This annoys me about golfers....

[nikeblades00]

I'm a pretty decent golfer, and play with other decent to very good golfers. One thing that has always annoyed me is the need for golfers to always explain themselves after a poor shot, or a less than perfect shot. For example: 'I hit that off the heel', 'I toed it', 'I chunked it', 'I pulled it' etc... It's almost universal. I've always been of the school of thought that there is no reason to explain, golf is a game of misses, learn from it and move on.

In no other sport do athletes immediately blurt out what they did wrong. Basketball players don't give an explanation after missing a jump shot, baseball players don't do it after fouling out. It goes on and on for other sports. Sure it happens sometimes but it's not after every single play.

Now I do have a theory why golfers do it. But just wanted to see what others think about this, is it annoying or completely part of the game?

[2bGood]

Part of the game. I think sometime it stems from embarrassment, sometimes just talking to yourself. 

 

Golf has a pretty unique set of circumstances not mimicked in other sports. I can't really think of another sport where you are on your own like that and perform one short action and don't have to repeat it for several minutes. Most sports you don't have the time to get mad at yourself. In golf you do. 

 

Golf also is a sport that over one shot span - a pure newcomer can look like a pro, and a pro can look like they never golfed before. It makes you start talking to yourself when you are the latter. 

Edited April 20, 2022 by 2bGood

[isaacbm]

[Mr. Bean]

7 hours ago, nikeblades00 said:

I'm a pretty decent golfer, and play with other decent to very good golfers. One thing that has always annoyed me is the need for golfers to always explain themselves after a poor shot, or a less than perfect shot. For example: 'I hit that off the heel', 'I toed it', 'I chunked it', 'I pulled it' etc... It's almost universal. I've always been of the school of thought that there is no reason to explain, golf is a game of misses, learn from it and move on.

In no other sport do athletes immediately blurt out what they did wrong. Basketball players don't give an explanation after missing a jump shot, baseball players don't do it after fouling out. It goes on and on for other sports. Sure it happens sometimes but it's not after every single play.

Now I do have a theory why golfers do it. But just wanted to see what others think about this, is it annoying or completely part of the game?

 

Do I get this right that you never do that yourself ?

[ChipStrokes]

how else are you supposed to know that they usually hit that club that far? 

 

if they pull 9i from 160 and come up short, they have to qualify it with “ah caught it a little fat” otherwise the marshall comes around and takes their man card away. 

[nikeblades00]

6 hours ago, isaacbm said:

This is actually not true 🤣

[nikeblades00]

10 minutes ago, Mr. Bean said:

 

Do I get this right that you never do that yourself ?

I actually try not to. But It does slip out from time to time. 

[sittingbull]

baseball players don't do it after fouling out. 

 

what the fudge is fouling out ??

And obviously you never played competitive sports because just about EVERY baseball player i played with does it. You mean you never heard Tiger complaining about a shot

Edited April 20, 2022 by sittingbull

[Hawkeye77]

Nature of the game from Woods all the way "down" to my wife - she shoots 46-54, depending on the day, watched her hit the best drive she's hit in forever, starts right, nice draw, about 215 yards and, "that went left, must be my grip", lol, she's a running commentary but . . . . it doesn't annoy me about her or anyone else.

[ChipStrokes]

14 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

she's a running commentary but . . . . it doesn't annoy me about her or anyone else

ill start by saying i realize this is a pretty fuzzy distinction

 

im ok with self commentary on the course. talking to your ball (as long as you’re realistic), saying you got a good or bad bounce, or saying “what a crap swing that was” is all good in my book. 

 

it’s the guy who offers an excuse after EVERY swing, good or bad, that gets really tiresome. “my foot slipped on that one, that branch was in my way, wind got that one, fat, thin, toe, heel”

 

you’re on your way to another 96, jim, it wasn’t the branch. 

 

and jim is usually the guy, when he finally hits a good shot and you say nice shot, likes to tell you that he was playing for the front of the green and “hit it too good”. 

[Dannyboy44]

Every time my buddy hits it left he yells "POOL CITY WAREHOUSE". Every time he hits it right " HANG ON SLOOPY" I get a good kick out of it. 

 

 

[MtlJeff]

A lot of times here i'll read that things only happen in golf but not in other sports and i almost always find it untrue. Basketball players will talk about why they missed a shot or why they had a bad game. They just can't do it during the game because there are very few pauses in which to discuss these things.

 

But in the locker room after games or on the bench once you're taken out of the game, guys do this stuff all the time.

 

I don't find it that big a deal. People like to vent.

[Hawkeye77]

48 minutes ago, ChipStrokes said:

ill start by saying i realize this is a pretty fuzzy distinction

 

im ok with self commentary on the course. talking to your ball (as long as you’re realistic), saying you got a good or bad bounce, or saying “what a crap swing that was” is all good in my book. 

 

it’s the guy who offers an excuse after EVERY swing, good or bad, that gets really tiresome. “my foot slipped on that one, that branch was in my way, wind got that one, fat, thin, toe, heel”

 

you’re on your way to another 96, jim, it wasn’t the branch. 

 

and jim is usually the guy, when he finally hits a good shot and you say nice shot, likes to tell you that he was playing for the front of the green and “hit it too good”. 

That's why I love the Carl's Golfland ads - it's us even if some (like my wife) are more us than others.  She was watching me have a lesson over the weekend and was interjecting, lol, she's very verbal.

 

I tend to just groan, which happens a lot.

Edited April 20, 2022 by Hawkeye77

[Fuscinator]

I wonder if anyone ever does it to plant negative thoughts in the heads of the other players.🤔

[Hickory4ever]

The ongoing commentary is possible because in golf there is so much time between shots. In other sports the pace of the game limits your whining until you catch your breath on the bench after a shift.

 

 

[naval2006]

When I read the title I just thought about what the OP mentions.  I feel the same.  I'm not Tom Watson but I learned from two great players at my course when I was a kid that there's no moaning and whining on a bad or an awful shot.  And if there is you make it as private as you can.  These guys were so cool (literally and metaphorically) after a bad shot that I tried to imitate them.  

 

I don't like golfers justifying their bad shots, it's not necessary, we all know how difficult golf is already.  You see this explaining thing a lot in newer golfers.  One of my buddies is like that, and he does it for the sake of talking.  I let him do the talk but I don't listen lol.  

[GowerND11]

I hear basketball players all the time saying stuff, just not exactly the same. After letting the ball go you can hear a player yell "left" "right" "short" because they didn't shoot the ball the way they wanted to. 

[Hawkeye77]

2 minutes ago, naval2006 said:

When I read the title I just thought about what the OP mentions.  I feel the same.  I'm not Tom Watson but I learned from two great players at my course when I was a kid that there's no moaning and whining on a bad or an awful shot.  And if there is you make it as private as you can.  These guys were so cool (literally and metaphorically) after a bad shot that I tried to imitate them.  

 

I don't like golfers justifying their bad shots, it's not necessary, we all know how difficult golf is already.  You see this explaining thing a lot in newer golfers.  One of my buddies is like that, and he does it for the sake of talking.  I let him do the talk but I don't listen lol.  

I applaud this!  

 

My golfing daughter is all quiet acceptance and my dad the same, although their golf is on different levels.  I'm so used to my friends and their idiosyncrasies I really don't notice self-talk, and it's more banter, and they don't care if I groan to myself on certain frustrating shots (I hope I'm not like the people who bother others with music claiming it's so quiet it can only be heard in their cart, when it's not, lol), but it is to myself and that so ingrained, it's not going anywhere).  I think if you are a little chatty, it's going to manifest itself in your golf, it is so revealing, IMO.

 

A caveat is I'm sure if I was playing with a complete stranger who was annoying for other reasons, all sorts of excuses, etc. would probably get on my nerves, but that's on me I think - got to take those folks as you find them.  

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

2 minutes ago, GowerND11 said:

I hear basketball players all the time saying stuff, just not exactly the same. After letting the ball go you can hear a player yell "left" "right" "short" because they didn't shoot the ball the way they wanted to. 

 

But they never yell "bank" until after it banks in (okay, except Larry Bird)!

[Fuscinator]

23 minutes ago, GowerND11 said:

I hear basketball players all the time saying stuff, just not exactly the same. After letting the ball go you can hear a player yell "left" "right" "short" because they didn't shoot the ball the way they wanted to. 

I've always heard that was a cue to the rest of the team for the sake of rebounding, but the other team hears it too, so...😏

[Mr. Bean]

22 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

 

But they never yell "bank" until after it banks in (okay, except Larry Bird)!

 

Does Larry still play??

[nikeblades00]

45 minutes ago, naval2006 said:

When I read the title I just thought about what the OP mentions.  I feel the same.  I'm not Tom Watson but I learned from two great players at my course when I was a kid that there's no moaning and whining on a bad or an awful shot.  And if there is you make it as private as you can.  These guys were so cool (literally and metaphorically) after a bad shot that I tried to imitate them.  

 

I don't like golfers justifying their bad shots, it's not necessary, we all know how difficult golf is already.  You see this explaining thing a lot in newer golfers.  One of my buddies is like that, and he does it for the sake of talking.  I let him do the talk but I don't listen lol.  

This sounds alot like me. I was lucky enough about 20 yrs when I made friends with an elite club golfer. He instilled in me that you are playing the course. Till this day you are only competing against the course. But he never ever complained, just humbly accepted all outcomes. Even after he hits a bad shot, he always looks at his divot and will make a practice swing after the shot to correct what he feels he did wrong. 

Obviously everyone will say something if you truly get a bad break like did you see that ball landed on the sprinkler head and bounced into the water or the putt beers offline after it hits a pebble. But never hear him out loud complaining 'hit that off the toe'. I play with the same attitude. No one wants to hear it anyways .

[Hawkeye77]

37 minutes ago, Mr. Bean said:

 

Does Larry still play??

Professionally? No, he retired in 1992. Even in the backyard against his dog he probably says, "Red, this is going between your legs, I'm drifting to the baseline and banking this off the glass just because"!

[Hawkeye77]

21 minutes ago, nikeblades00 said:

This sounds alot like me. I was lucky enough about 20 yrs when I made friends with an elite club golfer. He instilled in me that you are playing the course. Till this day you are only competing against the course. But he never ever complained, just humbly accepted all outcomes. Even after he hits a bad shot, he always looks at his divot and will make a practice swing after the shot to correct what he feels he did wrong. 

Obviously everyone will say something if you truly get a bad break like did you see that ball landed on the sprinkler head and bounced into the water or the putt beers offline after it hits a pebble. But never hear him out loud complaining 'hit that off the toe'. I play with the same attitude. No one wants to hear it anyways .

 

I think that's great as well.

 

I do think there is a line somewhere between self-talk which includes occasional reactions to shots and the kind of complaining that is whining and frustrated and potentially distracting.  

[ChipStrokes]

1 minute ago, Hawkeye77 said:

I do think there is a line somewhere between self-talk which includes occasional reactions to shots and the kind of complaining that is whining and frustrated and potentially distracting.

that's what i was getting at before.

[PJE]

Lots of people do this. And I think it's more common if they are bad golfers who are paired with a better player.  I don't find it objectionable. I think they're just trying to overcome disappointment and possibly feel embarrassed around a better player. Hence, the running explanations for poor shots. 

I think most people who act this way, do it unconsciously, because they're either self judgmental or they feel, rightly or wrongly, their playing partner(s) are judging them. 

 

[nikeblades00]

Maybe a topic for another day, and I'd love to hear instructors chime in about it, but how often are golfers even right about their self diagnosed mistakes 🤣. Are they good enough, have good enough sensory skills to know exactly why they mishit the ball. So while they are saying they 'toed' it, but why did they toe it? That's the question. Was it because of alignment? Was it grip? Did they get steep? Or all of the above 🤣. That's my biggest problem is golfers who are trying to sound so smart and In command of their game just talking out their a** 🤣

 

[Roejye]

I am one of those guys that says something after a really bad shot, I had a toe shank the other day, or a shot where I executed, but made a bad decision, an approach shot with an uphill lie and soggy ground, didn't hit enough club. Usually it's just a verbal reminder to myself to keep an eye on and a way to get it out of my head, and I don't do it after every bad shot, like Hawkeye I'm more of a groaner.

 

Also, no I can't self diagnose why it happened lol.

[oikos1]

Processing.  It's completely natural.  Verbalizing is just another level.

[Augster]

It’s annoying as hell. Once you realize how many people do it, and how often, it really gets annoying. Nails on chalkboard-type stuff. 
 

The polite way to answer something like this is to simply say, “I don’t care”. If they hear that enough, maybe they’ll realize how much they are saying it and keep it to themselves. 
 

Believe me, I’ve come through it. I was about the worst at it and didn’t even realize I was doing it. My friend replying, “I don’t care” and “Why would you think I’d care to hear about it?” Put me in my place real quick and made me realize it was after almost every shot. 
 

Of course it was. Even Hogan said he only hit 4 great shots per round. Your average Amateur is going to miss almost all of his/her shots. 
 

By telling someone “I don’t care” over and over is actually helping them in the long run. I’m on the opposite side now. I rarely say anything anymore, and as above, it grates on me when others do. 
 

Get over yourself. Shut up. Nobody cares. You’re bad at golf. Deal with it yourself. Don’t drag me into it. I have my own problems. 🙂