I suppose there are a small number of people who play golf at an internationally competitive level.
However the vast majority of people play handicapped golf for fun.
No matter what level you are at, golf isn't really something you compete against others in.
It's a sport where you compete against yourself. Trying to do better than yesterday. There isn't the sense of conquering an opponent such as there is in tennis of MMA.
You aren't out to conquer others with your superior income/skill/lifestyle/practice. You are just trying to do better than yesterday.
However I have noticed that it's easy to be generous and magnanimous when we know we are at a higher level than others. However as they get nearer, or perhaps even surpass us, the competitive tendancies can come out. This can manifest in constantly picking on their work, or their skill, or their dogma.
So be generous with your praise. Go out and encourage someone who is far better than you. Someone who is equal to you. And someone who is below you.
You aren't doing it for them. You are doing it for you. You will find you feel much better when you encourage others (even though our insecurities often want to tell us to attack others).
What are your thoughts? Encouraging others helps them develop or do we need a lot of negative commentary to help them develop? Let me know.