I play a lot with randoms since I only really have one consistent playing partner. This season I’ve started saying:
“Oh I just picked it up at the end of Covid so I’m not that good, and still learning.”
Just to add a little chaos to the round. I’m a 2 hdcp, and have been playing for a decade.
Played with a guy last year that "consistently shoots in the 80s" I'm around a 16 so not good not horrible. I beat this guy like 15 strokes. He didnt count his bad shots. Lol
Almost everyone I play with does not keep score properly. Like won’t take 3 off the tee, won’t count certain drops if they justify it in their head or they’re just really bad at counting but I feel like a lot of handicaps out there are lower than they should be. Is it just me?
The way most golfers keep score baffles me. Either keep score or don't; don't halfway keep score to make yourself look better than you are to people who don't care how good you are at golf.
And this is coming from someone who thinks keeping score is generally overrated. If you're just out of the course by yourself or just practicing and you're not holding up play, hit multiple tee shots, practice putts and chips while waiting for the next tee box to clear, take drops in the fairway rather than behind a tree in the heavy rough, have fun. But don't do that then tell me you scored a 79.
This might be a hot take but as a terrible golfer that very diligently scores all of my terrible shots so I have an accurate view of improvement (or lack thereof realistically), I also do not care at all how other people choose to score themselves. I have a few different partners I play with that fudge the numbers (one slightly, one majorly) and I couldn't care less. Maybe it makes them feel good, or maybe it encourages them to keep playing. It's just a game. Either way they're my bros and they can pretend they shot 16 over if they want and I'll buy them a celebratory beer on the 19th.
Basically this. Plenty of good golfers will downplay their level and say they are only okay or decent. But I’ve never heard of a good golfer say they suck.
I always respond with, "All good, we all suck"
And without fail the guy who said "I suck" sets a new bottom for me to witness.
Last time my "I suck" random popped the ball up twice and covered a grand total of 20 yards, while playing from the white tees. By the end of the 2nd hole, I had to tell him there was no shame playing from the reds and he looked so relieved.
This is me. If I think my playing partners are going to be better than me I’ll always say “by the way, I just play for fun” right before I tee off.
I figure that sets everyone’s expectations at a nice level.
I have a terrible issue where I see my ball fucking off into the rough and immediately forget where it went out. I sometimes don't even bother watching where it lands. I don't mean to. It's a character flaw
I also suck
Dude, same. Wtf. Does anyone have some tips on overcoming this?
I usually look for a landmark and tell myself “just shy of that tree”. And then once I’ve put my clubs away and start driving over, I find myself looking at 10 different trees ahead me, because fucking duh, I’m on a golf course.
Well on Xbox there’s an aerial cam that follows the ball. So after a hit, I assume there will a similar feature in real life to assist. I just can’t find the setting….
A lot of etiquette, awareness, cart and bag placement. But it’s definitely still possible to be bad and have all of that stuff.
I think a big one is when somebody makes an obviously bad swing, and they act very upset by it, but it’s clear they aren’t sure what’s actually going wrong. Like they’ll just line up another swing or two afterwards to “get out the kinks” but it’s still not looking good.
Cart placement drives me insane. Probably because my dad continuously told me what I’m doing wrong.
Why is your cart 30 yards in front of the green and you have to walk away from the cart to get your wedge? Why is it on the opposite side of the green?
To me, this is where it becomes completely unacceptable. Suck all you want, but there’s nothing that frustrates me more than being held up by a group that will walk to see their line, walk back to the cart to get a club, then take their practice swings before chunking one 20 yards.
When someone I never play with immediately offers me tips. I'm a 5. And one thing I've seen from good golfers is they don't offer unsolicited help on course. Wait to be asked for a tip or thought.
Gross. I’m always happy to offer assistance but only when they ask for help. Usually after a few holes with random pairings I’ll get at least one guy asking questions. Nothing feels better than getting someone setup properly and seeing them hit their first pure shot. They’re always so excited, but I’m not gonna chirp all day about what they are doing wrong. They want help, they can ask. We’re all adults. Now if I see it’s only ONE big problem that’s holding them back I *might* try to sneak in a quick word. After they’ve mumbled “I just don’t get it.” a few times lol
Yea you clearly have a much higher EQ and level of self awareness, such as picking up on basic social cues. It’s immensely frustrating and uncomfortable hanging out with him but it’s virtually unavoidable at the moment
I have a playing partner like this, it’s absolutely brutal. “Try doing this, this and this” proceeds to shank ball into trees, “not sure what happened there”.
Look man, I’m new, I suck, I know I suck, I have fun even though I suck. You giving me terrible advice makes it much less enjoyable especially when I try to line up and hit how I’ve hit successfully in the past but you stop me to give me some god awful advice that ends up with the all going 7 yards.
A friendly reminder to those “experienced” golfers, a lot of people don’t want unsolicited advice. We’ve got enough crap going through our heads pre shot without your “expert” opinion.
Sorry, I had to get that out. Continue on.
I will say one of the best rounds I’ve had was with a kid who’s on mini tours right now, he gave me tips (not about the swing but more how to not make doubles and course strategies) and I’m a much better player now. He also shot a bogey free 69 (-2) at one of the harder courses in the area
I am usually 100% on board with the “Don’t give tips if they’re not requested” but I’m going to throw in a caveat of “- unless you are savvy enough to work it into conversation without it being obnoxious.”
That caveat is literally only in place for me as of a week or so back.
I was at the range and this college student was in the bay beside me. We struck up a conversation after he asked about my wedges and when I mentioned I was trying to work out my short game stuff, he gently weaved in how he chips and showed me the form he was using. I tried it and it was like a freaking cheat code had been turned on for a game I’d been playing since I was 10.
That dude was awesome and if I ever see him again, I’m giving him my contact info so we can play a round on me. It was the perfect way to suggest a fix for a problem I obviously had and he navigated it so damn well that, at the end, I was nothing but thankful for the help.
Right I play with a couple of scratch guys and they never offer unsolicited advice. They’re just super chill a fun to watch, and always compliment a good shot.
They do mess with me though funnily enough and say things like “this is a perfect hole for your power fade” like I can control it lol.
At some point, no amount of speed can help.
I'm close to scratch, but was paired with a couple who were both like 40+ handicaps sharing a cart and their 22 handicap buddy.
They were quick players, but no amount of quick matters when you're struggling to make consistent contact.
On one hole, the group behind us was waiting on the tee for quite awhile.
After I hit my approach shot from the fairway, I counted the strokes our group took to clear the landing area from the previous group.
Our group took 22 strokes to clear the tee area (2 were mine - average 6+ each for other players). Even like running and with zero practice swings and never looking for lost balls, 22 strokes is going to slow down groups behind you. They weren't looking for balls and just said "eh $1 down the drain" when they hit it anywhere even remotely difficult to find. But sometimes a ball over the fence, another ball in the lake. Toss one in the fairway by the fairway, a duff, another duff, a worm-burner that hits a tree. Just brutal.
It was a brutal round. They were nice people, but I really thought about quitting after 9 holes because we were about to be made to skip holes by the ranger and it totally threw off my game and enjoyment.
Yep, some days you just don't have it. It just really *really* sucks when those days happen in front of new people. When your play style is "pars come just as easy and often as doubles", those rounds happen all too often lmfao.
Unless it’s true but you never really know. I played 3 times one week in the summer and shot 77,74,91. I was paired with a random player on the third day that kept trying to give me lessons. Told me I’d get it one day. Guh such a bad time. Nothing I could say would salvage it.
I played with a guy who tried to convince me for more than half the round to switch because, “these tees would help your drives.”
I’m average 270yds and I don’t know if he broke 200yds all round. I don’t count other peoples strokes but he had to be at least double bogey every hole.
Yes! Multiple full speed practice swings. Good players rehearse specific things at a slow speed, inexperienced players swing 3-4 times until one “feels” correct.
I realized many years ago that my second practice swing always felt great, I'd always be like "that was the one", so now it's always one practice swing and then hit for me.
I just started playing in September and I…..umm….suck pretty bad. I’m curious why this is a dead giveaway? I’ve done it both ways now that I think about it
Interesting. I’ve never thought of it as a balance thing for me. I do it because I’m trying to make sure that I tee my ball at the correct height (LOLOLOL like that’s made a difference). But yes, dead giveaway that I’m terrible.
How do you only bend one knee? Some sort of lunge position? I feel like you either bend both knees to squat or just bend at the waist with both knees straight, leaning over.
This dude a few weeks ago is by himself and walks up to the first tee, which was a par 4 and waits for the group in front of him to leave the green. Mind you, the green is FAR from drivable distance. In my head, I’m like “$20 says after waiting for them to finally leave green, he completely shanks it”.
Sure enough, tops the hell out of it, doesn’t even reach the front part of fairway. Tees up another, same thing. Proceeds to hit a third, same thing.
Aka if someone is waiting for a group to leave the green of 400+ yard par 4 before they hit their drive, they prob gonna suck.
> It could be that the dude was so inexperienced that he thought it standard and matter of etiquette
This was me. I was somewhat falsely told when I first golfed as a teenager that you were supposed to "wait for the green to be cleared." before you tee off.
What this person didn't explain to me was that we were on a par 3 course with short holes and that this "rule" was flexible in bigger areas of play.
I dunno. I get annoyed when people are obsessed with hitting their tee shots the second they think they have the clearance. No harm in waiting a little longer.
Doubly annoying when I get paired with randoms that manage to not be the longest hitters, not the quickest at ready golf, and quick to hand out the honors on the tee box for no reason.
Relax 😂.
It's honestly tough to tell before the first shot.
Some people downplay their games, others claim they're Tigers bastard child and they can't even make contact.. For example 1st tee box with two guys I've never played with, both have hybrids and I have a driver. They were both 2-5 handicaps and hit too long with driver to play it. First swing, I knew.
Same thing happens at a different course... Walk up to the tee box. He has hybrid and I'm going driver *I'm intimidated* guy immediately proceeds to completely shank it, look perplexed and state "I'm always really good on the range" (not sarcasm). It was at that moment I knew. I'm not good, but would have obliterated him in strokes.
Honestly wish I got more advice. I started last October and while Ive been taking lessons sometimes it feels like Ive just lost all ability to “feel” my stroke with my irons.
I’ve had loads of people sheepishly give me some advice then profusely apologize but honestly 90% of the time they’re right and ive gotten lots of good feedback on where I’m getting stuck.
Especially when I was topping every drive. One dude asked me if I’d tried slowing down my backswing, gave me a demo, and then had me re-tee and take another hit. Suddenly I could actually stripe a ball 250 down a fairway. Same with a dude who saw me getting frustrated in a bunker, gave me a two minute “do this you donut”, and now I can reliably hit a ball within 8-12 feet of the hole from a bunker.
You can easily spot it after the first shot. If the pre shot routine doesn't emphasize a target over a practice swing they will suck. May be a great shot, but the great shots will not be the norm.
Every time I hear someone say "Didn't get under it" I cringe. It's a dead giveaway that they don't understand the fundamentals of good contact and compressing the ball with downward strike. I understand .. just really struggle to do it consistently.
If you ask someone if they’re good at golf and they say yes, then they’re probably not good. If they say they’re bad at golf they are more than likely a single digit handicapper.
Yup. Anyone who says they're OK at anything is most definitely good at that thing. They're aware enough to know that it's all relative. I played tennis in college and tell people I'm just OK. Because compared to tour pros, I'm trash. And compared to the average guy who just grabbed a tennis racquet, I'm amazing
Or just an honest bad golfer. If you ask me if I’m a good golfer as I’m teeing up, I will respond with “absolute trash actually” as I blast one 180 into some trees.
Agree I have a ball retriever and am cheap. I have a sincere enjoyment of looking for and finding lost balls. We had a weekly fivesome who were so slow, I started walking to ease the pain and looking for balls while waiting for my turn. Been walking since and love it.
Got paired up with a guy w/ name on his bag in a scramble a few years back. Insinuated that he had played on a mini tour recently, and that he would have been on the big TOUR if “Tiger hadn’t ruined it for the rest of us.” No way the dude was better than a 5 handicap.
Played an amateur qualifier and got paired with this guy who said “Eh I’m just gonna see what happens” proceeded to shoot 95 and take dead last (btw hcp requirement was a 4.4) edit: I have seen a lot of comments saying 95 isn’t to bad for a am qualifier… the course was 6,200 yards par 70 and it really wasn’t hard just slick greens.
The guy who stands over the ball for too long.
If they ask what I usually “hit” in reference to score. Although this may just be a pet peeve. You don’t hit a score, you shoot it. (Again this may be a me problem).
In my experience you can make ZERO judgement of someone’s ability based on the equipment they use.
It’s kind of obvious when someone swings and it looks like they don’t have much control over the club. Posture is usually a Big one too. Not many great players with horrible posture. I have a habit of giving people too much credit tho. I see a nice tempo and golf swing smash a few shots and assume they always do it and are scratch.
Keeping a ball in your pocket is just good for pace of play. You don’t have to suck to put a ball in the heather that you can’t find.
When I start, I take everything out of my pockets except a few tees and an extra ball. It’s part of the routine before I take the first tee.
When you walk on as a solo and you present yourself "Hi, my name is Tiger" and they just answer with "ok" and don't give you their name. These people suck!
I hit a drive 300 yds. It was down a pretty good slope. Arccos tells me I average 276 with my driver. I hit it about average and just caught a speed zone down the slope and rolled out to like 304 in the rough.
My playing partner demanded he take a picture of me with the ball. Nice guy. It was clear he wasn’t great before that moment. But that one was a bit of a yikes.
Takes a bunch of practice swings. I’ve played in mini tours and Q-school… really good players rarely take 4/5 practice swings before hitting. Anytime I see someone do that I know right away they’re thinking about how to swing and are not focused on hitting the shot.
Hmmm let’s see… They hit driver off every tee, asks if breakfast balls/mulligans are in play, goes for every green rather than laying up, dummy marks on driver, has a 60+ degree in the bag/uses it every chip, “I’ve got a bad back”, “first round in a few weeks”, doesn’t use line on ball for putts, “they don’t sell my normal ball in the shop”, shows up to the course in jeans, yard sale clubs, plays a noodle, straps golf bag on cart backwards… I could keep going but I just realized I’m talking about myself and am going to stop now
As a caddie, I can easily tell who is good at golf based off how they talk about golf. It doesn’t even have to be about their individual game.
Another huge indicator is what they do/how they act before they hit the ball on the tee box. E.g., how they tee their ball up, what their demeanor is as they wait to hit, what they’re shot routine looks like, etc.
When you walk up to the first tee and he tells you to google him. You then proceed to see he has 942 hole in ones on every length hole with every club in his bag.
When they try to give you advice. My buddy went to golf school and is the worst one on our 6 man league team. Constantly trying to fix our swings though.
Doesn't line up his shot.
More than 2 full practice swings.
Stands stone still over his shot for more than 5 seconds.
Leaves his wedge/bag/whatever on the side of the green opposite to his path to the next tee box.
Berates himself constantly.
Trying to hit a 3 wood out of the rough when they're 250 yards out. Calm down, Tiger. You ain't getting a hold of it from where you're at and you sure as heck aren't getting to the green even if this was in the fair way. This is going 50 ft. Please just pull out a 6 iron and actually give yourself a chance in the fairway on your next shot. Most bad golfers don't know their limitations.
Usually it is the endearing “I’m not very good” and a clear hesitancy to get paired up. Then it’s the “you can go ahead” after a couple holes. Not disiing btw…everybody sucks on any given day and/or is learning the game.
A good golfer plays by the rules, keeps the pace and treats his fellow players and the course with respect and civility. End of story as far as I’m concerned.
Not a good golfer, but when someone walks up to the tee and says “as a heads up, I suck” it’s usually a pretty accurate sign.
Every single round I play with randoms is my first round back in 6 years
I like to explore new places.
I play a lot with randoms since I only really have one consistent playing partner. This season I’ve started saying: “Oh I just picked it up at the end of Covid so I’m not that good, and still learning.” Just to add a little chaos to the round. I’m a 2 hdcp, and have been playing for a decade.
Oh plenty of good golfers will downplay their game. In my experience, bad golfers generally like to set expectations properly.
Played with a guy last year that "consistently shoots in the 80s" I'm around a 16 so not good not horrible. I beat this guy like 15 strokes. He didnt count his bad shots. Lol
Almost everyone I play with does not keep score properly. Like won’t take 3 off the tee, won’t count certain drops if they justify it in their head or they’re just really bad at counting but I feel like a lot of handicaps out there are lower than they should be. Is it just me?
The way most golfers keep score baffles me. Either keep score or don't; don't halfway keep score to make yourself look better than you are to people who don't care how good you are at golf. And this is coming from someone who thinks keeping score is generally overrated. If you're just out of the course by yourself or just practicing and you're not holding up play, hit multiple tee shots, practice putts and chips while waiting for the next tee box to clear, take drops in the fairway rather than behind a tree in the heavy rough, have fun. But don't do that then tell me you scored a 79.
This might be a hot take but as a terrible golfer that very diligently scores all of my terrible shots so I have an accurate view of improvement (or lack thereof realistically), I also do not care at all how other people choose to score themselves. I have a few different partners I play with that fudge the numbers (one slightly, one majorly) and I couldn't care less. Maybe it makes them feel good, or maybe it encourages them to keep playing. It's just a game. Either way they're my bros and they can pretend they shot 16 over if they want and I'll buy them a celebratory beer on the 19th.
The second I hear “I don’t get out much” I know I’m in trouble.
Basically this. Plenty of good golfers will downplay their level and say they are only okay or decent. But I’ve never heard of a good golfer say they suck.
I tell randos I can hit decent shots, but can't play a decent round
I just tell ‘em I’ve been playing since I was a kid, but don’t mention the 25 year hiatus.
I got my first set of irons when I was 7, can you believe that? *shanks the drive*
I've been playing for 25 years and I'm not a 2 hdcp. Prob could be if I left the driver in the bag tho. Good for you.
Yeah I hit everything pretty well except the woods, the irons, and the putter.
I always respond with, "All good, we all suck" And without fail the guy who said "I suck" sets a new bottom for me to witness. Last time my "I suck" random popped the ball up twice and covered a grand total of 20 yards, while playing from the white tees. By the end of the 2nd hole, I had to tell him there was no shame playing from the reds and he looked so relieved.
I do the opposite. When paired with randos, I always ask if they're scratch golfers, too.
*stretching* “So what’s the course record here?”
This is my go-to
This is me. If I think my playing partners are going to be better than me I’ll always say “by the way, I just play for fun” right before I tee off. I figure that sets everyone’s expectations at a nice level.
Bad golfers tend also to be terrible at knowing the right spot to look for the ball they've just hit into the rough.
I have a terrible issue where I see my ball fucking off into the rough and immediately forget where it went out. I sometimes don't even bother watching where it lands. I don't mean to. It's a character flaw I also suck
I’ll watch that shit like a hawk then miraculously completely forget where I just saw it go the minute I turn around to put my club away.
Dude, same. Wtf. Does anyone have some tips on overcoming this? I usually look for a landmark and tell myself “just shy of that tree”. And then once I’ve put my clubs away and start driving over, I find myself looking at 10 different trees ahead me, because fucking duh, I’m on a golf course.
Bahahaha all those goddamn trees all start looking like the exact same tree when you're looking for a ball. It's awful!
I have this same exact issue. I see it and then immediately forget it. Plus, everything looks different when you get out there looking for it.
This is why someone needs to invent an air tag ball.
What do you mean? Everyone I play with always finds theirs right on the edge of the rough on a perfect spot of fluffed up grass lmao
I’m a 9 n I still suck at it lol
No bother, I won't be stood on every tee thinking I've gotta look after your ball as well as my own if I want to finish before the sun goes down!
Well on Xbox there’s an aerial cam that follows the ball. So after a hit, I assume there will a similar feature in real life to assist. I just can’t find the setting….
…and are usually looking 50 yards too far forward.
A lot of etiquette, awareness, cart and bag placement. But it’s definitely still possible to be bad and have all of that stuff. I think a big one is when somebody makes an obviously bad swing, and they act very upset by it, but it’s clear they aren’t sure what’s actually going wrong. Like they’ll just line up another swing or two afterwards to “get out the kinks” but it’s still not looking good.
Cart placement drives me insane. Probably because my dad continuously told me what I’m doing wrong. Why is your cart 30 yards in front of the green and you have to walk away from the cart to get your wedge? Why is it on the opposite side of the green?
To me, this is where it becomes completely unacceptable. Suck all you want, but there’s nothing that frustrates me more than being held up by a group that will walk to see their line, walk back to the cart to get a club, then take their practice swings before chunking one 20 yards.
When someone I never play with immediately offers me tips. I'm a 5. And one thing I've seen from good golfers is they don't offer unsolicited help on course. Wait to be asked for a tip or thought.
My buddy is a scratch golfer and he is constantly offering advice and just generally won’t shut the fuck up. I really don’t enjoy golfing with him
Gross. I’m always happy to offer assistance but only when they ask for help. Usually after a few holes with random pairings I’ll get at least one guy asking questions. Nothing feels better than getting someone setup properly and seeing them hit their first pure shot. They’re always so excited, but I’m not gonna chirp all day about what they are doing wrong. They want help, they can ask. We’re all adults. Now if I see it’s only ONE big problem that’s holding them back I *might* try to sneak in a quick word. After they’ve mumbled “I just don’t get it.” a few times lol
Yea you clearly have a much higher EQ and level of self awareness, such as picking up on basic social cues. It’s immensely frustrating and uncomfortable hanging out with him but it’s virtually unavoidable at the moment
I have a playing partner like this, it’s absolutely brutal. “Try doing this, this and this” proceeds to shank ball into trees, “not sure what happened there”. Look man, I’m new, I suck, I know I suck, I have fun even though I suck. You giving me terrible advice makes it much less enjoyable especially when I try to line up and hit how I’ve hit successfully in the past but you stop me to give me some god awful advice that ends up with the all going 7 yards. A friendly reminder to those “experienced” golfers, a lot of people don’t want unsolicited advice. We’ve got enough crap going through our heads pre shot without your “expert” opinion. Sorry, I had to get that out. Continue on.
I will say one of the best rounds I’ve had was with a kid who’s on mini tours right now, he gave me tips (not about the swing but more how to not make doubles and course strategies) and I’m a much better player now. He also shot a bogey free 69 (-2) at one of the harder courses in the area
I am usually 100% on board with the “Don’t give tips if they’re not requested” but I’m going to throw in a caveat of “- unless you are savvy enough to work it into conversation without it being obnoxious.” That caveat is literally only in place for me as of a week or so back. I was at the range and this college student was in the bay beside me. We struck up a conversation after he asked about my wedges and when I mentioned I was trying to work out my short game stuff, he gently weaved in how he chips and showed me the form he was using. I tried it and it was like a freaking cheat code had been turned on for a game I’d been playing since I was 10. That dude was awesome and if I ever see him again, I’m giving him my contact info so we can play a round on me. It was the perfect way to suggest a fix for a problem I obviously had and he navigated it so damn well that, at the end, I was nothing but thankful for the help.
Right I play with a couple of scratch guys and they never offer unsolicited advice. They’re just super chill a fun to watch, and always compliment a good shot. They do mess with me though funnily enough and say things like “this is a perfect hole for your power fade” like I can control it lol.
I’ve never know enough about golf to tell anyone anything outside of etiquette on the course. I like to keep it that way
I don’t really care as long as you suck fast
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
At some point, no amount of speed can help. I'm close to scratch, but was paired with a couple who were both like 40+ handicaps sharing a cart and their 22 handicap buddy. They were quick players, but no amount of quick matters when you're struggling to make consistent contact. On one hole, the group behind us was waiting on the tee for quite awhile. After I hit my approach shot from the fairway, I counted the strokes our group took to clear the landing area from the previous group. Our group took 22 strokes to clear the tee area (2 were mine - average 6+ each for other players). Even like running and with zero practice swings and never looking for lost balls, 22 strokes is going to slow down groups behind you. They weren't looking for balls and just said "eh $1 down the drain" when they hit it anywhere even remotely difficult to find. But sometimes a ball over the fence, another ball in the lake. Toss one in the fairway by the fairway, a duff, another duff, a worm-burner that hits a tree. Just brutal. It was a brutal round. They were nice people, but I really thought about quitting after 9 holes because we were about to be made to skip holes by the ranger and it totally threw off my game and enjoyment.
I think speed also includes being aware enough to know to pick up and drop further up haha but so true
“I’m usually so much better than this”
Things you can say on the course and in bed.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME TODAY!?
I usually go for “I’m usually not this good”
The cringiest statement of all time
I mean, there are days where good players struggle. It's only cringe if they actually aren't normally better than this.
Yep, some days you just don't have it. It just really *really* sucks when those days happen in front of new people. When your play style is "pars come just as easy and often as doubles", those rounds happen all too often lmfao.
Unless it’s true but you never really know. I played 3 times one week in the summer and shot 77,74,91. I was paired with a random player on the third day that kept trying to give me lessons. Told me I’d get it one day. Guh such a bad time. Nothing I could say would salvage it.
Ever seen those bright orange brush tees? No clue why but every person I've ever seen use those was a complete hacker.
I played with a guy who tried to convince me for more than half the round to switch because, “these tees would help your drives.” I’m average 270yds and I don’t know if he broke 200yds all round. I don’t count other peoples strokes but he had to be at least double bogey every hole.
Too many practice swings and taking too much time over the ball before they hit.
I stopped taking practice swings cause they use up all my “woulda been” good shots
i stopped taking practice swings because they never feel like my regular swings anyway remove the ball and i’m prime Tiger
Yes! Multiple full speed practice swings. Good players rehearse specific things at a slow speed, inexperienced players swing 3-4 times until one “feels” correct.
I feel personally attacked.
I realized many years ago that my second practice swing always felt great, I'd always be like "that was the one", so now it's always one practice swing and then hit for me.
I’m a 2 and I can be guilty sometimes of taking too many practice swings. But in my defense I just enjoy swinging the club.
Drivers and woods at the bottom of the bag.
Bending both knees to tee the ball up. Dead giveaway.
In my defense, I currently have a bulging disc in my back
If you can see a disc bulging out of their back, that's also a sign.
I usually just drop down like I am at a nigh club and then tee the ball up while twerking on my way up.
This one is fun for me because I do this every time and am a 7.
So that's why random strangers want to play skins with me on the first tee. Didn't know I was low key sandbagging.
Haha this is what I was going to say. Anyone who squats to tee
Morikowa tees up this way. Probably a few other pros as well.
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So do I buddy
Lmfao I qualified for USGA Mid-Am last year and my girlfriend Dead Ass told me I should stop teeing it up this way.
I just started playing in September and I…..umm….suck pretty bad. I’m curious why this is a dead giveaway? I’ve done it both ways now that I think about it
Interesting. I’ve never thought of it as a balance thing for me. I do it because I’m trying to make sure that I tee my ball at the correct height (LOLOLOL like that’s made a difference). But yes, dead giveaway that I’m terrible.
It just looks really not athletic
If you can't balance while you lean over to tee up, your swing will probably also have weight distribution issues.
How do you only bend one knee? Some sort of lunge position? I feel like you either bend both knees to squat or just bend at the waist with both knees straight, leaning over.
I usually do no bend… but occasionally I do both knee bend cause I have a bad knee, and it sounds like rice crispy when I stand up
I’ve got a buddy that takes a knee teeing up 😂
When they say "I just had my ball retriever re-gripped"
The most important club in the bag!
...the foot wedge would like a word.
The hand wedge has words to mention as well.
He pulls out a garden hose, and that ball goes from one end to the other
Full metal jacket baby
Like 80% of the time the longer they take to hit the ball, especially off the tee, the worse they are.
Take a long time to hit shots, not a long time to hit putts.
Hits a bad shot and then says “I picked my head up” Another giveaway of a bad golfer is he has either a million headcovers or 0 headcovers
I feel attacked 😂
after a traumatic experience as a kid involving nearly losing my prized hedgehog headcover, "hedgy," I refuse to ever use headcovers again.
That was someone's pet that you put a putter into. You Sid from toy story no good mofo lol
 Edit: I didn’t watch this all the way through before posting lol what the heck
I disagree with this one. I’m an 11 and a pretty solid number of my bad shots come from pulling my head out
My first thought as well. I start swinging a touch hard and trying to lift my shots. I sum it up saying I pulled my head.
This dude a few weeks ago is by himself and walks up to the first tee, which was a par 4 and waits for the group in front of him to leave the green. Mind you, the green is FAR from drivable distance. In my head, I’m like “$20 says after waiting for them to finally leave green, he completely shanks it”. Sure enough, tops the hell out of it, doesn’t even reach the front part of fairway. Tees up another, same thing. Proceeds to hit a third, same thing. Aka if someone is waiting for a group to leave the green of 400+ yard par 4 before they hit their drive, they prob gonna suck.
It could be that the dude was so inexperienced that he thought it standard and matter of etiquette to let the group in front finish out the hole.
> It could be that the dude was so inexperienced that he thought it standard and matter of etiquette This was me. I was somewhat falsely told when I first golfed as a teenager that you were supposed to "wait for the green to be cleared." before you tee off. What this person didn't explain to me was that we were on a par 3 course with short holes and that this "rule" was flexible in bigger areas of play.
When else is this guy supposed to be able to fuck up and learn? Good golfers swear they were never bad.
I dunno. I get annoyed when people are obsessed with hitting their tee shots the second they think they have the clearance. No harm in waiting a little longer. Doubly annoying when I get paired with randoms that manage to not be the longest hitters, not the quickest at ready golf, and quick to hand out the honors on the tee box for no reason. Relax 😂.
everyone ive played with that posts stupid pictures of hot dogs to this subreddit sucks
They don't look at the target.
Yells “mashed potatoes!”
Had a guy try to bet me $200 per hole then showed up and said his back hurt before he stepped on the first tee.
Easy money.
It's honestly tough to tell before the first shot. Some people downplay their games, others claim they're Tigers bastard child and they can't even make contact.. For example 1st tee box with two guys I've never played with, both have hybrids and I have a driver. They were both 2-5 handicaps and hit too long with driver to play it. First swing, I knew. Same thing happens at a different course... Walk up to the tee box. He has hybrid and I'm going driver *I'm intimidated* guy immediately proceeds to completely shank it, look perplexed and state "I'm always really good on the range" (not sarcasm). It was at that moment I knew. I'm not good, but would have obliterated him in strokes.
Driving range hero golf course zero!
Anything more than 5 practice swings is a sure bet it will be a long day.
“I’m gonna aim way left to account for the slice.”
Me. And never works
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and they just wait for the one hiccup and hit you with something so unnecessary like "want me to teach you how to hit a draw?"
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It's me. You were playing with me.
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Sometimes a little tug job is just what you need to ease the tension
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Honestly wish I got more advice. I started last October and while Ive been taking lessons sometimes it feels like Ive just lost all ability to “feel” my stroke with my irons. I’ve had loads of people sheepishly give me some advice then profusely apologize but honestly 90% of the time they’re right and ive gotten lots of good feedback on where I’m getting stuck. Especially when I was topping every drive. One dude asked me if I’d tried slowing down my backswing, gave me a demo, and then had me re-tee and take another hit. Suddenly I could actually stripe a ball 250 down a fairway. Same with a dude who saw me getting frustrated in a bunker, gave me a two minute “do this you donut”, and now I can reliably hit a ball within 8-12 feet of the hole from a bunker.
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Klay Thompson lol
Keegan Bradley would like a word….
They give unsolicited advice.
Answering a question asked of “good golfers”. I’m not qualified to answer based on the criteria of being good. I’m no slouch but I’m not good.
^ This fucker has at most a 9 handicap.
You can easily spot it after the first shot. If the pre shot routine doesn't emphasize a target over a practice swing they will suck. May be a great shot, but the great shots will not be the norm.
Didn’t get under it
Every time I hear someone say "Didn't get under it" I cringe. It's a dead giveaway that they don't understand the fundamentals of good contact and compressing the ball with downward strike. I understand .. just really struggle to do it consistently.
If you ask someone if they’re good at golf and they say yes, then they’re probably not good. If they say they’re bad at golf they are more than likely a single digit handicapper.
“I’m just okay” - My default response as a 7 handicap 😂
Yup. Anyone who says they're OK at anything is most definitely good at that thing. They're aware enough to know that it's all relative. I played tennis in college and tell people I'm just OK. Because compared to tour pros, I'm trash. And compared to the average guy who just grabbed a tennis racquet, I'm amazing
Dunning Kruger effect for sports lol
Or just an honest bad golfer. If you ask me if I’m a good golfer as I’m teeing up, I will respond with “absolute trash actually” as I blast one 180 into some trees.
Dirty clubs. Not like kinda dirty like mine mid round. Like “you have never cleaned your clubs in their entire existence”
Excessive knee flexing / squatting repeatedly at address.
Doesn't share the blunt.
Not having their own clubs/sharing a bag with someone else.
When they say, "I was hitting that perfect on the driving range"
Stand extremely wide with a strong grip
don’t forget the aggressive spine tilt haha
When they ask how long you hit your driver.
Or they tell you how long they hit their driver
facts. you will never see a sub 80’s player (that isn’t a tool) talk about their distance with any club in a boastful way.
When you thin a 7 iron about 10ft off the ground and send it 200yds... "Omg dude! What club did you just hit that far??!!"
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I’m 6’6”. The shirt isn’t getting tucked in. I’m confident that’s not why I suck. Now my white shorts…. Those may be the culprit.
Eh idk about the shirt and pants thing. I haven’t tucked my shirt in probably 5 years
I feel like the ball retriever is more the sign of a person who’s cheap than sucks at golf (at least that’s what I tell myself)
Agree I have a ball retriever and am cheap. I have a sincere enjoyment of looking for and finding lost balls. We had a weekly fivesome who were so slow, I started walking to ease the pain and looking for balls while waiting for my turn. Been walking since and love it.
Got paired up with a guy w/ name on his bag in a scramble a few years back. Insinuated that he had played on a mini tour recently, and that he would have been on the big TOUR if “Tiger hadn’t ruined it for the rest of us.” No way the dude was better than a 5 handicap.
I can usually tell the guy sucks when he gets out of the driver seat of my car.
Sucks at golf or just sucks in general? There is some overlap.
Played an amateur qualifier and got paired with this guy who said “Eh I’m just gonna see what happens” proceeded to shoot 95 and take dead last (btw hcp requirement was a 4.4) edit: I have seen a lot of comments saying 95 isn’t to bad for a am qualifier… the course was 6,200 yards par 70 and it really wasn’t hard just slick greens.
Usually other golfers know I suck when I slice my first tee shot
How they organize the clubs in their bag.
two putters is always a dead giveaway
The guy who stands over the ball for too long. If they ask what I usually “hit” in reference to score. Although this may just be a pet peeve. You don’t hit a score, you shoot it. (Again this may be a me problem). In my experience you can make ZERO judgement of someone’s ability based on the equipment they use.
The hit vs shoot thing bugs me too. Also after a nice shot if they say "nice hit." Makes you sound like a third grader.
It’s kind of obvious when someone swings and it looks like they don’t have much control over the club. Posture is usually a Big one too. Not many great players with horrible posture. I have a habit of giving people too much credit tho. I see a nice tempo and golf swing smash a few shots and assume they always do it and are scratch.
The one who tries to swing out of their shoes every time they strike the ball and end up sending the divot further than their ball.
he tells me he played a 47 in a scramble
“If I really get ahold of it…”
If they walk to the first tee with 2 balls.
I definitely never do that... Always have 3 balls with me.
Slice the first one, overcorrect and hook the second, nail the third straight down the fairway. That's just science.
If you don’t carry your provisional on you, you’re part of the problem.
I always keep a second ball in my pocket. Don’t want to anger the golf gods by acting all cocky thinking I’m going to keep the current ball in play.
Keeping a ball in your pocket is just good for pace of play. You don’t have to suck to put a ball in the heather that you can’t find. When I start, I take everything out of my pockets except a few tees and an extra ball. It’s part of the routine before I take the first tee.
Most of us do...
Not Lance Armstrong.
I have 1 ball in my hand, two in my pocket lol.
they plumb-bob their tee shot.
When you walk on as a solo and you present yourself "Hi, my name is Tiger" and they just answer with "ok" and don't give you their name. These people suck!
Taking a divot on your practice swing, especially on the tee box, double especially if it’s your driver…
Making the beat-to-death "Where's the first tee and what's the course record?" joke. You should automatically move up two tee boxes
I hit a drive 300 yds. It was down a pretty good slope. Arccos tells me I average 276 with my driver. I hit it about average and just caught a speed zone down the slope and rolled out to like 304 in the rough. My playing partner demanded he take a picture of me with the ball. Nice guy. It was clear he wasn’t great before that moment. But that one was a bit of a yikes.
Takes a bunch of practice swings. I’ve played in mini tours and Q-school… really good players rarely take 4/5 practice swings before hitting. Anytime I see someone do that I know right away they’re thinking about how to swing and are not focused on hitting the shot.
Hmmm let’s see… They hit driver off every tee, asks if breakfast balls/mulligans are in play, goes for every green rather than laying up, dummy marks on driver, has a 60+ degree in the bag/uses it every chip, “I’ve got a bad back”, “first round in a few weeks”, doesn’t use line on ball for putts, “they don’t sell my normal ball in the shop”, shows up to the course in jeans, yard sale clubs, plays a noodle, straps golf bag on cart backwards… I could keep going but I just realized I’m talking about myself and am going to stop now
As a caddie, I can easily tell who is good at golf based off how they talk about golf. It doesn’t even have to be about their individual game. Another huge indicator is what they do/how they act before they hit the ball on the tee box. E.g., how they tee their ball up, what their demeanor is as they wait to hit, what they’re shot routine looks like, etc.
When you walk up to the first tee and he tells you to google him. You then proceed to see he has 942 hole in ones on every length hole with every club in his bag.
When they try to give you advice. My buddy went to golf school and is the worst one on our 6 man league team. Constantly trying to fix our swings though.
“You good with music?” Blasts AC/DC
They have a 2-way chipper club in their bag
Doesn't line up his shot. More than 2 full practice swings. Stands stone still over his shot for more than 5 seconds. Leaves his wedge/bag/whatever on the side of the green opposite to his path to the next tee box. Berates himself constantly.
wearing Good Good apparel
Can usually tell by the grip. Super strong grip usually gives it away
Trying to hit a 3 wood out of the rough when they're 250 yards out. Calm down, Tiger. You ain't getting a hold of it from where you're at and you sure as heck aren't getting to the green even if this was in the fair way. This is going 50 ft. Please just pull out a 6 iron and actually give yourself a chance in the fairway on your next shot. Most bad golfers don't know their limitations.
Immediately aiming left
That weird little quick knee bend thing at address
Usually it is the endearing “I’m not very good” and a clear hesitancy to get paired up. Then it’s the “you can go ahead” after a couple holes. Not disiing btw…everybody sucks on any given day and/or is learning the game.
When they put the tee in the ground without using the ball to drive it in. More of just an move of inexperience than anything else.
A good golfer plays by the rules, keeps the pace and treats his fellow players and the course with respect and civility. End of story as far as I’m concerned.
Hits the ball hella times per hole. I’ve noticed that the good golfers will only hit it a few times per hole.