Inconsiderate league players

[HiFi]

On Saturday a few of my friends and I went to play the new 18 that was put up here in Fargo, we had played it before and we try to keep a good pace as usual. None of us are in league or play in any tournaments and do not have any friends in the local "scene".

On hole 3 we come up on a group of people practicing for the state tourney. One of them is probably the most prominent disc golf supporter and organizer in the area. The reason I bring this up is because these people are the ones that should be looking to help the sport grow, as well as being people that understand proper etiquette on the course.

So I ask if we can play through (their group was obviously larger and slower and were still teeing off when we walked up) and the response I get from this person that I referred to earlier is "there's a group of 10 in front of us". Off the top of my head I'm thinking "Well, if they have proper course etiquette that won't be a problem."

We don't say anything, walk around them and skip 2 holes, see the group they were talking about and see that there are maybe 5 players in the group. Course was wide open after that. Basically this guy was lying and trying to get us to move to a different course.

This is not the first time that people who play seriously in our area act like they own the course. This time upset me more than others, simply because this isn't a group of casuals who don't know any better, it's a group of leaguers trying to intimidate us off of the course by holding us up. This was not a league night or event, they had no more right to be there than any of us.

Why is it in my area the people that should be helping the sport grow seem to be the biggest a-holes on the course? Am I alone or is this sense of entitlement common with league players?

My friends and I go out of our way to let smaller and slower groups through, because it's common sense and courtesy. It would be nice to get some back from those who know better.

/rant

 

[MikePinchico]

On Saturday a few of my friends and I went to play the new 18 that was put up here in Fargo, we had played it before and we try to keep a good pace as usual. None of us are in league or play in any tournaments and do not have any friends in the local "scene".

On hole 3 we come up on a group of people practicing for the state tourney. One of them is probably the most prominent disc golf supporter and organizer in the area. The reason I bring this up is because these people are the ones that should be looking to help the sport grow, as well as being people that understand proper etiquette on the course.

So I ask if we can play through (their group was obviously larger and slower and were still teeing off when we walked up) and the response I get from this person that I referred to earlier is "there's a group of 10 in front of us". Off the top of my head I'm thinking "Well, if they have proper course etiquette that won't be a problem."

We don't say anything, walk around them and skip 2 holes, see the group they were talking about and see that there are maybe 5 players in the group. Course was wide open after that. Basically this guy was lying and trying to get us to move to a different course.

This is not the first time that people who play seriously in our area act like they own the course. This time upset me more than others, simply because this isn't a group of casuals who don't know any better, it's a group of leaguers trying to intimidate us off of the course by holding us up. This was not a league night or event, they had no more right to be there than any of us.

Why is it in my area the people that should be helping the sport grow seem to be the biggest a-holes on the course? Am I alone or is this sense of entitlement common with league players?

My friends and I go out of our way to let smaller and slower groups through, because it's common sense and courtesy. It would be nice to get some back from those who know better.

/rant

When you run a weekly it is frustrating trying to bring more people into the scene. That being said they should have let you pass. I'd let it slide until it happens again. We are not all like this, but most of us have a passion for the sport that is hard to understand. Keep at it, winter is coming grow a thicker skin.

 

[topdog]

How long did they sit at the tee pad for? If the group in front of them just got off the hole and they threw right away how do you know you are faster than them. Now if you were catching up to them hole after hole I would understand.

 

[ryboy2222]

This is always a debatable topic. There are times I see a couple of people and insist that they pass. Others times, I don't want them to pass. So you said you were with a few friends, how many is a few? How many were in their, group? I personally think it's ridiculous when people play in huge groups, it literally holds up the whole course, and when you are in a huge group, why would you want to wait forever between your throws ya know? I think if you choose to play in a group of 6 or more people, you should be expecting to let most people play through. I usually play in no larger than 4 people. Sometimes if a course is super crowded, you can't let everyone faster than you pass through because you will never finish your round. If there is a small group of teenagers or casuals just coming through and hucking discs and not even playing seriously, then they can wait or skip a couple of holes for all I care. Maybe by getting stuck behind and watching us, they can see how to play the game and that some people take it serious.

Another thing that I personally do, is when I'm playing alone, which is usually throwing 2 or 3 drives and putts, and I come up on other players. I will usually just skip the hole they are on and go around them. I see a lot of people playing by themselves who will come up on a group and get impatient and just expect to play through a group, I think it would be easier for them to just skip the hole. If its thats serious for you, then you can always go back to it.

 

[scarpfish]

Another thing that I personally do, is when I'm playing alone, which is usually throwing 2 or 3 drives and putts, and I come up on other players. I will usually just skip the hole they are on and go around them. I see a lot of people playing by themselves who will come up on a group and get impatient and just expect to play through a group, I think it would be easier for them to just skip the hole. If its thats serious for you, then you can always go back to it.

^
Winner. I've simply gone around people on many occasions.

 

[ForTheGlory]

^ Glad to know I'm not the only one. Sometimes it's just easier to bounce ahead.

 

[FriedInTheDesert]

Fargo?

Ha! I grew up in Fargo. Easy solution: Throw them in the wood chipper. Where is this course by the way? I want to play it next time I visit home.

 

[HiFi]

When you run a weekly it is frustrating trying to bring more people into the scene. That being said they should have let you pass. I'd let it slide until it happens again. We are not all like this, but most of us have a passion for the sport that is hard to understand. Keep at it, winter is coming grow a thicker skin.

First I should say this was sort of an Et tu Brutus moment for me. We've had situations like this before, but the guy went out of his way to lie. He was trying to intimidate so the scrubs would leave. According to this websites calculator I threw a 949 on my last round in a 20mph wind. Just because we don't play league doesn't mean can't play or don't have a passion to get out and throw.

How long did they sit at the tee pad for? If the group in front of them just got off the hole and they threw right away how do you know you are faster than them. Now if you were catching up to them hole after hole I would understand.

We had a group of 4 moving quickly, we literally follow the 30 sec rule, no mulligans. The group was together broken up into two groups of 5 as far as I could tell. Again it was the lying and blatant discourtesy from those who really should know better. It was clear we were the faster group, proven by the fact that we were finishing hole 4 on our 2nd round and saw them with several holes left. They take their time and I appreciate and encourage that, but let us through.

 

[HiFi]

^
Winner. I've simply gone around people on many occasions.

When I'm alone I will wait a hole or 2 to be sure they aren't letting me through, then find a good place to skip something. I have no problems doing that.

Fargo?

Ha! I grew up in Fargo. Easy solution: Throw them in the wood chipper. Where is this course by the way? I want to play it next time I visit home.

It's called North Iwen on this site, it's right off of 52nd ave s and University. Much longer and more challenging than the others around here. They had a pretty big section of land to work with near the river.

 

[coupe]

When you run a weekly it is frustrating trying to bring more people into the scene..

Yes it is, but passive-aggressive behavior by the coordinator directed toward non-regulars isn't exactly a growth strategy.

 

[ru4por]

This can be frustrating. Common courtesy and common sense are not really gray areas. There are very few occasions, that anyone asking to play through, should not be politely accomodated. Life is full of entitled people, disc golfers included. Speak your piece to the guy in friendliest terms, with hopes of education, and skip around them.

 

[DiscWazzu]

This really doesn't sound like that big of a deal. Could they have broken into the two groups of five after you asked to play through? Where you running out of daylight? If you ever play competitive disc golf you're gonna need to get used to waiting.

 

[scarpfish]

Kind of the problem with a lot of smaller city leagues is that the social aspect is probably valued more than the competitive aspect is. Everyone wants to play with their friends, and sometimes the league director is okay with it. Sometimes this leads to ill advised groups of 6 or more. If one really wants their league to grow, that practice needs to stop. If people want to engage in "bowling night" BS, they can do that before and after the round, and even throw more golf while they're at it. Smaller groups lead to faster rounds and will give them more time to do that.

That being said, I do think that casual players need to remember that disc golf courses just don't magically plant themselves in the ground. Its often the efforts of supporters and organizers, who often dedicate a lot of their own money and hundreds of man hours, that bring a new course into fruition. If such people didn't do their jobs, you likely wouldn't have a course for them to refuse to let you play through on.

I might also caution everyone, we've seen this "cry me a river" accusation thread on DGCR before, and sometimes the accused chime in with a different version of events.

 

[ZMan44]

Let me preface this by saying that I have skipped around large groups a number of times when it became clear they were not letting me through.

That being said, I think the OP is correct in identifying what may be termed as "competitive elitism". It happens where I live as well. The issue stems from serious players assuming that anyone they do not recognize from leagues or tourneys is terrible,and will end up searching aimlessly for errant throws which will eventually hold them up. I do think there is a schism between copmpetitive and recreational players in our sport, and folks like the fellow described by the OP do not help grow the sport.

In my mind, as a good rule of thumb: if you're playing a casual round while fully employing a stool, and a smaller group (playing "ready golf") catches you on a tee pad, then you should always let them play through. They'll be out of your way soon enough...and logically, as mentioned earlier, you should be used to waiting anyway.

 

[Anon]

This really doesn't sound like that big of a deal. Could they have broken into the two groups of five after you asked to play through? Where you running out of daylight? If you ever play competitive disc golf you're gonna need to get used to waiting.

Did you read the OP?

This wasn't 'competitive disc golf.' This was 8am on a Saturday morning when the course was basically empty. There is no reason a larger group that is on pace for a ~2.5 hour 18 hole round cannot let a smaller and faster group play through. Lying about being held up by a 'group of 10' that didn't even exist just makes it full-on douchbag behavior.

 

[scarpfish]

Did you read the OP?

This wasn't 'competitive disc golf.' This was 8am on a Saturday morning when the course was basically empty.

Did you read the OP? Other than the word "practicing" (and in some respects even a league round can be considered practice when a tournament is coming up), there is nothing in his post saying anything about 8 am on a Saturday morning, just a combative "us vs. them" accusation against "league players".

That being said, I think the OP is correct in identifying what may be termed as "competitive elitism". It happens where I live as well. The issue stems from serious players assuming that anyone they do not recognize from leagues or tourneys is terrible,and will end up searching aimlessly for errant throws which will eventually hold them up.

Just the same, I see a lot of rec players who seem to develop some sort of inferiority complex when they have a less than pleasant encounter with a few people associated with organized play and just broadbrush the whole group as "elitists", even though no actual elitism was intended.

 

[IHearChains]

Did you read the OP?

This wasn't 'competitive disc golf.' This was 8am on a Saturday morning when the course was basically empty. There is no reason a larger group that is on pace for a ~2.5 hour 18 hole round cannot let a smaller and faster group play through. Lying about being held up by a 'group of 10' that didn't even exist just makes it full-on douchbag behavior.

Sometimes people haven't yet realized that the world is full of DBs. Life is going to be miserable, on and off the DG course, if you let them get to you.

On the course, as in life, it's usually best to grow a thicker skin and just skip the hole.

 

[Anon]

Did you read the OP? Other than the word "practicing" (and in some respects even a league round can be considered practice when a tournament is coming up), there is nothing in his post saying anything about 8 am on a Saturday morning, just a combative "us vs. them" accusation against "league players".

Perhaps I should have prefaced.

I watched the exchange first-hand. It was elitist douchbaggery at its finest.

 

[scarpfish]

I watched the exchange first-hand. It was elitist douchbaggery at its finest.

Maybe you guys should post your concerns on the Fargo Moorhead FB page. There's not a whole lot that we here at DGCR can do about it, but feel your pain. Of course, the people you're accusing would have their say, and I've never found that to be exactly something that people who make threads like this tend to go for.

Or you could just let it go. There are far more important things in life to get bent out of shape over than not being able to play through on a disc golf course for dubious reasons.

 

[Anon]

Maybe you guys should post your concerns on the Fargo Moorhead FB page. There's not a whole lot that we here at DGCR can do about it, but feel your pain. Of course, the people you're accusing would have their say, and I've never found that to be exactly something that people who make threads like this tend to go for.

Or you could just let it go. There are far more important things in life to get bent out of shape over than not being able to play through on a disc golf course for dubious reasons.

I think the point of thread was just to vent. I don't think the OP expects sweeping social change.