Golf Etiquette Plays Well In Life

Being semi-retired, I have the option to take some time off during the day for a little exercise or recreation. Yesterday, I decided to go to the local golf dome and practice... a nice diversion from outside temperatures in the 20s (F).

The thing about golf is that it is at once an individual pastime and a social construct. Besides the rules of the game, there are rules of etiquette and courtesy. That's almost a lost part of our culture. Paramount is not talking or creating a distraction when your playing partner is preparing to swing at the ball. You do not talk, swing your club in his range of vision, walk around, wave your arms... you allow your playing partner the courtesy of focusing on the action of making the best swing he can.

Apparently, some people who play at golf haven't taken the aspect of courtesy to heart... especially at the practice range. I was at the assigned practice tee (they are assigned at the dome) when three men took position at the adjacent one... two older and one younger man. The younger man started hitting his practice shots and then began a non-stop, one-way explanation of how to swing the club. He was loud enough to completely disrupt my practice... one tries to think through the elements of a proper swing or analyze a mis-hit during practice... loud enough so that I couldn't focus on my practice.

After five minutes or so, I stopped, turned and just looked at him for a couple of minutes. He didn't seem to grasp that his loud prattling was a disturbance. So, I pointed out to him rather tersely that he could move away from the tee area to give his instructions to not disturb others. His response was a sarcastic "Is there some rule that says that?"

That's the thing about etiquette and manners: those that understand the etiquette and have the manners would never have to ask that question. Asking that question only shows that you are boorish, ill-mannered, selfish, discourteous, and uneducated.

I asked the golf dome operator to allow me to switch tees.


It occurs to me that this is the same phenomenon when people tailgate or cut in front of you when they drive. It's the same phenomenon when people block your view at an event in order to enhance their view. It's the same phenomenon when people talk loudly on their cell phone in a restaurant. It is a symptom of an uncultured, ill-mannered, poorly-taught society.

Perhaps something is lacking in our educational system... or in our homes.

Perhaps it reflects a society so focused on individual "rights" that it forgets about individual responsibility... to others.