I was shouted at while waiting to practice at a range...

I went to practice at Toa Payoh around 4pm yesterday.  It was very packed, and it took me a while to find a slot where a Jap guy was about to finish his practice (only a few balls left), so I stood there quietly and waited for him.

Suddenly, he turned around and shouted at me, i was wondering what he was saying, so i politely asked him whether he meant that he still want to continue practicing and asked me not to wait for his bay?

Then he shouted again, "You are at my sight!".  I was like "What the...?".

He shouted again, "PLEASE MOVE AWAY FROM WHERE YOU ARE NOW, you are at my sight!".  Basically telling that i am affecting his swing because of where i stand!

I have heard of people complaining the ground is hard when they can't sxxt, but I have never heard of lame excuse like this when people cannot hit a golf ball.  That's the lamest excuse i have ever heard for player who can't play. 

Please fell free to share with me if you have encountered situation like that before.  Thanks.

How ridiculous can people get...

I normally tell the guy i will take over his spot then move far away and come back when he is down to 2 or 3 balls.

Actually i am noy even sure what you are upset with.  If you are in someone's way, move further.  Did you say to him what you said here? Instead of ranting on a forum.

It's the same as not standing behind a golfer when he is teeing off at the tee box. It's fair to ask you to move cos your presence is creating unnecessary pressure for him. Put yourself in the guy's shoes, will you be pressured and irritated if someone is standing behind you waiting for you to vacate the bay?

However I think he sud have asked you politely.

I fully understand how the golfer feel although he can tell u nicely that u r in his sight and he will inform you once he is done.

personally, I experienced golfers who stare n watch my every swing bcos he wanna take over the bay which I m in. don't think any golfers will feel good to know he is being watched. we r not PGA who r used to spectators watching us closely.

safety aspect, it is also dangerous to stand behind a golfer as if the shaft breaks, the club head will hit u. saw a clubhead flew backwards when its shaft broke. also seen a ball flew backwards when a golfer scooped a tee shot using a driver n it hits the ceiling. 
 

normally, I will asked him politely if he is going to finish n if yes, will put my bag behind his bay n disappear n watch for far.

nientsu wrote:

It's the same as not standing behind a golfer when he is teeing off at the tee box. It's fair to ask you to move cos your presence is creating unnecessary pressure for him. Put yourself in the guy's shoes, will you be pressured and irritated if someone is standing behind you waiting for you to vacate the bay?

However I think he sud have asked you politely.

absolutely agree with this

u are affecting someone's practice by standing there and watching. although shouting at you is definitely uncalled for, i do hope you have learnt something from this experience

once we were teeing off at hole one... and there were a flight behind us.. waiting for us to tee off....
and those guys were waiting in their buggies... and no noise or pressure from them...

but my flight mate got so stressed out from their presence...(keep in mind.. they were still in their buggies) that he could not even hit the ball properly... let alone hit the ball straight...

he got so mad.. he asked me to ask them to pass us.....

so I guess... some people do not like being watched at... so I even if I wanna watch someone tee off... I would keep my distance... far far away...

Normally I just carry my bag walk around and see whether people want to leave or not. I wouldn't stand there and waiting.

Just me ... i will make sure there is eye-contact, and ask politely if he/she is finishing soon. Then I will put my golf bag there and move away

In Toa Payoh, it is very hard to find a slot if you are not waiting right behind someone.  I have done it many times and i have no problem someone watching me swing (i am not a pro).

Actually i think golfers are over sensitive, while i am standing behind him, i am not watching his swing at all (unless, of course, he swings it like Rory).

oldie-newbie wrote:

I normally tell the guy i will take over his spot then move far away and come back when he is down to 2 or 3 balls.

Actually i am noy even sure what you are upset with.  If you are in someone's way, move further.  Did you say to him what you said here? Instead of ranting on a forum.

I thought my message is simple enough.  I can't move further, in a fully-packed driving range, if you walk away, someone will take over the slot.  Telling him you will take over his slot?  Won't that creates more unnecessary pressure?    I am not sure.  

I just think that if any golfers can't stand people watching them swing, they should not practice at a public range.

Tao payoh bay size is small, better stand far away for your own safety bro.

golfer7381 wrote:

oldie-newbie wrote:

I normally tell the guy i will take over his spot then move far away and come back when he is down to 2 or 3 balls.

Actually i am noy even sure what you are upset with.  If you are in someone's way, move further.  Did you say to him what you said here? Instead of ranting on a forum.

I thought my message is simple enough.  I can't move further, in a fully-packed driving range, if you walk away, someone will take over the slot.  Telling him you will take over his slot?  Won't that creates more unnecessary pressure?    I am not sure.  

I just think that if any golfers can't stand people watching them swing, they should not practice at a public range.

It's like saying if I don't like people watching me pee, I should not go to a public toilet.

OK, I see your point, but maybe so many bros here saying things along the same line meant something, that one way is to put your bag there and just let him know you're next politely. 

There will always be cranky guys. Need to balance out the good folks. If I were you, I'd just apologize and find another bay. Don't worry more about it. In any case, I've had golfers perch over my bay waiting for me to finish and it can be annoying - like those who stand by your table waiting for you to finish your lunch. I'm not saying that you were doing anything wrong but it can be construed differently by different folks.

Move on... life's too short to fuss over folks like these.

Wow! So glad that golf is so much more relaxing over here across the causeway.

It's been a while since I came across a packed range with queues for bays.  I guess sg golfers are more hardworking than us Johoreans.

its because play on green is expensive in SG... so only can become range warrior

Tpy range can get very crowded.. thats why I always there at 0845 on Sunday.

IMHO he might not be complaining that you are watching him.. but u being in his sight means that you are quite near him? if that is the case.. my view is that with you being there.. it restricts his backswing as he might think that he is able to hit you? Just guessing as I personally am frustrated (happen before) if someone keeps making noise or move behind me, more towards the fact that I was afraid that I could hit him/her during my back swing. But in those occasions, I told the person politely.

But in any case, my view is that, golf etiquette should also be practice on the range.. and its stated that you should not stand directly behind a player when they are taking their stroke.

golfer7381 wrote:

In Toa Payoh, it is very hard to find a slot if you are not waiting right behind someone.  I have done it many times and i have no problem someone watching me swing (i am not a pro).

Actually i think golfers are over sensitive, while i am standing behind him, i am not watching his swing at all (unless, of course, he swings it like Rory).

TS,

Since he is already at the bay, he has the rights to doing anything he is comfortable ie not having someone within his sight while he swings etc.

Put yourself in his shoe, some ppl just can't tahan even the slightest sound or whisper while putting or ppl standing ard the tee-box while teeing off.

But it is uncalled for for the guy to shout at you.

Personally, I feel that there is nothing wrong with a person 'queuing' at the bay
- assuming all bays are full, and 
- the person just do it quite discreetly (keep some reasonable distance, like queuing up for the ATM)...

Often times, if I am the one finding a bay, i will wait (at a distance) from a potential spot (the one with least balls) and once I find the right moment, i will ask politely. I do admit that i will always ask in the shortest time possible (but at the right moment) as I prefer not to be in the person's line of sight for too long. It is a public recreational place and is not based on hourly rate after all, so feel free to ask.

I do personally detest golfers who hoard the bays, especially when all bays are packed. These golfers, usually in a group of 2 - 3, bought drinks, left with 2 - 3 balls and chat for the longest time. They clearly will not be playing after those. They could have either drink at the cafe, or have the decency to 'consolidate' to one bay and TCSS..  

On the green, i do have friends who can't tee off probably when they see buggies parked near the tee off (regardless how far they are away). I just tell them to suck it up and play. Everyone will have to go thru this phase anyway. Unless you have your own golf course (like Tiger Woods), it is something that wont go away...

Maybe its a cultural thing...having said this, must remember ' in rome , do what romans do'. so shouting > 20db is a big loud.

2nd....queuing is fine...but must be considerate la....if before yellow line....its fine and don move around and stare.

personally I do get a lot of shouting towards me...and I feel depress. eg...Everytime I tee off on par 3, my flt mate shout ' in the hole'......I feel I didnt meet his expectatin....he said ok...keep trying

I think he was shouting Fore!!!  but in nihon... hes afraid that the bola will hit u ... backwards..

We stay out of the line of sight of someone who is playing his shot because this can affect his play. This not only applies on the tee box but through the green (particularly when putting). Similarly, in the range, I would not like to be distracted by another person in my line of sight.  
When I have to queue for a bay, I would politely ask, when the golfer is in between shots, if he is going to continue or is finishing soon. If he is vacating soon, I then ask if he mind that I leave my bag to queue for his bay. I would also tell him to take his time to finish his practice. Then I get out of the way and watch from afar till I see him putting away his club. This is just basic good golf etiquette, period. No need to get hung up at all.

willytan wrote:

golfer7381 wrote:

In Toa Payoh, it is very hard to find a slot if you are not waiting right behind someone.  I have done it many times and i have no problem someone watching me swing (i am not a pro).

Actually i think golfers are over sensitive, while i am standing behind him, i am not watching his swing at all (unless, of course, he swings it like Rory).

TS,

Since he is already at the bay, he has the rights to doing anything he is comfortable ie not having someone within his sight while he swings etc.

Put yourself in his shoe, some ppl just can't tahan even the slightest sound or whisper while putting or ppl standing ard the tee-box while teeing off.

But it is uncalled for for the guy to shout at you.

I agree.. that person should have asked politely to stand abit further...
shouting at you shows no respect at all...

Toa Payoh range is very small, and usually very packed on Sunday.  It is very common for people to wait at the bay when it is packed.  I was actually waiting outside the red line (i was very quiet and discreet also) so I don't think it was affecting him at all.  

I think we should make a distinction between playing on the course and practicing at the range. While you are playing on the course, you don't normally expect people from another flight to stare while you are swinging (even that said, isn't it common on to have people waiting and watching you on the first tee?),  every swing is precious and you want maximum concentration on every shot. 

Whereas on the range, you hit balls after balls.  I would argue that nobody cares about your swing, they may only look at you if you are a pretty chick or you swing like a pro, i.e. it would be a compliment for people to pay attention to you on the range.  Most of the time, we just walk pass, or take a look at the guy next to you whether they hit the ball better than you, that's all.   For people who has no confidence on the range, they will always second guess whether other people are watching them, and ruin it themselves. I would argue that they only have themselves to blame.  It is extremely lame to blame others on your bad shots (come on!  it is just practicing on the range!), especially when they are standing behind the yellow or red line.  That's a common walkway, and I have every rights to stand there or just walk pass, where else can i go to look for a slot in a packed and small range like Toa Payoh?

kissthegreen wrote:

Personally, I feel that there is nothing wrong with a person 'queuing' at the bay
- assuming all bays are full, and 
- the person just do it quite discreetly (keep some reasonable distance, like queuing up for the ATM)...

Often times, if I am the one finding a bay, i will wait (at a distance) from a potential spot (the one with least balls) and once I find the right moment, i will ask politely. I do admit that i will always ask in the shortest time possible (but at the right moment) as I prefer not to be in the person's line of sight for too long. It is a public recreational place and is not based on hourly rate after all, so feel free to ask.

I do personally detest golfers who hoard the bays, especially when all bays are packed. These golfers, usually in a group of 2 - 3, bought drinks, left with 2 - 3 balls and chat for the longest time. They clearly will not be playing after those. They could have either drink at the cafe, or have the decency to 'consolidate' to one bay and TCSS..  

On the green, i do have friends who can't tee off probably when they see buggies parked near the tee off (regardless how far they are away). I just tell them to suck it up and play. Everyone will have to go thru this phase anyway. Unless you have your own golf course (like Tiger Woods), it is something that wont go away...

I completely agreed!