[justjim]

Originally Posted by BarryRX

I agree. Socialize all you want, but it is your responsibility to maintain your position on the course. It is part of the same golf etiquette that requires you to fill divots, rake bunkers, replace rakes correctly, repair ball marks, fix spike marks around the hole, etc. Here is a quote from the great golf teacher Harvey Penick. "Poor players usually seem embarrassed to play with good players. The fact is that you may not be good enough to play with the good players, but no one will notice if you keep up. The good players are not going to be watching you and criticizing your swing. They have their own games to deal with. But if you hold up play, the others will notice you - and not in a kindly manner. If you, as a poor player, lose your temper along with your golf balls, and shout and throw clubs and curse your luck, and plumb bob all your putts from both sides of the hole, the good players will be disgusted. So just keep the game moving in a good humor, and you will always be welcome." I think we can all still learn from this great teacher.

I agree Harvey Penick knew what he was talking about! "little red book" is very good reading for any golfer. You can bet that Harvey would socialize WHILE fixing ball marks on the green---- not after everybody had putted and it was time to move on.