From: mzimmers@netcom.com (Michael Zimmers)
Subject: Re: Is golf that much different of a sport?
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 92 01:05:41 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Keywords: etiquette

In article <10614@wrgate.wr.tek.com> twete@tweety.wr.tek.com writes:

>In article <07yn7yr.mzimmers@netcom.com> mzimmers@netcom.com (Michael Zimmers) writes:


>>And as Tom Watson says in his book on rules, option b) is very poor
>>etiquette and ought to be used only by players wearing Raiders tank
>>tops and sucking on a can of Pabst.  On the other hand, such players
>>probably think that rules are for wimps anyway...

>I am a fairly new golfer, about three years worth of serious play. I
>come from a basketball and baseball background. I do not wear a tank
>top on the course, and I have never sucked a Pabst or any other beer
>(on the course :-)), and I try to follow all of the rules.

Congratulations -- you're in the 99th percentile of public golf.

>I must admit I question if I could really deal with the etiquette part
>here. If I am playing a tournament and going head to head with someone
>for the lead, I think I might wimp out here and not tell the player
>they are about to break a rule.

You're entirely within your rights to do so, of course, but I'd ask
you to consider to become a bit introspective as to your ultimate
motivation to play competitive golf.  There seems to be some difficulty
that modern man has in venting an innate competitiveness in a world
where he doesn't have to literally fight for survival.  Given a venue --
any venue -- to release the urge to compete, many of us go overboard.
I know I did and didn't notice it until I picked up another sport here
or there.  I used to get to the point of exploding over a weekly
softball game when that was all that I did; after taking up golf, it
didn't seem quite to vital to win anymore.

The point is this:  do you want to win a trophy and stick it on your
shelf, only to wonder every time you look at it whether you would have
won had you informed your opponent of an impending rules violation?
What's more important:  the victory or the knowledge that it was
attained entirely via the high road?

On a more pragmatic note:  you're not likely to be too popular with
other club members if you do that kind of stuff.

Now, by the same token, if you witness an infraction that you had no
way to prevent, you should see to it that the offender imposes the
appropriate penalty on himself.  And do this entirely without remorse --
if you get any static, tell him that's the way the game is played and
perhaps he'd prefer bowling.

>I bring this up as I struggle with this situation. Is golf that much
>different than other sports? I would never think to tell an opponent to
>not step on the plate when hitting (an automatic out) nor would I tell
>an opponent their foot is on the line during a free-throw (an possible
>violation). In soccer there is a play called an off-side trap designed
>to MAKE the opponents violate. If I am in a friendly game, I would
>certainly point these things out but when winning (or money) is on the
>line, I guess I might revert back to old habits. I guess I am a slob
>but this is a tough one to figure out.
>
>Golf is considered a gentleman's game. If the game holds itself to
>higher standards than other sports does that imply that other sports
>are less than gentleman's games? That I would have a REAL problem
>with.  I hope this initiates an interesting debate.

Several years ago, in an incredibly important situation (final couple
of holes in a major or something), Tom Kite, who was in contention,
lined up a putt, then backed away and said the ball moved.  One stroke
penalty.  And no one but Tom saw the ball move.  Bobby Jones once
emerged from a blind shot to announce a similar self-imposed penalty.
Upon receiving acclaim for his nobility, he declared that one might
as well commend a man for not robbing a bank.  Greg Norman once vigorously
tried to give back a prize for inadvertently violating some obscure
rule (he was unsuccessful; the statute of limitations had expired).

I won't for a moment try to coerce you into behaving this way.  But
I predict that if you do, you'll be happier with your game and yourself
in the long run.

(Boy, such a heavy topic for so early in the evening!)
-- 
Michael Zimmers                                    |  Home:  408 996 1984
SoftHelp                                           |  Work:  408 996 1965
Software Solutions for Open Systems                |  Data:  408 996 1974
Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf