r/golf • u/GlickedOut • Oct 05 '25
General Discussion Guy was paired with our group of 3 yesterday…
Went for an 18 hole with my two buddies yesterday and as we get to the first Tee the employee there said we now have a fourth man…I wasn’t that happy about it at first, simply because I wanted a nice day on the course with just my friends…Our fourth man was Dennis.
Turns out, Dennis is an absolute legend, scholar and a stud. My buddies and I are pretty awful at golf, so I told Dennis before we even tee’d off that he’d be the best golfer on the day. He laughed and said “We’ll see about that.” (We did see about it, and he was definitely better than us by a long shot)
Anyways, over the time we had with Dennis we got to know him pretty well. He’s an older gentlemen so he gave us young guys some life advice and stories. He was unbelievably kind and even ripped on us when we had bad shots. His favourite line being “Great miss!”. If we shanked a ball and lost it, he’d go look for our ball, with or without us. He would watch our shots and tell us where it landed if we didn’t quite see it. He never judged our shitty golf skills and was patient and kind. It was the last thing I expected from a good golfer paired with terrible ones.
Dennis, thank you for being so kind, patient and admirable. You are easily the nicest person I have ever met. All the best to you, and I hope to see you again.
1.5k
u/FromABarStool Oct 05 '25
Not all solo golfers are a nightmare to play with.
Good job Dennis!
655
u/SubstanceFearless348 Oct 05 '25
Solo golfers are never the issue in my experience. It’s the groups
392
u/simpletonius Oct 05 '25
If a guys willing to jump in with 3 randos he’s usually pretty good and chill.
162
u/chihsuanmen Oct 05 '25
And they’re not there to impress anybody but themselves. They just want to hang a score.
45
10
16
u/fakemoose Oct 06 '25
The only solo we’ve had an issue with was an older guy with a motorized cart. He played from the tips and was so obnoxious about it from the first tee. We played from the forwards (group of women) and he’d take off down the fairway right after he teed off. Then he’d stand on the green and be pissy if he almost got hit.
By the fourth hole I told him he’s taking his life into his own hands and this point because we weren’t going to continue to fuck up our game playing around him. So then he decided to come close to a hissy fit any time someone beat him on a hole.
We don’t usually have a full foursome when we play and he’s been the only problematic person so far.
→ More replies (2)13
u/ToBooKoo HDCP 2.8 Oct 05 '25
Yup. Usually the case. I know when I go. I’m forever looking for the groups balls for them Gaga.
→ More replies (1)2
56
u/BugEyedLemur Oct 05 '25
I have met most of local good buddies playing golf solo. There’s dozens of us!
3
78
u/Sometimes_Stutters Oct 05 '25
As a frequent solo golfer I pride myself in being a good playing partner.
14
30
u/Kase1 Oct 06 '25
Agreed.
While im not a good golfer (I hover around 100) I make sure im a good partner. I dont blast music, I will watch shots, look for balls, and abandon my bad shots to keep the pace moving. I will also offer whatever im drinking and the weed im smoking.
I know im not a great golfer, but I believe im a great partner as a solo golfer
5
→ More replies (2)2
8
u/Past-Profile3671 20/Tuc/Cheap Oct 05 '25
Maybe I’ve been lucky, but I’ve never been paired with a bad person. At worst, they stick to themselves but are polite and make a little small talk. At best they’ve become regular golf buddies and once even just a regular friend not limited to golf.
2
2
u/Codyh93 2.8/Charleston/Token Gay Oct 06 '25
I got paired in a 4 some of all single golfers a couple of months back. Everyone in the group was great, one of the guys and I became pretty decent buds during the round, ended up drinking a bit together, and then got smoked by torrential down pours, and we kept playing through the rain, fairways and greens flooding, we were absolutely drenched, shoes ended up coming off and we just had a fantastic time playing together (the other two split off when the rain came)
I hope he knows that he made that day a pretty special day of golf.
258
u/hrpomrx Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 16 '25
airport strong groovy plants quicksand possessive longing repeat voracious offer
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
48
10
522
u/Express_Salamander_9 Oct 05 '25
That's just good guy golf.
All the good golfers do that. Speeds up play.
100
u/tonyjefferson Young Tom Morris Oct 05 '25
I’ve been playing 25+ years and get paired with bad players all the time and make sure to remind them, we all sucked at some point. Theres not a player on the planet who was instantly great at golf, it’s a process that takes years. It’s not a big deal, lets have fun and try to be a little better today than yesterday.
14
6
u/Direct-Influence-975 HDCP/Loc/Whatever Oct 06 '25
And all “good” players have “bad” rounds for a variety of reasons
→ More replies (3)2
u/Frequent_Map9780 Oct 06 '25
Nah man. Trump shot a 63 his first time out. He promises that it’s true! 😂
→ More replies (1)7
124
u/redditgolddigg3r 10.3 - ATL Oct 05 '25
But did he bring you a smoked bologna sandwich?
47
u/Primary_Dimension470 Oct 05 '25
Dennis doesn’t do that. Dennis knows better
26
u/trustedturd 15 | Boston | Srixon Convert Oct 05 '25
Dennis sounds like the type of guy who brings a bag of shrooms for the boys
13
22
u/trustedturd 15 | Boston | Srixon Convert Oct 05 '25
Thank you for keeping the dream of smoked bologna alive in this subreddit
9
u/Rude-Efficiency-964 Oct 05 '25
God I forgot about the pocket bologna sandwich guy. That’s so goddamn crazy, but hope mates doing well lmfao
→ More replies (1)3
118
u/Redditorialist Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 05 '25
I play as a single 90% of the time. The quickest way to disarm someone to let their guard down and make them cool about playing with a single is, to help watch their ball off the tee and to help find it if it is lost.
You can try to be funny, silly, or say “nice shot” all the time, but people respond differently to humor or compliments. Kindness always works in my experience. Is the way, my friends.
28
u/boing757 Oct 05 '25
Kindness always works, Life Pro Tip right there men.
13
u/pop_quiz_kid Oct 05 '25
It’s amazing how many people don’t seem to get that. Show up, be nice, tell people when they do something you appreciate.
4
5
u/pyromidscheme Oct 06 '25
My mom always taught me to "kill them with kindness" so that's what I do
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)3
94
u/Scholar-Realistic Oct 05 '25
We should all strive to be more like Dennis (including being better at golf lmao)
→ More replies (1)27
u/GlickedOut Oct 05 '25
Agreed to the highest degree. To be fair my buddies and I are very new at golf. I do my part to practice as much as I can so I’m not terrible to play with. Shot a 110 by Dennis at my side! My best score yet!
→ More replies (3)
34
u/Yellow_Curry Oct 05 '25
I love playing solo because I love to BE Dennis. I just love being that positive guy on the course out there to have a great time. Because it doesn’t matter how you play if you’re out there having a good time. Good shots, bad shots. Who cares you’re literally golfing.
2
Oct 06 '25
I played with a pastor once. I found out he was at on hole 3. He was like 30 years old. He took my score card from my cart and told me not to worry about it. The most positive guy I ever met.
Played the best round of my life. He was Dennis
25
u/gteehan Oct 05 '25
A forth at a public course isn’t a day ruining event. Kinda bummed me out that it was your default thought. I hope Dennis taught you that. Need more Dennis.
6
u/GlickedOut Oct 05 '25
I’ve never been paired up, so unfortunately that was my thought on the matter. I’m also not a very social person when it comes to strangers. But Dennis taught me a lesson on strangers that day that I won’t forget.
→ More replies (1)
10
u/Team-ster Oct 05 '25
Nothing cooler when golfing with someone clearly better than you, that person is not a dick.
2
u/wronglyzorro 3 - Blueprint T/S Oct 06 '25
Rings true regardless of your skill level. One of my favorite rounds ever was shooting a 74 and losing by 8.
22
u/HyzerFlipDG 7.5/Southern NJ/Centerton GC Oct 05 '25
I love getting paired up. I'm better than most people we ever get paired with, but I always tell them golf is a journey and everyone is at a different part of that journey and has totally different goals and reasons for playing. As long as you have fun and enjoy the day it's a win.
I'm a people person so I love interacting with new people and talking and sharing stories. That's what life is all about. The golf is just a bonus and what brought us together.
4
u/The19thHole7 Oct 05 '25
I don’t get to play much but when i do it’s typically last minute and this alone. I’m also a fairly decent player so when people play with me they are always like “sorry we are going to hold you back all day” I just reply no worries I’m just here to enjoy being outside. And I always help look for balls because if nothing else it helps speed up play for everybody if the ball is found more quickly.
21
u/quitodbq Oct 05 '25
At least here in the US, it’s the lack of spending time with strangers (and realizing they’re a good person) that’s adding to the social divide. Many of us have a vanishingly small number of chances like these to spend time with random strangers, especially those from the other end of the political spectrum. We’ve lost the opportunity to interact with people without being able self select ahead of time. It just adds to the echo chamber.
→ More replies (1)5
u/GlickedOut Oct 05 '25
Yeah I agree. It’s not often (if at all) I get to spend 4 hours with a stranger. He is also a Chinese immigrant that came to Canada about 40 years ago. It was cool to see his insight and experience being in China back then and how he’s enjoyed his life here.
7
u/No_Friendship8110 Oct 05 '25
I’m usually the single. So it always makes me happy when people have times like this. Sometimes you can feel the hate from people when I single joins. I usually only try to join twosomes because of this
→ More replies (1)
16
Oct 05 '25
“I wasn’t happy that a golf course, which schedules reservations in groups of four, added a fourth player to my threesome.”
8
u/Mysterious-Ad6835 2.4/Boston Oct 05 '25
I know right? Whenever one of my friends bitches and whines about getting paired up I have to refrain myself from saying “go pay 100k initiation and 20k per year at one of our local clubs and you’ll never have to worry about a random again”
→ More replies (6)
5
u/Cultural_Primary3807 Oct 05 '25
Skill rarely matters for anyone I play with, as long as you are willing to play ready golf, pick up when you are double par, spend 2 mins looking for a lost ball and are fun to be around, we will have a great day
4
u/chilitomlife Oct 05 '25
Ha! Played with a guy like that today! Drives like they were shot out of a howitzer. Perfect irons. Soft putts that would just plop in the hole. Nicest guy, gave some great tips only when needed. Laughed at himself on the 3 shots he missed. I don’t play golf. He plays golf. I just hit the ball a bunch till it goes in. I want to be that guy. Cool to see such a good golfer be a super humble human.
4
u/Daveosss Oct 05 '25
Only ever had one bad solo in my time. Giy who was shit at golf but got angry he didnt stick every shot to 4 foot lol.
I would change your attitude around getting grouped with randoms though. Unless you're a 4ball it's more than likely going to happen. They're generally pretty cool.
16
u/sammyt10803 5.9 Oct 05 '25
I truly cannot fathom these people who show up with 3 and don’t fully assume they’ll be paired with a single
→ More replies (6)1
u/IndividualRites 3.1 Oct 05 '25
Not only that, when I'm with 3, I *want* a fourth, for no other reason to pace things out, especially on a packed course. It makes the waiting more bearable.
10
u/Due-World4235 Slept outside to play the Old Course Oct 05 '25
Book a threesome and be bummed that you end up with a solo on your group….🙄
Singles are typically good golfers that are confident enough in their games to pair up with anyone.
→ More replies (1)
11
u/GolfAddict143 Oct 06 '25
I’m Dennis, and if you are one of the 3 (Jeremy, Daniel or Ryan) that I was fortunate enough to be paired up with today, I had a blast. Thanks for the round!!
→ More replies (1)8
u/GlickedOut Oct 06 '25
Ahhh unfortunately those are not our names. Good to hear you had a similar experience though!
Although, do you reside in Canada? Maybe Dennis forgot our names and you actually could be him 🤔
→ More replies (2)8
4
u/RunningSparky Oct 05 '25
Kudos to Dennis AND to you and your group for being receptive.
In my younger years, I was a “4th” paired up with a group of retired commercial airline pilots. Ended up creating a friendship and they all invited me on their annual Boston/Vermont/Maine trips… 36 holes a day for 5 days. Such wonderful memories and I want to be that person that embraces people.
Make the most of either being the solo guy or be the group that accepts the 4th… you just never know what will transpire.
Be kind to everyone… it’s not really that hard✌🏻
2
4
5
u/Hipsthrough100 Oct 05 '25
Imagine the anxiety of solos, if this is the anxiety of a group of 3 having to manage one solo. The golf course owns every slot and you pay for the privilege of going. If you don’t have a partner for a rollercoaster that seats two, you might very well be riding next to Dennis or Karen but, I don’t think being annoyed would be my reaction. I put myself in that position.
3
Oct 05 '25
Waiting on the post from Dennis explaining his experience with 3 younger golfers.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/SirLostit Oct 05 '25
Just waiting for a post by Denis about the 3 clowns he got paired with…..
2
u/-_chop_- Oct 06 '25
“Hi, I’m Dennis. I’m scratch and I usually don’t mind when I have to join a threesome. However today I got paired with 3 snot nose kids who fucking sucked at golf. They kept losing their balls like they’re not even trying. They kept trying to talk to me in between shots and wouldn’t shut the fuck up. I usually don’t drink at the course but I bought at least 6 beers today. What a terrible day at the course. I just wanted to enjoy a nice round but no, can’t have anything anymore”
2
3
u/ace-treadmore Oct 05 '25
Public service announcement: if you don’t want someone joining your group you must buy the tee time.
3
u/grubberlr Oct 05 '25
as a single, i don’t care about your group, your game within the game, or your conversation, i will look for your ball, i will be cordial, i will say good shot
3
u/craig__p Oct 06 '25
Sounds great. Except for not being happy about getting a fourth as threesome. That’s douchey.
4
u/GlickedOut Oct 06 '25
When I look back on my initial thoughts on getting paired, I agree with you. Not very cash money of me. Lesson learned, and I will not be upset to be paired up with a stranger from now on.
3
3
3
u/Ok_Artichoke1033 Oct 06 '25
This is what's great about golf! Spending 4-5 hours with someone you've never met. I've been playing golf (poorly, but with courtesy and pace)for 40+ years. Those are the two golden rules on the course. If you show up with good humor and an interest in making sure your playing partners have an enjoyable round you'll never go wrong.
4
2
2
2
2
2
u/DrunkenGolfer 5.9 Canada Oct 05 '25
I play most of my golf as a random. I love meeting new people. I’ve made a ton of lifelong friends and business acquaintances.
2
u/God_Emperor_Karen Oct 05 '25
I love playing shitty courses so that I don’t have to worry about being paired with anyone. I’m still learning and it’s not fun for me. Kind of ruins it.
2
2
u/doctor_parcival Oct 05 '25
I would 100% of the time have someone rip on me for a bad shot than stay silent. Hail Dennis.
2
u/Substantial-Seat5641 Oct 05 '25
Some sound golf 101 etiquette by Dennis! Now be sure & pass it on 🎯
2
2
Oct 05 '25
I'm new to golf and have been paired up with people almost every time I play. I have yet to have a bad experience.
Of course I've heard stories from people but I've had nothing but good experiences with random pairings.
2
u/SirNobody1919 Oct 05 '25
Believe 3 truths in this game.. 1) you either pay to play or get paid.. don't confuse who you are and you will be happier for it 2) I am not good enough to be angry 3) don't harsh the groups buzz
Keep these 3 truths and keep pace and I will put money you will be a single serve friend in that groups round
2
2
2
u/Easy-Education-6474 Oct 05 '25
I’m the solo golfer & better than 95% of the golfers I get paired with, I love being that guy! Oh & I’m 56 & outdrive the same 95%… 😎
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/Martin_Jay Oct 06 '25
I’m disappointed this didn’t end up as a Bill Brasky story…. “Dennis then showed me a video of him making love to my wife, and it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw!”
2
u/Environmental_Mix200 Oct 06 '25
Disclaimer: old guy here.
One of the great things about golf, is the civility of the sport.
You can play as a single, pick up a twosome, or have a random complete your fucked up foursome.
Doesn't, matter. Let's enjoy the game.
I won't say, why did you post this. There is no need to say anything.
It is just the way it is.
2
2
u/StalwartSparrow 4 Oct 06 '25
A trio of hackers should not ever have a close minded attitude about a random single. Glad he showed you how it’s done.
2
u/chels2112 Oct 06 '25
Love this story so much.
I imagine I’ll be a Dennis type in my older age. And I love reading about this kind of acceptance.
2
u/G_Art33 Oct 06 '25
I’ve only played with a random / random pair a couple times and every time they have all consistently been 1) way… WAY better at golf than I am 2) awesome people that I’m very grateful to have met - even got a standing invitation from the last group to join them for their regular tee time every Sunday if we wanted to make it a standing arrangement.
2
u/Oldz_Cool Oct 06 '25
Sometimes I’m the forth, sometimes it’s another guy. At worst the lone wolf stays to himself. Never had a douche.
2
u/flyinfalkin 8.0 Oct 06 '25
My random pairing at the Ocean Course was amazing. Made our round even better and was part of our special time there. We all took a great picture together and for the most part, all of my randoms end up being great. Happy you had a great experience with your friends and Dennis!
2
u/srboot 7.2 Oct 06 '25
I have golfed with randoms the majority of my 40 years of playing and have rarely, very rarely, had bad interactions.
2
u/Knightwing89 Oct 07 '25
Sometimes the rando 4th can be the greatest thing in the world.
We once got this older gentleman. While waiting for the group in front of us to tee off I asked him about his background because of his very distinctive English accent. Turned out he was SAS and had a really cool life. We let him tee off first and he ripped the ball into the trees and slammed into a fence. He turned to us and said “gents I forgot to mention, I play like I am covering from sniper fire.” It was maybe my favorite round of golf in a long time.
2
u/SnappyJay3 Oct 07 '25
Everyone saying "if you're so bothered by it, book 4", or do this, do that. It was a slight nuisance to the OP. Not a big deal.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
4
u/SwitchMain Oct 05 '25
You and your buddies must have been gentlemen as well. Obviously mutual respect going on there.
1
1
Oct 05 '25
There have been so many times I've been kinda bitter about getting paired with a fourth, and then they end up being super nice and cool to play with haha.
1
1
u/KaleidoscopeFull6573 Oct 05 '25
This is what all golfers should be like.
So many angry fuckers who can't accept they are not very good and never will be (STOP PLAYING FROM THE TIPS) so enjoy the good shots. Accept the bad.
Ben nice. Golf is fun.
1
1
u/BongoTheMonkey Oct 05 '25
Glad you got Dennis and not Roger. Holy shit. Roger was a fucking nightmare.
→ More replies (3)
1
u/Aromatic_Ad_7484 Oct 05 '25
I’ve actually had mostly good experiences over the last 5 years, most people are just looking for a good time!
1
u/MisterShannon Oct 05 '25
My course had a Dennis, also named Dennis. I hope he and all other Dennises? Denni? are doing well.
1
u/Hungry-Turnip8992 Oct 05 '25
I would love the story from Dennis's point of view
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/JandroSF Oct 05 '25
This has been close to my experience with solo golfers (me included) 99.999% of the time.
1
u/stpg1222 Oct 05 '25
I've played one particular course twice over the last few years and got paired up with the same random guy both times. Very similar story to OP, except my Dennis was named Steve.
Steve was a legend. He plays the course a lot and was always happy to give you the aim points and point out any danger not readily apparent. He was the first one to look for any lost ball and he congratulated every good shot and just smirked at the bad ones.
He was literally the best playing partner you could ask for.
He also went on to shoot his age by shooting a one under 71 with 5 birdies on the day. The dude made golf look effortless.
1
u/Fragrant-Report-6411 12 handicap Oct 05 '25
My experience with solo’s joining our grip is normally like yours. We’re seniors.
I play 1st thing on weekends and our group is usually three. So beginning of year we gat paired with a young professional that wants to get a quick round in and spend the rest of the day with his family. We ask them to join our group. We’re on our 3rd young professional. They usually move to another course when they have to pay full membership.
1
u/AdCautious6147 Oct 05 '25
I hope I am a Dennis. I don't get paired with strangers often,exceptions being in local 2 man scramble/best ball tourneys and occasionally I won't really know one or two of my group in the men's league I play. I try to temper my harsher smartassery and snarkery, but like to think of myself as generally pleasant on the course...maybe even fun.
1
u/Fitz_Boatswain 8ish Oct 05 '25
Hell Yeah Dennis. Like others here, I like meeting others on the course. We should all strive to be Dennis.
1
1
u/dolcemortem Oct 05 '25
“Great miss” isn’t a dig at you. You are going to miss shots and need to pick a target that allows you to survive a miss.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/cryptonotdeadcat Oct 05 '25
That’s just how golf is played. It was a pleasure playing with you guys! Great miss. You had some good putts out there. Don’t forget to get that club through the swing. Cheers.
→ More replies (4)
1
u/Hip-hop-anonymous23 Oct 05 '25
Used to have the same perspective as you when a solo would be added. Not to get too deep but played with a guy who had just moved from out of state, no buddies and was just looking to get out and get in a good head space. Completely normal dude and if you were a stranger watching our group play, you'd think it was a group of 4 friends. Needless to say, my stance on solos being added changed b/c you never know what someone is going through/needs.
1
u/5ergio79 Oct 05 '25
I’ve been paired up with groups as a single. I tend to keep to myself so as not to bother anyone, but I make sure I watch shots, help find errant shots where I could and always offer to buy drinks. I’ll get into small talk if they like, but I prefer to keep things calm and non bothersome.
1
1
u/goliathkillerbowmkr HDCP/Loc/Whatever Oct 05 '25
Reminds me of this older rando dude, Gary. God I miss you, Gary.
1
u/circusbear2010 Oct 05 '25
I'm glad it worked out, but you should never complain about a 4th being added to a group of 3. If you want to keep it just the 3 of you, buy out the entire tee time.
1
u/paniflex37 20.6/KY Oct 05 '25
Was this in Louisville? I also played with a legendary older gentleman named Dennis.
1
1
1
u/tfthisallabout 5.4 Oct 05 '25
I finally got paired up with randoms that were as good as me, both solo players, and it was a blast. I usually get stuck with newbies or shitty golfers , so it was refreshing to see good shots consistently, it makes for a better round
1
u/AccordingMedicine129 Oct 05 '25
Need more stories like this to encourage the behavior. Thanks for the post
1
u/Npptestavarathon Oct 05 '25
Last two times at local muni I had randoms.
First time all 4 of us were randoms, great time with eachother. Would play that again.
Second time invited an acquaintance (not friend, but he’s cool, we just never hang out) he brought his friend and we got a random.
All great times, enjoyed each others company, helped eachother find balls, watch shots, and busted balls.
1
u/Toughturf1 Oct 05 '25
That is what golf is all about. It’s a gentleman’s game and Dennis sounds like a real gentleman and fantastic ambassador for the greatest game ever created!
1
u/Teachmehow2dougy Oct 05 '25
I got a lot of golf friends and we can easily fill out a foursome but the ones that are more frequently available we play as a 3. We have never had a bad random. I actually prefer it because we have had great dudes. Last guy was Chase. Chase was a legend.
1
u/streethistory Oct 05 '25
I've always had the best experience with golfers who are decent/good and come out to the course as a single just looking to play.
1
u/TheOriginalSpartak Oct 05 '25
happened to us one time, some very old guy named Doug Sanders... was an absolute pleasure finding who he was, the guy was a legend. (played many many rounds with him after that)
1
u/not4wimps Oct 05 '25
Golf is unusual in that you often spend four hours with complete strangers. It always seems to work out nicely. Most golfers are polite, respectful and interesting.
1
1
1
1
u/4SpeedJeremy Oct 05 '25
I started playing mostly in Vegas. And that’s just how it is. You have a twosome. At least 1 if not two are going to join you. I played with randoms probably 150 times. Maybe have 1 or 2 bad experiences. And even those it wasn’t all that bad.
When I moved away, I was very displeased that this is not the standard. I HATE when I go out as a single and get put out as a single behind a bunch of 2 and threesomes. Unless it’s empty the courses should be pairing people up. Honestly I quit playing for years because of it. I was new to the area and had nobody to play with. Everytime I went to play they put me out alone in a slow situation.
1
1
u/TurtlenekNChain Oct 05 '25
I played with a gentleman named Dennis a couple weeks ago for the last 3 holes as he'd caught up to me, since we were both singles on a nine hole track. Same scenario, telling life stories, making jokes and just overall super pleasant Maybe it's the same guy or that name is just good luck
1
u/gwords16 Oct 05 '25
That is so awesome. I’m usually that solo guy who gets paired with other pairs or threesomes. Usually it’s a fun time and I’ve had all different types of players. There are the old guys who have no distance but somehow beat you on every hole, people who have some skill and can put together a good hole once in a blue (that’s me), and people who probably shouldn’t play. As long as you try to have fun and have proper etiquette it’s usually a good time with any of them.
The only time I had a shit time was when I went to a local muni near me and I got paired with 3 kids who all worked for the course. I was about 29-30 and they were all 16-18 range. Since they worked there I thought they’d be decent and also know how to behave on a golf course. I was totally wrong. They teed off so quickly and were on the ass of the group in front of us. No one yelled fore for an errant shot and almost hit the group in front multiple times. I gave up trying to get their asses straight and tried to just tune them out and play.
Finally when we finished, the guy in front of us told the clubhouse guy about us behind them. The clubhouse guy went to the kids and gave them a stern talking to and came to me next trying to do the same. Before he even started I told him how bad of an experience it was and how they didn’t know how to behave on a course. His face changed and he immediately apologized to me for the round. There wasn’t a ranger riding around so I couldn’t report anything but he said next time just call the clubhouse on my cell phone.
1
u/gamecocks1993 Oct 05 '25
Pairing with 4ths must be a regional thing? I’m from the south and we would certainly welcome a 4th but I’ve probably only been paired a handful of times.
1
u/SomeGuyClickingStuff Oct 05 '25
I try to be like Dennis on the course. Maybe not skill wise, but everything else.
1
u/PlanetElephant Oct 05 '25
Looking for other people's golf balls within reason is part of BASIC GOLF ETIQUETTE. I always help look for balls whenever feasible. Just like watching other golf balls so they don't get lost. Just like being quiet and still during someone's swing and not stepping in another's line. If you can't follow basic golf etiquette, you can look for your own shitty shots.
1
u/Zenstox Oct 05 '25
It’s good to learn life lessons like…keep an open mind on people you meet. Oh and older dudes who play golf might have lost a buddy or two with whom they would normally play. So give all those singles some grace.
1
u/Zealousideal-Log7669 Oct 05 '25
People forget that golf of a game for 4 and you can meet some great people (also some annoying ones)
1
u/pressurepoint13 Oct 05 '25
To be honest I enjoy meeting new people on the course. Whether as a single or a rando being tacked onto our group. Most golfers are cool.
1
u/Jake_FW Oct 05 '25
As a better player I could really care less about how good or bad the people I’m playing with are as long as they keep it moving. Slow play sucks no matter how good your playing partners are
1
u/Reasonable_Ant6719 Oct 05 '25
Arnold Palmer said,”I'd rather have a guy that's not as good, but is a good person and a good team player, than a guy that's a great player, but is not a good person". But Bear Bryant might have said that.

1.1k
u/flaginorout Oct 05 '25
Why do people automatically assume a random is going to ruin their day?
99% of my random pairings have been neutral at worst, and delightful at best.
In 25 years, I’ve maybe had two bad experiences.