Opinion & Analysis
Avoid these 4 playing partners for a good season
With the beginning of summer comes the start to a fresh season of golf for those in the Northern states.
Warm weather equals golf and baseball and cold weather equals football and basketball (or hockey if that’s what you’re into).
Well, the weather is getting warm, so it’s time to scrape the dirt out of the golf spikes and grooves in the sand wedge. We’ve watched The Masters and The Players, but now it’s our turn to get into the swing of the season.
Jack Nicklaus always said that he would refresh his fundamentals at the beginning of each season, checking his grip, posture and alignment before embarking on his goals for the year. If it’s good enough for Jack, it’s probably good enough for us mere mortals.
This year, instead of just checking the fundamentals, I’m also suggesting to think about refreshing your overall outlook on the game of golf for the year. Golf is a mental game, and the more positivity emanating from you and the players in your foursome, the more fun you’ll have and the better you’ll play (in theory).
The obvious problem here is that golf, regardless of how much you love it, will at some point make you want to break the new driver you got for Christmas and cancel all remaining tee times for the season. Since golf is frustrating no matter how positive your outlook, maybe the goal should be to surround yourself with the best possible playing partners, rather than fixing your own mental game.
To make this process easier, I’ve compiled a list of playing partners to avoid this season, which will give you the best possible opportunity to stay positive and play to your potential.
The Sergio Garcia, a.k.a “The Complainer”
This, of course, is the person that whines their way through a round of golf. I never quite understood this particular golfer, but it’s obvious they would rather not be playing golf that day than enjoying the course and the challenges they face.
Key phrases to identify you are playing with the complainer:
- “ I can’t hit a good shot if there’s no sand in one bunker and too much in another.”
- “Every green so far has had a different speed, how can I get the speed right?”
- “The group ahead is too slow, I can’t play at this pace.”
- “Where’s the beverage cart girl?” (understandable complaint)
The Ben Crane, a.k.a. “The Turtle”
This is the player that simply takes too long. A couple putts over the course of a round require extra attention, and picking the right club on an approach shot could be critical to his/her score, but let’s hustle this thing up huh?
“But Tiger reads each and every putt from all 360 degrees around the hole” says the turtle.
Tiger is a billionaire athlete that has to validate sponsorships, silence critics and please millions of fans and followers worldwide that expect him to eclipse Jack Nicklaus’ coveted record of 18 major championships in order to cement himself as the best golfer of all time. The 5-footer for bogey on the 13th hole en route to a back nine 46 and a $5 Nassau needs only be looked at from 180 degrees or less. Or at least read the putt while your partner is playing.
Tell tale signs you’re playing with the turtle:
- 12+ practice swings
- 7+ waggles
- Excessive time reading the break of every green
- Overall relief when they finally hit
The Tiger Woods, a.k.a “The Hot Head”
You are not Tiger Woods (See Tiger Woods description above). Dropping and slamming clubs, making hand motions after missed putts, and cursing audibly should not be a part of the average golfers’ repertoire. We are not good enough to expect perfection with every swing or putt, so our reactions should not reflect the expectation of perfect. Misses happen, but making playing partners feel uncomfortable following a fit of rage is unacceptable. After all, what are they even so mad about? Rounds of golf are too short for all that negativity.
Phrases you’ll hear when playing with a hot head:
- “%@$*”
- “$@#!”
- Derogatory things about people’s mothers/families
- Other four letter words
The Butch Harmon, a.k.a. “The Know-it-all”
It’s always nice to have another pair of eyes looking at your swing to make sure everything looks OK. It’s even helpful to hear a couple guiding tips to improve upon your game. But it’s the guy that believes he’s a world-class golf instructor that gets under a golfers’ skin.
Not every swing needs to be corrected and analyzed. By the end of the round you’ll have 18 different swing thoughts, endless frustration and an ugly scorecard.
Phrases you’ll hear when playing with the know-it-all:
- “Keep your eye on the ball”
- “Keep your left arm straight”
- “You gotta turn your shoulders more on the backswing”
- “Limit hip rotation”
- “It’s all about weight shift”
The greatest thing about golf is meeting new people with different personalities and golfing experiences. Get to know them and listen to their stories. Don’t be so wrapped up in a couple strokes or bad shots that you lose sight of the more important things. Celebrate the game of golf this year and keep a positive attitude, but beware of the people that will negatively affect your mood or play on the course.
As the editor-in-chief of this website and an observer of the GolfWRX forums and other online golf equipment discourse for over a decade, I’m pretty well attuned to the grunts and grumbles of a significant portion of the golf equipment purchasing spectrum. And before you accuse me of lording above all in some digital ivory tower, I’d like to offer that I worked at golf courses (public and private) for years prior to picking up my pen, so I’m well-versed in the non-degenerate golf equipment consumers out there. I touched (green)grass (retail)!
Complaints about the ills of and related to the OEMs usually follow some version of: Product cycles are too short for real innovation, tour equipment isn’t the same as retail (which is largely not true, by the way), too much is invested in marketing and not enough in R&D, top staffer X hasn’t even put the new driver in play, so it’s obviously not superior to the previous generation, prices are too high, and on and on.
Without digging into the merits of any of these claims, which I believe are mostly red herrings, I’d like to bring into view of our rangefinder what I believe to be the two primary difficulties golf equipment companies face.
One: As Terry Koehler, back when he was the CEO of Ben Hogan, told me at the time of the Ft Worth irons launch, if you can’t regularly hit the golf ball in a coin-sized area in the middle of the face, there’s not a ton that iron technology can do for you. Now, this is less true now with respect to irons than when he said it, and is less and less true by degrees as the clubs get larger (utilities, fairways, hybrids, drivers), but there remains a great deal of golf equipment truth in that statement. Think about it — which is to say, in TL;DR fashion, get lessons from a qualified instructor who will teach you about the fundamentals of repeatable impact and how the golf swing works, not just offer band-aid fixes. If you can’t repeatably deliver the golf club to the golf ball in something resembling the manner it was designed for, how can you expect to be getting the most out of the club — put another way, the maximum value from your investment?
Similarly, game improvement equipment can only improve your game if you game it. In other words, get fit for the clubs you ought to be playing rather than filling the bag with the ones you wish you could hit or used to be able to hit. Of course, don’t do this if you don’t care about performance and just want to hit a forged blade while playing off an 18 handicap. That’s absolutely fine. There were plenty of members in clubs back in the day playing Hogan Apex or Mizuno MP-32 irons who had no business doing so from a ballstriking standpoint, but they enjoyed their look, feel, and complementary qualities to their Gatsby hats and cashmere sweaters. Do what brings you a measure of joy in this maddening game.
Now, the second issue. This is not a plea for non-conforming equipment; rather, it is a statement of fact. USGA/R&A limits on every facet of golf equipment are detrimental to golf equipment manufacturers. Sure, you know this, but do you think about it as it applies to almost every element of equipment? A 500cc driver would be inherently more forgiving than a 460cc, as one with a COR measurement in excess of 0.83. 50-inch shafts. Box grooves. And on and on.
Would fewer regulations be objectively bad for the game? Would this erode its soul? Fortunately, that’s beside the point of this exercise, which is merely to point out the facts. The fact, in this case, is that equipment restrictions and regulations are the slaughterbench of an abundance of innovation in the golf equipment space. Is this for the best? Well, now I’ve asked the question twice and might as well give a partial response, I guess my answer to that would be, “It depends on what type of golf you’re playing and who you’re playing it with.”
For my part, I don’t mind embarrassing myself with vintage blades and persimmons chasing after the quasi-spiritual elevation of a well-struck shot, but that’s just me. Plenty of folks don’t give a damn if their grooves are conforming. Plenty of folks think the folks in Liberty Corner ought to add a prison to the museum for such offences. And those are just a few of the considerations for the amateur game — which doesn’t get inside the gallery ropes of the pro game…
Different strokes in the game of golf, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, I believe equipment company engineers are genuinely trying to build better equipment year over year. The marketing departments are trying to find ways to make this equipment appeal to the broadest segment of the golf market possible. All of this against (1) the backdrop of — at least for now — firm product cycles. And golfers who, with their ~15 average handicap (men), for the most part, are not striping the golf ball like Tiger in his prime and seem to have less and less time year over year to practice and improve. (2) Regulations that massively restrict what they’re able to do…
That’s the landscape as I see it and the real headwinds for golf equipment companies. No doubt, there’s more I haven’t considered, but I think the previous is a better — and better faith — point of departure when formulating any serious commentary on the golf equipment world than some of the more cynical and conspiratorial takes I hear.
Agree? Disagree? Think I’m worthy of an Adam Hadwin-esque security guard tackle? Let me know in the comments.
@golfoncbs The infamous Adam Hadwin tackle ? #golf #fyp #canada #pgatour #adamhadwin ? Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz – MaSssuguMusic
Episode #16 brings us Cliff McKinney. Cliff is the founder of Old Charlie Golf Club, a new club, and concept, to be built in the Florida panhandle. The model is quite interesting and aims to make great, private golf more affordable. We hope you enjoy the show!
Last week, I came across a reel from BBC Sport on Instagram featuring Scottie Scheffler speaking to the media ahead of The Open at Royal Portrush. In it, he shared that he often wonders what the point is of wanting to win tournaments so badly — especially when he knows, deep down, that it doesn’t lead to a truly fulfilling life.
View this post on Instagram
“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,” Scheffler said. “To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point?”
Ironically — or perhaps perfectly — he went on to win the claret jug.
That question — what’s the point of winning? — cuts straight to the heart of the human journey.
As someone who’s spent over two decades in the trenches of professional golf, and in deep study of the mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the game, I see Scottie’s inner conflict as a sign of soul evolution in motion.
I came to golf late. I wasn’t a junior standout or college All-American. At 27, I left a steady corporate job to see if I could be on the PGA Tour starting as a 14-handicap, average-length hitter. Over the years, my journey has been defined less by trophies and more by the relentless effort to navigate the deeply inequitable and gated system of professional golf — an effort that ultimately turned inward and helped me evolve as both a golfer and a person.
One perspective that helped me make sense of this inner dissonance around competition and our culture’s tendency to overvalue winning is the idea of soul evolution.
The University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies has done extensive research on reincarnation, and Netflix’s Surviving Death (Episode 6) explores the topic, too. Whether you take it literally or metaphorically, the idea that we’re on a long arc of growth — from beginner to sage elder — offers a profound perspective.
If you accept the premise literally, then terms like “young soul” and “old soul” start to hold meaning. However, even if we set the word “soul” aside, it’s easy to see that different levels of life experience produce different worldviews.
Newer souls — or people in earlier stages of their development — may be curious and kind but still lack discernment or depth. There is a naivety, and they don’t yet question as deeply, tending to see things in black and white, partly because certainty feels safer than confronting the unknown.
As we gain more experience, we begin to experiment. We test limits. We chase extreme external goals — sometimes at the expense of health, relationships, or inner peace — still operating from hunger, ambition, and the fragility of the ego.
It’s a necessary stage, but often a turbulent and unfulfilling one.
David Duval fell off the map after reaching World No. 1. Bubba Watson had his own “Is this it?” moment with his caddie, Ted Scott, after winning the Masters.
In Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, reflecting on his 2011 Super Bowl win, Rodgers said:
“Now I’ve accomplished the only thing that I really, really wanted to do in my life. Now what? I was like, ‘Did I aim at the wrong thing? Did I spend too much time thinking about stuff that ultimately doesn’t give you true happiness?’”
Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
Eventually, though, something shifts.
We begin to see in shades of gray. Winning, dominating, accumulating—these pursuits lose their shine. The rewards feel more fleeting. Living in a constant state of fight-or-flight makes us feel alive, yes, but not happy and joyful.
Compassion begins to replace ambition. Love, presence, and gratitude become more fulfilling than status, profits, or trophies. We crave balance over burnout. Collaboration over competition. Meaning over metrics.
Interestingly, if we zoom out, we can apply this same model to nations and cultures. Countries, like people, have a collective “soul stage” made up of the individuals within them.
Take the United States, for example. I’d place it as a mid-level soul: highly competitive and deeply driven, but still learning emotional maturity. Still uncomfortable with nuance. Still believing that more is always better. Despite its global wins, the U.S. currently ranks just 23rd in happiness (as of 2025). You might liken it to a gifted teenager—bold, eager, and ambitious, but angsty and still figuring out how to live well and in balance. As much as a parent wants to protect their child, sometimes the child has to make their own mistakes to truly grow.
So when Scottie Scheffler wonders what the point of winning is, I don’t see someone losing strength.
I see someone evolving.
He’s beginning to look beyond the leaderboard. Beyond metrics of success that carry a lower vibration. And yet, in a poetic twist, Scheffler did go on to win The Open. But that only reinforces the point: even at the pinnacle, the question remains. And if more of us in the golf and sports world — and in U.S. culture at large — started asking similar questions, we might discover that the more meaningful trophy isn’t about accumulating or beating others at all costs.
It’s about awakening and evolving to something more than winning could ever promise.
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Straightdriver235
Jun 29, 2014 at 8:29 am
I pretty much play alone, and dread being paired with a stranger… I usually would prefer not to play in those instances. Other golfers tend to be quite a bother, usually skill and speed issues, but then there is politics, religion and philosophy. Sadly the game is dominated by rich old men with physical and skill issues and with odd and extremist political views. Kids are fun to play with, and an occasional accomplished senior player. Contrary to the cliche, the game tells you little of a person’s personality. If it did humanity would be in great trouble. I am only a mild misanthrope off the course, but on it, an almost total one. My advice, be a loner in golf.
Dave
Sep 20, 2013 at 11:02 pm
To the guy who has an issue with not reacting to a bad shot, that’s textbook sports psychology! Maintain your composure, no matter what happens. You never know if a seemingly bad shot might get a good break, a gap in the trees, a good kick, etc. My best rounds have come when I’ve accepted the bad while not riding to high on the good results. When I hit a bad shot that gets me going, I remember that A) I’m not practicing everyday to the point where professional consistency can be expected and B) Golf is just a game. Grind hard, give it your all, just remember why most of us play this game in the first place – Love of the game, ongoing challenge, recreation, socialization, etc. If you leave in a mood that’s worse than when you arrived, you’re not doing it correctly. I make it a point to feel fortunate just to be able to play in the first place. There are plenty of folks who can’t afford it, or have to worry about simply surviving every day of their lives, rather than enjoying a beautiful setting and the amazing game/lifelong challenge that golf represents.
Mike
Jun 19, 2013 at 10:00 am
WRX should pay Sergio a % of the revenues, what an obsession…
Coleman Slawski
Jun 9, 2013 at 12:51 pm
We are not good enough to expect perfection with every swing or putt, so our reactions should not reflect the expectation of perfect.
Many years ago, when golfing with my brother, I got overly upset after a bad drive on the fourth hole. My brother asked me what my handicap was. I told him it was 18. He said, “Okay, after 18 bad shots, then you can get upset.”
Monte Scheinblum
Jun 2, 2013 at 11:46 am
Awesome article.
ABgolfer2
May 27, 2013 at 12:52 pm
I play regularly with the turtle, cheating turtle (preferred lies and other subtle things), and no ettiquette guy which I guess leaves me. The whiner.
Jonathan
May 27, 2013 at 3:09 am
I am 70% Sergio, 30% Tiger.
Gus
May 26, 2013 at 12:02 pm
I played with a hothead once who would thump his clubs against tree trunks and breaks them (he owns a golf shop) and then justifies his behavior by saying his therapist told him its better to let it out than hold in his anger…
Maybe his therapist should have told him to stay away from activities that can easily irritate him – his golf game!
Square
May 26, 2013 at 11:44 am
I love the one MLH mentions. The Self Centered…..every time I see this guy Gary at my club it goes as follows.
Me: “Hi Gary, how are you?”
Gary: “I was three under after 9, but couldn’t make a putt on the backside.”
Me: “So how are things going with you and your family.”
Gary: “Fine, but if I had made a putt on the back side, I would have shot 66.”
Attention Gary! Let your scores speak for themselves and not everyone wants to know where you hit your drive on 14.
Arthur J
May 29, 2013 at 8:08 am
Brilliant. Similar guy at my club.
Him: “How did you play today”?
Me: “Really well, thanks, shot 70 and could have been lower but overall very happy”.
Him: (no acknowledgement of my answer to his question) “I drove it here on this hole, should have been -8 but actually shot 79 but I ripped it round and just couldn’t score”.
Me: “zzzzz”
Dave
Sep 20, 2013 at 10:50 pm
I used to know a guy who would, if uninterrupted, would recount EVERY shot in his round. This includes uber-specific yardages, wind direction, shot selection – all of it, down to makes or misses and how the putt broke on the green. He’s a very good player, just had no filter or awareness that most folks don’t really want to hear that kind of detail.
Here’s how it should go…
“How did you play?”
“I played well, shot XX, could’ve been better but that’s golf, eh? Missed a 10-footer on 18 for a personal best!”
The end.
Less is more! I don’t need a re-creation of your round including wind direction and turf conditions every time. Just trying to be courteous and ask how your day went…
DaphneWB
May 26, 2013 at 11:11 am
great stuff..thank you for this article 🙂
MLH
May 26, 2013 at 9:52 am
Good article. I would add:
The Cheater: The guy who misses three footers and calls them gimmes although no one gave him the stroke.
The Gambler: The guy who wants to bet on every hole, but when it comes time to pay out asks for a mulligan.
The Self-Centered: The guy who is loudly replaying his birdie putt, but is inconsiderate to the players on the next tee who are getting ready to hit.
We encounter them all in golf…love this game.
Square
May 25, 2013 at 11:16 am
I play to a +2, frequently break par. My best golfing buddy is a solid 16. He’s all over the place, but never complains, plays quickly, doesn’t look for balls for longer than 5 minutes, and likes every course. I give him a stroke a hole and we have some of the best matches. I’ve had friends with lower handicaps but I don’t enjoy playing with them as much as my buddy with the 16, mainly because he likes to have fun and plays quickly. I also get tired of other frineds who hit on the cart girl….”Dude she’s 15 years younger than you and just because she serves you a beer doesn’t mean she wants you to hit on her…”
Jim
May 25, 2013 at 10:46 am
Is it a bad thing if I am beginning to sound like all of them together? Yikes!!
Narf
May 24, 2013 at 11:31 pm
Want to be a Sergio? Blame your golf game on the quality of your playing partners…
Wildman
May 24, 2013 at 12:55 pm
I know two kinds of “Butch Harmons”. One tells me what I did wrong after an very bad shot on my part; like “you came over the top” or “your head moved toward the target”. The other tells me how to fix it; like “keep you elbow in” or “unwind your hips”. I don’t mind the first guy, he may see something I wasn’t aware of. But telling someone how to fix a swing fault should be saved for the range, and delivered by someone who knows what he’s talking about.
KCCO
May 24, 2013 at 11:02 pm
Had a guy walk up behind me and tell me to slow down my tempo, I turned around and punched him square in the jaw….mouth wired shut for season! Just a joke, chive on!
Wildman
May 24, 2013 at 12:44 pm
Excessive, constant hot heads can be a pain. But playing with zombies is no fun either. Some of the guys at our club are so stoic when they screw up a shot that I want to hold a mirror under their nose to see if they’re still breathing. If they don’t care at all, what are they doing here? I prefer playing with someone who has some expectations for the day and doesn’t mind showing a little disappointment (notice the word “little”) when he falls far short of them.
Kasey
May 24, 2013 at 11:23 am
Great article!
GMatt
May 24, 2013 at 10:42 am
Not a big Tiger fan but I agree with not wanting to play with him and other hotheads, although he might be fun to play with in a casual round.
yo!
May 24, 2013 at 6:34 am
there are more hot headed guys on tour than tiger, but tiger is the ultra-competitive guy, and those guys are a bore to play with … its like they don’t get enough competition at work so they have to get it on the golf course and they think they are losing, in their mind, tour $ if they lose strokes.
Steve
May 23, 2013 at 9:45 pm
Can you add this to Facebook so I can share it with my mates. Great read!
Hunterdog
May 23, 2013 at 9:24 pm
If I didn’t play with these guys I’d have to quit the game!
bootscrilla
May 23, 2013 at 8:52 pm
IMO the Butch Harmon is the worst! Reminds me of all the “range pros” that seem to know everything about the swing. After a bad shot, the LAST thing I want to be told is what someone thinks I did wrong. I’ve been taking lessons from 1 PGA Master Pro only for the past 3 years and he has done wonders for my game, but it’s still a work in progress. So whenever I get unwanted advice, I just say “Thanks for the input, it’s not needed. I take advice only from my instructor.” Great article!
Ron
May 23, 2013 at 7:16 pm
Great article….. I was picturing some of my playing partners as I read through the article…. Gotta respect the game
J.unc
May 23, 2013 at 7:02 pm
How bout some stories about the girls on the Hawaiian linx????
J.unc
May 23, 2013 at 6:58 pm
Looks like you have an admirer in Riccardo Coral…..Something we don’t know bout you/????Cutie….hehehe
Trevor
May 23, 2013 at 4:54 pm
I had to take a break from one of my playing partners because he is a Garcia! He is about a 20 HCP and because he played Glenn Abbey this spring he thinks every course should be like that! “Bah! these greens are too fast! This is horrible!” or “Bah!!! These greens are not in good condition!” I tried to tell him that if you’re any good you adjust to the conditions and it is only spring.
He actually walked off after 9 because he was so frustrated but he built himself up into the ball of frustration. I don’t like playing with him anymore 🙁
Jeff
May 23, 2013 at 4:31 pm
5. Keegan Bradley “The OCD D-Bag”
Jimmy
May 24, 2013 at 3:01 am
BOOM!!!! He makes me uncomfortable to watch…and I myself am OCD
mullie29
May 24, 2013 at 2:31 pm
And that is why I could not watch the final round of the Byron last weekend. AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
ADDER1up
May 25, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Keegan Bradley a. B – Bag more like it.
joe
May 23, 2013 at 4:27 pm
HAhahaha this is good. But there are plenty other hotter heads than tiger on tour though
Dane
May 23, 2013 at 4:20 pm
HA! Best write up ever!!!
Ricardo Coral
May 23, 2013 at 3:45 pm
Andy is one of the cutest writers on this website…. why can’t we get a pic??
Stryker
May 23, 2013 at 3:38 pm
^^ Mine too!
JBro
May 23, 2013 at 2:30 pm
All four of these are my dad. Can you send this directly to him?