Playing Through Etiquette

[akray21]

I often play by myself and play much quicker than most people/groups ahead of me. I frequently run into situations where I get to the next teepad and another group is still teeing off, or just waiting for me while I walk to the pad so they can allow me to play through.

The problem with this is that I hate playing through. I avoid playing tournaments or events because I don't like people (other than friends) watching me throw... I just don't throw as well when people watch. I would be ok with simply waiting at the teepad, or even hanging out between the last basket and the teepad, but often times a group will hold up at a teepad for even a few minutes because they see me playing solo behind them. I feel like I have to play through in these situations because when players wait for me I feel like it would be rude of me to tell them I do not want to play-through after they had waited for me to finish the previous hole.

What is even worse is when people tee-off, walk down the fairway to their disc, and THEN they wave you through as you get to the tee-pad. This happened to me this last weekend as a group waved me through while they were approaching their tee shot. I didn't want to play through, but they waved twice...so I obliged and tee'd off. As I hurried to my tee shot, the group threw their 2nd shots! They proceeded to play the hole at the same time as me, and this made me so frustrated that I walked off the course after that hole, the 14th hole (and I was having a record day).

My question is, what is proper play-through etiquette? How do I avoid having to play through when playing solo? I know most people are trying to be nice, but I don't enjoy playing through at all, and I don't enjoy it even more when I am waved through while the group is in the middle of the hole.

 

[IHearChains]

When they ask you to play through, just say "thanks but actually I'll just skip this hole", then walk ahead to the next one and tee off before they get there.

 

[anrew18]

seriously? Go buy 18 baskets and some private land and play alone. If you can't deal with someone looking at you stay off the course. I don't play well under pressure either but when I play through I usually just chuck it down and plan on the next tee being more private... OR just slow my game down.

 

[bradharris]

They're not just doing it for you, it's for them as well.

When I'm playing with a group, we hate having anyone behind us. If we feel like we are holding someone up, we'll wait at the tee to let that person through. Even if you're being super patient, it sucks to feel the eyes on your back waiting for you to hole out so they can tee off.

And when you don't play through, the group ahead is feeling that urgency on all of the remaining holes, rather than you feeling it on just one hole.

Also, it's not uncommon to play through by actually playing the hole with the group ahead of you. They'll tee off, and then let you throw your tee shot. Everyone holes out together, and then they let you go ahead on the next tee. It's a way to let you play through without making you feel like you're holding them up on that hole.

If you really want to avoid having to ever play through a slow group, you'll have to just skip holes when you can. That or build your own private course.

 

[Dave242]

Sounds like you have the reverse problem as most regarding etiquette goes....it is usually people throwing in on groups, forcing their way through, being rude/demanding, etc that are the breaches etiquette.

I suppose you have the option of politely telling them that you do not want to play through and for them to go first. That is a problem as it will make for a slow round for you....and you'll be in a real pickle if another group comes up on you while you are waiting.

The only other option is to play through. You could joke that you are practicing throwing opposite handed for the round, so they will have no reason to think anything, or you could just not throw and run down the fairway and get to the next tee quickly.

 

[threevok]

Stay at home and play with your iPhone.

 

[akray21]

Sounds like you have the reverse problem as most regarding etiquette goes....it is usually people throwing in on groups, forcing their way through, being rude/demanding, etc that are the breaches etiquette.

I suppose you have the option of politely telling them that you do not want to play through and for them to go first. That is a problem as it will make for a slow round for you....and you'll be in a real pickle if another group comes up on you while you are waiting.

The only other option is to play through. You could joke that you are practicing throwing opposite handed for the round, so they will have no reason to think anything, or you could just not throw and run down the fairway and get to the next tee quickly.

I usually have a joking comment about how bad I suck. Something like... "Are you sure you want me to play through, I'll probably throw it into one of these trees..."

And to the people commenting above about buying land and 18 baskets, or staying off the course... :thmbdown: uncalled for.... I am glad people around here are more polite than you.

 

[anrew18]

And to the people commenting above about buying land and 18 baskets, or staying off the course... :thmbdown: uncalled for.... I am glad people around here are more polite than you.

I run into groups/let others play through all the time. If someone I let play through stormed off the course I would be embarrassed for him. I'm not being rude, those actions are childish.

 

[akray21]

I run into groups/let others play through all the time. If someone I let play through stormed off the course I would be embarrassed for him. I'm not being rude, those actions are childish.

Your comments are childish and again not called for. Your not "letting me play through", your forcing me to play through. I could be the rude one and just sit at the previous basket while you wait for me at the teepad...

 

[trifocal]

I like solo rounds, mostly because I don't like people... ahh, talking constantly.


__You got to pace yourself... try and stay as far behind the group ahead of you as possible.
__Try to time things so that you don't arrive at any tee while a group is on the tee or in the fairway.
__Let the group ahead get to the next tee and start playing before you tee off.
__Throw a second tee shot. Play the worst throw.
__Practice a a few putts after you hole out.
__You are going to have to play through sometimes, just go with it, but pick up your approach shot and don't waste time by putting out. Move briskly on to the next tee.
__If you get caught on a tee from a group playing behind you, let them play through and give them
plenty of time to get off the hole and to the next tee.
__ It's tough to get an undisturbed solo round, but there are other people phobic golfers and you
can try buddying up with another solo player. Helpful on crowded courses where solo play is just
going to be a sprint playing through groups on every other tee.

 

[JC17393]

How do I avoid having to play through when playing solo?

Well, since you didn't take kindly to the suggestion of building your own private course, how about playing your rounds early enough in the day that no one else is out there?

I play a lot of solo rounds myself. I don't have quite the issue with playing through as you apparently do, but I'd still prefer to not run into a soul out there when it's just me and the course. So when I'm in that mode, I play at 7 or 8am before anyone else even thinks about playing. But even that, it's not fool-proof. There are occasionally other early-birds out there.

I don't think anyone's being rude here, just trying to make the point that the reality of this game is you're going to encounter other people on the course. There's no avoiding it. And it's probably only going to get worse as the game increases in popularity. Aside from having your own private playground, you just have to live with people seeing you throw a disc once in a while.

 

[akray21]

I like solo rounds, mostly because I don't like people... ahh, talking constantly.


__You got to pace yourself... try and stay as far behind the group ahead of you as possible.
__Try to time things so that you don't arrive at any tee while a group is on the tee or in the fairway.
__Let the group ahead get to the next tee and start playing before you tee off.
__Throw a second tee shot. Play the worst throw.
__Practice a a few putts after you hole out.
__You are going to have to play through sometimes, just go with it, but pick up your approach shot and don't waste time by putting out. Move briskly on to the next tee.
__If you get caught on a tee from a group playing behind you, let them play through and give them
plenty of time to get off the hole and to the next tee.
__ It's tough to get an undisturbed solo round, but there are other people phobic golfers and you
can try buddying up with another solo player. Helpful on crowded courses where solo play is just
going to be a sprint playing through groups on every other tee.

:thmbup: thanks for the tips. Slowing down is not an issue for me as usually I am not trying to play fast, I just end up doing so. Throwing multiple shots is a good idea as it would help me get more practice in as well.

 

[ODRB]

There is nothing wrong with saying "I'm in no rush guys, and you are not holding me up. I'm enjoying the slower pace. So thanks, but you guys go on ahead."

Then they'll know not to wait up for you on any more teepads. And they'll usually say "Holler if you change your mind."

Still, if you play through them, you'll have time to play more holes, practice, get better, and look forward to putting on a show for folks when you play through...

 

[roggenb3]

I usually just say that I am playing the round in order to waste time, so I don't want to play through.

Just make sure that if you're hanging back trying not to play through a group of 4, that you also Iet any groups of 1-3 play through you so they can get through the group in front of you.

The suggestion of early rounds is probably the best advice. No one playing at 7am.

 

[vogurt]

I would say, get better at throwing in front of people because the number of people playing this game on any course is only going to increase.

I used to worry about it. But guess what, those 4 kids could not care any less about your shot or how bad it was. Throw it and get on to the next hole and forget about it, because it doesn't matter. It's just a circle disc flying through the air.

Also, I actually reversed this on myself, and now when I step up to a pad with people watching or waiting on me to play through, I have the mentality to show off and bomb a drive! I love hearing people say wow holy **** I wish I could rip it that fast haha. For real, confidence. If you don't like playing with and around people also playing; well, wait for the course to be empty.

You could try throwing multiple discs, so if four are ahead of you throw 3-4 drives, and hole each one out. If they ask you to play through politely decline and say thanks guys but Im actually working on my driving today so I'm throwing a lot of discs and I don't want to be in your way. Careful of groups behind you being mad.

Or you could just play disc golf and not worry about when or where you're throwing in front or not in front of whom.

Something like that.

 

[akray21]

I actually did have my best drive ever on a particular hole when I was playing through this weekend. But that is rare. I guess my mental game is a lot worse than most people, or some don't even understand how difficult the mental aspect is for me. It has always been my worst attribute, and making fun of that aspect of someones game is no better than making fun of someones form... Just saying...

 

[blackcatsmith]

Just throw multiples... on every shot. Not only will this take time, but you'll inevitably misplace at least one disc per hole, which will also suck up time. Seriously though, the elephant in the room should be addressed and that is: You need to get over your fear of playing with people. Whatever the reason is, and however great the obstacle, it is conquerable. I used to play the trumpet and was very self conscious about playing for/with people, thankfully with the help of a friend I was able to overcome my self inflicted phobia(s) and it led to some of the best times(and one of the most valuable lessons) of my life, not to mention that playing with people better than you is an invaluable learning tool... in music, in disc golf, in everything. We were all "bad" once. We are all trying to improve. The faster you get over your fears the faster you'll improve... and frankly nobody cares if you suck at the moment... they are too worried about the state of their own game, as they should be.

 

[lowracks]

toughen up a little bit.

 

[garublador]

One of the down sides of courses being in public parks is that there is a set of etiquette that you'll have to adhere to. There are several good suggestions on how to slow down, skip holes or whatever to avoid the situation, but it will come up. I'd say that it's best to just play through when it happens. It's just part of the price you pay for free courses. Take really conservative shots and don't worry too much about how you score for that hole. My experience is that most people on the course are pretty terrible golfers and that's accepted as being just fine by everyone.

 

[Shocker]

A couple things I can think of for you to do is tee off well before noon. Me and my buddy play some crazy busy courses here in Michigan on the weekends. We are usually done by 12:00-1:00pm and rarely run into anyone. Also in your situation I just skip a hole and make sure you don't get in the groups way that you skipped. If they put you on the spot and say it's ok to tee off, just do it. It's supposed to be fun. I was like that when I was a new player so I understand. Get past it because it will make you better. Good luck and don't give up