Hejdaniel
I see what Brian Phillips means with "You can learn more about a person in 4 hours of golf than a day in meetings...." and I totally agree with you IF "and it's a very big if" the player is paying a lot of attention to his final score and attempting to play below his handicap.
However, if the player is just out having some fun on the golf course and enjoying the scenery, like I usually am when I'm playing golf, it's very inappropriate to determine that persons personality based on his/her respect to the rules of golf, since he/she has no intention whatsoever to actually make a score that day, thus not benefiting from custom made rules.
So, I have no problems with self-invented dropping rules and people taking a drop on the semi-rough instead of playing the ball from the forest, if they don't intend to reflect on their actual score after the 18 holes have been played.
But as soon as it is a round where the person wants to achieve a score, it's a total different matter, and then the golfers should obey the rules 100%.
Small "misinterpretations" of the rules cannot be accepted.
But I think it’s very important to stress this difference.
I think it tells a lot about a people personality if I’m playing with them and it’s obvious that I have intention to write down my score and try to score a number, but then they still comment on all tactical decisions I make and all custom made rule I may have adapted when playing non-competitive rounds of golf. E.g. dropping a ball in the semi-rough when I get a lost ball, instead of walking all the way back to the tee. Another example: moving the ball away from a rock since I don’t want to destroy my equipment. Criticizing me for attempting low-percentage flop shots, just because they don’t think I benefit from it in the long run, as far as the score is concerned.
I actually tend to dislike that category of people more then the people who play competitive rounds with weird rules, unless it’s extreme or a competition of importance.
So to all you guys who thinks that everyone who’s playing a round of golf at your home course actually consider his ,or her for that matter, round to be a competitive one, listen to me:
THEY DON’T!!! Some guys just want to have fun!
So in everyday practice rounds:
# don’t interfere with other peoples custom made rule unless you strongly suspect that they don’t actually know the actual rule or the rule is wasting time or harming the course environment in any way.
# don’t tell people not to attempt low percentage shots. That’s the part of the fun for many golfers.
# don’t judge a person’s reliability based on his/her respect to the rules in a practice round.
# People who are capable of playing non-competitive rounds of golf tend to have a more self confidence in everyday life and a better sense of humour on the course, they don’t have this urge to perform and compete, because golf is a game of relaxation.
Believe me, some people have evolved slightly more then others from the Stone Age, thus not feeling the instinct to compete and determine a winner in all small aspects in life. :-)
I’d rather play with a guy hitting his 7 iron 80 yards down the fairway and having a nice conversation while playing, then playing with a arrogant scratch player analyzing every shot and showing no tendencies of social intelligence whatsoever.