Phones are bad! There are the rings, of course, and the shutter-clicks in backswings — golf fans aren’t the most tech-savvy bunch. There is also the pressure that fans feel to “cover” the event, focusing on recording their experience rather than on the experience itself.
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I know cell phones can certainly can be distracting on the golf course, especially when you hear one of those unusual ring tones in the middle of your back swing or hear someone talking while you are preparing to hit.
Mar 04, 2014 · JS – I just don’t see the need to have mobiles on the golf course other than for a genuine emergency. Give people the option and they will more than likely take up the offer. Checking the phone has become a habit. People will constantly take their phones out of their pockets to check for texts and missed calls. It’s very anti-social in my opinion.
Nov 25, 2015 · #4: Use Apps and Golf Software Responsibly Technology can give you an edge in your game, but it can also become a crutch. Overusing it sucks all the joy out of the game, as well, so be frugal in how often you pull out your GPS or other apps—especially if they significantly slow down your pace of play while people are behind you.
Aug 16, 2018 · Phones are good! There are plenty of benefits to having phones at the course. Some fans can’t ditch their phones for the day for fear of missing an important call or email; such is our modern world.
In an age where people cannot bear to be separated from their mobile for more than 10 minutes, phones on the golf course are a common sight.
It's perfectly fine to store a list of how far you hit each club, and you can look at it as often as you like.
Using your phone to analyse the strokes you've made during your current round is forbidden.
Calling home to say you're stuck in the office and going to be home late is fine. Calling a swing coach to get some tips on tempo is not.
Alternatively, leave your cell phone at home, in your locker, or in your car. This is the best way to prevent cell phone interruptions or distractions—at least on your end (we can’t guarantee others will do the same). There are many mental and emotional health benefits to taking a break from your electronics and focusing on your surroundings.
There are many mental and emotional health benefits to taking a break from your electronics and focusing on your surroundings. The jarring ring of a cell phone, no matter how clever the ringtone might be, is enough to turn even the calmest of personalities into raging beasts after a botched swing.
Mobile Phone Etiquette on the Golf Course. It’s no secret that the denizens of golf can be a stuffy bunch when they want to be. As golf evolved into a game for the more affluent, along with it came a series of rules of etiquette covering everything from what to wear to how loudly you can speak. While some rules arise from simple common sense (few ...
Some fans can’t ditch their phones for the day for fear of missing an important call or email; such is our modern world. Plus phones allow fans to communicate with each other, making meetups easier at the Tour’s sprawling layouts. Watching golf is social and should be enjoyed with friends.
2012: During the first round at the Memorial, Phil Mickelson sent a text message to PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem from the 6th fairway making his belief clear that the policing of cell phones is severely lacking. Mickelson shoots seven-over 79 and withdraws after the round.
Watching golf is social and should be enjoyed with friends. Furthermore, the ability to check leaderboards gives real-time context to what fans are watching. Let ‘em in! Doing so allows the attendees to relive the moment with their friends and families in real time and later on.
They keep their phones with them when they play, usually in their bag or cart, and not only because of emergencies. They text friends, take pictures, answer emails and post the occasional selfie. Whatever inspires them in the moment. The golf course is still seen as a place to unplug, but increasingly it's a selective unplug instead of the full-scale disconnect it was not so long ago.
One of the downsides of having a smartphone is that the potential for a damaging mistake is always at your fingertips. Gaffes happen to everyone, including those with a large audience and a household name. See what we mean ⇒
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat—they're all opportunities for the world to signal their approval for whatever we're doing. "Smart phones can be psychologically rewarding and can reinforce behavior so we do it again," says Dr. Zaheer Hussain of the University of Derby in England, who has studied smartphone addiction. "It raises our self-esteem and makes us feel good about our actions."
This might be the most important element to taking a good golf-course photo. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times. That "golden light" will make colors more vibrant and the sky more dramatic, and the low angle of the light will produce shadows that help accentuate the contours of the course ( right ). Overcast conditions produce even lighting, and that's a great time to take portraits of your buddies. Without direct sunlight you'll avoid those harsh shadows. As for landscape shots, if you're playing Pebble Beach on a cloudy day, don't let the sky dominate the shot. Place it in the upper third of the frame.
Take lots of pictures, early and often. Instagramming, Tweeting, Snapchatting, Facebooking, Vining, whatever-ing—go for it, as long as you don't annoy your followers. There's nothing worse than one person bombarding everyone else's feeds. Asking somebody to video your swing is fine, but don't ask them more than twice a round. Gets annoying. Have fun filming other people's swings, too—just make sure to ask them before standing directly behind them with the camera. Also annoying.
The golf course is still seen as a place to unplug, but increasingly it's a selective unplug instead of the full-scale dis connect it was not so long ago. When it comes to using smartphones on the course, what's acceptable and what's not is fluid, but it's starting to gravitate around certain values.
As our survey suggests, a lot of golfers are fine with using their phones on the course, provided it's not obtru sive to their playing partners. If our respondents support any kind of cellphone policy, it starts and ends with respecting the rules of the course you're playing and always keeping your phone on silent. And we at Golf Digest agree.