DEAR MISS MANNERS: How does one tell a fellow golfer, politely, to quit talking while others are preparing to hit?
My friend and I belong to a league and we have one member who is quite garrulous. Literally from the first tee box to the last green, it is a nonstop stream of rambling -- even to the point of being able to hear her from the other side of the fairway.
She has no problems taking others to task, though. One member took a call on her cellphone. The call lasted less than two minutes, and it was during the time we were walking to our balls. She, of course, complained to the league president that that was unacceptable.
Should we be unlucky enough to be placed in a foursome with her again, how should we handle her never-ending chatter?
GENTLE READER: With politeness, naturally. Pay scrupulous, and undivided, attention to your garrulous golfer, and if she asks why you are not hitting the ball, explain that you are busy listening to her story. While Miss Manners realizes this will require an initial sacrifice of time when you could be golfing, your chatterer should eventually get the point.