Seriously? Say Uncle? People Still Do That?

humor, lessons learned, sports 3 Minutes

Yesterday I wrote a post about a fight that broke out on a concert stage in 1965 between members of the band The Kinks. The fight ended with one member knocked out, and the suspect fleeing the concert venue.

Fast forward 56 years, and guys are still out there fighting in public.

The latest incident happened on what many would consider the last place you would expect a fight to break out, a qualifying round for a golf tournament in Newton, Kansas.

Here is a brief report of the incident from the Newton, Kansas Police Department Facebook page:

One suspect was arrested Monday morning after a fight at Sand Creek Station Golf Course.
The victim and suspect were golfing together as part of a qualifying event for the PGA Korn Ferry Tour Wichita Open. An argument began when the suspect and his father/caddy refused to help the victim look for an errant golf ball in the rough.
The suspect then punched the victim in the face and tackled him to the ground. He held the victim down until he said “uncle,” and then released him.
Newton Police arrested the suspect, Luke Smith of Covington, Tennessee, and he was booked into the Harvey County Detention Center on one count of misdemeanor battery. The report will be forwarded to the Newton City Prosecutor’s Office for review of charges.

Smith was playing with Austen Dailey and Derek Fribbs. Smith’s father, Oliver, President of Memphis-based Capital Prime, was caddying for his son. The group struggled early and fell behind the pace of play.

It is not uncommon for groups to fall out of place on the golf course. Play is typically expedited in an effort to catch up. A common courtesy in any round, especially from a slow group, is for players to help each other look for wayward shots.  But according to Fribbs, the Smiths would not help in the search for errant shots. Furthermore, the Smiths failed to put the pin in the hole after they putted out.

The situation came to a boil on the Par-3 seventh hole. Dailey hit his tee shot left of the green and Fribbs went to help Dailey look for his ball. Allegedly, the Smiths did not help in the search for Dailey’s ball. In an effort to speed up play, Fribbs holed out first and headed for the eighth tee to play his next shot and try and get the group back in position. After Dailey completed the hole he said something to Smiths about how helping to look for shots might help speed the group up. According to Fribbs, Luke and Oliver Smith started yelling at Dailey about his quality of play and how it was affecting the group. Oliver went on to make it clear that his son Luke, “wasn’t here to look for balls.”

Dailey then turned his back and walked away towards the eighth tee. It was at this point that Luke Smith allegedly jumped on Dailey and started to throw punches. Fribbs, who was standing on the eighth tee, ran back to try to and play peacemaker. But the elder Smith allegedly waved a putter at Fribbs- and anyone else with an eye on jumping into the fracas.

Clearly, some people haven’t learned the basic rules of sportsmanship and that golf is considered a gentleman’s game.

I understand that emotions get the best of all of us in challenging situations, but we need an appropriate way to manage those emotions. Punching somebody and holding them to the ground until they say “uncle” is not one of those ways.

It would have been the perfect ending to the story if Dailey then went on to finish the round and take the lead in the tournament, but it appears as if he never got the chance to finish his round.

Of course, my first thought when I read the story was of the classic fight scene in Happy Gilmore between Happy and Bob Barker. At least Barker didn’t make Happy say Uncle…

 

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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28 thoughts on “Seriously? Say Uncle? People Still Do That?”

  2. There are Aholes in every sport. The Smiths were hurting themselves by not helping to look for errant shots. In tournaments, groups that fall behind the pace of play get “put on the clock” if they can’t catch up. An official times them to ensure they play each shot within a certain period. Failing to play within the specified time frame results in a penalty. Golfers hate to be put on the clock because it disrupts their routines and adds anxiety and pressure. Not sure why Dailey didn’t get to finish if Smith was arrested.

    That Happy Gilmore fight was a real knock-down, drag-out affair. I’m glad Barker got in the last punch.

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    1. I’ve heard of players being put on the clock; I would imagine that adds more stress on top of an already stressful sport. I wasn’t sure why Dailey didn’t finish either. The third player finished the round by himself.

      and I never get tired of watching Happy Gilmore, one of my favorite comedies of all time…

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      2. that does seem to be the case. although I thought I heard Eddie Murphy is coming out with a new movie. And I also heard that Kevin Hart is branching out into a more serious role in an upcoming movie…

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  4. Oh gosh! Yes, sounds like a sportsmanship class needs offered! You are a teacher, maybe you should teach one to adults. 🙂

    Where did the “say Uncle” saying orginate from??
    I have had to say it already to Brad, which is hard to do when you are laughing! Yet everyone thinks, “poor Brad!” 😛

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  6. I don’t golf much, but I have been a witness to some first-class temper tantrums. One guy got so mad, he began flinging his clubs one by one into a water hole. After the third one, he realized our group (the next one) was watching in shock. He picked up the rest of his clubs and promptly left the course.

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  7. Regardless of slow play or being “on the clock”, helping someone in your group find an errant ball is just common courtesy, especially in a game steeped in great sportsmanship. Of course, the additional stressors in professional golf are ego and money, but that should not forego professional behavior. Golf can be a frustrating game, but if you do not handle that pressure well, maybe you should not play.

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  9. And to think footballers get a bad press! Possibly a dangerous thing to get involved in a fight over a game when you have a bag full of weapons handy. I’ve not seen Happy Gilmore, but I’m putting money on the people in your story having watched it. Several times. As a training video.

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