Tour pro says Tiger Woods does this bad habit more than any other golfer

Tiger Woods is one of many golfers to be caught swearing on camera.

Tour pro and TG columnist Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston talks about golfers being caught swearing on the course.

Potty-mouthed tour golfers have made plenty of headlines recently, with Tyrrell Hatton and Bob MacIntyre drawing ire for their repeated profanities at the Dunhill Links Championship.

The presence of hot mics at every tour event means most golfers have been captured cursing on the course in recent years. And even if you don’t catch the profanity live, the rise of social media means any major meltdowns are quickly clipped up and shared with the world, whether it’s to draw laughter or to encourage offence.

Certain players are repeat offenders. While Hatton and MacIntyre have drawn attention, Ryder Cup teammates Jon Rahm and Shane Lowry are just as renowned for their love of an f-bomb. At the same time, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia have never been shy of ‘expressing’ their feelings when things aren’t going to plan. Justin Thomas is another who has television directors wishing they had a bleep button.

But it’s Tiger Woods who tops yet another leaderboard – hardly a surprise when cameras and microphones have followed his every step of every round for three decades.

To his credit, MacIntyre did come out and say that he’s trying his best to improve. But he also pointed to his nationality and the changing face of golf coverage to defend his language. This line from his press conference caught my eye, because I actually agree with a lot of it.

“You wouldn’t put a microphone on a football pitch or on a referee, because you are going to hear the bad language,” he said.

“The other side of it is I’m Scottish and it’s part of our vocabulary. It’s difficult, but I am conscious of it and I am trying my best not to do it too much. But if the microphone is there and it is catching me speaking to Mike (Burrow, his caddie), I’m not going to change how I speak to him in a normal conversation just because it’s in my face.”

Granted, the ‘being Scottish’ part isn’t the strongest defence he could mount, but find me a golfer who’s never sworn on the course. These people who complain about it, are they trying to tell me they’ve never hit an awful shot and said, “oh f**k?”

Anyone who says they haven’t is a liar. And if people are writing or calling into the tour or the TV stations to complain about it, they’ve clearly never played the game. Golf is the hardest and most frustrating sport – it would drive a saint to swear. If anyone wants to write in after I’ve said this and tell me I’m wrong, I’ll happily call you a liar!

As professional golfers, every shot impacts our week, our position, our season, and our livelihood. Hitting a tee shot into the rubbish as opposed to the fairway could mean I’m half a shot worse off than the field. That’s going to frustrate me!

Every player on tour has lost it at some point. And, without fail, every amateur I’ve ever played with has lost it at some point.

It’s not as if players are swearing at fans or officials – that’s a different level. And I understand that some people will find any bad language offensive, especially if kids are watching. But if you watch golf, chances are you play the game, so you should be able to relate to how much it can mess with your mind.

It’s about the context. For the most part, the swearing you hear is in response to a poor shot or a bad break – players are swearing at themselves, their luck, or the course! They’re just venting about what’s happened and how it’s impacted their round or hopes in the tournament.

While the players are ultimately responsible for how they speak and behave, broadcasters and viewers must take some responsibility. Fans want to get as close as possible to the action from the comfort of the sofa and the broadcasters are doing all they can to provide that experience, so there must be a level of acceptance of all that comes with it – good and bad.

If you broadcast live audio of sportspeople in the heat of competition, you’re going to pick up swearing. In the same way that if anyone else was recorded doing their jobs all day, I’m pretty certain we’d hear a few expletives!

Putting mics on the course adds another level of responsibility for the broadcast networks and their teams. You’ll regularly hear Sky Sports’ commentators apologize “for any inappropriate language you may have heard” after a curse is picked up. At one stage during the second round of the Dunhill, Andrew Coltart and Laura Davies apologized five times in less than an hour.

They have no option as Ofcom regulations order sports broadcasters to apologize for bad language at the first available opportunity. But often unwittingly, and ironically, the apology almost draws attention to something you had probably missed.

About the Author

Andrew Johnston – Professional Golfer and Podcaster

Andrew Johnston, better known as Beef, is a professional golfer on the DP World Tour who has also played on the PGA Tour and in three of the four men’s Majors.

The Englishman, who won the Real Club Valderrama Open de España in 2016, has his own YouTube channel and is the owner and co-host of the hit Beef’s Golf Club podcast alongside fellow Today’s Golfer contributor John Robins. He has also tried his hand in the commentary booth and in front of the cameras at both The Open and the Ryder Cup.

A huge fan favorite, Beef is a Cobra Puma player and is coached by Jamie Gough. Away from golf, he is a huge Arsenal FC fan and lives in Portugal with his wife Jodie and daughter Harley.