What older golfers think of younger golfers is a topic I know something about. As a member of the “Baby Boom” generation, I fully understand that according to all the experts, millennials are the future of golf and because everyone is going overboard to cater to them golf is in danger of becoming something I am not familiar with.
The following are some of my thoughts on younger golfers and things that I just simply don’t understand even though I have more things in common with them that others of my generation. It gives me a unique perspective since I love technology and always have and I’m part of the tiny percentage of my generation that has more than 200 friends on Facebook and Twitter.
The Way They Dress
Growing up I was taught to dress up to play golf and that’s what I did, but I have to admit that I have come to terms with jeans on the course. They make sense. They are comfortable and after a round of golf you can just throw them in the washing machine.
I have also learned to accept that young people wear shirts with no collar, but I am still struggling with having the shirt tail out, especially if you combine that with those lovely cargo shorts that hang down below the knee with 12 pockets in them.
The one thing that I simply can’t come to terms with is wearing a cap backwards. The reason I struggle with it is caps have a bill for a reason and turning that bill around is not cool – it is ridiculous. If you wear it correctly it will actually help you see where your golf ball went, where the flag is and you can read the numbers on your GPS better.
Oh and by the way – black socks do not go fine with florescent shoelaces.
Phones on the Course
The golf course is supposed to be a place to go and relax and to just get away in a beautiful environment. It is not the place to go to stay constantly in touch with people on whatever your choice in social media is.
I love music. I have music on anytime I am in the car and a lot of the time when I am at home. If you are one of those people that has their ear buds in constantly then, I think you are missing the point of golf.
The Beer Cart
Why do young golfers expect things like hummus chips with sea salt and specialty beers? You will not die without organic jerky and the human race has existed for at least 30,000 years eating normal food until we suddenly became gluten intolerant.
You have to have bottled water for some reason. I find this particularly amusing since it is 2000 times more expensive than tap water which is where most of it comes from, and twice as much as the same amount of gasoline. Go on Google and check it out if you don’t believe me.
Pace of Play
Yong people normally tend to think older people are slow and they complain about slow play as being one of the reasons they don’t like to play golf.
In my experience, young people play slower than older golfers. There’s the loading of the stats app, the Snapchatting, the Vining and occasionally, a golf shot. If you grew up carrying your bag, you learned how to find a golf ball. Young people seem to lack this skill because they are entirely dependent on GPS to locate anything. They look for balls like bugs skimming the surface of a pond. The great Mac O’Grady said he drove behind old people to learn patience; Mac would love young people today.
It gives me great comfort to know that the future of golf is in such good hands. Contrary to popular belief golf is not that hard to learn, but it does take some patience which young people don’t seem to be blessed with today. I can only hope that this wonderful sport that has survived and thrived for centuries will continue to survive as I know it and they don’t end up putting to something the size of a water pail.
This is how at least some of us older golfers view the majority of younger golfers, and yes, there is a certain amount of jealousy just because they are young.