Tournament crowds (Poll)

[Eracer]

Big, rowdy crowds like those at the 16th at TPC-Scottsdale are:

1. A refreshing trend and good for the game. Down with bluebloods.

2. Fun, but sometimes get a little over the top.

3. Come on people - this is golf, not NASCAR!

4. If I hear "You da' man" or "In the hole" or "I love you Phil" or hear boos at a golf tournement one more time, I swear, somebody's gonna get tasered!

[DouginGA]

Golf is like art, a well placed, perfectly struck ball, a great round, is like a collection of fine brushstrokes yeilding a fine masterpiece. An expression of awe, applause as an appreciation of the fineness is fitting. But would you stand in front of the mona lisa and yell " LEONARDO BABY YOUR THE MAN" ??
Overexcited fans (and today being superbowl shows it all too well) are people who dont have any talent or life and are living thru others achievments. I can respect and appreciate Tiger or Phil's great shot, but it is my (rare) prefect shot that will get me jumping.

[longiron]

Doug while i agree you wouldn't do that in front of the Mona Lisa. Golf ,even though it is a gentleman's game, is a game. I see nothing wrong with the 16Th at Scottsdale and the way they act AFTER the shot. If they get out of hand during someones shot then they should be delt with. Think of it this way, some kid at ASU is asked to go to the tourney and he has never watch or played golf. Goes has a grand time and is hooked for life. Is it a bad thing?

[DouginGA]

Longiron,
yeah maybe I was harsh there (worried later i put a damper on a good thread) but I find that "your the man" yelled the second a player has struck the ball more than a bit daft. You cant control the rise of the crowd on a truly great shot (and who would want to) but I think the deeper thought there is my objection to "player worship" rather than appreciation of great shots by whoever. Phil, Tiger, Daly, etc will undoubtably have the larger share of great shots. and think it is more than justified and good when a crowd gets behind a player on a real streak, but I find a lot of it to be an attempt by the fan(s) to become part of the event rather than reacting to it. The players and their game are the show. True response is one thing, not knowing your place another. but then again i could be full of it too.

[Eracer]

I attended the 2004 PGA at Whistling Straits. The crowds there were fantastic. Total silence whenever anyone was playing a shot. Raucous cheers for great shots, and polite cheers for good ones.

And I think I heard "you da' man!" maybe once- and that fellow was was told in no uncertain terms by the looks of the folks around him that that kind of behavior would simply not be acceptable.

Every single player, no matter what their position on the leaderboard, was given a great ovation as they came up the 18th fairway on Sunday.

There was even a great wave around the 18th when the players were away for the first two playoff holes.

Many of the players commented afterwards how great the crowd was. IMHO it was a template for how crowds should behave at a golf tournement. It made the days very much fun to have a crowd who got excited, but didn't feel that they had to make asses of themselves to get noticed.

I don't think I would have a good time at the FBR, or the U.S. Open up in N.Y. I just get REALLY annoyed by crowds like that at a golf tourney. Hell, I sometimes get annoyed by jackasses like that at NFL football games, and I should know that's to be expected.


And as for that kid from ASU - it's great that he had a good time, and got hooked on the game. It's just that I would rather see him hooked on "the game" and not on turning golf into a beer and testosterone fueled mosh pit.

[Big Brother Dunk]

I selected #2. I think it's fun...to a point.

I like the enthusiasm that this particular event has become known for, however I don't think I'd like to see it spread to general behaviour at most tour events.

[P_102]

Golf is a game of rich history and tradition, far more than other sports.
The tremendous growth in the last few years, no doubt due mostly to Tiger, has created a much more diverse group of "patrons" than ever before. For one, I appreciate tournaments like The Masters that maintain the tradition and reverence that is starting to fall by the wayside.

"You Da Man", etc. should not be part of golf.

Not only is this "Nascar" type attitude growing in the crowds, it's extremely noticeable on public courses, just in other ways....new golfers, from what I've seen, care very little about taking care of the course, pace of play, etc.

P_102

[Eracer]

Well said P102...well said.

My whole life I've been somewhat of an anti-establishment type. Not a radical, per se - just unimpressed with all things done simply for the sake of "tradition". Why do I value the traditional in golf? Perhps it's because golf is one of the few places where tradition has its base in logic.

Golf is, at heart, a solitary game. Yes, we make it social and competitive. We are social and competitive creatures, after all. But the tradition of staying quiet during other player's shots is rooted in our desire to be "one with the game". Similarly, relative quiet at a tournement is an indicator of our civility. Our ascension from the brutish.

We take divots and make pitchmarks. Whether we repair them or not is a reflection of the respect we have (or don't have) for our fellow players. It is not just tradition, but a true measure of our selves. The golf course is one of the few places where we are allowed to be destructive, then asked to participate in re-creation. Are football players asked to repair the field after a game? No. Golf is a lesson in personal responsibility.

In golf can we can perform, if only for a brief moment, like the best player in the world. Who among us hasn't hit the 170 yd. shot from a fairway bunker over a tree to a soft landing 3 ft. from the flag? Or made a 60 ft double-breaker? So why can't we behave like the best players in the world. With a love for the game that includes respecting its traditions.

Even John Daly leaves his bad-boy behavior behind when he steps on the course. Players do stupid things, I'm sure. Rory Sabbatini's hit into Ben Curtis is an example. But overall, golf is a game of dignified thrills. I wish more spectators would carry that sensibility to the tournements they attend.

[What'saScore]

Having never been to a PGA event, I really can't comment on fan behavior at the event. However, during the 2002 PGA Championship, my son worked in the parking lot at the local horse track where fans parked their cars and boarded busses for the 10 mile ride to Hazeltine. He told me that day in and day out, those people were some of the rudest, self centered, and obnoxious people he had ever met in his life. The local police had to constantly monitor intersections near the track to keep golf fans going to the track from completely blocking the intersection after the light changed. I have been to several NASCAR events , and have never seen this behavior from the supposed "redneck crowd" stock car racing is claimed to attract.
Not a judgement, just an observation.


P.S. One of my customers who lives right next to Hazeltine, rented his house to Tiger for the week. Says Tiger is one of the nicest, most gracious people he has ever met in his life.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by What'saScore

I have been to several NASCAR events , and have never seen this behavior from the supposed "redneck crowd" stock car racing is claimed to attract.
Not a judgement, just an observation.


P.S. One of my customers who lives right next to Hazeltine, rented his house to Tiger for the week. Says Tiger is one of the nicest, most gracious people he has ever met in his life.

I didn't mean to demean NASCAR fans. I'm a racing fan, though I don't quite get oval-track racing, unless it's on dirt. And I've been to a couple of NASCAR events, and haven't experienced any real rudeness, either.

But NASCAR is a "drink beer and yell YEEHAW!" sport. When I'm at a NASCAR event, I will drink beer and yell YEEHAW (well, maybe not yeehaw) with the best of them.

I won't do it at a golf event.

Most real rednecks have a great sense of respect and "live and let live" (unless you're black, but that's another issue altogether...) instilled into them by their parents. Most of the noveau-riche "gotta show off my Rolex" wanna-be's that you described grew up with permission to be bullies.

How many times do you get cut off in traffic by luxury SUVs? And how many times by guys in a big pickup with confederate flag and NRA stickers in the window? I'd say at least a 20:1 ratio SUV to pickup.

'Nuff said.

[Chas]

Once upon a time, sports announcer Jack Whitaker got in trouble on TV when he referred to the people at the golf tournament as "the crowd" rather than "the gallery". So, the very instance we have to discuss the "tournament crowds" immediately alerts this writer that something is no longer in order.