“Farang’ Behavior On A Thai Golf Course.

[thaigolfer]

Last week I was playing golf at Gassan Lake City. I was stuck behind a "farang" 5-ball for many holes. They clearly saw me waiting all time. In addition, for 4-5 holes long, they did not show me one single decent shot to entertain me. Finally at hole 13, and after most of their shots went in to the water / jungle, they waived me to play. Being on the tee-off for a while, I was ready to play, if not one of them crossed the fairway from left to right. He walked very slowly and stoicijns like he not agreed with his friends to let me go ahead. It took at least 20 seconds for him to walk the 70/80 yards from one side to the other while he looked at me a few times. I could only wait until he cleared the fairway.

I hit my first bad shot of the day, being 5 over par at that point from the back-tees. When catching up with them, I told them it makes no sense if they waive me to play while one of them starts crossing slowly the fairway when I am ready to play. They replied that that man not hears very well!

I did what I always do, as I don't want to disturb the others; I moved on to the next tee-off so they could finish the hole at their tempo. I did not hole the 13th out.

Today Thursday, I played Gassan Lakes one more time and again I found myself stuck behind them (4-ball this time). While they were teeing off at the 17^th, I joined them by saying "Good afternoon young men". No comment... I asked them if I could finish the last two holes with them. No answer… Having played their shots, they walked away saying nothing. I requested once more to finish the last 2 holes together however, one of them replied in short, NO.

My Thai wife, with me, was shocked as she thinks "farangs" act like gentlemen. We would expect this behavior from Thai on the course at Hang Dong f.e. but not from "farang" at Gassan.

Needless to say they ruined my game again. I was 1 over at the back nine coming on the 17th.

Their balls flew all lovely directions and I had to wait 20 more minutes on the tee while it started raining.

Joining them on the 18^th for a second time, I asked which country they were from as I told them I would put a comment on the net. One said "from everywhere" citing a few countries. Announcing them my own name, I asked for some of their names. No answer. Those big courageous farangs forgot their names and where they were born. Maybe, I don't know, they even not have a license to play in their own countries but act here as the heroes towards their partners and caddies. Shame on you.

One said to me "we having a good time with our group"! How can you have a good time by not hitting one good shot (at least the shots when I was behind and waiting) and in particular annoying the people behind you for a long time? I cannot and I don't get it. Just let people who play faster go ahead and play your own game. Then you can have a good time. Maybe their good "golf"-time consists more of the caddies or the beer after? Who knows? Another one aggressively said something unpleasant to me.

My wife still cannot believe that farangs can be so nasty and so do the caddies we spoke to later on. What is wrong with finishing the two last holes together?

Sure, we will meet again as; apparently we play the same course the same day.

I do hope, next time, they will show more gentlemen-behavior and if they read this post, remember;

That "macho" thing doesn't suit old folks like you anymore

[mallyrd]

Boring!!!

[iainiain101]

I wasnt in this group, nor have I played golf for a few weeks, but I must admit that I find golfers playing on their own very annoying. I am not sure of the etiquette in Thailand, but in the UK you would have no 'standing' on the course. Most of us will let single golfers through, but some days when you get 3 or 4 of them one after the other you just dont.

A license to play golf is only required in a few continental Europen countries as far as I am aware.

You come across from your post as an agressive person, hence maybe why you find yourself playing alone and not having people welcome you into their group.

Just my thoughts.

Iain

[metisdead]

Dear Thaigolfer,

I hear you. I would like to relate to you my experiences I have had down here in the suburbs of Bangkok though,,,,

There is a local golf course, 18 holes. There is a group of us play as a 4 ball maximum. On this course, it is not unusual to see Thai 5,6 even 7 ball groups. So there we are, a 4 ball or less stuck behind these 5,6 or 7 ball groups, maybe there is nobody in front of them, do you think they will let us play through?

NO!

How frustrating do you think that is?

[whiterussian]

Fantastic post, very amusing!

teach 'em some bloody manners!

Apparently this is what Prince Andrew is notorious for in the U.K. Not a care in the world as 50 members wait to play.

Nicely shamed!

[thaigolfer]

@ Lain

Normally I play with friends (never a 5 ball) but once a week I like to test new things. Nobody thinks the same and I can live with that however, when I feel a single golfer has to wait for us, I ALWAYS ask my friends to let him play trough. And they always agree. Doing so we / I never had problems in playing golf for almost 30 years. Not with ourselves and not with other golfers. Believe me Lain, I prefer that. What happened last week and today, neither I nor them like that. I am almost sure. So, what is the best?

[imaneggspurt]

Your mistake is assuming they are gentlemen, here in thailand most arent,.

[cardholder]

I was always taught to play up to the group in front. If you do this there is no scope to let a singleton through.

If you don't, there is - and it only takes a few moments to do so.

[MB1]

@OP..

I cannot and I don't get it. Just let people who play faster go ahead and play your own game.

They don't have to let a single player through, read the rules, maybe you have set of rules that say different, also it's good etiquette that if you do want to play through you use common courtesy and ask permission to do so whilst also observing that the next hole is vacant so theres's enough space between groups as you pass through.

By the way OP, why don't you before you start a game of golf if playing on your own, wait around before you start to play and try and join a group of two or 3, or even another lonesome single golfer and make up a two ball.

@iainiain101

Yeah your right in a way that in the UK single playing golfers have no standing on the course,it's in section 1 of the rules, but some people widely and mistakenly believe IMO that because their a single player and the rules say a single player has no standing on the golf course, does not actually mean that a single player should be ignored, example, lets say your in a group of 3 and one has spent 5/6 minutes looking for a lost ball, should you just ignore the single player...

But as I said to the OP, IMO it's still common courtesy for a single player to ask permission.

@mallyrd..

Boring!!!

Brilliant well thought out post to add to your post count.

Edited July 22, 2010 by MB1

[liveinlos]

In Bangkok there are times there are 6 to 8 people playing in a group because of of them is a high ranking general or policeman and no one dares tell them to speed up or get out of the way

That's life in Thailand

I had to play every week for a couple of years with my company

Balls all over the place, scores above 125

Thats life, it was meant to be an outing and these guys made the best of it

It you want to be serious, get on the Seniors Tour or play in organized tournaments

Recreational golf is just that, for some people it is just a day out of the office to beat the ball all over hel_l and back

Why be so serious?

[realthaideal]

I dunno about that spot on English at points and then cracking at basic rules other times. Point would be to be polite on the course n chat up others on the fairway - taken. But otherwise I think I smell a LORT. A big, fat, double 'L' Lort.

BB should be along shortly with a picture.He always seems to have one handy.

[metisdead]

In Bangkok there are times there are 6 to 8 people playing in a group because of of them is a high ranking general or policeman and no one dares tell them to speed up or get out of the way

That's life in Thailand

I had to play every week for a couple of years with my company

Balls all over the place, scores above 125

Thats life, it was meant to be an outing and these guys made the best of it

It you want to be serious, get on the Seniors Tour or play in organized tournaments

Recreational golf is just that, for some people it is just a day out of the office to beat the ball all over hel_l and back

Why be so serious?

However some of us don't want to spend 4+ hours stuck behind the likes of these groups on OUR recreational golf outings.

[jayjay0]

All these posts just go to show Mark Twain was rite when he said Golf was a good way to ruin a good walk.

[onnut]

I dunno about that spot on English at points and then cracking at basic rules other times. Point would be to be polite on the course n chat up others on the fairway - taken. But otherwise I think I smell a LORT. A big, fat, double 'L' Lort.

BB should be along shortly with a picture.He always seems to have one handy.

Danish by any chance?

I know in Denmark that you have to have a certain handicap before you can get off a par three course and play a full 18 holes. They should bring that rule in over here and then the riff raff cannot get a game in.

Golf would be a much nicer game over here then.

[mallyrd]

@OP..

I cannot and I don't get it. Just let people who play faster go ahead and play your own game.

They don't have to let a single player through, read the rules, maybe you have set of rules that say different, also it's good etiquette that if you do want to play through you use common courtesy and ask permission to do so whilst also observing that the next hole is vacant so theres's enough space between groups as you pass through.

By the way OP, why don't you before you start a game of golf if playing on your own, wait around before you start to play and try and join a group of two or 3, or even another lonesome single golfer and make up a two ball.

@iainiain101

Yeah your right in a way that in the UK single playing golfers have no standing on the course,it's in section 1 of the rules, but some people widely and mistakenly believe IMO that because their a single player and the rules say a single player has no standing on the golf course, does not actually mean that a single player should be ignored, example, lets say your in a group of 3 and one has spent 5/6 minutes looking for a lost ball, should you just ignore the single player...

But as I said to the OP, IMO it's still common courtesy for a single player to ask permission.

@mallyrd..

Boring!!!

Brilliant well thought out post to add to your post count.

I don't believe that at 0.46 posts a day since June last year is a measure of one wanting to increase ones post count.

[skills32]

Never let the truth get in the way of a good whinge.

There was a five ball holding us up so to let you through today would not have helped you.

Yeah I was the guy who walked across the fairway because that's where my ball was.

Yeah I kept looking at you because I didn't want to get hit by your ball.

No I didn't say no to you joining us because I didn't know you wanted to join us, but if I did I would have said no because when I did see you at what, the eighteenth[?] you proved to be quite obnoxious and full of your self and then you started firing questions at us as if you were a policeman.

You caught up to us at the seventeenth, only two holes to go and wanted to join us, we said no and you should have just been patient and finished the game out as we did.

And the reasons the guys didn't want you to join us was because of your behaviour the previous week.

Oh and we do come from three different countries and you were told which ones and my name is none of your business.

I'd suggest you find people of your own ilk to play with [if you have any] or hit off at 6.00 am. Either way you will have a round free of delay, but then again you might find your self stuck behind a Thai 6 ball.

[MB1]

I don't believe that at 0.46 posts a day since June last year is a measure of one wanting to increase ones post count.

Maybe you've spent the day in the 19th then....

[onnut]

And let the battle commence!

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I am not a golfer but I can totally relate.

One time I went to the gym and a farang who was using a machine before me did not wipe it down and I sat down and it soiled my Izod training attire and it completely ruined my rhythm and concentration. I was on track for a personal best day and ruined ruined ruined It was terrible.

I had to burn the clothes because they smelled of cheese burgers and western arrogance.

Afterward I was plunged into deep despair and sought grief counseling. I still have flashbacks when I pass McDonalds or KFC.

Follow the light my brother... it will guide you to inner peace.

[getgoin]

I don't play golf and do not understand the rules but I can not figure out why the OP just didn't do like any normal Thai gentleman would do at the bank, the track, the market, the gym, the Post Office, a food line or driving in the street and just cut in line or play through regardless of who or what was in front of them? Are there separate rules for the golf course that would be different from the rules of the road or common courtesy? I must be missing some information. Why didn't the OP just play through?

[metisdead]

I don't play golf and do not understand the rules but I can not figure out why the OP just didn't do like any normal Thai gentleman would do at the bank, the track, the market, the gym, the Post Office, a food line or driving in the street and just cut in line or play through regardless of who or what was in front of them? Are there separate rules for the golf course that would be different from the rules of the road or common courtesy? I must be missing some information. Why didn't the OP just play through?

What you are suggesting is very ungentlemanly, like. Suggest you do some googlin' 'bout golf and learn something. Hint: do a google search for rules of golf and read up. Also, maybe watch golf when its on the telly, aye?

FORE!

[crazyawm]

dont worry, thaigolfer every nation have people who dont have good manners. you're unlucky with partners, but what to make of this tragedy? )) and i say too (me like its phrase=) ) - Follow the light my brother... it will guide you to inner peace =))) skills32, you are probably very important person... Queen Elizabeth may be your grandmother?

[skills32]

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Posted 13 minutes ago

dont worry, thaigolfer every nation have people who dont have good manners. you're unlucky with partners, but what to make of this tragedy? )) and i say too (me like its phrase=) ) - Follow the light my brother... it will guide you to inner peace =))) skills32, you are probably very important person... Queen Elizabeth may be your grandmother?

Motosai trip around 75 province Thailand in 180 day

No 'queens' in my family, just an ordinary chap, minding my own business and trying to stay out of trouble.

Life will go on with or without me although I prefer the former.

[Bill97]

I am not a golfer but I can totally relate.

One time I went to the gym and a farang who was using a machine before me did not wipe it down and I sat down and it soiled my Izod training attire and it completely ruined my rhythm and concentration. I was on track for a personal best day and ruined ruined ruined It was terrible.

I had to burn the clothes because they smelled of cheese burgers and western arrogance.

Afterward I was plunged into deep despair and sought grief counseling. I still have flashbacks when I pass McDonalds or KFC.

Follow the light my brother... it will guide you to inner peace.

Sorry CSN, I promise I will wipe it down next time.

[JUDAS]

Just an observation. Skills joined TV in 2004 and has less than 2 posts per year yet manages to find this thread! More chance of a hole in one skills?

[tigerfish]

Never let the truth get in the way of a good whinge.

There was a five ball holding us up so to let you through today would not have helped you.

Yeah I was the guy who walked across the fairway because that's where my ball was.

Yeah I kept looking at you because I didn't want to get hit by your ball.

No I didn't say no to you joining us because I didn't know you wanted to join us, but if I did I would have said no because when I did see you at what, the eighteenth[?] you proved to be quite obnoxious and full of your self and then you started firing questions at us as if you were a policeman.

You caught up to us at the seventeenth, only two holes to go and wanted to join us, we said no and you should have just been patient and finished the game out as we did.

And the reasons the guys didn't want you to join us was because of your behaviour the previous week.

Oh and we do come from three different countries and you were told which ones and my name is none of your business.

I'd suggest you find people of your own ilk to play with [if you have any] or hit off at 6.00 am. Either way you will have a round free of delay, but then again you might find your self stuck behind a Thai 6 ball.

question.

how long have you been playing the game of golf?

"walking across the fairway because thats where my ball was"

have you no sense man! the guys been waived through and you want to walk across the fairway to where your ball was. whats it going to do, suddenly grow a set of wings and fly off!

if i had been that guy id of pulled a four iron out of the bag, gripped down the shaft and sent a zinger out (ala tiger woods) and made you the new target placement for my drive off the tee. maybe that might of jogged your hearing or at least made you get your lardy backside into gear.

yes he had no standing being a single ball and you being a four ball, but if you knew anything about the rules of golf and etiquette he would have had every wright to pass the five ball in front of you because they shouldnt have been playing on the course with that amount of players in the first place.

and were there any other groups being held up by your antics behind this guy?

god its people like you that made me and 3 other junior members(all single figure handicappers) quit the club we had belonged to for years and brought recognition through our feats at county level.

a club stuck in the dark ages and members with pre-historic views on how the club should be run. full of bent coppers, politicians, lawyers and judges. propping up the bar in the 19th saloon telling old charlie boy about the new set of clubs theyve just bought, but couldnt hit a ball and find a fairway within less than a hundred yards if their life depended on it. or going on about the new pad in the algarve and hoping to at least break 95 the next time they are out on the course, because that way theres sure fine chance of winning a dozen golf balls by coming in third, in next months monthly medal with a bandit handicap. or trudging out old bigoted views about the fact that there seems to be far to many members of irish, scottish and welsh descent being able to join the club.

biggest joke of all was even though we had won several trophies and cups a long the way representing the club at both junior and senior level. we werent allowed to tee off at the weekend until 2 p.m. winter and 4 p.m. and even when we did, after caddying in the morning although most of the time playing as a two ball, still had to wait behind a group of 60+ old farts with an average handicap of 28 looking for a ball and never got waived through.

and thats just the tip of the iceberge, some examples of what we had to put up with.

do you know what id do if i were you thaigolfer! do what all four of us did, join a different club or at least one that has a modern approach to the way the game of golf should be played.

as for what happened to the four of us. one went onto become the pro at very well known club in ireland, one competed in the open at.muirfield in 1992, the other one got a scholarship in the u.s. and served out his apprenticeship, but never went on to forfill his great talent. and me well thats another story, still love the game of golf, just wish there werent so many wanke_rs around!

Edited July 22, 2010 by tigerfish

[sandmonster]

I can't say I have read all the thread but it strikes me that a number of you are stuck in your ways and have not read the rules and ettiquette of golf for a very very long time...

Singles have just as much right as a 2, 3, 4 ball to enjoy the game and the course without being intimidated by a bigger flight. The rules about priority changed in 2004.

Personally I am for speed of play and I always let singles or whatever through if my group is holding them up and there is a clear hole ahead. THAT is the true spirit of the game. People who get annoyed by faster singles and have a hauty attitude don't deserve to play this wonderful game.

http://golf.about.co...lespriority.htm

[IanForbes]

To me there are some obvious answers.

1. start early BEFORE the bigger groups arrive.

2. Team up with a few other people BEFORE you start

3. Have more patience on busy days

4. If you are already near the end of the game (16th hole etc) then playing through won't save much time

5. Accept that some people don't want to play with strangers

6. Understand that there are pompous jerks everywhere and probably no less evident than on golf courses

7. Learn more about humanity or take up another sport

Edited July 22, 2010 by IanForbes

[ozzieovaseas]

I believe we have the ultimate choice of turning a negative into a positive no matter what the situation,

On the golf course, where i am also a loner, i dont mind being stuck behind a group of four..providing you're not in a great hurry it can actually be an advantage

If a large group doesnt seem to want to let me pass it gives me the excuse to hang back a little further and hit 3 or 4 practice balls from my last shot, while im waiting for them to proceed further ahead...those behind me can take it up with those ahead of me if they dont like it.

Its extra value for money for me and a bit of (much needed) extra practice.

In the case where i should scone someone ahead (with lucky 5 iron equivalent to happy gilmore tee shot) i can always get away with saying SOM NUM NA..

ERRR..provided i am in Austrlalia of course

[CMX]

I, for one, vote that Brother Forbes' suggestions are welcome to this thread, for a number of reasons. They are non-judgmental, impersonal, and benign (he must'a caught a fish).

Another is that they are unrelated to the rules of golf and thus can make sense in our context.

I write as a past (long past) secretary: Rules of golf are of little help to us here, as the fracture rate in LOS may exceed the observation percentage when we tee off any time after 4:40 in the morning.

Moreover, as is the case in the world over, there are on courses open to the general public different types of golfer - the ones intent upon scores who judge others by their play (OP), some concerned about playing quickly (myself), those out for a fun day of social interaction (and drink), those preferring to play about as alone as they can get in order to be private in their misery (me again).... why, we could in our variety represent life in Thailand itself, except for the relative absence of women players.

We are not to blame for our differences - golf is not a game, necessarily, that calms. In addition to memorizing the rules, players should as required reading study the works of P.G. Wodehouse, whose illuminations reveal the highest, if unannounced purpose of the game - laughter at one's self.

Yes, golf here in Thailand means that (apart from the challenges of the game itself) we must find ways of getting along that are definitely NOT in the rules. Personal relationships and money rule. Think of it as driving in traffic. Rules are meaningless and we're on our own, asked to make the most of it.