- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,135,698
- Reaction score
- 59
First, I’d like to express sincere gratitude to those of you who have read one, two or perhaps several of these stupid golf problems columns. If you’ve read all of them, you deserve some sort of prize. I’m sure there’s something I can find in my house to send your way. My email is at the bottom of this page if you’d like to claim said prize.
Speaking of which ... as much as I love hearing everyone’s thoughts on whatever meandering nonsense I’ve come up with each week (even your angry thoughts), many of you have not seemed to understand the assignment. While I’d still love to hear your thoughts, I’d also like you to tell me your own stupid golf problems. Issues you’ve run into out on the course, be it with playing partners or people from two fairways over. It could be about literally anything. I promise I’ll have a practical answer for it.
RELATED: How much money is too much money to play for on the golf course?
That was my way of setting up this very special shoutout to a reader named Kyle, who emailed me last week with an actual stupid golf problem he’s faced in his golf travels. That’s what I’m talking about, Kyle! More of this, please.
Here’s his issue:
I've never understood the anger and disdain directed towards people (like me) who sometimes use the little plastic ball markers when marking their ball on the green (you know, the ones that sometimes come free with a dozen balls or are offered free in the pro shop). It seems like everybody else insists on using a lucky coin, some memento a friend gave them, a poker chip, etc. These seem terrible to me as they are usually quite large in both diameter and thickness and can easily kick a putt off-line if struck. On the other hand, my tiny little plastic marker is small, unobtrusive and sits flush with the ground, that even if a putt rolls directly over it, it makes no difference. Please explain! —Kyle Ericson, Gold Canyon, Az.
I know I literally just asked for specific problems you’ve run into—as specific as you can think of—but this one is oddly specific, and one I’ve never given a second of thought to. People have problems with plastic ball markers now? Man, you really can’t do anything without judgement from your golf brethren.
Having said that, I have found myself only putting in metal ball markers or “lucky” coins (shoutout to the West Virginia quarter in my bag) in the slot where I keep that type of stuff in my golf bag. Am I subconsciously agreeing with the people Kyle plays with, the ones showing him anger and disdain? Does a small part of me think the plastic ones are a little outdated, and possibly cheesy? Do I not like that they are always lime green or pink or orange? Now that I’m thinking about it, yes.
Those are probably the same reasons your partners are looking at you odd, Kyle. That and maybe these people think that, just like plastic tees, plastic ball markers are bad for the environment. I would contend that plastic ball markers aren’t being broken and left on tee boxes or in the nearby rough, which can damage the mowers. Plastic ball markers are being used on the green and placed immediately back in your pocket, and eventually back into your bag at round’s end. Is it possible that one falls out of your pocket and ends up lying in the grass somewhere? Sure, but not nearly at the rate broken plastic tees do.
RELATED: Does the construction of your golf bag matter?
Kyle makes a salient point, too, about plastic ball markers being flat to the ground and unobtrusive to playing partners’ putts. I can think of countless times I’ve thrown down a coin, and someone asked “do you have a flat one?” And I usually don’t, because I’ve removed them from my bag and do not actively seek them out. But they do come in handy. Of course, you could just move the coin left or right, but that runs the risk of you forgetting to move it back, or your partner being such a bad putter that they end up hitting it anyway. A nice, flat, flush-to-the-ground plastic jawn solves all of these issues.
Final verdict: No, Kyle, you should not feel bad about using a plastic ball marker and everyone should stop showing you both anger and disdain. Loved that he tossed disdain in there. Anger is one thing, but disdain? That’s a bridge too far. Kyle’s friends, if you’re reading this, let the man be. Worry about your own lucky coins, and always have a flat plastic one as a backup when you’re in somebody’s way.
Do you have a "stupid" golf problem? A question you're too ashamed to ask your close friends? A conundrum that needs to be talked out in a public forum? We're here to help. If you have etiquette-related inquiries or just want to know how to handle some of the unique on- or off-course situations we all find ourselves in, please let us know. You can email me ([email protected]) or send me a DM on Twitter/X (@Cpowers14) or on Instagram (@cpthreeve).
Continue reading...
Speaking of which ... as much as I love hearing everyone’s thoughts on whatever meandering nonsense I’ve come up with each week (even your angry thoughts), many of you have not seemed to understand the assignment. While I’d still love to hear your thoughts, I’d also like you to tell me your own stupid golf problems. Issues you’ve run into out on the course, be it with playing partners or people from two fairways over. It could be about literally anything. I promise I’ll have a practical answer for it.
RELATED: How much money is too much money to play for on the golf course?
That was my way of setting up this very special shoutout to a reader named Kyle, who emailed me last week with an actual stupid golf problem he’s faced in his golf travels. That’s what I’m talking about, Kyle! More of this, please.
Here’s his issue:
I've never understood the anger and disdain directed towards people (like me) who sometimes use the little plastic ball markers when marking their ball on the green (you know, the ones that sometimes come free with a dozen balls or are offered free in the pro shop). It seems like everybody else insists on using a lucky coin, some memento a friend gave them, a poker chip, etc. These seem terrible to me as they are usually quite large in both diameter and thickness and can easily kick a putt off-line if struck. On the other hand, my tiny little plastic marker is small, unobtrusive and sits flush with the ground, that even if a putt rolls directly over it, it makes no difference. Please explain! —Kyle Ericson, Gold Canyon, Az.
I know I literally just asked for specific problems you’ve run into—as specific as you can think of—but this one is oddly specific, and one I’ve never given a second of thought to. People have problems with plastic ball markers now? Man, you really can’t do anything without judgement from your golf brethren.
Having said that, I have found myself only putting in metal ball markers or “lucky” coins (shoutout to the West Virginia quarter in my bag) in the slot where I keep that type of stuff in my golf bag. Am I subconsciously agreeing with the people Kyle plays with, the ones showing him anger and disdain? Does a small part of me think the plastic ones are a little outdated, and possibly cheesy? Do I not like that they are always lime green or pink or orange? Now that I’m thinking about it, yes.
Those are probably the same reasons your partners are looking at you odd, Kyle. That and maybe these people think that, just like plastic tees, plastic ball markers are bad for the environment. I would contend that plastic ball markers aren’t being broken and left on tee boxes or in the nearby rough, which can damage the mowers. Plastic ball markers are being used on the green and placed immediately back in your pocket, and eventually back into your bag at round’s end. Is it possible that one falls out of your pocket and ends up lying in the grass somewhere? Sure, but not nearly at the rate broken plastic tees do.
RELATED: Does the construction of your golf bag matter?
Kyle makes a salient point, too, about plastic ball markers being flat to the ground and unobtrusive to playing partners’ putts. I can think of countless times I’ve thrown down a coin, and someone asked “do you have a flat one?” And I usually don’t, because I’ve removed them from my bag and do not actively seek them out. But they do come in handy. Of course, you could just move the coin left or right, but that runs the risk of you forgetting to move it back, or your partner being such a bad putter that they end up hitting it anyway. A nice, flat, flush-to-the-ground plastic jawn solves all of these issues.
Final verdict: No, Kyle, you should not feel bad about using a plastic ball marker and everyone should stop showing you both anger and disdain. Loved that he tossed disdain in there. Anger is one thing, but disdain? That’s a bridge too far. Kyle’s friends, if you’re reading this, let the man be. Worry about your own lucky coins, and always have a flat plastic one as a backup when you’re in somebody’s way.
Do you have a "stupid" golf problem? A question you're too ashamed to ask your close friends? A conundrum that needs to be talked out in a public forum? We're here to help. If you have etiquette-related inquiries or just want to know how to handle some of the unique on- or off-course situations we all find ourselves in, please let us know. You can email me ([email protected]) or send me a DM on Twitter/X (@Cpowers14) or on Instagram (@cpthreeve).
Continue reading...
