Keeping it Real: Golf Course Etiquette

Jordan Spieth had an incredible run at the 2014 Masters Tournament. He battled 2014 Champion Bubba Watson down the stretch and if it he had not succumb to a few key mistakes he might have become the youngest Masters champion in tournament history. However, since his second place finish at Augusta Jordan Spieth has been criticized about his emotions on the golf course.

Prominent golf writers and television personalities have railed on Spieth about his emotional outbursts during the final round of the 2014 Masters and other tournaments this year. He has been taken to task about his reactions to poor shots and missed putts during key points in his rounds on the PGA Tour. They called him being called childish and immature. I have followed Jordan Spieth all season on tour and I couldn’t disagree more.

Golf has always been viewed as a stuffy, white collar, country club sport played by spoiled rich kids and has always had a hard time connecting with the average sports fan. So when a player exhibits any type of emotion or reaction to poor shots or missed putts he or she is immediately taken to task concerning their behavior. Here is my take on the entire behavior on the course issue.

Golf is a frustrating sport. It challenges you mentally, emotionally and physically. It’s only understandable that when a player hits a bad shot at key moment in a round that they react accordingly. After all we are human. Tiger Woods brought emotion back to the game of golf and I think that it was a good thing. It made golf more relatable and real to the casual sports fan. Spectators got to see that golfers are athletes and are real competitors. Golfers are not stuffy, stuck up people that don’t show any emotion regardless of the situation they are in. Don’t get me wrong I am not calling for nor am I condoning inappropriate behavior on the golf course, but I am not against players expressing their emotions as they play a very difficult sport.

Every major sport in America is fighting for market share and television ratings and if golf wants to grow the game then let players be players and allow them the right to be human. Golf can’t have it both ways. It can’t be the elite gentlemen’s sport s that thumbs it nose at every other major sport but still want to be accepted by a wider audience. Golf has to be relevant and real. Emotion and passion are real and player should be allowed to express themselves within reason.

(Cover Photo Credit)