Heckle and Jeckle
What has golf become?I guess I do pine for the old days when golf was a genteel sport. Those times when proper etiquette, decorum and respect for the rules was the norm.
In the past you often heard the words “Golf is a gentleman’s game” and that resonated whenever you were on the golf course or in the clubhouse. Today you rarely hear this.
Perhaps it is because we have forgotten the definition of what a gentleman is. The simple everyday marks of a gentleman in giving up his seat in the bus or MRT or opening doors for the ladies no longer exists.
These days men who act this way are the exception rather than the rule. The common courtesies have seemingly disappeared.
Looks like this type of conduct, has spilled over to the golf course. Golf has become a spectator sport and the fan behavior we see in football and basketball games has invaded the golf course.
In the recent 2026 US Open it was apparent that rowdy fans had crossed the line. In the just concluded Presidents Cup someone yelled “Go Scottie!” while the International Team’s Nico Echavarria was making his backswing.
It was never like that in the past.
Crowds that followed pro golfers back then used to be more mellow and appreciative. There used to be some sort of mutual respect and sportsmanship spread out among the players, the gallery and the organizers.
When the Marshals on the course raised those “Quiet” signs everyone took notice and a hush would fall on the crowd. Golf then was indeed a gentleman’s game.
Today, it appears we only see this behavior at Augusta National where they play the Masters. What the heck has changed?
I think the boorishness comes out when spectators invest too much in the game. It can be national pride, personal preferences and biases, group loyalties and it can even be just plain drunkenness.
So, when Rory McIlroy gets heckled at the US Open it could be because of any of the reasons above. When the Europeans do the same to the US players during the Ryder Cup, it’s just a tit for tat that has only become worse as the years go by.
There are those who will say that the golf course is no place for such behavior. I kind of agree with them but I would also like to look at it as golf being affected by how our societies have changed over the decades.
It would be so easy to condemn such fan behavior since golf has never been like that. But whatever is happening on the golf course is also a reflection of the world we live in.
Fan behavior evolves. Partisanship can coalesce into hateful behavior. In an environment where we have information literally at our fingertips on our phones, where we can be bombarded with unfettered bits of gossip by trolls and influencers, we can very easily form opinions of others that may or may not be true.
When these bits of information create biases, fan behavior can and will turn ugly. Pour some alcohol into the mix and the fire burns hotter and brighter.
Of course there should be proper decorum on the course. But what exactly is proper decorum in these days of unconstrained personal freedom where people feel that they can do whatever they want to do? How do we deal with these profound feelings of entitlement?
How will we enforce proper decorum? Who will enforce it?
Honestly, I am at a loss. Going to a golf club/golf course used to be like entering a sacred place. It was where you dressed properly, spoke in hushed tones and minded the way you acted lest you violated the rules of the club. That behavior extended to being a player or spectator on the course.
Oh well, nothing seems to be sacred anymore…
