It's like when you were a kid and for Halloween you'd add vinegar to baking soda...You knew that sooner or later that combo was going to boil over. Well, that can be what happens when a woman plays golf with her spouse.
I often tell a new golfer that whatever you do, don't let your spouse teach you how to play. Help with the rules, how to line up a putt (if you've asked for help), but that's it. Take lessons from a pro. What cracks me up is that a man with a 15 handicap will try to tell his wife what is wrong with her swing. He has a 15 handicap for a reason and it ain't because he's a phenomenal golfer. My husband and I have worked out a deal. He simply is not allowed to tell me anything during a round. Good deal. Here's what happens though. When we play and he's having a bad round, he doesn't even know I'm there. Drives right past my tee box or my ball. When he's having a great round and I might be struggling, all of a sudden he's Hank Haney. That's when I choose to get out of the cart and walk. Most men are like this about giving advice. I know they want to help but it's actually no help. During our ladies' member guest last year, a relatively new golfer (36 handicap), got in to some trouble and since it was stroke play, had to play out the hole. She had a 17. She goes home and tells her husband. She stresses all night and finally gets some sleep but when she awakens, he's standing by the bed mimicking a swing and telling her "here's what you need to do, cock your wrists at your waist, keep your left arm straight, strengthen your grip, flip your hands..." All she could do was sit there and give him the evil eye. He did have good intentions after all. At our club, we try to alleviate this by often times having a "mixed" spouses event. It does eliminate the advice on your swing...or does it? I played with a guy once, he was a 15 handicap and I was around a 20 or so, and for the first 9 holes, he kept telling me what to do. On hole 10, I had had enough. He tried to tell me I was lined up wrong. I was a mediocre golfer at best and I was trying to compensate for a pull. I finally looked at him and said, "FO!' No, I didn't. I said, "what makes you think you can tell me how to play? I won't even let my husband do that." He backed off. But the mixed couples thing, for the men at least, lessens their swearing and club throwing. But let's face it. Whether male or female, some people are just irascible and no one wants to play with them. They're control freaks, perfectionists, rules' nazi's, and know it alls or on the other end of the spectrum, no matter what kind of shot you hit you hear, "Great shot"! What happened to golf is a solitary game?
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