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Etiquette: An Appreciation for the Game
By Sir Walter
With an open mind and Sunday bag across his shoulder, your
correspondent realized long ago the fallibility of thinking he’d seen
it all. Humans and civility can be an uneasy mix, with boundaries at times
little more than overstretched rubber bands.
There’s no telling how far or how dramatic the snap may be, or even
when or where it may occur. On courses that will never be featured in magazines,
I continue to witness a game overrun by those who appear to have no idea
what they’re doing. They clearly don’t know the rudiments of
golf etiquette. Presumably they know they don’t know. Or, worse, they
don’t care. Some — this was a surprise — play competently.
How they got so far in golf without knowing the little things, let alone
the courtesies and common sense that in sum comprise the lovely rhythm and
cadence of golf, frankly used to trouble my sleep.
This was before slow play had appreciably worsened, before, eventually,
modest steps were taken to address it, before golf then largely and institutionally
rolled over. Deep down these ardent golfers, for indeed they must be (hard-headed,
stubborn, or, if at the very least, monumentally unaware) must feel inadequate.
How further embarrassed they would be to learn that the key to diffusing
their confusion and easing theirs and our pain is easier to master than
a cell phone.
Either in blithe ignorance or open defiance, nonetheless they persevere.
Head down, eyes hard front.
Speaking of those with a conscience, their lot is regrettable. Before we
point fingers, however, we would do well to remember what it was like swallowing
the discomfort of never being in the right spot, always missing our cues.
We may scoff but there was a time. None of us are born with an appreciation
for the significance of putting lines, nor an understanding of how to properly
attend a flag. These are learned behaviors. And learned behaviors require
teachers, which golf has in abundance.
If they are truly sincere about “growing the game,” the PGA
of America should teach golf etiquette. Remarkably, regrettably, few pros
do.
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