# Golf clap: sarcastic or respectful? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 24, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-clap-sarcastic-or-respectful/420315 "2007-09-24T16:00:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-clap-sarcastic-or-respectful/420315/1 "2007-09-24T16:00:51Z")
On this board, sometimes I see people posting [\* golf clap \*](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9007577&postcount=43) and from the context, it seems to be a sign of respect. However, [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf_clap) seems to say golf claps are sarcastic. Similarly, slow claps are either heckling or the complete opposite: a prelude to roaring applause and approval. So, in posts, does a golf clap always denote approval, or does it confusingly mean the opposite sometimes? ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-clap-sarcastic-or-respectful/420315/2 "2007-09-24T16:53:05Z")
I only use them, in posts and in real-life, sarcastically. It’s just like the insincere “way to go.” ---
**Author:** ![Early\_adopter\_VictrolaDivision](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Early\_adopter\_VictrolaDivision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_adopter_VictrolaDivision)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-clap-sarcastic-or-respectful/420315/3 "2007-09-24T17:04:28Z")
It’s obviously ambiguous, as you point out. Most irony is ambiguous, but those who use it never seem to understand that. My brother in law thinks he has a great way to insult a restaurant’s food. If the steak is tough, he tells the waiter, when asked how everything is, “The stake has a lot of flavor.” How this is supposed to convey that it is not tender I never knew, but he and his friends all laugh when the waiter leaves. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-clap-sarcastic-or-respectful/420315/4 "2007-09-24T17:07:38Z")
You know, you make a good point. I’d never actually thought about that before, and wondered how people didn’t get my jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-clap-sarcastic-or-respectful/420315/5 "2007-09-24T17:32:37Z")
Two cheers for the golf clap. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-clap-sarcastic-or-respectful/420315/6 "2007-09-24T17:54:34Z")
Damn. I thought it was polite and respectful. Hope I haven’t hopelessly offended too many folks… ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-clap-sarcastic-or-respectful/420315/7 "2007-09-24T17:59:50Z")
The golf clap is bad, man! (Whether that means breakfast burrito bad or Michael Jackson in the '80s bad is up to you. Come to think of it, I’m not sure which ‘bad’ applies to either Jacko or breakfast burritos…) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-clap-sarcastic-or-respectful/420315/8 "2007-09-24T18:35:02Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] On this board, sometimes I see people posting [\* golf clap \*](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9007577&postcount=43) and from the context, it seems to be a sign of respect. [/QUOTE] Hmm… upon re-reading the post in question, now I’m not sure if the poster is respectful or sarcastic. It’s completely ambiguous to me.