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The Random Pairing. Avoid at all cost or Cool I get to meet someone new?

I like meeting new people and playing golf good or bad in front of someone new doesn't bother me at all. No one really cares how you golf, they care how you act.
 
I don't mind getting matched ups when i go out....I normally play in a saturday morning outing, but there are times i head out for a round on a random saturday or Sunday afternoon. I like to walk so i don't worry about getting stuck in a cart with a bad match
 
It all depends.

What if you get paired up with some knuckleheads that get crap faced drunk and can hardly hit a ball on the back 9 and when they do it flies off into oblivion? Yeah, that is what happened to me and a golfing buddy in a round in 2019. We arrived for our Tee time and course was jammed with people and they paired us up with not two other golfers, but three, for a fivesome! They were all nice and cordial, but two of them got wasted and simply could not play.

We made the best of it and one of the guys was really a cool dude and we would play with him again if our paths cross. The others? Not likely unless they can stay straight. I prefer playing with people I know, but don't mind playing with others either and I don't mind playing alone. I like to play period so whatever it takes. You simply never know how it might turn out with being paired up. It could be a wash or you could learn something new.
 
I doesn’t happen to me very often anymore and my luck has been mostly great with random pairings the last few years. I had a single get paired with me an my daughter last summer and the guy was surprised he was getting out driven on a few holes by a 13 year old. When we first moved to Sacramento in the late 90’s had some very interesting pairings when I was playing mostly twilight rounds at a local muni military course. One day a stranger insisted on playing for money right away on the first tee with unlimited presses. I shot 33 on the back and he lost $380. :)
 
tahoebum said:
I doesn’t happen to me very often anymore and my luck has been mostly great with random pairings the last few years. I had a single get paired with me an my daughter last summer and the guy was surprised he was getting out driven on a few holes by a 13 year old. When we first moved to Sacramento in the late 90’s had some very interesting pairings when I was playing mostly twilight rounds at a local muni military course. One day a stranger insisted on playing for money right away on the first tee with unlimited presses. I shot 33 on the back and he lost $380. :)
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Wow! He should have just given you cash from the start :)

A buddy and I did get paired one time with a man and his wife (an older couple). Well the lady was as solid as solid can be. Hit all fairways, second shots were beautiful, and sweet on the greens. She was as smooth as smooth gets! I really learned a lot watching her that day. She just looked to me the way golf is supposed to be. As an added benefit she was super nice and very helpful to two hackers like me and my buddy.
 
I'm fine with it. The fun rounds I've had far outnumber the crappy ones. Some of the bad ones really stick in my memory but they have been few. I like playing alone as well but playing with others slows me down a bit in a good way.
 
I typically don't mind, but my last random pairing was with two guys. One was visiting from LA, super chill and all around good guy to play with. The other guy however, had a lot going on in his head and needed to let it out his lips. Every shot was announced, every expletive used, super slow play, and LOUD. On about the 7th hole, he insisted on buying us beers but me and the other guy declined. That was when it was announced he'd had a few before the round, so maybe his lips were just loose at the time but it was pretty annoying. Venting with the other guy helped the anxiety. I'm not a prude so don't get me wrong, but he was in my head for a few holes.

I typically enjoy meeting guys on the course, but much less so if getting paired up with someone like this.
 
I resigned myself to getting into the cart with the 3 in front of me the other day...wasn't as bad as I thought but i would definitely prefer to get my practice rounds in by myself. would I do it again? probably not.
 
I never mind playing solo in fact I enjoy it more than most. That being said I don’t mind getting paired up either as long as the person respects the game/course and isn’t a Richard
 
jdtox said:
I never mind playing solo in fact I enjoy it more than most. That being said I don’t mind getting paired up either as long as the person respects the game/course and isn’t a Richard
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playing solo is a rare treat around here on public courses. The random two some with another like minded golf has been the most fun.
 
If I'm playing solo it's usually first thing in the morning because it fits my schedule better so I don't run into it very often, but pairing up doesn't bother me. I've met some really nice people this way and some people who I coexisted with for a round.
 
Canadan said:
I don't think a random pairing would ever get in my head, but man it really depends on the day whether I want t be a part of one.

No problems with how people golf, but I like a certain type of mood when I play. Someone rolls in and either doesn't care about the game all that much, or throws a fit, and it burns me on the experience.
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This pretty much my thoughts on it as well.
 
I don't mind it, sometimes my schedule allows me a chance to play but my friends aren't able to. I try to be nice and cordial to whomever I am paired with, but if they come across like a **** I just keep my distance and focus on my game. Those are rare but has happened, the risk of coming out as a single.
 
I don’t like playing with strangers near as much as friends. It isn’t that I don’t like people, I just want to play golf. That is the fun part of playing with THP friends. Even if you have never met, there is somethibg to discuss other than the normal chit chat.

Every round with strangers is just so much of the same small talk and that is what I don’t enjoy:

What do you do? How long have you lived in the valley? Do you have kids? Are you married?
 
I only like playing solo if the course is empty. I would much rather get paired up for pace of play.

Very rarely do I get someone who I would not tee it up with again.
 
I much prefer to play with friends. Getting paired up always sucks when you're told about it, but generally ends up ok once you hit the course.
 
oumagic said:
I don’t like playing with strangers near as much as friends. It isn’t that I don’t like people, I just want to play golf. That is the fun part of playing with THP friends. Even if you have never met, there is somethibg to discuss other than the normal chit chat.

Every round with strangers is just so much of the same small talk and that is what I don’t enjoy:

What do you do? How long have you lived in the valley? Do you have kids? Are you married?
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Glad I didn’t sour you on THPers. ?
 
I like playing with and meeting new people. Until my work schedule changed this fall, I did that almost every friday. I would show up to home course and play with whomever they put me with. Met a lot of great people and a couple of jerks.
 
I used to dread playing with strangers but I've had enough great experiences that I don't mind it anymore. I'm always going to prefer playing with my buddies but you can meet sooner cool people in random pairings.
 
I used to go to the golf course and play with whoever had the same tee time. I would say the 99% of the time the people whom I met were very nice. But it's inevitable that somehow there will one person who is just not vary compatible with other people. But most of the time, it was very enjoyable meeting new people. Since I've retired I've met a few guys who have become good friends and we play together all the time.
 
Maybe I look at it a bit different, but I don't mind playing with random folks. I actually look forward to it because I change my mind set a bit. When I am playing with folks I don't know, I go a little introverted and just focus on working on my swing stuff and playing solid contact golf. When I am with friends or in my league, I may be a little looser ( which has its pro's and con's ) and that changes my mind set on the purpose of the round. Not to say that I am unfriendly or not chatty when I play with random folks, but I definitely use it as a focus round more so than not.

I also always walk if I am going out with Randoms. I don't like sitting next to folks in a cart that I won't see again after 5 hours and allowing me walking doesn't impact me as much depending on the play style of others. I tend to be longer off the tee and with irons than most of the people I play with so just going for a leisurely walk while someone uses a cart to hit 5 shots for 40 yards each while I get to my drive and knowing I don't have to do the "stop and go" approach makes me happy.
 
KEV said:
I used to dread playing with strangers but I've had enough great experiences that I don't mind it anymore. I'm always going to prefer playing with my buddies but you can meet sooner cool people in random pairings.
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I can strike up a conversation with just about anyone. But getting past the performance pressure I’d but on myself in front of strangers....took a lot.

My first swing in front of THPers was glorious in its patheticness. Cured me of jitters right away.
 
Tevenor said:
Maybe I look at it a bit different, but I don't mind playing with random folks. I actually look forward to it because I change my mind set a bit. When I am playing with folks I don't know, I go a little introverted and just focus on working on my swing stuff and playing solid contact golf. When I am with friends or in my league, I may be a little looser ( which has its pro's and con's ) and that changes my mind set on the purpose of the round. Not to say that I am unfriendly or not chatty when I play with random folks, but I definitely use it as a focus round more so than not.

I also always walk if I am going out with Randoms. I don't like sitting next to folks in a cart that I won't see again after 5 hours and allowing me walking doesn't impact me as much depending on the play style of others. I tend to be longer off the tee and with irons than most of the people I play with so just going for a leisurely walk while someone uses a cart to hit 5 shots for 40 yards each while I get to my drive and knowing I don't have to do the "stop and go" approach makes me happy.
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i don’t get to walk when I play here. The course I play are carts only. I miss that aspect to an extent.I can see how even with a random pairing, walking would isolate you in a good way if you wished. And still let youmeet someone new too
 
Although I have several golf (specific) friends in our seniors league, I also golf with strangers.

Several time during the year I will show up, single, unannounced looking for a tee time. Obviously, this usually puts me with a golfer, or golfers I do not know. I have no problem golfing with strangers. Personally, the stranger the better....lol

My game is nothing I am worried about. I am confident in it, and most of times I am competitive with others. I also know for a fact that I am never the worst golfer on the course.

On the flip side, I never let other golfers bother me. Again, I like playing with golfers with a better game than mine. I also like the friendlier golfers I run into.

Should I get paired up with someone who talks too much, loses their temper, throws clubs, skirts the rules a little, or are just down right jerks, thats ok too. They are entertaining.
 
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