Have you ever looked at your social circle and reflected on all of the unique personalities that make up the group? We all have a role to play in our friend groups. I’m certainly the overconfident leader of my circles. Always having an opinion and thoughts to share and never second guessing that I’m obviously correct. There are a number of stereotypical golf personalities as well. Look around your foursome next time and see if you can spot one. 

  • The Goof – always one for a joke, this person can find humor in anything. Sometimes at the expense of themselves, sometimes at the expense of others. This golfer is there for the laughs as much as the golf and believes that workshopping the jokes is part of the fun. They think the eyerolls of the jokes that don’t land are worth the instant gratification of those that hit. 
  • The Dollar Sign – this person will make a bet out of anything. Moving past the normal friendly bets, this person see’s dollar signs in every movement of the game. They’re persuasive and can lead you to losing more than you realize by “bet you a dollar”-ing you for hours. They see everything as a friendly competition that can be bet on. 
  • The Wannabe – this person dresses like they’re on tour and casually references their favorite pro player at least 4 times a round. From trying to change their swing regardless of if it makes sense for them to buying new balls because “their guy” uses them, this person lives vicariously through the pro circuit despite always shooting in the triple digits. 
  • The Here-for-the-Gear – this person loves buying the clothes, the clubs, and the tech. They can tell you about the latest advancements in these areas even if they can’t successfully implement it themselves. Before you hit the first hole, you’ll think they are gonna kill it on the course. Then you realized they’re a reverse shark…they know all the things but underperform the expectations that were set. 
  • The Jaws– opposite the gear guy, this person is humble and talks like they’re unsure of themselves. When you warn them about your skill level, they tell you not to worry because they’re not that great either. A few holes in you realize they’re the shark. They baited you into thinking they’re not great and now they’re out there embarrassing you. 
  • The Escapist – golf is great and all, but it’s getting out and away from life stress that drives this player. They find their peace on the course and can shut out the rest of life for a few hours. They don’t want to talk about work or life stressors. They’re not here for the real talk, they’d rather have a fun chit chat and focus on the task at hand. You probably won’t get to know them real well but you’ll enjoy your time on the links with them. 

Each of us likely embodies a little bit of many of these but it’s fun to look around and see who brings what to the table. It’s what makes playing with others fun. It also allows you to think about what your role is in your group and decide if you want to stick with it or try a new one on!