D-I-S-C-O! Music manners for the course
The touchiest topic in golf these days, by far, is on-course music. Who gets to play it, and how loud? Who gets to stop it, and how? Resources here at ColoradoGolf.org include What Can I Do About Obnoxious Music? and Hard Decisions On the Hard Card. Still, the Dear Molly mail keeps coming.
In the spirit of more fun for all, let’s try D-I-S-C-O, which happens to be Molly’s favorite musical genre. Note that Molly would never subject her foursome – friends, foes or newbies – to 18 holes of “Stayin’ Alive,” “I Will Survive,” or, her favorite, “Disco Inferno,” even though all have valid golf course applications. No sooner would she herself be subjected to 18 holes of “Juicy,” “Lose Yourself” or, please no, “Big Pimpin’.”
This D-I-S-C-O is about remembering the rules of the dial. Practice these simple manners and we’ll all get along.
D is for … DISCUSS and DECIDE. Before your group tees off, encourage everyone to state their preference about speakers on the course. Generally, if even one player prefers to play golf without audible music, Broncos games or Joe Rogan, the speakers should be turned off. Otherwise, there can still be discussions about genre, volume and timing. Some players may not mind music in general but prefer not to have it playing when it’s their turn to hit.
I is for…INFORMAL ONLY. Music and other broadcasts should be confined to fun rounds. It is not fair to impose speaker sounds on players competing in tournaments, be they league or CGA or other amateur levels. The CGA has been clear on this and you should be too, right from the D in D-I-S-C-O. Which brings us to…
S is for…SILENCE. It’s really OK! With speakers off, you might hear birds chirping or find common ground with a new companion. Or, if playing recreationally and not competitively, put in your earbuds so that others can enjoy the chirps and chitchat without your media blaring. Last I checked, your twosome can listen to the same sounds through earbuds while the other twosome in your party does not have to.
C is for…COURSE RULES. Whatever is suggested here, the golf course has the final say. And that includes course marshals, the pro shop staff and any rules officials who might be out on the course that day. If you are having a dispute in your foursome, call the shop or flag down a marshal and let the course intervene.
O is for…OUT WITH OBNOXIOUSNESS! Those car speakers that shake the whole street when you cruise down Main Street do not belong on your golf cart. Remember that others may be putting for dollar wagers on the green right next to your tee. Residents of the houses alongside the course may be napping in a garden hammock nearby. Disco did not survive the 1970s, but a descendant known as Silent Disco remains. If there’s no such thing to you as too loud, go ahead and don headsets and earbuds, then do your best Rodney Dangerfield!
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Veteran journalist Susan Fornoff has written about golf for publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, ColoradoBiz magazine and her own GottaGoGolf.com. She provides the voice of “Molly McMulligan,” the CGA’s on-course consultant on golf for fun. Email her at mollymcmulligan@gmail.com.
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