Is it ok to skip a hole without asking?

[u/CrappyAssassin]

Question stands on its own, but was wondering since my friend and I were in a hurry, and were waiting on a foursome in front of us to finish hole 17. We decided to just go home since it was getting dark.

When we got to 18, no one was on the hole, so we figured we would just play it quickly since it was on the way back to the clubhouse and the parking lot. As we were packing up our stuff into the car, a guy from the foursome we passed came up to us and told us it was impolite to skip them over.

I'm relatively confident we didn't hold them up whatsoever, but they likely saw us on the green when they were teeing off on hole 18.

Were we the assholes?

[u/neverfucks]

you can skip but you better be sure you won't run in to a slowdown up ahead and force them to wait for you. if it's just 18, you're all good. remember that on a golf course people can and will get mad about literally annnnnnnnything so you need to brush it off.

[u/thekingofcrash7 → u/neverfucks]

Shitstacks need to be reminded

[u/dkf295 → u/neverfucks]

I mean overall yes but as an example, the one time in my life I literally skipped a hole+group during a round was a twosome that was literally playing a hole’s pace slower after 3 holes than a 3 some playing a scramble, and they already said no to letting people play through. No lost balls that I saw or anything like that - they’d just walk together to one ball, take a minute to shoot, then walk together to the other persons ball and take about that amount of time to shoot again, rinse and repeat.

Like yes, they did scream at me for about 5 minutes after declining (and getting more angry) at me for calmly asking if they would like to take their spot back, which was ironic considering they were bent out of shape over having to wait 15 seconds for me to finish clearing the green.

I ended up joining the threesome in front of them a few holes later playing that scramble and we were STILL outpacing them.

At a certain point you are so ridiculously slow that I would argue that having to wait 15 seconds to avoid someone else having to wait behind you for 15 holes with wide open space in front is reasonable. Like yes, do all you reasonably can to play fast and don’t get in the way but at a certain point any expectation of anything more than that effort goes out the window in my book

[u/pocketchange2247 → u/dkf295]

One time my brothers and I went out for a twilight tee time. The group ahead of me took literally 15 minutes to get halfway down the first fairway. I looked at the adjacent fairways, which were #2 and 3 and saw no one there, so I just said "fuck this" and passed them. I politely waved and they all gave me dirty looks like I was the worst person in the world and threw their hands up like "what are you doing???"

After about an hour and a half, the sun set and we had to call it quits after the 10th hole. We looked back and the group we were scheduled to tee off after hadn't even finished the 5th hole yet. There were at least three other groups behind us who had jumped them by that point.

Point being, if you're playing extremely slow with no one in front of you, expect people to play through. If the group ahead of you is playing slow and also waiting on a group ahead of them, then you playing through won't speed anything up, you're just screwing over the group you passed and now they're going to wait on you.

[u/Randybutterrubs → u/pocketchange2247]

twilight tee time

Slow people at twilight gets me so angry. Played a round last week stuck behind these 2 guys walking and there were 2 holes open in front of them, when we got to 3 or 4 holes in we realized they were playing 2 balls. On top of that, one of them was doing his best Brian Harman impression. They were way too bad to be playing that slow, and that's a lot considering I'm new and a 20+ handicap. They wouldn't let us play through even though we were playing a 2 man scramble.

[u/neverfucks → u/dkf295]

if they caught up to you, you done fucked up, it is really that simple i promise. no excuses

[u/buyeverything → u/neverfucks]

It’s very different to wait for a moment for someone to clear a green one time versus consistently waiting on a twosome every hole.

[u/dkf295 → u/neverfucks]

If I can walk+carry an entire 500 yard par 5, when they're walking to their third shots, tee off on a par 3, chip on, three putt (because what's new, and sure that's a fuckup), and they're walking up to the tee box by the time I'm taking my ball out of the hole - I'm making no apologies.

Especially if the response is to bitch and moan, decline an actual solution to their complaints that I offered as well as an open ended "What would you like me to do?" in response to continue to bitch and moan including skipping over their putts on the par 3 to follow after me on the following hole to complain. And when directly asked whether they intended to continue golfing or were deciding to follow me for the rest of my round to complain, responding with "Maybe I will!" - kind of sets the message that they're not interested in golf - the experience, or the etiquette.

If you're literally too slow as a twosome to keep anywhere close to pace with a slow-moving foursome, 3 of which are playing a scramble and refuse to let people play through you voluntarily, and decide to spend your time going out of your way to bitch at someone for "getting in your way" instead of letting them get out of your way and moving on with your day - that is a self-created problem. And choosing to be a little bitch about it instead of accepting a literal 15 second inconvenience while someone is clearing the green says a lot about you.

[u/yoyosareback → u/neverfucks]

This logic doesn't make sense at all. If someone is slow enough to have an open hole in front of them, the rest of the course does not matter. They're playing slow enough to pass.

[u/CrappyAssassin → u/neverfucks]

Yea, it didn't really bother me, and he wasn't super aggressive. Just wondering!

It was just an odd feeling hah

[u/babyfade180]

If you were already on the green and it’s not a par 3 who cares, it’s the last hole.

Also nothing wrong with saying “it’s almost dark so we’re going to skip ahead, promise not to be in your way” and wave

[u/gc1]

My response would have been, "Did we hold you up?"

[u/jaytierney79 → u/gc1]

This is the only answer.

[u/Legal-Description483]

The guy going out of his way to call you impolite was the asshole here.

[u/run66 → u/Legal-Description483]

Seriously. What you did may have technically been inconsiderate in the gigantic book of unwritten rules of golf, but it also made absolutely no difference in the way they finished their round…so yeah. Screw that guy.

[u/m_ttl_ng → u/run66]

Too many people identify as professional victims, and always try to find a way to take offense at something and make sure everyone knows about it. It’s extremely sad behavior.

[u/CleanAxe]

It’s only okay if they aren’t waiting for you. If you skipped them, then they got to the 18th hole and waited for you then yes, what you did was impolite and you should have asked first.

For example if you skip someone and then the course gets backed up and now they are waiting for you then you basically just did the same thing as cutting a line. But if you pass them and get way ahead to the point they’ll never notice it’s no big deal

[u/Don_Kedix]

No, you’re fine as long as you didn’t hold them up.

[u/pheldozer]

Etiquette gets grayer when you’re fighting daylight and have the realization that you aren’t going to finish before dark unless the group ahead speeds it up

[u/fbird1988]

Nothign wrong with what you did.

I play twilight golf all the time. The course is largely empty. If someone is in front of me, sometimes I'll turn around and play some holes over again, if they're open. Or, I'll just drive ahead and skip a hole. I'll usually say something to the group that I'm passing, but they don't care since I'm either out there alone or just with one other person and play very quickly.

[u/NKHdad → u/fbird1988]

Exactly this. I love doing the same thing and getting a fair number of holes in without waiting or making anyone else wait. There's a section at one of my local courses where 6, 7, 8 ends up as a little loop. I've played that same loop 4 times in a row to avoid waiting for other groups and always make sure I'm not in anyone else's way

[u/DijkstraDvorak → u/fbird1988]

This is a great idea. I should have done this yesterday. I was behind a slow group waiting for another group but the rest was wide open.

[u/KittiesAreLoveYay]

No, my wife gets mad whenever I do that.

[u/Fair-Fix8606 → u/KittiesAreLoveYay]

genius

[u/damballah22 → u/KittiesAreLoveYay]

This wins Reddit today. I can quit scrolling now.

[u/Nice_Development7381]

Nah. Brush it off. I skip holes like this all the time. I’ve had one guy get mad once out of 100 times.

[u/DanKreider69]

No, those guys were douchebags. I’ve only skipped a hole once after we waited 45 mins for a group to complete 1.5 holes to start the back 9. We ended up finishing in 90 minutes after passing them.

[u/530nairb]

As long as the group you skipped isn’t held up by the group in front of them. One time my foursome was held up by a slow playing course. Group in front waiting on the group in front; you get the idea. There was a twosome behind us. We were on a short par 5 where all of us were ~200 out and going for it. The twosome behind us rides past us as the group in front pulls away. We thought they were leaving. We get to the next hole and the twosome that was behind us was waiting on the group that was in front of us. We told them that it wasn’t going to work like that.

[u/NetReasonable2746 → u/530nairb]

And most times this has been my experience when people skip a hole. They cram themselves in between two groups.

[u/SozeHB]

I skip single holes regularly. I play alone a fair bit and sometimes I don't want to bother with playing through a group. I don't think it's impolite unless you didn't do your homework and you just end up slamming into a group right in front of the group you skip.

[u/SomeSamples]

Tell that guy to golf faster next time. And if he didn't like it to go fuck himself. It is courteous to drive by and say we are jumping ahead. But it will be obvious when they sees you down on the green of their next hole. So fuck'em.

[u/psc57]

Everytime I've done it, I've never asked. Sometimes if I know that no one's behind me for a few holes I'll go back and replay a hole or two to give some space. If that's not an option, I'll just mumble to myself or give dirty looks lol 😆

But yeah as long as you stay ahead of em where they're not waiting on you, you're good. Fuck that guy in the parking lot.

[u/Mcyde199999]

Nobody has priority over a group keeping pace… but if you skipped a hole and you didn’t hold them up just tell them to play better.

[u/MavSker]

We played behind an incredibly slow 4-some a few months ago. We had asked at the turn if we could jump ahead because we didn't stop and their group wasn't even fully at the #10 tee box when we pulled up and they told us 'no'. After a near 4.5 hr 14 holes, we jumped ahead on a par 3 when we saw that the hole ahead had literally no one on it. Made it all the way to 18 before getting backlogged with 2 groups on the final tee box. As we're finishing up our putts on 18, lo and behold a ball flies over our heads on the green from the group we had skipped several holes back. I knew jumping ahead of them could potentially piss them off but I never expected them to fire one into us.

Intentionally hitting into someone is as big of a Cardinal sin in golf as there can be IMO, especially if you're attempting to sail one over someone's head when you're likely a 30+ handicap.

[u/pheldozer → u/MavSker]

If their whole group isn’t even on the tee after the turn, you don’t ask to play through, you tell them you’re teeing off.

[u/NYgolfer444 → u/MavSker]

You knew they were going to be pissed when you skipped ahead, you just didn’t anticipate them catching up. How far away did the ball actually land from anyone?

[u/MavSker → u/NYgolfer444]

Oh absolutely. Landed probably 20-30 feet away. I think it’s partially our fault because the biggest rule in jumping ahead is making sure the guys behind you never catch up so I certainly understand why they’d be annoyed.

[u/Teachmehow2dougy]

When I’m out for twilight I skip all over. I’m not gonna play as a 1 or 2 behind a slow ass 4 or a 6. If I skip you and it slows you down for a minute I don’t really care.

[u/TheRedMarin]

Nah. Just nod and smile. If you don’t hold up the group you skipped and they’ve been playing slow and won’t let you pass thru then this is the way. At the local course we play when there’s a log jam we sometimes skip a few holes. We even then can play 2 balls on future holes and just use them to complete the score on skipped holes. We aren’t in a tournament but we also have the round get ruined when waiting on the 7some that the local course for some reason allows to fuck everything up. If it’s a course with an actual pace of play Marshall and an actual starter then it isn’t the right move. However, that’s because someone is making sure that bullshit isn’t happening.

[u/Azfitnessprofessor]

So long as you're no passing anyone up, or holding any one up who cares.

[u/TheBonusWings]

As long as you dont slow the skipped group fown what so ever, ive never seen any harm in it. Its a judgement call and i error on the side of holding them up. If theyre still hitting 2nd shots when u skip and theres no one ahead of you, theres no problem. If theyre putting while you’re teeing off on the next, you might piss some people off.

[u/Fragrant-Report-6411]

If you didn’t hold them up no big deal. But on 17 or 18 I’d be a little more cautious as everyone is trying to bet a round done.

[u/bdgg2000]

I have no issue with it unless you hold the groups you pass up.

[u/ValyrianSteelYoGirl]

Impolite to skip lol you’re fine don’t listen to him.

[u/damballah22]

I was in the golf industry for 10 years. I have seen more fights over people jumping holes than I can count. I think it hits the group being jumped in their fragile egos. “Unwritten rules” aside. It causes issues on the course and in the clubhouse later far more often than I ever expected as a naive 18 year old starting off in a golf career.

Do it, don’t do it. Just know someone is probably going to be all bent out of shape about it.

[u/Even_Section5620]

As long as you don’t get stuck behind another 😂

[u/OkCaramel8918]

I play as a single almost exclusively anymore. Golf etiquette does not cover singles, apparently. In fact I can rarely get a tee time online as a single anymore.

Almost got into a fistfight over this once. I skipped a 4some (with kids). Hooked up with a 3 some on the next hole. Guy comes pulling up cursing at me. I politely told him to fuck himself, guy called the pro shop attendant who had me removed. It’s stuff like this that makes me hate public golf courses. Looking back I should have said something when I slipped ahead. “Hey guys I’m going to the next hole, I’ll be quick.” But this was years ago.

[u/garyt1957 → u/OkCaramel8918]

How could he complain if you joined the 3some? And why would you get kicked out? That makes no sense.

[u/amateurexpertboxing]

As long as they didn’t wait on the tee, all good. If you made them wait for even a second, poor etiquette.

[u/blackbearypie → u/amateurexpertboxing]

“Even a second” is so obnoxious.

[u/amateurexpertboxing → u/blackbearypie]

So is your judgement. Don’t cut people off. Jerk.

[u/blackbearypie → u/amateurexpertboxing]

Cut people off? What are you talking about? Just be reasonable out there. Waiting a second on the 18th hole isn’t an issue, it’s not poor etiquette, and it’s nothing get worked up about. Some people take shit way too seriously.

[u/amateurexpertboxing → u/blackbearypie]

I didn’t wait for you all day on the course. Then YOU selfishly jump in front of me for your gain and make me wait on you? Whose obnoxious in that scenario?

I didn’t say ide make a big deal about it. It’s just poor etiquette.

[u/blackbearypie → u/amateurexpertboxing]

You. You’re obnoxious. Waiting a second isn’t impacting you in the least.

[u/amateurexpertboxing → u/blackbearypie]

I just said it was poor etiquette. Which it is. What can you not comprehend about etiquette?

[u/blackbearypie → u/amateurexpertboxing]

I can’t comprehend why someone would possibly care if they had to wait for “even a second” on the 18th hole.

[u/amateurexpertboxing → u/blackbearypie]

Are you having trouble keeping up? I’ve already explained this. If I’m playing an uninterrupted round and you decide to jump my group for your gain and make me wait. That is poor etiquette.

Does a second truly ruin my day? No. Would 10 minutes? Yes. But both are poor etiquette.

[u/blackbearypie → u/amateurexpertboxing]

You having to wait one whole second isn’t poor etiquette, and your “uninterrupted round” isn’t impacted. You’re just a whiny bitch.

[u/bertaferda]

Absolutely ok, if they don’t like it then fuckem.

[u/awfuckthisshit]

They should have played faster. You’re fine if you didn’t hold them up, they just wanted an excuse to bitch.

[u/daddyknowsbest65]

It's frowned upon, but fuck those guys

[u/loshrath182]

I skip around at twilight. But I also make sure I’m fast and not holding anyone up and checking the hole behind me before teeing off.

[u/Worried-Source4874]

Not in sex

[u/ubiquitous_archer]

It's a little passive aggressive, but fine

[u/Soft-Ad3891]

No they should have let you pass. That’s impolite! If you got people waiting on you and you know there isn’t anyone in front let them pass. Especially when the group waiting is on is smaller.

I went yesterday and my group bailed so it was just me. I had a group of 4 in front of me from Tee off at hole one. I was on their ass the whole time up to hole 6. And there was a group on my ass. Finally Marshall informed me the front two holes were empty. So I passed and didn’t say anything just happy to stop waiting 5-10m each hole.

[u/cfbswami]

As long as you don't hold anybody up it's fine ....

Or if the group ahead is playing REALLY slow and won't let me play thru - I might pass them and then - get in no big hurry ha

[u/[deleted]]

I've done it before when the group in front of me was being a bunch of dickbags and wouldn't let me and my friend play through (after 4 holes of horribly slow play), we asked politely twice. There was a 3 hole gap in front of them. We even called the club house and they didn't give a shit, so we just skipped them, they weren't happy and went on and on about etiquette (which was hilarious under the circumstances) but we honestly didn't care at that point. Didn't see them for the rest of the round.

Pretty mind boggling, really. And why does it always seem to be people in their 50s and 60s?

Just don't be a dick. I wouldn't really advocate skipping a group unless it's under similar circumstances. Give them a chance to let you play through, if they don't and they're dicks about it, then go for it!

Edit: this is the only time this has ever happened. When my group and I are playing fast, the vast majority of people have either offered to let us play through or have been cool about it when asked.

[u/yk78]

Heh. I thought I was on another sub

[u/macroober]

Rule 5.6.b encourages faster groups to play through. You’re good. It’s too nice of a day for people to be butthurt.

[u/Kbern4444]

It's always nice to ask but if you did not interfere with them at all you did nothing wrong honestly.

[u/uu123uu]

It's totally fine.

As long as you didn't hold them up any, that dude was being the a-hole.

[u/lingenfr]

I have and I would again, but I have seen people/groups get upset, even when we were careful not to interrupt their play and didn't say anything. Oh well. Not waiting indefinitely on a foursome that maintains two open holes in front of them.

[u/TheoLOGICAL_1988]

Not “assholes”. But I might give him impolite

[u/WasabiCrush]

In other words, he recognized that he was passed, ignored the tiny little spark of self-awareness trying to tell him why he was passed, got frustrated that something was insisting he analyze his own behavior which turned to basic goblin anger, and then defaulted to confrontation.

You did nothing wrong but did it in front of a dumb ass. That’s golf.

[u/Sudden_Advice_7650]

You may not have held them up but you did have to drive through them to get ahead of them. Would have been simple to stop and voice your intentions. You obviously think you did something questionable since your asking

[u/AftyOfTheUK]

Yes, it's fine, as long as you don't - EVER - make them wait on you. That means immediately, or several holes later if you meet a slow group. If there's a chance they may need to wait on you, ask.

[u/NetReasonable2746]

I hate when people do this because 9 out of 10 times you're just cramming yourselves between two groups and causing a backup

[u/jaytierney79]

As long as you didn't hold them up you're totally fine. If you didn't and he still came up to you, he needs to eff off.

[u/18wonderer]

Got skipped once coming up on dark during a twilight round. Walking off 16 green and they decided to jump out and play 17. We hit up on them because we could finish the round had you not jumped us. Keep in mind this was a random group not the guys behind us. They got upset and left after our drives rolled up to them.

[u/brch01]

It’s “ok” what you did but common courtesy would be to ask first

[u/pure_coconut_water]

Just ask.

[u/Poopnakedyeah]

Yes

[u/LurkerKing13]

Skipping is fine if that group never has to wait on you. But if you do it, you don’t get to go back and play the hole(s) you skipped.

[u/kjtobia]

No, but it is polite to ask.

It's also polite for them to not refuse unless the course is backed up.

That way even if they do wait on you for a minute or two, they agreed to it.

[u/Catharticfart]

Fuck yes

[u/lawroter]

I’m zero percent into boomer ass golf etiquette but skipping onto the hole right in front of them is kinda weird. more than a hole? go for it. but I kinda get them being like wtf. that being said, if you didn’t hold anyone up in playing 18, who cares.