Thursday, November 27, 2008

Lighten Up - It's Only A Game


Here's another take on making the game more fun.

As John the Golf Course Guy, I view a lot of customers playing what should be a game but taking it way too seriously.

...especially in scramble format charity tournaments
...most people refer to this as best ball
...it's about raising money for a worthwhile charity, enjoying the time with your golf partners and having fun


I try to make the day more fun by making selective comments after people's shots. Here's some of my favourites.

Just a 5th set of eyes. I'm not the golf course police
I'm amazed at the number of golfers that will ask what did I do wrong when I arrive at the tee. They have obviously been conditioned by their treatment by marshals at other courses. I'm there to help. Hopefully, I can add to their enjoyment. They all paid good money to play here. It doesn't hurt to thank them for that either.

...we'll talk about the golf course police in another note
...I'm a strong proponent of their immediate demise

The good news is your ball won't be lonely
This one is most often uttered on two par 3's that are hit over valleys. A conservative estimate would be 4,000 balls a year in the gully on each hole. Try not be intimidated by the gully or water. Hit the ball as if they didn't exist.
Nice UBE (pronounced you be)
It's an acronym for Ugly But Effective. This is said after a mishit that turns out be a good result. I usually comment that this is how I got most of my birdies. Nice shot.
Just a little outside (of course I stole it from Bob Uecker)
This one is right after a tee shot that ends up in another county. Try not to swing so hard. You will be amazed at how far today's golf ball will fly after a solid hit with the right tempo. There's no better way to ruin your drive than play in a lot of scramble format tournaments. Going for the fence all the time is not very effective.
There's no room on the scorecard for pictures
This one fits well with Nice UBE especially those shots that bounce off of trees and cart paths and end up on the fairway or green. The shot doesn't have to be picture perfect. The result in golf is what is scored. It still is one stroke no matter how ugly the shot.
We have a decency rule here. Were are like fisherman though. We have a minimum length requirement
This one seems to get the biggest laughs from the other 3 players in the foursome. It's only mentioned when a guy hits his tee shot and it doesn't make it to the Red tees (aka Ladies tees). Swinging too hard again? Probably.

...I'm selective with the last one
...just trying to get everybody to lighten up


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