Music on the Course

[Benz]

Play music all you want. I just don’t want to hear it. Now get off my lawn.

I see music on the golf course as being akin to people talking and making noise at a formal concert or in a movie theatre.

The noise may add to the experience of the person causing it, but it also detracts from the experience of those around him.

[Weirfan]

I see music on the golf course as being akin to people talking and making noise at a formal concert or in a movie theatre.

.

You may see it that way, which is understandable since you are unsupportive of music being played on golf courses. However, comparing to a movie theatre or formal concert is flawed. Movie theatres and formal concerts openly discourage people talking and making noise. They make announcements to turn off phones , not chat etc and show vignettes ( in the movies) to discourage it.

Golf courses on the other hand make no such pronouncements and advertisements . They welcome it and in some cases even encourage it with speakers built into carts. As I mentioned above, I've played a lot of courses and haven't seen one that says no music but perhaps they exist. One of my last rounds was at TPC North late fall, we had 3 groups organized by a member friend and each group had music, played at a respectable level so it was not intrusive. Most everyone I know who plays music will ask people paired up with if they are ok with it before. I think that is the correct way to manage it.

[foreright99]

Put me down in the camp of those who prefer not to have music on the course as I play. Dr. Bob Rotella (the "Every Shot Counts" guy) suggests you "clear your mind" during your swing....hard to do when there's a Metallica song blaring a few feet away.

I've been fortunate to only have been matched once with a twosome who asked if their music bothered us. My golf buddy responded "no" before i had a chance to speak. It WAS distracting and affected our rounds. I appreciated that they asked....I would have appreciated more if they had the courtesy to turn the music down while we teed off or putted.

You don't always get this courtesy when the music is so loud that you hear it from 2 holes away in a different foursome. There's something healing about the golfing experience with the sounds of nature around you. IMO, music takes away from that experience. To expand on that point, I might have made a comment before on this site about my experience at the Canadian Open and noticing PGA pros giving the noisy hockey rink area a dirty look as they were trying to concentrate on their tee shots.

If you insist on having music (or meditation music to increase your alpha waves) while you golf, then i think most golfers would prefer if you used ear buds and let the rest of us enjoy the peaceful quiet.

[Weirfan]

Earbuds are good for the range but I would caution against using them on the course as they would prevent a person from hearing someone yell FORE on an errant shot.
Where they are good though are for those who keep their phones on during the round
( something we saw much more of past 2 years with people working from home ) and the call notification is then through the earbuds not the external phone speaker.

[Tree Levino]

Put me down in the camp of those who prefer not to have music on the course as I play. Dr. Bob Rotella (the "Every Shot Counts" guy) suggests you "clear your mind" during your swing....hard to do when there's a Metallica song blaring a few feet away.

I've been fortunate to only have been matched once with a twosome who asked if their music bothered us. My golf buddy responded "no" before i had a chance to speak. It WAS distracting and affected our rounds. I appreciated that they asked....I would have appreciated more if they had the courtesy to turn the music down while we teed off or putted.

You don't always get this courtesy when the music is so loud that you hear it from 2 holes away in a different foursome. There's something healing about the golfing experience with the sounds of nature around you. IMO, music takes away from that experience. To expand on that point, I might have made a comment before on this site about my experience at the Canadian Open and noticing PGA pros giving the noisy hockey rink area a dirty look as they were trying to concentrate on their tee shots.

If you insist on having music (or meditation music to increase your alpha waves) while you golf, then i think most golfers would prefer if you used ear buds and let the rest of us enjoy the peaceful quiet.

If a bit of music affected your round, something was going to regardless.

[Ignatius Reilly]

If a bit of music affected your round, something was going to regardless.

Is that what they say on PGATour?

I've noticed that they have volunteer marshals who hold up huge "Quiet" signs when anyone is about to make a stroke.

They also don't allow bluetooth speakers for spectators. I wonder if and when that will change. That'll be something as the Metallica crowd tries to drown out those Radiohead posers....

[Benz]

If a bit of music affected your round, something was going to regardless.

I understand your point, and you may be correct. However, the term 'a bit of music' is pretty vague. He wasn't talking about music blaring from a passing vehicle that came and went in a few seconds. Instead, he was (apparently) referring to a playing companion who pushed the bounds of proper etiquette.

[foreright99]

If a bit of music affected your round, something was going to regardless.

I'm actually ok with other "noises". Be it the train going by at Carlisle or the honking geese or the sound of gas powered carts driving by. I'm even ok with muffled chatter you'll often hear from the 1st tee. To me, that's all pink noise and disappears in the background. But it's difficult to maintain the rhythm of your golf swing (especially a putt), when you're hearing the loud beat of the music going at a different tempo. As a musician, it's hard for my brain to not "sing along" and lose my focus on what i'm trying to do on the course.

[hoganapexplus]

Earbuds are good for the range but I would caution against using them on the course as they would prevent a person from hearing someone yell FORE on an errant shot.
Where they are good though are for those who keep their phones on during the round
( something we saw much more of past 2 years with people working from home ) and the call notification is then through the earbuds not the external phone speaker.

Unless they have them at max volume they should be able to easily hear someone yell. I bike with buds in and can clearly hear vehicles well before they are beside me.