DATE: Wednesday, October 1, 1997            TAG: 9710010701

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C10  EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: FORE!

YOUR WEEKLY LOCAL GOLF REPORT

                                            LENGTH:   42 lines

BIGGEST GOLF GRIPES

Golfers are known for their griping - which is why our ``Golfer of the week'' questionnaire includes a line for ``biggest golf gripe.''

In the forms we've received this year, one gripe was listed over and over - slow play. But there were other gripes as well. Here is a sampling:

``Slow play, slow play and slow play. Most of this is caused by not being prepared to play the shot when it's your turn.'' - Joe Miller, Virginia Beach

``Slow players not letting faster players play through, and starters afraid to confront them.'' - Gary Loftis, Virginia Beach

``Golfers who nudge the ball in the rough.'' - Jason McEwen, Portsmouth

``Golfers who talk through your swing.'' - Rose Goheen, Virginia Beach

``Houses too close to courses.'' - Rob Turner, Norfolk

``Mandatory carts on weekends.'' - Patrick Archer, Virginia Beach

``People who stop keeping score when they realize they're in danger of losing to you.'' - Ralph Foster, Virginia Beach

``People who throw their clubs.'' - Michael Schiller, Virginia Beach

``People who take four or five practice swings before every shot, and then flub the actual shot.'' - Keith Stacy, Suffolk

``Those that complain of noise after hitting a bad shot.'' - Whitey Kraemer, Virginia Beach

``People giving advice on my golf swing.'' - Juan O'Bear, Chesapeake

``People who think they know the rules of golf but are wrong.'' - Mark Missigman, U.S. Navy

``Golfers who hit before others have cleared the green.'' - Elizabeth Kerr, Virginia Beach

``Being paired with beginners. You can spot them a mile away: rental clubs, sneakers and absolutely no golf etiquette.'' - Bill Hillebrecht, Virginia Beach

``Mandatory carts on the cartpath when the course is dry.'' - Stuart Katz, Newport News

``Ball-hawking on water holes.'' - Lloyd Blaylock, Chesapeake

``Players who complain about slow and inexperienced golfers. They seem to forget they were that same way in the beginning.'' - Jack Kerr, Virginia Beach

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