018 by five strokes and lost in a playoff at LIV Singapore last year to scorching hot Talor Gooch. Looking at the course setup, it’s no surprise that a player like Sergio has played incredible golf here. He’s long off the tee and is one of the better long iron players in the world when he’s in form. Garcia is also statistically a much better putter on Bermudagrass than he is on other putting surfaces. He’s putt extremely well on Sentosa’s incredibly pure green complexes.
This season, Garcia has two runner-up finishes, both of them being playoff losses. Both El Camaleon and Doral are courses he’s had success at in his career. The Spaniard is a player who plays well at his tracks, and Sentosa is one of them. I believe Sergio will get himself in the mix this week. Hopefully the third time is a charm in Singapore.
Paul Casey +3300 (FanDuel)
Paul Casey is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the five years or so. The results recently have been up and down, but he’s shown that when he’s on a golf course that suits his game, he’s amongst the contenders.
This season, Casey has finishes of T5 (LIV Las Vegas), T2 (LIV Hong Kong), and a 6th at the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. At his best, the Englishman is one of the best long iron players in the world, which makes him a strong fit for Sentosa. Despite being in poor form last season, he was able to fire a Sunday 63, which shows he can low here at the course.
It’s been three years since Casey has won a tournament (Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2021), but he’s been one of the top players on LIV this season and I think he can get it done at some point this season.
Mito Pereira +5000 (Bet365)
Since Mito Pereira’s unfortunate demise at the 2022 PGA Championship, he’s been extremely inconsistent. However, over the past few months, the Chilean has played well on the International Series as well as his most recent LIV start. Mito finished 8th at LIV Adelaide, which was his best LIV finish this season.
Last year, Pereira finished 5th at LIV Singapore, shooting fantastic rounds of 67-66-66. It makes sense why Mito would like Sentosa, as preeminent ball strikers tend to rise to the challenge of the golf course. He’s a great long iron player who is long and straight off the tee.
Mito has some experience playing in Asia and is one of the most talented players on LIV who’s yet to get in the winner’s circle. I have questions about whether or not he can come through once in contention, but if he gets there, I’m happy to roll the dice.
Andy Ogletree +15000 (DraftKings)
Andy Ogletree is a player I expected to have a strong 2024 but struggled early in his first full season on LIV. After failing to crack the top-25 in any LIV event this year, the former U.S. Amateur champion finally figured things out, finished in a tie for 3rd at LIV Adelaide.
Ogletree should be incredible comfortable playing in Singapore. He won the International Series Qatar last year and finished T3 at the International Series Singapore. The 26-year-old was arguably the best player on the Asian Tour in 2023 and has been fantastic in the continent over the past 18 months.
If Ogletree has indeed found form, he looks to be an amazing value at triple-digit odds.
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In Tampa, there is a golf course that boasts carts that do not work, a water range, and a group of players none of which have any chance to break 80. The course is overseen by a staff of crusty men who have succeeded at nothing in life but ending up at the worst-run course in America. However, this place is no failure. With several other local courses going out of business — and boasting outstanding greens — the place is booked full.
While I came for the great greens, I stayed to watch our resident instructor; a poor-tempered, method teacher who caters to the hopeless. At first, it was simply hilarious. However, after months of listening and watching, something clicked. I realized I had a front-row seat to the worst golf instructor in America.
Here are some of my key takeaways.
Method Teacher
It is widely accepted that there are three types of golf instructors: system teachers, non-system teachers, and method teachers. Method teachers prescribe the same antidote for each student based on a preamble which teachers can learn in a couple day certification.
Method teaching allows anyone to be certified. This process caters to the lowest caliber instructor, creating the illusion of competency. This empowers these underqualified instructors with the moniker of “certified” to prey on the innocent and uninformed.
The Cult of Stack and Jilt
The Stack and Tilt website proudly boasts, “A golfer swings his hands inward in the backswing as opposed to straight back to 1) create power, similar to a field goal kicker moving his leg in an arc and 2) to promote a swing that is in-to-out, which produces a draw (and eliminates a slice).”
Now, let me tell you something, there is this law of the universe which says “energy can either be created or destroyed,” so either these guys are defying physics or they have no idea what they are taking about. Further, the idea that the first move of the backswing determines impact is conjecture with a splash of utter fantasy.
These are the pontifications of a method — a set of prescriptions applied to everyone with the hope of some success through the placebo effect. It is one thing for a naive student to believe, for a golf instructor to drink and then dispel this Kool-Aid is malpractice.
Fooled by Randomness
In flipping a coin, or even a March Madness bet, there is a 50-50 chance of success. In golf, especially for new players, results are asymmetric. Simply put: Anything can happen. The problem is that when bad instructors work with high handicappers, each and every shot gets its own diagnosis and prescription. Soon the student is overwhelmed.
Now here’s the sinister thing: The overwhelming information is by design. In this case, the coach is not trying to make you better, they are trying to make you reliant on them for information. A quasi Stockholm syndrome of codependency.
Practice
One of the most important scientists of the 20th century was Ivan Pavlov. As you might recall, he found that animals, including humans, could be conditioned into biological responses. In golf, the idea of practice has made millions of hackers salivate that they are one lesson or practice session from “the secret.”
Sunk Cost
The idea for the worst golf instructor is to create control and dependency so that clients ignore the sunk cost of not getting better. Instead, they are held hostage by the idea that they are one lesson or tip away from unlocking their potential.
Cliches
Cliches have the effect of terminating thoughts. However, they are the weapon of choice for this instructor. Add some hyperbole and students actually get no information. As a result, these players couldn’t play golf. When they did, they had no real scheme. With no idea what they are doing, they would descend into a spiral of no idea what to do, bad results, lower confidence, and running back to the lesson tee from more cliches.
The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult. To take away autonomy. To use practice as a form of control. To sell more golf lessons not by making people better but through the guise that without the teacher, the student can never reach their full potential. All under the umbrella of being “certified” (in a 2-day course!) and a melee of cliches.
This of course is not just happening at my muni but is a systemic problem around the country and around the world, the consequences of which are giving people a great reason to stop playing golf. But hey, at least it’s selling a lot of golf balls…
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The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.
Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.
However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.
Past Winners at TPC Louisiana
- 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
- 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
- 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
- 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
- 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
- 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)
Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.
This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.
McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.
Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)
Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.
Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.
Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)
Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.
NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.
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Gary
Sep 21, 2013 at 1:33 pm
How much more imposition on the well-behaved fan will it take. Someone yelling next to me is startling and unnerving. That is not why I go to tournaments.
Plus, the yelling can be heard across the course. A player on an adjacent hole could be disturbed.
Coming next, AIR HORNS! No problem if used after the ball is hit. That is the reason I’ll never go to an Oakland A’s baseball game. Listen to the background noise if you never have before.
james
Sep 19, 2013 at 11:46 am
i work for a movie theater called the alamo drafthouse and we have a zero tolerance policy on talking and texting during movies
if we hear you talk, pull out your phone and see the light from the screen you get one warning, you do it again you get kicked out without a refund
i think the pga tour needs to implement the exact same policy, someone yells something stupid, the officials give them a warning, they get caught doing it again, they are out of there, no refund
Sagamore
Sep 18, 2013 at 10:48 pm
The time has come for these yellers to be ejected from tournament grounds..
Give them one chance. Second offense is grounds for removal. Once some of these miscreants are offered up a examples of what not to do, the yelling and other stupidity will slow to a crawl.
Robin
Sep 17, 2013 at 5:53 pm
The last comment completely misses the two main points. Firstly, the shouting is ruining the golf for the majority of fans. As the article suggests if someone shouted mashed potatoes in my ear at a tournament they are likely to get a mashed face. The second point is that the idiots are trying to get the shout in first so they are getting closer and closer to impact and before. Even if a shout is a split second before impact, the players are waiting for it and it is putting them off. The answer is simple, anyone shouting gets put off the course. End of.
Elmo
Sep 20, 2013 at 2:26 pm
I disagree with you’re two points. Firstly, there is no proof that the majority of fans are annoyed by this yelling. There have been no studies done whence so ever to prove this. In many sports, fans do not agree with each other when it comes to the methods of crowd participation. Although fans who do not mind yelling are not necessarily voicing their opinion on the issue does not mean the majority of fans do not like it. Most people who show up to golf tournaments are not necessarily fansof golf or even serious golfers such as myself and everybody else on golf wrx but just want to see a professional golf tournament when it comes to their town. Crowd participation becoming an active part of the game may mean the increase of attendance on Thursday and Fridays which is obviously far from capacity at non-major tournaments. Secondly, in my past comment I clearly stated that crowd participation is okay as long as it does not defer a players focus during a swing. We must grow the sport not scare people away from it by actively throwing them out from events without refund.
Elmo
Sep 17, 2013 at 9:29 am
I disagree with the article and with most of the comments posted here. The game of golf needs to grow. The best way for the game to grow is for more fans to be interested in the game. While it is totally unacceptable for fans to scream during a backswing, I think it is totally unnecessary to scare potential fans away from the game by imparting rules which punish crowd participation. Furthermore, golf’s reputation as a rich man’s sport is only being sustained by spoiled golf fans who have to hear “baba booey” or “mashed potatoes” once in a while on their television sets. Stephen Ames said it perfectly at this years Canadian Open when he said that pro golfers are spoiled. Too bad if they have to hear something stupid like “Yabba Dabba Do” once in a while. It’s their job. It’s what they signed up for, and it’s not hurting anybody. There are much more annoying things and people, waiters and construction workers need to put up with everyday. As long as the shouting does not actively disturb players during a swing we need to put up with it.
Svensson
Sep 16, 2013 at 5:22 am
“The marshalls already have signs that say “quiet please.” Tell fans if they say anything while that sign is up they are gone, and banned from the event for five years.”
Hear, hear.
Eric
Sep 9, 2013 at 10:31 pm
I actually prefer when they yell “Chewbacca” when Dufner tee’s off. Just seems appropriate.
Cory
Sep 6, 2013 at 9:32 pm
Wayne Gretzky, i know is not playing anymore! but yall get the picture.
Cory
Sep 6, 2013 at 9:30 pm
Hey, as long as it isnt being yelled mid swing…. and without profane language…. suck it up golfers! As a huge pro sports fan, a lot of us know this happens at every stadium, field, rink, and court. At all of these events, a fan yelling bad language or purposely disrupting the athletes will be ejected. Golf should follow suit, and is appropriately. By all means, if any of us want to yell “light the candle” after a ball is in flight, pro golfers need to grin and bare it. They are pro athletes in the public eyes….and mouths, just as Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, LeBron James and Derek Jeter are. I wonder if they had any annoying fans to deal with??…….ya think?!?!?!
Keith
Sep 4, 2013 at 8:45 am
Gotta embarrass the crap out of the idiots who yell stupid things all the time, escort them out, and make sure people see it. I mean it is a lot of pressure to play well as a professional. You don’t need a yelling heckler to make it even more so.
John Mehoff
Sep 1, 2013 at 12:42 pm
Hot DRUNK Chicks are a bad thing now?
You guys SURE you play golf?
Ed
Aug 29, 2013 at 1:22 pm
Not for nothing but the title of this should have been ‘Yabba Dabba.. Do Please Shut Up’
Phil
Aug 27, 2013 at 7:14 am
PGA need to get their priorities straight and sort this out. Could be done easily, but sadly they’re not interested
David Smith
Aug 27, 2013 at 11:50 am
Theres nothing the PGA can do, whatever happens after the quiet sign lowers is not up to the PGA. It should be out of respect for the game of golf and the players.
Phil
Aug 27, 2013 at 2:23 pm
what’s stopping them from ejecting anyone who does this from the course ??
Zero tolerance would stop it pretty quick I imagine
james
Aug 27, 2013 at 3:56 am
wish i could have been at the barclay’s to yell at tiger to stop rolling around and faking the severity of his injury.
WHICH IRINS ARE THE LONGERT?
Chris Downing
Aug 27, 2013 at 2:35 am
Follow the money. When the Ryder Cup is trailed everywhere as something like ‘war’ between the USA and the ‘World’, whne the big Tour Events are trailed as so sn so’s last chance, as the showdown between, whatever, the non golfers are being targetted to watch. It’s all about numbers, the mre watchers the better paid the TV companies by advertisers, the mre controversy, the more watchers, the mre the advertisers pay, the mre the sponsorship money goes up.
Do you think mre people would watch ice hockey f their were no fights, do you think more people would watch baseball if all the referee’s decisions were subject to TV analysis and were changed when he’s wrong, do you think newspapers need to shape up and be honest and have integrity? It’s all about numbers and money.
When golf became like other big sports and needed commercial sponsorship and TV deals to pay those big prizes, a lot of integrity and good judgement gets rubbed away. When you promote an event as – This is THE place to be this Weekend – alongside A motor racing event that THE place to be, the NBA Finals that’s THE place to be and the SuperBowl that’s THE place to be – and you quickly realise that lots of those who attend no nothing about what they are watching – its just THE place to be today!
Like taking your best mate to play a round of golf and he knows nothing – he talks non stop over every shot, he plays out of order, he walks on your putting line, and shouts across the fairway, oblivious to others playing nearby. That’s what Golf has done – invited in the masses who know nothing – because of the money.
Fixing it is difficult. The answer for you as a go,fer is easy – watch and attend the less publicised events – you’ll be with a knowledgeable crowd, fewer in the gallery, and no shouting. Where are the shouters – well they’ve headed off for Wimbledon this week and are happliy shoutng at Tennis stars they know nothing about and next week they will be back on home territory – Football or Baseball.
Rick
Aug 26, 2013 at 8:22 pm
Not a very well written article (GolfWRX needs an editor if it wants to “be taken seriously”, but I digress) but I agree with the main points. We are all tired of the yelling.
Randall
Aug 26, 2013 at 8:20 pm
Kooch is getting old, it’s every hole.
The most annoying to me is the guy who yells “great shot” directly off the head, only for the ball to miss the fairway by forty yards. Where was the good shot? Is the man that ignorant a person, or player? Does he even play?
greg
Aug 26, 2013 at 6:29 pm
It needs to stop. Pleas start having more security
people at these events to escort these dumb idiots off the course
David Smith
Aug 26, 2013 at 4:19 pm
This is an American thing; unfortunately they’ve got no respect for the players or the game and lack any chance of having some sort of class. This never happens anywhere else in the world.
Nick
Aug 26, 2013 at 1:45 pm
This problem is not unique to golf. What is the problem is golf’s delayed reaction. Professional baseball has people run into the outfield mid game. For all those saying this seems to be an American problem, it is but I also remember the Open Championship being plagued with streakers so get off your high horse. The solution has been tested and proven effective in other sports – DON’T PUT IT ON TV. Cut to commercials. They used to show these guys running all over the field and Security falling all over themselves. It reached epidemic proportions. Now, you hardly hear of it. Why, becuase it’s not put in the media and the motive goes away.
Tyler
Aug 26, 2013 at 2:50 pm
I agree with not putting it on TV. How can you stop yelling on TV though? Cut the audio entirely?
Randall
Aug 26, 2013 at 8:22 pm
The second they stop Tiger’s audio and his GD’s and other curse words. If its fine for him to be ignorant and trashy, so it is for the fan as well
PacoJoe7
Aug 26, 2013 at 12:39 pm
I think the soultion is that you get one warning, and after that you get ejected from the tournament. Once word gets around that people are starting to get thrown out and possilby arrested for disorderly conduct, you’ll start to see this behavior go down. It diminishes the quality of the spectator experience, so the PGA should take some action here as it is effecting their product.
Randy
Aug 26, 2013 at 5:07 pm
I don’t see what the problem is. If you don’t like yelling, then don’t yell. And can it really be so loud that it bothers you? Then wear ear plugs. I don’t see why people should even be quiet prior to a golf shot. Why can a basketball player shot a free throw with hundreds of people screaming and waving their arms, but a golfer can’t make a swing? Should the tour also ban cars from driving on roads that are adjacent to golf holes? Should fans not be allowed to cheer whenever someone holes out because it might distract another player on another hole? What about courses near airports? Should there be a no fly zone? Should the tour ban birds? And course maintenance equipment? These guys are pros. I think they can concentrate for 5 seconds.
james
Aug 27, 2013 at 3:54 am
this.
Colin Gillbanks
Sep 3, 2013 at 11:12 am
Hey Randy,
Next time you play in the UK, give me a call and I’ll join you. I’ll scream and shout when you’re about the take every shot. No bother.
Seriously?
Tyler
Aug 26, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Unfortunately, I think Babapotato is right. It looks like it will have to get worse before it gets better. I attended The Greenbrier Classic the last few years, following Tiger one of the rounds. I was actually surprised/proud of how few ridiculous yells I heard compared to other events. People who yell in golf are ridiculous and there is no place for it.
I know it would be pretty expensive but with some of the money that the Tour makes I would like to see them implement a small security team with one task; kicking these people out. I think it is too much responsibility to ask volunteers to take the task on but I am sure they could find some ex-cops, security specialists, or I ? who could easily handle it. Maybe just ban yelling the first 3-5 seconds after the player swings to see if that works, like the article suggests.
If they hired a small hand full of paid security guards who have the skills to quietly extract these people who yell from the tournaments and then televise just the first few of these ejections it would make it known that kind of behavior isn’t going to be tolerated. Once the fan is ejected Nick Faldo could actually contribute for once by taking pride in letting viewers know that the person has been kicked out and banned for the rest of the tournament. They could come back next year but if it happened again they would be banned from tour events for life. They could start by following marquee players like Phil and Tiger on a trial basis. I doubt they would object. Once the tour take a stance against this players like Keegan would no longer condone it. I am sure there will be some controversy in the beginning but not by anyone important. The media coverage of it wouldn’t hold a candle to the anchoring ban controversy. I like the way the tour says they do not want to mess with anything that doesn’t directly affect play but they ban caddies from running to the 16th green at the Waste Management, which is a one time a year thing. I am at least glad more people are talking about this issue. Hopefully something will happen for this to stop.
Baba Booey
Aug 26, 2013 at 11:55 am
ME!!!
Brian
Aug 26, 2013 at 11:40 am
What is not mentioned is the impact that such yelling has on the swing of an unseen golfer on a nearby hole, even though the spectator shouts after the golfer in his view hits their shot. Ban it and start tossing people who don’t comply.
Lynn
Aug 26, 2013 at 1:00 pm
It took two hours of comments for the real problem to come out. Eventually someone yelling after Keegan hits a drive will disrupt Tiger or Phil on a close green on a Sunday, and Finchem will have to step in a do something. All of the players will say it doesn’t bother them, until it costs someone a tourney. At that point it goes from giggles, to costing someone a 2 year exemption on tour and 400k that day. It becomes a lot less funny.
Elmo
Sep 17, 2013 at 9:19 am
I don’t understand how this can truly effect players if people are still allowed to cheer on golf courses. Are we going to take away cheering from the game too? The best players in the game have developed a focus to the point which a train could be running behind them and they don’t know.
AJ Jensen
Aug 26, 2013 at 11:06 am
If a yeller gets slugged, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Maybe it would compel the PGA to finally take action as well.
Sirus
Aug 26, 2013 at 5:30 am
>Imagine if someone followed you around your office yelling “mashed potatoes.” Would it really make you worse at your job? Maybe not. But would you want to punch him or her in the face on your bad days? Probably.
Couldn’t agree more.
Duf
Aug 26, 2013 at 1:55 am
Mashed Potato!
P
Aug 26, 2013 at 1:55 am
Baba Booey
Chris
Aug 26, 2013 at 12:08 am
When a lot of people think of golf, they think of grumpy old men, “traditionalists” if you want to call it that. I’d like to see golf move with the times and get out of the 19th century, and that means allowing fans to yell AFTER the player hits. The only reason to put a stop to it would be if fans were yelling during a player’s swing. Besides, Dufner and other pros have admitted finding it humorous and not being bothered by it. So if they can stand it, then I think people watching on their couches can stand it as well.
eric
Aug 25, 2013 at 9:17 pm
Did anyone hear what Jason Dufner said on Howard Stern about fans yelling “Babba Booey”? It is after we hit the shot and doesn’t bother anyone. Yes, Jason is a Stern fan. The PGA doesn’t care about it because it is getting play in arena’s that would never talk about golf, like the Howard Stern show that has the largest radio audience in the world. Golf is just like every other sport it is all about the money.
Sean
Aug 25, 2013 at 5:11 pm
Mr. Finchem won’t do anything. It’s obnoxious, immature, and it certainly isn’t funny. The host golf course should have a policy along with the Tour: immediate ejection and banned from any other Tour events for a full calendar year from the time of the infraction.
Dave
Aug 25, 2013 at 1:31 pm
It doesn’t help when the younger pros (Keegan Bradley) go on certain radio shows who promote this sort of nonsense and profess their fondness of it.
Colin gillbanks
Aug 25, 2013 at 12:49 pm
Just make it clear at all events that its not acceptable and that anyone doing it will be removed from the premises immediately. I’m all for making golf more fun and attractive to the masses, but this kind of moronic behaviour adds nothing whatsoever.
Simple solution.
Dan
Sep 18, 2013 at 3:17 pm
+1
Yep it is that simple. Being stupid and rude should have consequences. Kick them out and let Moose and Rocco escort them to their cars. It’s the PGA’s problem to enforce.
Done and done!
Chris
Aug 25, 2013 at 11:13 am
Perhaps a partial solution is to stop selling adult beverages, police tailgaters/byob’ers and bar visibly intoxicated fans from entering the events. Can’t hurt at least.
Tom
Aug 25, 2013 at 12:01 pm
I would like to enjoy a refreshing alcoholic drink… I can do so without acting stupid. The Needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few.
Billy
Sep 16, 2013 at 1:04 pm
+1 on that. We already have enough of “the least common denominator” rule in the US!!!!!!!!!
Wally K
Aug 25, 2013 at 9:57 am
The yelling needs to stop. Its only funny to drunk abnoxious individuals so they do not need to be on the course. I enjoy watching all tours and its only here that you hear the childish behaviors.
Tom
Aug 25, 2013 at 11:56 am
+1
Ralph
Aug 24, 2013 at 10:13 pm
Poulter has the solution… taser them.
It is annoying enough that I’m pretty much done watching the television broadcasts.
I think billy bob the annoying jerk is recording the event and goes home to his mom’s basement and replay’s his antics on a continuous basis while laughing hysterically.
Tad
Aug 24, 2013 at 9:08 pm
If you want it to stop – if the Tour wants it to stop – then get rid of the “Stadium” grandstands and shut them up that way. Stop providing places for them to all get together to holla and yell with beer in their hands, like at the Phoenix Open’s 17th. That’s what started the “oh, so it IS OK to behave like we’re at the NFL/MLB stadium and get rowdy” mentality.
Be done with it. NOW. No more massive grandstands. It was never meant to be a stadium sport, so why venture down that road at all? Get rid of them.
natural_one
Aug 26, 2013 at 12:02 pm
It’s 16, not 17.
Anyways…
Tell the players to quit throwing hats, balls, and merchandise into the stands on that hole than.
Tell the players to quit doing the Gangam Style dance on the green.
Tell the caddies to quit racing and falling, spilling clubs everywhere.
Tell the players to quit rapping on the tee box.
Tell the players to quit tossing food in the stands.
#16 is an exception and the players know it…if they dont like it, they can skip that tourny.
I dont like the yelling as much as anyone else, but #16 is and will be an exception forever. Having gone to the tourny for years, I would honestly say that the other 17 holes at the WM Open are much more along the lines of respectful golf viewing. The frat boys and sorority slews do stumble on to other holes occasionally, but they quickly find their way back to their watering hole at the 16th, or on their knees in a port-a-potty.
paul
Aug 24, 2013 at 7:53 pm
Just got in from the LPGA Canadian Open Saturday event. I didn’t hear a single yell.
Tony
Aug 26, 2013 at 8:00 pm
That’s because there wasn’t a single fan! HIIIIIIIIIIII OHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I’ll be here all week.
Mr Scwump
Aug 24, 2013 at 2:55 pm
Totally agree something needs to be done by PGA. Unfortunately volunteer marshals can only enforce “Quite” to a certain point even if you had spectator rules. And since this usually involves morons that want their 5 seconds of idiocy on the air, they won’t have any regard for etiquette no matter what you tell them. Maybe a PSA campaign by PGA and networks would work…..similar to what Golf Channel did with slow play.
ChrisOB
Aug 24, 2013 at 1:34 pm
I’m new to golf but have already noticed while watching tournament coverage that this is predominantly an issue within the US.
It is annoying, and my main concern is that what starts in the US eventually makes it’s way to the UK/Europe so I’d be very interested to see if the rulemakers can nip this in the bud before it becomes ingrained, especially amongst younger supporters.
naflack
Aug 24, 2013 at 12:03 pm
you grow the game from an attendance stand point and to some degree this is unavoidable. the first time i heard get in the hole i thought immediately that this is going to get ridiculous in a hurry. this is absolutely an american culture issue. good, bad or indifferent we are a culture of obnoxious rubes. i think it is in the tours best interest to deal with this sooner than later before it adversely affects the attendance of the desired patrons. how long until it becomes an environment you dont want to subject your children to (nfl)?
TRG
Aug 26, 2013 at 1:19 pm
The environment you want to protect your children from is the one within earshot of Tiger Woods’s potty mouth.
SilenceOfTheHams
Aug 24, 2013 at 7:17 am
The PGA Tour needs to borrow a strategy from the political realm and hire someone as a PLANT, a very loud and extremely obnoxious individual inserted just behind a tee box at a crucial time in a prominent event. The hired person–I would contribute to his paycheck–should so embarrass fans, the viewership, and the Tour itself that a new law, with severe punishment, gets passed to end this juvenile practice.
“But the fans want to express themselves!”
Hooey. Give the fans the opportunity to try something much more fun, less individualized, and more inclusive: Let them all, as the players walk off the tee, practice the new sport of “Dufnering.” Thousands of fans, sitting on their rumps, legs extended, arms awkwardly straight at their sides, would be an absolute hoot to watch on television.
The beneficial part of this idea for the Tour is that Dufnering is SILENT!
Baba Booey
Aug 26, 2013 at 9:37 am
Mashed Potatoes!
TJ
Aug 29, 2013 at 10:46 am
On another note how awesome would it have been when they presented the Wanamaker Trophy to Jason if the crowed instead of cheering, Dufnered? that would have made for some memorable TV.
yo!
Aug 24, 2013 at 12:15 am
Golf etiquette has changed, and not for the better, but I would not defend a guy going up to slug another guy just because he yells “baba booey.” It won’t happen because I doubt it will turn violent unless the aggressor was completely drunk or high in which case he may be the one doing the screaming or laughing. I agree that yelling during or before a swing is punishable by expulsion because it does impact the players, but doing so after the ball leaves the club should not affect the players themselves. Unfortunately, it is the price of golf being so popular. People like me still have our own private clubs to retreat to with a certain decorum, but I don’t expect that of a public arena.
Joe Golfer
Aug 23, 2013 at 11:36 pm
Read a recent article that actually interviewed numerous people who are known to yell at tournaments. Most were college age males. The “mashed potatoes” guy started because he went to a tourney, told his parents he would be there and to let him know if they saw him on tv. They asked how they’d know where he was at, so he said he’d yell “Mashed Potatoes” after a drive, and then they could look for him.
Just some immature kid who wants mommy and daddy to see him on tv.
Others who yell said that they did it as a bet with friends (usually drinking friends) to see if they could get their yell on tv.
Ian Poulter had a tweet today about the first round of this week’s tournament. Somebody yelled “Baba Booey”, and the officials kicked him off the course. Poulter was pleased, and so was I.
These yellers use the excuse that they are doing it a couple seconds after the shot was struck, not during the shot, so it should be okay with everybody. They claim that people around them laugh, and thus it makes the game more interesting and entertaining for the fans.
Pretty lame excuses, if you ask me. Just shut up and grow up already.
Babapotato
Aug 23, 2013 at 11:32 pm
Someone needs to be te martyr.
Go to an event and yell like the craziest fool alive. Yell during swings, yell profanity, yell , yell, yell until we hit the breaking point and the networks, PGA and course are forced to stop it.
Let’s hit the breaking point!!!
TJ
Aug 29, 2013 at 9:57 am
I king of like this thought. hopefully you get some air time after so you can explain why you did it to prove a point that this sort of behavior on a golf course is annoying and can affect a golfers performance. Golf is a mental game why else do players pay psychologists to help their game, yelling and acting line an ass can get into even the strongest of minds at some point.
I attended the Canadian Open this year and I am ashamed to say that I experienced this behavior even in the Great White North. I to, had the urge to punch this person but did not take action as I wanted to stay and watch the event.(chickened out)
Get these clowns off the course, next we will have some of the players dressing like clowns….. oh wait I guess its to late for that too.
JD
Aug 23, 2013 at 10:56 pm
It is predominantly an American problem. All the other tours don’t have any where near as much shouting and bad behaviour. In the UK we save that sort of conduct for soccer games. The only time we hear inappropriate shouting at golf tournaments in Europe is during the Ryder Cup. I follow golf on tv and turn out when a decent event is in my area. I would not, if the small minority of badly behaved fans behaved like the ones on the PGA tour do. I,like the majority go to watch the best players play their best golf. Not to listen to mashed potato 300 times a day. To the mindless bums who go to a golf tourne to behave like idiots I say “grow up”.To the officials I say “grow a pair” and sort this out before it ruins the majority’s enjoyment.
ABgolfer2
Aug 24, 2013 at 7:43 pm
Tun off the microphones an dub in stock driver sounds. Put out an SAP signal featuring persimmon and balata for the fogies (like me). I Remember hearing “you da man” 20 years ago and one PC gone wild tool at Doral who’d yell “you’re the person!” Every year on Sundays. Yes that happened and we let it happen.
Nick
Aug 26, 2013 at 1:36 pm
This is the solution. Seriously, the broadcast is on tape delay. Edit it out.
bigchussy
Aug 26, 2013 at 2:16 pm
If the Euros don’t like it, then they should just play in Europe. I think the PGA Tour will somehow go on, if Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood don’t want to play here.
david
Sep 13, 2013 at 10:42 am
its always the americans that do this, im from scotland and everytime an event is here you guys ruin it with your shouting nonsense, just shut up its not clever or funny and you sound like an asshole.
Marc
Aug 23, 2013 at 9:55 pm
You can thank that frickin’ Phoenix Open too.. They all seem to think that is great, yelling and booing shots there. The TV announcers, the players, etc..
It was only a matter of time before it spread like a cancer.
I was next to a stunad here at the Houston Open that yelled “mashed potatoes” during a Lee Westwood shot.. He yelled and then ran off like a little 5 year old.. I followed him asking him “why the hell do you do that”.. Of course he just kept walking off knowing that he had been an idiot.. I am betting it wasn’t the last time he did it..
They need to boot them off the course.
Nick
Aug 26, 2013 at 1:34 pm
I really have no problem with the Phoenix Open. Obviously it was not always the way it is, but if one event wants to be the loud drunken frat party scene on tour, that’s fine. Attendence numbers seem to demonstrate the fans AT THAT EVENT want that. Players can avoid the Phoenix Open if they wish.
However, golf is a game with decorum and it should stay that way. When I buy a ticket to a PGA tour event I don’t want to have my ear drum shattered by Baba-boey. It was funny once, now its borderline annoying. It also seems to be bothering the players which is the most conclusive sign that its gotten out of control.
Tony
Aug 26, 2013 at 7:54 pm
I completely agree with you. Except your last sentence. Those players are there because they want to be professional golfers. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I’m sure most of them could stop touring and live comfortable lives. I’m sure they could still play golf every day, all day if they wanted. Those fans are the reason those people exist. The only thing more annoying than a fan screaming something stupid when a player swings, is a professional golfer taking offense to something a fan does.
tom milhaus
Sep 4, 2013 at 12:13 am
I don’t mind the yellers. that’s sort of the problem with golf, it’s really stuck in the old days, I mean really stuck. People already laugh at golfers as athletes, this pissing and moaning about the yellers exposes them as cry baby’s as well. Recall the dust up with Sergio when he claimed tiger pulled a club from his bag early? Really?
PGAPankey
Sep 23, 2013 at 7:03 pm
The issue isn’t that golfers are too prudish to have people yelling, it’s that it’s just not funny. Singer said it perfectly, if someone kept telling a stupid joke eventually you would tell them to shut up.
Courtney
Aug 23, 2013 at 9:34 pm
Pre-Cambrian ? How about Pre-Woodsian to the Paleo-Daly era where the “you da man” screams came into vogue ? Drunken “fans” ignorant of golf etiquette while under the influence of too many adult beverages screaming their lungs out for their friends watching on TV at home. And why ? Because they didn’t understand the damage that the alcohol had done and was doing to his life.
Forest Gump’s mama had it right – stupid is as stupid does.
Jeff Singer
Aug 23, 2013 at 10:16 pm
I believe the Paleo Daly era was part of the Pleistocene Epoch. People yelled “baba booey” at early Megalodons
David E. Bassett
Sep 11, 2013 at 2:28 pm
Some things are funny only if you’re in the bag; to the undrunk, they’re annoying. Limit beer sales at tournaments and you’ll solve a big part of the yelling problem.