Etiquette Takes on a New Meaning in Golf
With the recent success of the American teams in both the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup earlier this year, golf fans across the globe witnessed something that probably should have gone without saying but instead got more attention than needed: overly excited competitors.
To be fair, I will first declare that I am all for this type of behavior on the golf course, because frankly I think we need it as a sport.
However, for the traditionalists out there that frowned on the antics of Boo Weekely and Christina Kim during their respective Cup races... well, lighten up. The fact is this: golf has never been more popular than it is right now, and it has everything to do with Tiger Woods. Period. But why is this the case? Simple. Tiger Woods is a strong personality that oozes charisma and confidence, encapsulating it all into a single force that thrives on dismantling opponents not by one or two strokes, but by a landslide. This same force has driven millions and millions of dollars into the purses of PGA Tour events, simply because of the possibility that Tiger may grace the fairways at a specific tournament.
So how does this relate to the other Tours? Again, very simple: it is now OK to be a confident, energetic blow-hard on the golf course... just as long as you can back it up with your game.
This is really no different than what the average golfer does on the links on a Saturday morning. Any group of friends that goes out onto the course will probably do the following things at some point during the round:
1) Curse
2) Drink
3) Yell/scream/holler at something
4) Play out of turn
5) Take a mulligan
6) Smoke
7) Walk in someone's line unintentionally
8) Forget to rake a bunker
Where in that small list does it state that a weekend hack will remain utterly emotionless for 4 hours while playing? Why should we then expect the greatest players in the world to do that throughout an entire golf season when playing for millions of dollars or for YOUR COUNTRY???
