My Top 5 Pet Peeves on the Golf Course

Over the years I have learned that there are a few things that bother me more than others while on the golf course. Most don’t really bother me outside of number one, but they will irritate me from time to time. Everyone’s pet peeves are different but these are my top 5 pet peeves on the golf course.

Honorable mention: erratic divot maker on the range

Please make linear divot lines on the range. Don’t hit erratically all over the place or a huge 1 foot by 1 foot box. Linear divot lines allow the range to heal quicker and allow for more use.

5. Golf Marshals

Golf marshals generally fall into two categories: over zealous or do nothing. Both bother me but the over zealous ones bother me a lot more. I have had quite a few run ins with marshals at some top courses. At one top 100 course I was told not to help my friends find their ball before hitting mine. What he hadn’t seen was that I was looking for my first ball, and after two minutes, came and hit my provisional. He felt pretty dumb when I asked him if I needed to hit my provisional before looking for my first. At another top 100, and a top 10 toughest course, we were allowed to play a five-some as the afternoon was a bit slow. they told us to let anyone play through and if we started to hold up play, we would be broken up. Deal. There was only one three-some that we could see on the tee on 9, so we told ourselves we need to pick up the pace and play ready golf, even on the green. We were on the green of hole 16, a par 5, and the three-some had just made it to the tee box. we finally saw our first marshal and he started to chew us out for playing with 5 people and that they didn’t allow that. We explained that the started allowed us and that we weren’t holding anyone up, and were actually ahead of pace. He rattled off that this “was not a municipal course and that we needed to go back to one.” I’m glad I was on the other side of the green and didn’t hear this comment. The do nothing marshal is your typical marshal that enjoys riding around in the golf cart all day.

4. Loud Music Guy

Don’t get me wrong, music doesn’t bother me and have played many of rounds with people who do. It’s the guy that you can hear throughout the course playing his music. You are on the green of a par three and you can hear his music loud and clear on the green, or from another fairway. If you like listening to music this loud, they’ve invented this neat things call ear buds. They even make them that connect via Bluetooth so you don’t even have to worry about a cord.

3. Players Who Leave the Course Worse Than They Found it

It was debatable on whether to make guy who don’t fix their ball marks or properly rake their sand traps but ultimately decided to put them together. It may be a new golfer who doesn’t yet know how to fix the bunkers or his ball marks correctly but there are few things more irritating than finding you ball in either a divot or footprint in a bunker. Yes, I shouldn’t be hitting into the bunkers in the first place, but I don’t need any more trouble then I get myself into. The same goes for fixing ball marks. My club had a group of guys who never fixed their ball marks. Luckily, the superintendent stepped in and helped fixed the situation before it got worse. If you’re taking someone who is new or relatively new, make sure they understand how to fix the course correctly and understand the importance.

2. Cell Phone Guy

I’m not against using your cell phone on the course, as I use mine to keep score and use it to view holes on courses I’ve never played before. What my pet peeve is against is the players who will take multiple phone calls or be so loud that you can’t hardly concentrate. Also, the guy who is on his phone so much between shots he has no clue its his turn or what he needs to hit. He slows the entire group down. There’s not much fixing these players so just leave them at home!

1. SLOW PLAY!!

There is nothing worse than being stuck behind a group that is playing slow. I’m not talking about a group that is playing at a pace just over 4 hours. I’m talking about a group that will make everyone on the course have over a 4 and half hour round or more. Please be aware of your pace. Pick up if you need to. If you are continuously looking for your ball in the rough, woods, or desert, please just take a drop and keep your group moving. Don’t take 5 minutes looking for your ball. A good rule of thumb is you can look for as long as the group in front is still on the green. When they clear, just take a drop and continue on. I will many times hit a provisional just in case I don’t find mine and don’t take much time looking honestly. If you know you or the people in your group are slow, do not sign up for a tee time before 10:30. You will cause the entire course to run behind.

Check out my top 5 favorite golf courses I have played!