A Few Thoughts on Heckling in the Game of Golf

There’s an episode of “Seinfeld” where Jerry performs at a comedy club and a major magazine critic attends to review his show. Kramer brings his girlfriend, Toby, to the show as well, who also happens to be Elaine’s co-worker. At first, everything is going well, but as many Seinfeld plots do, it soon goes haywire.

Toby, who initially loves the performance, starts to boo, hiss, and heckle Jerry while he’s performing on stage because she gets offended. Jerry is flustered by it and ends up performing poorly. The magazine critic then writes a bad review about his show, which angers Jerry and his friend, George, because comedy is not just entertainment for Jerry, it’s his job.

George then encourages Jerry to do the same to her; go to her place of work and heckle her while she works. He does and she gets upset and runs out of the building where her foot is run over by a street sweeper, chopping off her toe.

This episode keeps running through my head the last couple weeks as we begin to hear more about more about fan heckling on the PGA TOUR. Three weeks ago, at the Honda Classic, Justin Thomas grabbed the headlines, not only for his victory, but also for kicking a fan out after he yelled something about the ball going in the bunker (though JT says, and I believe, there’s more that happened off mic).

This week, Rory carefully danced around the topic as well when he suggested that the PGA ought to limit liquor sales partially because a heckler had gone so far as to use his wife’s name (presumably not in a positive way) during the round.

These guys on the PGA TOUR are like Jerry Seinfeld. While we, the fans, are relaxing and enjoying some entertainment, they’re working. Every shot matters to them because it could mean the difference between staying on Tour or searching for another profession. Sure, it’s a profession that’s, no doubt, fun for them, but it’s a job nonetheless.

Ok, one might say, that’s fine, but that’s also true for football, baseball, hockey, basketball, and soccer players as well. They’re also working, yet fans are allowed to heckle to a certain degree. It’s what those guys signed up for when they became professional athletes, so they should understand what comes along with the spotlight.

A Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan cheers after a defensive play against the…

A Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan cheers after a defensive play against the New York Jets early in the 2nd quarter on November 12, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

That’s definitely true, though golf is a bit different from those five sports. It’s a game that offers fans an incredible amount of access not seen very often in professional sports. If you’ve ever attended a professional golf event, you know that you can easily find yourself walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the athletes. Not only that, but fans are literally on the field of play.

In other sports, when a fan enters the field of play, they’re ejected for doing so. Yes, there are ropes involved that somewhat limit the movement of spectators, but it’s not unusual to see those moved when a player hits a wayward shot. I can’t think of another professional sport where this is true.

Every sport has rules to guide play. In hockey, fighting will get you five minutes in the penalty box. The same thing in basketball will get you ejected from the game. Whether we like it or not, there are different expectations for different sports. In the game of golf, there’s etiquette literally written into the Rules of Golf. These rules state that players, “not disturb (others) by moving, talking, or making unnecessary noise.” Breaking these rules can result in disqualification. So, when it comes to a professional golf event where fans are on the field of play along with the players, it’s not unreasonable to expect the fans to obey these same rules.

I’ve also heard another argument that, if golf wants to appeal to the next generation, we’ve got to shake the stigma of being too strict and exclusive. The thought is that the prohibition of heckling plays into these negative stereotypes about the game.

Listen, I’m all for growing the game and reaching the next generation, but let’s be honest, heckling isn’t what appeals to younger generations. I’ve yet to see a young kid in an orange Puma flat-bill cap that’s screaming “get in the bunker,” “baba-booey,” “mashed potatoes,” or referencing a player’s wife. I could be wrong, but that’s just an educated guess.

Fans watch Tiger Woods putt on the sixth green during the final round…

Fans watch Tiger Woods putt on the sixth green during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 18, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

My point is this, guys like Rickie Fowler, a classy, flashy, exciting player, appeal to future generations of golfers, not the ability to heckle. It’s a vocal minority of adults that want to redefine what “fun” means in the context of a PGA event. Not to mention, it’s entirely possible to have fun at a PGA event without heckling.

It’s the trade-off you get with the game of golf. We, the fans, are allowed unique access to the course and that comes with different expectations. Not only that, but I’m confident that putting boundaries on fan behavior will, if anything, have a positive impact on future generation’s involvement with the game of golf. It creates a safe place where young kids can enjoy the ability to experience the game, engage respectfully with players, and watch an exciting sport up close.

If a fan really needs to unleash their wrath upon a player, we know exactly where they can do that; the Phoenix Open or the Ryder Cup, two successful events that have been net positive for the game of golf. Just because they are though, doesn’t mean the rest of the events need to follow suit. The fan expectations are different for those tournaments and it’s clearly stated ahead of time. Plus, Christmas is great, but if it happened every weekend, it would be less exciting. We can keep those few events as they are, unique and rowdy, and enjoy them once each year.

Or maybe, the PGA allows fans to heckle as long as they provide their place of work, so Tour pros can stop by to jeer them too.

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