Do we still need QUIET!!!?

Is it me, or does anyone else feel that professional level golf needs to move in to the modern era and drop the whole silence bit when people are playing?

I took the family to the Web.com BMW Pro-Am today. I knew that I wouldn't be able to watch the golf action with two small children, and I was ok with that. I mostly wanted to go to just show the wife and kids what a nice course it was, and to let them play in the kids area and get them out for a new adventure they had never experienced. I also needed to say "Hi" to the sponsor that gives me the tickets every year. Everything went fine and the kids were very well behaved and stayed quiet when I told them to so we could watch one group tee off.

What really surprises me every year is how poorly the tour treats the spectators that come out to watch the events. The guys that stand on the tee boxes and around the greens can be overbearing in yelling "quiet" at every person that they can. Sometimes I feel as if they take joy in telling people to be quiet and most of them do so in the most demeaning and rude manner possible. I know enough to stay quiet and remain still while players are playing their shots, but it always gets me thinking about why golfers need dead silence to play the game and its effect on the spectators and sport. I cant think of another mainstream sporting event where the spectators are yelled at and told to be dead silent so the game can be played. Can you imagine a football, baseball, or basketball game that required everyone to be quiet? All the players in those sports can play with fan noise, cheers, boos, the wave, noisemakers, etc.....but pro golfers cant figure out how to hit a ball while people are talking or making noise? I know golfers can play with noise and movement; look at driving ranges, and the explosion of Top Golf as a business.

I personally dont mind if people are talking, cutting up, moving, etc when I am playing. I will say that I am a newer player, and that I am terrible, so it may not matter as much to me as someone who is trying to break par every round.

Do you think golf should stay the quiet noise free event it is, or should it evolve in to a noisy fan friendly environment?

The noise itself doesn't bother them. Case in point, look at something like the 16th at the Waste Management Open. It's the abruptness of the noise. Much like if you're driving with the radio on, it becomes white noise. If I slam on my horn behind you, you're going to jump. Same concept when playing golf, except that little startle may have just caused them a lot of money or a chance to keep their tour card.

Mward said:

The noise itself doesn't bother them. Case in point, look at something like the 16th at the Waste Management Open. It's the abruptness of the noise. Much like if you're driving with the radio on, it becomes white noise. If I slam on my horn behind you, you're going to jump. Same concept when playing golf, except that little startle may have just caused them a lot of money or a chance to keep their tour card.

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well put.

Mward, I have thought about that also. If there was a constant buzz they probably wouldn't really care. I understand that each stroke can cost them a lot of money, and rankings in their tour. I guess I look at crowd noise as part of the job and should be considered a normal part of their play. I also noticed that on one green there was a very loud bird chirping while someone was putting. It was a very intermittent chirp, and could definitely startle someone if they were mid stroke. I guess wildlife gets a pass and that noise is ok?

PGA tour pros have a great deal more invested in the game than you or me. I don't think it's too much to ask for fans to respect that as well as the tradition of the game.

That said, how did you like Thornblade?

BTW, I think it's great that you're getting your kids interested in golf.

Akh223 said:

Mward, I have thought about that also. If there was a constant buzz they probably wouldn't really care. I understand that each stroke can cost them a lot of money, and rankings in their tour. I guess I look at crowd noise as part of the job and should be considered a normal part of their play. I also noticed that on one green there was a very loud bird chirping while someone was putting. It was a very intermittent chirp, and could definitely startle someone if they were mid stroke. I guess wildlife gets a pass and that noise is ok?

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Can't really shush a bird and expect it to listen haha. People you can though. Like any large group of people, even quiet talking will gently escalate into louder talking just so people can hear each other. It's easier to quiet them repeatedly so it stays muffled than to deal with a loud talking group all the time I suppose.

Blazer said:

PGA tour pros have a great deal more invested in the game than you or me. I don't think it's too much to ask for fans to respect that as well as the tradition of the game.

That said, how did you like Thornblade?

BTW, I think it's great that you're getting your kids interested in golf.

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I get that the tour pros have a lot invensted and riding on the game. I just wonder if the game and traditions need to evolve from what they were?

Thornblade is a very nice course. I will probably never get to play it, as it is private and I don't know any members.

Tennis is completely quiet when they play as well. It's just a tradition for it, and yes I think golf needs to remain quiet. Worst thing I ever witnessed was when following Jonathan Byrd these two 10-12 year old kids would yell "Go Tiger!" in his backswing every time. I've never seen a caddy flip out on anyone as much as his did, and it was completely warranted. If they were grown men the caddy might have thrown down.

I've personally never experienced this rudeness by the volunteers though that help run the event that you mentioned. Anytime they have needed to quite someone down they have done so nicely.

As for noise itself, I don't think it's too much to ask to be respectful to the players. Every putt they take could mean the difference of potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars. Could you imagine someone coming into a meeting when you're trying to close a multi million dollar deal and yell mashed potatoes right as your giving your closing speech? Don't think that would throw you off your game a little?

That said, it definitely seems to bug certain players much more than others.

Akh223 said:

I get that the tour pros have a lot invensted and riding on the game. I just wonder if the game and traditions need to evolve from what they were?

Thornblade is a very nice course. I will probably never get to play it, as it is private and I don't know any members.

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Good post. I'm touring a club in Columbia this week that lists Thornblade as a reciprocal club so you never know..

What are they going to do at the US Open when the train goes by?

InTheRough said:

What are they going to do at the US Open when the train goes by?

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Hopefully the engineer won't blow the whistle like he does outside Safeco.

I think in this scenario it was just the volunteers that made it a negative situation. A golf shot takes like 45 seconds at the most. After that it's back to normal. I think it's all about respecting the players and the game.

Like Wardy said...it's not the noise its the sudden noise that is distracting

There are train tracks that divide the front 9 and back 9 of my home course.....you learn to hear it coming and wait until it goes past the crossing to hit otherwise you can get the horn blow in your swing. The noise if it going by doesnt bother you...it's the sudden horn

Quiet is tradition and respect like it is for tennis among other sports. I wish the guys I saw the other day blaring their music In the golf cart understood it too.

Quite is something that I see most players require. The caddies even look in the crouds for excessive movement and are not afraid to say something. I think it must always be in place


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I think it's the sudden noise that's the problem and not the low buzz of crowd noise. I honestly don't think it's too much to ask for people to show the players some respect as they swing and not make a lot of noise. And don't get me started on the utter simpletons who shout "bababooey", "get in the hole", "mashed potatoes" or any other version just after the shot. Is one of the only things that really grinds my gears something hellish!

Pretty sad that they continuously have to tell grown adults to be quiet and not to take pictures. You can run your mouth 24/7 any other day, is it that difficult to keep it shut for 5 seconds during a golf swing?

I don't want golf to get drawn into the 21st century where being stupid/loud/boorish/drunk at a sporting event is the norm. As I said in a post somewhere else, if I want that, I'll go to a football game.

Personally, I'd like to see everyone that yells any stupid thing they can at the tee box ushered from the course.

What happened to having a little class?

Keep in mind that in golf, the spectators aren't static. They are constantly moving from hole to hole, following the group of their choice, or moving to see a different group. Many professional sports don't let you walk to your seats during action. Asking everyone to stand still and shut up for a few seconds does benefit the players, but it also benefits other spectators. That being said, I would rather hear cheering and boos all day long than hear one more moron shout "MASHED POTATO!!!!" after someone hits the ball.

I think golfers are different. You can't dictate what one player needs over another. Quiet is a part of golf for the vast majority and I respect that.

Akh223 said:

I guess wildlife gets a pass and that noise is ok?

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Short of capturing and relocating - or killing - all the wildlife, there is nothing that can be done about it. Humans on the other hand, can be told to be quiet, and should be able to actually listen and obey such a command. So yah, a bird with the brain smaller than the size of a pea gets a pass ...

Like others have mentioned, it is the sudden noise that distracts, not noise in general

While watching the golf last night, the commentators said they would like to see marshalls behind each tee to target these people shouting the things like 'Mashed Potato' just because they like the sound of their own voice. Personally I agree and think that people like this should be removed from the premises but no doubt in this day and age with the amount of litigation cases they will call it an infringement of their rights...

I don't have a problem with the cheering after good shots, but the random shouts are just annoying now

as for the people in charge of keeping everything quiet and possibly being rude, very demanding, or even disrespectful I can say a couple things here about that.
Firstly there are just far too many idiots around and even in a golf spectating crowd and unfortunately because of them (like in many things we do) we all have to sometimes fall victim to their stupidity and be treated like we are them . If the people in charge of keeping everyone quiet are not as forceful and demanding and meaningful as possible even to the point of sounding rude there simply would be imo too many of those idiots who just don't get the message. Its just another case when dealing with the public where the good apples have to suffer due to the few bad ones mixed in.

With that said, there is also the other side where people who are given even some small authority take it to the extreme instead using good discretion. Basically its the only time and place they are ever important and don't know how to act accordingly. Have no people skills yet now have this small authority and just cant handle it or simply become arrogant with this newly found authority and become the idiots themselves. There is a way to be demanding and yet still maintain respectful atmosphere towards the public in general but some just don't how to do that.

A for the noise issue many here are talking of respect, but honestly that is not the question the OP is asking. He is respecting the policy and just puts the question out there for what we think about the fact that golf is played in quietness vs a noisy atmosphere. I think many make a good point in that a sudden single noise is quite different form a constant background roar. The former can be very disruptive while the later in a strange way gone almost unnoticed.

In other sports/games usually the player is reacting to already moving objects (balls, other players, the person hi/herself etc) if not moving himself. It is imo very different when one is dealing with a stationary object (golf ball) and also is stationary themselves. . In one scenario the body and mind are in a reactive state. If someone threw an object towards you, or you had to run and hit an object you will react accordingly regardless of any sudden noise. If a player took happy Gilmore swings where he ran up to hit the ball I could almost guarantee sudden noises would have little or no effect. I don't know the scientific terminology but I believe its a matter of reactive vs whatever other word I am suppose to use here LOL.
But I also think some of it is also a matter of what we are use to. if one trained with intentional sudden noises than I would assume that person would learn to ignore them or get through them trouble free.

I do often think it would be pretty cool if players were to hit with roaring crowds cheering them on but then there may also be the booing crowd too as we would have favorites we root for and those we root against. None the less I think it just might be a fun thing if golf ever evolved that way.

InTheRough said:

What are they going to do at the US Open when the train goes by?

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Some of them will whine and cry and others will ignore it and not be bothered.
Either way, I hope the engineer doesn't blow the horn.

Well, yea, I play in noise all the time. Farm animals, truck traffic, music and people talking. I learned to tune it out a long time ago. I still find it humorous when after I tee off, my friends say "did you hear that?" It's because they were saying something about me, trying to get into my head. 95% of the time, I tune it out, and since I tune it out, I don't care if they talk.

Of course, golf isn't my career. I'm not playing for $1m every Sunday.

As for the 'rudeness' of them, I suspect they are rude not because of you or the kind of guy you are, but because there are probably more than a few spectators who actually would rather not be quiet.

~Rock