Nick481
Birdie Member
A. I'm not sure if he got kicked out because I don't want to quote the chat on youtube.
B. He heckled after the throw hit the tree, so I guess the psychological aspect is what caused him to later double bogie.
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Minnesota Majestic
- Thread starter jvphobic
- Start date
A. I'm not sure if he got kicked out because I don't want to quote the chat on youtube.
B. He heckled after the throw hit the tree, so I guess the psychological aspect is what caused him to later double bogie.
blackcatsmith
Double Eagle Member
Meh, the 'guy' of course was in the wrong for his vociferation(sweet word eh?), but Nate could've handled it better as well.
Halcón
Free At Last
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2012
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- 12,038
Yep. If anybody wants bigger crowds, it's the pros. And with bigger crowds comes more risk of hecklers. Just part of #growthesport.
jblaze10
Newbie
sounds like Nate is the soft one not the course!?
lyleoross
* Ace Member *
I expect hecklers at basketball games, football games etc. But I feel that in games like ball golf and disc golf where focus is as important, if not more important, than physical skill, heckling should not be tolerated. Nate's comment on the course difficulty seemed to be relative to his score. He was a tad cheeky, going on about what a great player he was. It seemed that he was saying, if a guy like me can shoot 17 down, the course could be harder. Obviously, someone took it personally. It was also clear that for two holes it took him out of his zone.
I still recall at least one scathing look from Tiger Woods at a fan who spoke while he was putting.
I still recall at least one scathing look from Tiger Woods at a fan who spoke while he was putting.
lyleoross
* Ace Member *
BTW, a quick search shows that heckling is reasonably prevalent in our lesser cousin, ball golf. Including confrontations oh my.
deadbody
Eagle Member
Yeah if all that was said was a mocking comment about Nates "the course is a bit soft" comment then I think Nate is out of line. If you can't handle a bit of a heckle after a bad shot then pull your panties up and go play chess.
You brought it on yourself by saying the course was a little easy, then failing to execute a shot. Accept the barb, with some grace and it ends there.
However if there was more to it than what has been said I reserve my right to change my mind.
You brought it on yourself by saying the course was a little easy, then failing to execute a shot. Accept the barb, with some grace and it ends there.
However if there was more to it than what has been said I reserve my right to change my mind.
- Joined
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There's a big difference between heckling during the swing which is completely inappropriate vs doing it after the shot which is fair game IMO while perhaps not with class. I'm surprised Sexton got so rattled by that, seems like a weakness in his game, I wonder if some competitors might take advantage of it. It looked like McBeth was laughing at Sexton, and heckling/razzing him a bit too. I remember Uli and Krahn trash talking back and forth, I found it more compelling.
deadbody
Eagle Member
Agreed. If he said it before release then he should be kicked.
But if he said it after Nate hit a tree, well, don't hit trees, or learn to take a heckle gracefully.
But if he said it after Nate hit a tree, well, don't hit trees, or learn to take a heckle gracefully.
BionicRib
* Ace Member *
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2011
- Messages
- 2,617
Nate seemed pretty hot about it when terry interviewed him so I'm assuming there is more to it. Either way, he kind of looked stupid going on and on about it. He really should have just taken the high road.
DiscLoser1
Birdie Member
So...If you watch the interview, Nate admits he has to be stronger, and not let something like that get to him; he also admits he let it get to him.
Considering the hissy fits I've seen on the course from 900 rated players, maybe we should just give him a pass on this one? As nice as he seems in videos, he still a competitive person out there trying to win...
And locals need to get over their home courses being the best. Everybody loves their home course, and BRP is certainly beautiful and well maintained and a challenging Am course, but Nate's criticism seems valid. Ricky went -14 today, a -13, along with a couple of -12s, three -11s and -10.
In the future, Nate should share his opinion with the TD (in this case a fellow player) and/or the owner (or just Steve Dodge) and skip publicly criticizing the courses. That way no feathers are ruffled, and no one has to crow about (see what I did there) how great and tough their course is...
Considering the hissy fits I've seen on the course from 900 rated players, maybe we should just give him a pass on this one? As nice as he seems in videos, he still a competitive person out there trying to win...
And locals need to get over their home courses being the best. Everybody loves their home course, and BRP is certainly beautiful and well maintained and a challenging Am course, but Nate's criticism seems valid. Ricky went -14 today, a -13, along with a couple of -12s, three -11s and -10.
In the future, Nate should share his opinion with the TD (in this case a fellow player) and/or the owner (or just Steve Dodge) and skip publicly criticizing the courses. That way no feathers are ruffled, and no one has to crow about (see what I did there) how great and tough their course is...
corin_brown
Eagle Member
My 2¢:
A) As far as I can tell, given that I've never met him and all I see or hear of him is what I get online, Nate Sexton is class.
B) If Nate didn't want any reaction to his criticisms of the course, he should have refrained from publicly criticizing the course until after the tournament. Or not publicly criticized the course at all.
C) That heckler was a douchebag for heckling Nate like that. I don't know too many people who would do that. I wouldn't do that. I might have told the heckler to relax, if I was near him. I'm sure someone else did.
D) The heckler should not have been ejected. I don't think he was. It's pro sports. Ball golfers have to put up with way worse. If you're a pro and you want growth, you have to expect that fans will react to comments like the ones Nate made. Nate was being too sensitive.
E) Nate bounced back after posting a 6 & a 5 after he confronted the heckler, so I was impressed with his mental game today. I like his chances to take it down, tomorrow.
F) The whole controversy is great for the fans but Nate's gotta be careful and refrain from making too many of those indignant post-round rants, like the one he delivered to Terry right after today's round, if he really wants to preserve his spotless rep. There's no upside to pro athletes squaring off with fans. None.
A) As far as I can tell, given that I've never met him and all I see or hear of him is what I get online, Nate Sexton is class.
B) If Nate didn't want any reaction to his criticisms of the course, he should have refrained from publicly criticizing the course until after the tournament. Or not publicly criticized the course at all.
C) That heckler was a douchebag for heckling Nate like that. I don't know too many people who would do that. I wouldn't do that. I might have told the heckler to relax, if I was near him. I'm sure someone else did.
D) The heckler should not have been ejected. I don't think he was. It's pro sports. Ball golfers have to put up with way worse. If you're a pro and you want growth, you have to expect that fans will react to comments like the ones Nate made. Nate was being too sensitive.
E) Nate bounced back after posting a 6 & a 5 after he confronted the heckler, so I was impressed with his mental game today. I like his chances to take it down, tomorrow.
F) The whole controversy is great for the fans but Nate's gotta be careful and refrain from making too many of those indignant post-round rants, like the one he delivered to Terry right after today's round, if he really wants to preserve his spotless rep. There's no upside to pro athletes squaring off with fans. None.
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onemilemore
* Ace Member *
Here's a little more from Nate on the situation:
http://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2016/07/31/sexton-handles-heckler-heads-majestic-final-2/
http://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2016/07/31/sexton-handles-heckler-heads-majestic-final-2/
I'm not sure Nate's comments on Friday were all that inflammatory. Players shouldn't be expected to not comment on the course they've just played, whether the comments are praising or critical. And what he said was pretty tame and diplomatic even if it can be construed as critical. All he said the course played soft, which I interpret as meaning the course is receptive to low scoring not that it is poor or a bad course in any way. I've heard PGA players describe courses the same way, and generally speaking those courses are designed expressly for players of their caliber (at least to a far greater extent than disc golf courses are). When it comes to criticizing courses, I've definitely heard worse and harsher comments than Nate's.
I think people these days are just way too quick to get offended at anything and everything, and this heckler is apparently one of them in getting defensive about the course. Or he's just an a-hole who likes to get under people's skin. That said, Nate definitely over-reacted to confront the guy. Not good all the way around.
I think people these days are just way too quick to get offended at anything and everything, and this heckler is apparently one of them in getting defensive about the course. Or he's just an a-hole who likes to get under people's skin. That said, Nate definitely over-reacted to confront the guy. Not good all the way around.
Nick481
Birdie Member
GoldeyeGolf
Birdie Member
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Alan at Infinite Discs Blog had an interesting take on this sort of situation a few weeks back...
Do disc golf professionals even want us promoting their brand?
There were a few things that happened during the round that made me think the overall approach of professional disc golf needs to change IF they really want to make it a fan friendly and see BIG payouts.
I helped keep round statistics and live scoring during the final round. There was one instance where we couldn't tell if the player's out-of-sight throw landed in the OB bunker or not. The frustrated player (frustrated because it was out-of-bounds) refused to answer us when we asked.
As people are volunteering time to keep stats that help promote the event and the professionals' brand, the players need to cooperate to ensure that the information is accurate.
Multiple players asked camera men that were 50 feet away to move out of their line of site. Twice, after missing putts, one of the professionals complained to the camera man, saying that he needed to be still, (which from my observance — he was) as if it was the camera man's fault that he missed his putt.
There was also a time when the pros got into a pretty heated argument over whether a bunker shot that was right on the edge of the grass line was inbounds or not. The angry pros made an awkward, uncomfortable atmosphere for everyone present. After this instance and the cameraman berating, it seemed that the fans were hesitant to interact or even cheer after a good shot. We didn't want to shake up a player's fragile mental state and have them blow up for ruining their shot. It almost felt more like we were intruding on a private golf round rather than being part of a historic, professional event.
The rest of the article is good too...
https://infinitediscs.com/blog/what-disc-golf-needs-to-grow-the-sport-sponsors-perspective/
Do disc golf professionals even want us promoting their brand?
There were a few things that happened during the round that made me think the overall approach of professional disc golf needs to change IF they really want to make it a fan friendly and see BIG payouts.
I helped keep round statistics and live scoring during the final round. There was one instance where we couldn't tell if the player's out-of-sight throw landed in the OB bunker or not. The frustrated player (frustrated because it was out-of-bounds) refused to answer us when we asked.
As people are volunteering time to keep stats that help promote the event and the professionals' brand, the players need to cooperate to ensure that the information is accurate.
Multiple players asked camera men that were 50 feet away to move out of their line of site. Twice, after missing putts, one of the professionals complained to the camera man, saying that he needed to be still, (which from my observance — he was) as if it was the camera man's fault that he missed his putt.
There was also a time when the pros got into a pretty heated argument over whether a bunker shot that was right on the edge of the grass line was inbounds or not. The angry pros made an awkward, uncomfortable atmosphere for everyone present. After this instance and the cameraman berating, it seemed that the fans were hesitant to interact or even cheer after a good shot. We didn't want to shake up a player's fragile mental state and have them blow up for ruining their shot. It almost felt more like we were intruding on a private golf round rather than being part of a historic, professional event.
The rest of the article is good too...
https://infinitediscs.com/blog/what-disc-golf-needs-to-grow-the-sport-sponsors-perspective/
blackcatsmith
Double Eagle Member
"Back in MY day...." Yeah, every generation tends to think this way wouldn't you say? Oh, sh1t that rhymes... This "overreaction" is of course true for Nate just as much as the accused heckler- if not more...
threevok
Double Eagle Member
Kind of a good heckle, but only for a casual round.
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