COMMUNITY

This must be a norm at Grand Cypress. I nearly had a round just like that a couple years ago on the New Course. The 3 I was paired with were visibly drunk on the putting green. Since I could foresee an altercation on the horizon, I went back inside and asked to play with another group or another course. I didnt play the New but I got out on my own. Now when I am traveling, especially when I'm in Orlando, I always call ahead to see if/when I can get out on my own.

I would have peeled out when he started marking the ball by damaging the green with his damn finger tip!!

After the first or second hole I would have said something to him. If that did not work I would have left the group and went back to the clubhouse and reported him to the pro or forecaddie and asked to be paired with someone else.

I suppose you do have to factor in that it's Orlando, which tends to be ... ummm ... a bit tourist-y. Get there during the wrong time of year, and it's just painful to play almost anywhere in that town.

That fella was not a golfer, at least not one ready to play a nice golf course. It does not matter whether he could afford the green fee or not, he should be playing some executive golf course with his skill level, instead putting himself and the other 3 guys in the situation where no one enjoys the round.

I'd say, if he was not your boss, come out of the gate and say something. If no way to improve the situation, I would find excuses to go ahead of the guy since there should be wide open holed in front of your group.

Or you could secretly call up the pro shop to have them send someone to monitor the playing. I could care less he indent the putting surface to mark his ball as long as it's not in my putting line, the green would recover soon enough but I would not spend my time and money playing with someone whom was clearly not ready to play regulation golf.

Thats awful Joe.

It's quite possible he just hasn't had anyone to tell him how it should be done. I started spring 2013 and I had some great guys that got me started down the right path. I took it upon myself to read as much as I had time to about golf etiquette and the rules of golf.

I'm going to stick 2 or 3 USGA rules of golf and Etiquette handouts in my bag in the unlikely event that it happens to me.

Every situation is different, but I'd like to think that I would have said something along the lines of "I'm new too and these helped me learn some important things along the way, would you mind if I shared some of the things I've learned with you as we play?" Depending on the response, I'd try and help or move along without him. Some people don't care to learn or won't learn (see my recent posted pic of turds dropping their empty ball sleeves on the fairway and cart path 10' from a trash can).

I wouldn't ever want to sound haughty especially as a first year player, but I wouldn't have a crappy round at the expense of being nice to someone who doesn't respect the course or the game.

The rules and etiquette can be learned by anyone. I've been playing for 13 months now. Last winter I spent a lot of time in the evenings reading the rules and studying proper behavior on the course. I have found a well behaved, upbeat, quick moving hacker is a better partner than a single digit HDC with delusions of grandeur. GO PLAY, HAVE FUN!!

The worst offenders I have encountered are those who have played for "Years".

I agree with you that playing with "a well behaved, upbeat, quick moving hacker is a better partner than a single digit HDC with delusions of grandeur".
As for the worst playing partner on the golf course, I disagree with the notion of those were players for years. They might have played golf for years but never bothered to learn the proper etiquette, I figured their life off the golf course will not be too different than the way they behave on the golf course.

There is nothing bothered me more than golfers whom do not repair their divots and ball marks.

Putting Years in quotes was sarcasm. Some folks out there are clueless.

You can say the same for some of the drivers on the freeway.

And those obese people at the store that slowly meander down the isle. Blocking both sides at once.

HEY HEY HEY, get outta my way.......

Or those Costco shoppers whom parked their shopping cart in the middle of the isle while getting free bits of sample food.

I think we are talking about the same people.