Backing out!!

Was all set to play in a medal today but...after looking at the forecast for today on Friday I took the view that, no, it wasn't going to be a scoring day...4 club wind and the risk of showers. There's also the added issue that our greens are not currently at their best (to put it politely). So, with the County Champs looming next week I took the view that it would be best to have the weekend off from playing and just do a bit of range work. Que howls of derision from others in my playing group "Fairweather golfer" "Poor excuse"...blah blah blah. The short reply to both was...yeah it's ok for you, you have plenty of shots to play with to ride the ups and downs of 25 gusting to 40 mph winds...I don't. In my mind I'm preparing for the county champs on another course next week and the last thing I needed was a torrid day today.

Wise move? Inconsiderate (potentially reduced the group from a 4 to a 3 but there was a reserve waiting to step in)? or overly negative?

Stop press...The two main protagonists giving me stick both shot over 100 :-/

Good call JAS. We walked in after 9 today, it wasn't any fun at all with the freezing rain and strong winds. Only playing a friendly swindle off the yellows but all of my 6 shots had gone. Wouldn't have got anywhere near the buffer zone had it had been a qualifier.

Entirely up to you JAS. Not sure playing in a wind would do any damage to your game - what if it's windy next week? Might have passed up some good bad weather practice.
One thing though - do you have start sheets for medals? If I was another member who'd been unable to book a slot in advance only to find people dropping out on the day, I'd be a bit frustrated to say the least.
Given the weather, I'm sure you weren't the only one though...

No Navy we have drawn events (where there is a start sheet) and Medals (where you just sign the book and play with your mates). Today was one of the latter. Having said that, even in a drawn event, withdrawing on the Friday simply means a place for the highest person on the reserve list. What frustrates me, and I guess it's where you're coming from too, is in big drawn events, the guys who open the curtains on the morning of an event, see the wind/rain and go back under the covers and just don't show and don't tell anyone they're not gonna show.

In terms of my game, the decision to pull out was more a mental thing, I'm sure had I played, the conditions wouldn't physically have "damaged" my game, mentally though I could have taken a needless beating. Having just made that jump to Cat 1, I don't feel like giving it away needlessly. Yes, some might say..."well how negative!!" which would be a fair comment. Who knows I could have gone out today, got a break or 2 and played a blinder, my gut instinct though was that that wasn't going to happen.

JAS wrote:...What frustrates me, and I guess it's where you're coming from too, is in big drawn events, the guys who open the curtains on the morning of an event, see the wind/rain and go back under the covers and just don't show and don't tell anyone they're not gonna show.

Yep. That was exactly what I was getting at. Have people at our place who do that far too regularly.

Having just made that jump to Cat 1, I don't feel like giving it away needlessly.

JAS ... what you need is a sex change.     You'd have absolutely no problem in staying in Category One ... particularly if it's links golf you play.  Generally speaking, higher h'capped females are rubbish at links golf and competitions tend to end up non-counting.

Isn't the idea meant to be that its fun? If you don't want to play then don't play. I go to work because I have to, I change the babies nappy because I have to. Why on earth turn the things you do for fun into some kind of duty?

Very true Diggers, something I've come to appreciate about the game a lot more in recent years.

Hear hear.

Unless you're leaving someone in the lurch by not playing (ie there's only one other and no-one to mark their card) which is unlikely at any club I've been to, then play if you want and don't if you don't.

Exactly Diggers, I've played in enough hoolies now to be able to work out that...It's not really fun and therefore why subject oneself to it. Yes there is the odd amusing moment as your playing partners have their calamities to supplement yours but the overall experience is not an enjoyable one. As it turned out yesterday, potentially a dangerous one as well as the course was apparently strewn with several large branches.

Absolutely take Navy's point though, if bailing (which I do very very rarely) I do it with plenty of notice.

Really ? fine for you, but what about your markers ..
How do you all feel about waling off after a few holes then ?
Leaving your playing partners a player short, and hence - normally - ending up with them waiting on every shot ...
(I know that playing time is the same etc etc, but the impact on those partners can be very big)

If I start then I finish (unless it's a lightning hooter and/or the course gets closed or becomes unplayable).

Who said anything about it being ok to leave partners/markers in the lurch??...it's not...ever. I had it done to me a few years ago, 11 holes in when on a good score as well. Shocking...I had to wait for the next 3ball, one of them then bailed as well. The 5-10 minute wait and the resumption with new playing partners totally disrupted my rhythm.

Weather forecasts these days are reasonably accurate most of the time up to 48 hours in advance so when you can see obvious crap weather coming, pulling out 48 hours prior, thus allowing ample time for a replacement is completely and utterly different and dare I say sensible.