Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

That guy was either having a bad day, or he is one them ego guys who like saying he has a 2 handicap. I have a five or more specifically on my card a 4.6, in reality I am a scratch player, my card says 4.6 because I turn over every card, even on my bad days, even from other courses I play for the first time, even when I play in bad weather. I often get accused of sandbagging, because I play another 5 and stomp him into the dirt. I say it is not my fault if you fail to turn over to your handicapper, bad rounds or rounds from other course, they were only fooling themself, I also don't move ball, I don't do mullagans, etc... I want my true handicap, other people do all this stuff just to drive their handicap down, then act surprised when they play a round of golf legally and have to use this fantasy handicap they made for them self..lol...happens everyday.

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

Here is another story, I had a guy last year get really mad at me because he wanted me to sign his card to turn in for his handicap..lol...I said no, I won't sign it, you had 3 putts on the first nine, and 2 putts on the backnine you didn't putt out, (he was one them guys that felt anything inside 3 foot was a gimmie), you also improved your lie on just about every single approach shot you had, so how can I attest to this round of golf as being a legal round. When you modify your card and add up all the penalties strokes I'll be more then happy to sign it. He stomped off calling me a assh^%e..lol..Not sure how I played legal and he cheated, and somehow I was the bad guy here.

What would happen if this guy played really well and was shooting the course record, would it still be a record with all that going on, I don't think so, it would be unfair to others who shot similar scores near the record, and is exactly why I play it straight up on every round, I make all putts, even 1 inch ones, you just never know when you might get hot and get a course record, be ashame to have it negate it because you failed to putt out on the first or second hole, or didn't take a penalty five holes ago when you knew you should.

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

Navy is spot on the money here...

I think we all know a low marker whose number is inflated (or should that be deflated) because they don't submit all cards for all rounds played.

The other method I have heard of is that the low number man carries memberships at more than one club and then picks his home course as the one he always has good numbers on and then cards from other courses just don't get turned in.

We have such a player in our club, he claims a 2 handicap (1 point something, or so he says) but I haven't seen him shoot anything lower than a net 76 at our course. I have played with him once and whilst he "looks" a good golfer, his abilities are more a 5-10 than a scratch - 4.

OK, that's my whinge for the day...

Cheers

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

I played in a blind draw tourney a few years back, at the time I was shooting 90 or so. We had an A, B, C, and D player. after four holes I could not figure out who the A player was, so I asked and this dude said he was. I also was not aware that he got a par on every hole, unless two of us got pars so he did not need to score on that hole,, untill I saw the scorecard. So we won the money, I felt bad for accepting it, but never played in that sunday tourney again. The biggest loser in all of that is him though, cause deep down inside he knows who he is.

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

jesus what is wrong with people!
if i ever get good enough to be a single figure player i will be shouting it from the rooftops
i have just joined a members club and i will be submitting all cards
surely it must make the victories all the sweeter!

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

I only play gimmies in matchplay, stroke play or stableford to me you must hole out.

Here in the UK during winter golf the course can be very wet and muddy, balls plug and pickup large lumps of mud. Winter rules allow you to mark, clean and replace within 6 inches on fairways (not rough), it saves the fairways from undue damage. I do not see that as unfair play as long as it is a rule for everyone.

My personal opinion is your handicap should reflect your game when playing at your best. On a number of occasions I have voluntarily cut my handicap if I am winning against lower handicappers. What's the point of winning when you know inside you don't deserve it, that is self defeating

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

That is the problem, people want to be in the single digits so bad, they fool them self's. They shoot a high number, so they don't turn in the card, because it will make their handicap go up. Then there are the guys who purposely inflat their round to run the handicap up, that's just as bad.

Then you have guys like I was, who didn't think or realize what I was doing to myself. When I was younger and establishing my handicap, I did like the other guy did, putts was two foot, just pick it up, ball in a divot with a good drive, just take the club and move it to a nice lie. Ball just off the fairway behind a tree, move that sucker, after all this ain't no torny here, just playing a practice round. I learned the hard way. When I was shooting in the mid seventies pretty regular, then entered into a match, now I got this guy I am playing against watching ever move I make, and I end up shooting 85, wooo what happened to my game...the answer, nothing, when I had to actually count all my shots, and I got into that divot and realized I didn't know how hit out of it, because I always just moved the ball..etc... so I learned then and there, if you want to play matches or torney's better start learning to play by rules always, and turn in every card, no matter what, low or high, then you can really say what you play too, and it is much more satisfing to shoot a low score and know it is a REAL score, not some best of all lies, and I am not talking where the ball sits.

That guy may have thought I was a SOB but I was really trying to help him, he just wasn't ready to listen. Did you know that when a professional play a practice round on monday and play two and three balls, placing balls in different situations, playing out traps and what not, they don't count that in their stats, not even the holes in one get counted, but even though they know it don't count, if they get a bad lie, they still play it, they still play by the rules for most of the shots, because they know, it is a valuable learning experience. In fact they put themself in the hardest position, not the easiest. Once I started thinking along these lines, two things happened, one I got better, two, I no longer get mad when I am in a bad lie or hit a bad shot, because, learning to play from there, makes me better.

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

I play to break not to win.

I have had a s**t of a few months. I have had 25 .1's out of 27 rounds. I was ready to neck myself . I'm slowly getting there and regaining confidence.

This aside, what gives me the irrates the most, are those players who 'sandbag'/muck up shots to stay within the buffer .

I feel soooo much better - thank you.

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

As someone who has been accused of "sandbagging" in the past, all I will say is this:

Whilst I am capable of making birdie or even eagle when I manage to hit 3 or 4 good strokes in a row, I can also take triple or even quad bogies when I don't.

My problem is that I don't do that (put 3 or 4 good strokes in a row) more often than not. As is reflected by my 18 handicap.

For example, one round about a month ago, I played to my handicap. I had either a net 72 or 36 points (can't remember now if it was stableford or stroke) and I was 7 over the card for 14 of the 18 holes and 11 over the card for the other 4. Or something like that...

The reason I don't is that I do not practice. So I have to take the good with the bad, as frustratng as that can sometimes be, as well as the well intentioned (sometimes) ribbing from my playing partners about my sandbagging....

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

Reverse sandbagging? I love it. I have never had anyone come up to me wanting a game and insisted on taking fewer strokes. Usually the guys know I'm a +3 and they are a 5 so they want 12 shots. Funny math, huh? Would I feel bad if someone begged to play me scratch for some $$$? No. I would, however, respect him. But I would never turn down a good game. The only way to get better is to play against people that can beat you on a regular basis.

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

In Sweden the problem is the opposite. We have a lot of people with inflated handicaps. They only play in team tourneys so they don't produce individual scores. The reason is that we have some nationwide tourneys where the final stage is usually played in Portugal or Spain or maybe Thailand and the finalista get a free trip there.

When I was a ten I and my son entered one of these tournaments and met one guy who was 14, I hade to give him four strokes. Played the first nine in one over (I'm like scragger, can play very good in stretches and then just loose it) but I was two down in the match....

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

At my golf club our group gives inside the ("snitch") putter shaft length.
When the club has a tournament,a white ring is encircled around the hole.So anything inside the circle you pick up to speed up play.
We had a competition recently with no white circle.I could not believe the very short putts that I missed.
In the the last few holes I became a nervous wreck over those very short putts.My playing partner commented after the game,"There is no such thing as a gimme,if it is then putt it in".
I did comment to the club manager(no committee) that as the white circle was a good idea,most of the members were playing off false handicaps.
He agreed and replied but as the sponsored tournaments were so popular,unlike the seniors one I played in that day,it had to be for speed of play.
I think winter rules is another form of reducing handicaps unrealistically.
So if anyone wants to play me for a beer,I want an extra 2 shots

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

Hmmmm! I don't really agree with you on the winter rules. If it applied evenly to all players then there is no disadvantage to anyone.

It detracts from an enjoyable game and preservation of the course when you are hitting the fairways but the ball plugs most times, leaving you to hit the ball out of the ground along with a big lump of turf and mud.

Re: Hang onto your handicaps!!

I was really referring to forward tees,where the high handicappers were able to score much better.If they were to use the back tees all the year around then every ones handicap would go up.