My pet peeve is having to play off mats in the winter months to preserve the fairways. I used to be a member of a course sadly no longer open (Lothianburn on the southern side of Edinburgh) which had a great solution to this and I can’t understand why other courses don’t try it out.

At the start of the winter season they used to mark out two yard wide strips at either side of the fairway where you had to place your ball (no nearer the hole) if you hit the actual fairway. By the end of the winter the edges of the fairways could be pretty cut up, however they would leave the strips marked and designated as ground under repair, thus allowing you a lift and drop if you had a bad lie. It works well and means you don’t need to play off mats so the members feel as if they are getting better value for their greenfees.

Ha ha...
Here's my list
1. group ahead has at least one player who insists on giving his or her version of golf lessons.
2. The LOUD boozers who forget that sound travels AND no one else is really interested in their Sons/Daughters upcoming wedding.
3. Married to the cart....Again, pace of play issue. When one player hits a shot his/her cartmate sits in the cart instead of grabbing clubs and walking to their ball.
4. Player has the awareness to walk to their ball across fairway BUT with only their rangefinder or Nothing in hand. No clubs,. Mist walk back to cart. Or worse yet, waits for their cart mate to drive over to them.
5 Loud music....It getting to be a nuisance now. If you want to crank tunes, stay home and put the volume up to 11..Who cares. Your neighbors should deal with you. Not a course full of people trying to get in 18 without having to endure YOUR favorite rap/pop/classic rock artist.
6 The "Niner".....This is guy that will hold up an entire golf course because HE thinks it is paramount to count EVERY stroke and record his score. That despite the fact that this person most likely does not have a USGA index or even a course handicap.

seen them all

1) The person who's putting for a 9 on a par 5 and measures it from both sides and then plumb bobs it.
2) The person who takes 4-5 practice swings and then changes clubs.
3) The person on a par 5 who is 250-300 yards out and waits for the group ahead to clear the green on his/hers second shot.
4) The person who will hit 2-3 shots into a forced carry rather than take a drop on the other side, where there is a designated drop area..
I could go on.

One out of ten courses with unplayable bunkers would be a joy. Around here it is more like 9 out of 10. Most of us have adopted our own local rule. Lift the ball, rake the trap (sometimes like with a shovel), replace the ball, then play. Even then it is bad. However, playing with those unmaintained traps is not fair.

You are in a match play competition, on the second hole you hit what you think is a good drive on a par 5 and the ball dribbles 80 yards right. You recover with a bogey and get ready to tee the next hole and realize that the club head on your driver has rotated off axis on its own. Oh nooo the epoxy that you used three weeks ago to reshft your favorite driver has failed!

You know I must have it all wrong. I and my golfing mates just enjoy being able to play a round of golf. Bad days, good days its all in the game. Get a life and start to enjoy. This game is for sportsmanship, trying are best and proving to everyone how great it is to be able to play this wonderful game.
keith.SA.

Dirt? That’s soil son

The slow five hour round when you can see open holes and no ranger on the course to maintain reasonable pace of play.

In a perfect world I’d walk every round. Though my doc took my carry bag away due to back issues a good 3 wheel cart is great. However, as you stated, many courses are in walkable so it freaks me out when you are handed defective carts, bad breaks, hard starting, half dead battery or low on gas. Come on, I paid for it make sure it’s functional.