External pressures you face on the course!

If I had worn this T shirt, I am sure the Marshall at a public golf course would have been little more considerate. He was literally shouting at me 'your group is holding up game and it is backed up all the way'! It was the first time for me and as I did not understand him, it made him shout harder and me totally uspet! This is how I learnt about other pressures in golf in additon to your own self-created ones!

In Bangkok I usually play with a group who are younger and are long hitters!
They wait for me to catch up and I am sure, on my bad days, it is testing them a lot. But not all are that patient. Recently in Bangkok, we were playing in a golf course which belonged to the Airforce. A gentleman, possibly a retired general, strode up to us as we were putting and gave us a dressing down and told us to speed up. It is not very usual in Thailand as people are very polite and circumspect. Normally a marshall would go talk to the caddies and we would get the message!

I also learnt rather quickly that we do not have all the time to line up putts and study the green the way pro's do. You are expected to putt fast and pick up the ball and move on if you have not two putted! If you want to practice putting, go home and putt on your carpet!

One experience was almost like a nightmare! I was on one of those rare par putts and must have taken more time than usual. As I lifted my head to line up one last time, I saw four young men in my line of sight. All were standing erect, with a club in hand, staring at me passively. It was reminiscent of movies where the hero wakes up from sleep in a strange country and confronts the menacing and impassive stares of the local warriors! Sure enough, I missed my rare Par opportunity and picked up my ball and walked towards the next Tee!