Hey, Annoying Guy… You Da Man!
Many weekend golfers also enjoy watching pro golf tournaments in person or on TV.
The game of golf – pro tour golf – became better for fans when it took a page from the NFL and NASCAR and turned up the volume. Improved concessions, sponsor pavilions and genuine cheering – loud, unabashed applause – made previously staid golf tournaments more fun for everyone.
Sure, the polite golf clap still has its place. Humility, honor and respect should always remain an integral part of the game. But, decorum doesn’t mean dead. Rowdy is alright, sometimes. The raucous 16th hole at the TPC of Scottsdale, anyone? The drama of 17th hole island green at the PLAYERS Championship? The USGA’s newfound love of drivable par 4s at the U.S. Open? It’s all good!
Golf is a game. It’s supposed to be fun. Pro golf is entertainment, after all. I’m all for having a good time at a tournament, especially if you paid for admission. Have a few beers, why not. The game is better when golf fans have permission to be human and cheer – really cheer – for their favorite personalities.
But, do we need the incessant and inane shouting from fans?
“You da man!”
“Get in the hole!”
“Be the ball!”
As Realwomengolf recently pointed out as well, these exclamations are neither original nor funny anymore. (OK, “get in the hole” is still kinda funny when screamed following a drive on a par 4 hole.)
The wave – communal and coordinated – was a staple among fluorescent fans in the symmetrical sports stadiums of the 1980s. But it had its day. So, too, did the shouts of “Ole ole” and “Goal, goal, goal, goooooaaaalllll!!!!!” run their course during the major international soccer matches in the 1990s.
Our styles and tastes as people have changed. Why then are we as fans still shouting the same old thing? Is it really necessary on the golf course? And, can’t we do any better?
“You da man” and “get in the hole” are played out. If you’re really the man, if you want to be the man, come up with something better. Please. You can still have fun without being tired and tedious.
At NiceBallz.com, we enjoy golf and we like to have fun. We’re not the golf police or style narcs. We’re just regular guys and weekend warriors like the rest of our readers. But we think golf fans should offer watch-at-home TV viewers something more when they’re shouting on Sunday afternoons.
When New Yorkers serenaded Phil Mickelson by singing him happy birthday at a recent U.S. Open it was enthusiastic, spontaneous, boisterous and fun. When U.S. fans heckle Colin Montgomerie or Sergio Garcia they’re just giving them grief; baseball fans have been doing it to opposing players for decades.
Let’s take that good natured spirit and our own creativity and come up with something clever for drunken golf guy to shout for the TV networks. You’re soooo good lookin! Nice pants?! Nice pecs?! Nice belt buckle? NiceBallz?! We could get behind that.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. You da man? Really?! Again and again? Every week on tour? You’re not the man; you’re annoying. And, you can do better.
-Corey
Corey Grice has watched hundreds of televised tournaments and has attended state amateur, Champions Tour and LPGA events, including the U.S. Women’s Open. He is not the man. Nor is he the ball. Tell us what you’re tired of on tour at NiceBallzand get more curmudgeonly critiques at http://twitter.com/GolferWriterGuy.
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I’m tired of the faux Tiger/Phil rivalry. There is no rivalry nor will there ever be.I’d say Tiger rarely thinks of Phil, while Mickelson spends a great portion of his days trying to figure out why he’s not good enough.I’d say Mickelson thinks/hopes/wishes it was a rivalry, but deep inside where no one sees, he knows.He seemed content with just beating Tiger heads up at The Masters this year, even though he choked away a perfectly good opportunity to win the tournament.On the other hand Tiger was ready to bite Stevie or Hanks head off after the round, and I promise you not because he lost to Mickelson in their pairing, but for the simple fact he played like sh%t all week and still almost won.These retarded golf announcers need to stop mentioning Phil or anyone in the same breath as Tiger. I understand the want for a rivalry, but not in Tiger’s lifetime. There are many capable of getting close but they can’t figure it out and it’s right in front of their face.
Even worse than “get in the hole” is the call to Mickelson for his ball to “go in the lake” at a tournament earlier this year. That just runs against the spirit of the game.
It’s like hoping for a bad crash at the Indy 500, even though no one would die if Phil’s golf ball splashed down with the grace of an old space flight.
As for “ole ole ole” you’ll definitely hear that at the HSBC Arena in Montreal when the Canadiens are on the ice. They LOVE to sing that up there when their team is in the lead.
THANK YOU!!!! It needed saying and I appreciate you guys having the ballz to do it. Oh, and regarding “get in the hole” on par 4′s, I’m assuming that’s “kinda funny sad”, not “kinda funny haha”.