The Way Golfers Screw Up: Sportsmanship
April 1, 2008 – 10:00 am | by GolfdirtOriginally Published in HumanGolf.com
By Martin Vousden
PREVIOUSLY: Playing the Game
We should: Show respect and offer encouragement to fellow golfers, whether they be playing partners or opponents. This means congratulating them on good shots and offering commiseration for poor ones. And if you lose a match you should shake hands, say “well done” and mean it.
We do: Use every aspect of gamesmanship we can to put them off, without directly cheating. We also, of course, wish nothing but harm on their ball while it is in flight and, if the ancient curse we mutter under our breath causes it to do as told and fly out of bounds, we grimace in fake sympathy and say “hard luck.”
NEXT: Club Membership
Martin Vousden is a freelance golf writer, a former editor of Today’s Golfer and launch editor of Golf Buyer and Swing magazines. His book, With Friends Like These; A Selective History of the Ryder Cup, was published in 2006 by Time Warner. He edits the RareBirdie.com website.
