Forum > Rants

Matt Hargraves

Bit of a rant so sorry,

found out yesterday that my hanicap had gone up to 25, that doesnt bother me as i been going through a bad patch which hopefully now is sorted (thanks john and ben hogan) I know that off the yellows i can play to a lot lower than that say 19-20 ish.
See i got my handicap down from 28 by winning a few 14 hole comps off yellows ( so i think they called it on general play) and one sweep. which got me down to 24. I still play in the 14 hole yellow comps and score more stabelford points then i should hc wise but not been cut as people are still scoring more than me stupid scores like 40's .
So I know I im quite capable of playing to handicap and better off yellows. The whites are slightly tougher for me as a few of them make it to far for me. But I like golf and play in the compertition nearly every weekend even if it means me playing of 3/4 of 18 i just go to play golf and compete and maybe get a 2. Also i do this so i can get out early and have the rest of the day for family, otherwise id have to wait till 2 to get out for a knock. This is why i have been getting my point ones back.

Others i know have had a few *lucky* rounds in the 14 hole comps and have been cut to lower handicaps that they cant play to. But they keep these handicaps as they dont play in the weekend copertitions so dont get there .1 back. and then gloat that there handicap is better.

So what do you guys think is it better to play like i do in the comps and try keep my handicap active even if it does go up. or would i be better just chosing the compertitions that i play and try to get cut. and then not go into play if i have no chance, and play a practice round on the afternoon  

John Flood

Matt,

your handicap is what you are capable of playing to at this particular time. Playing off the whites is always going to be harder & there have been ,any a post on here debating this. I wouldn't stop playing in any comp regardless.

It's better to have a realistic handicap than do what other people do & say there off scratch but actually there a high handicapper

John.

Matt Collins

If the handicap is worked out properly, then it will be to SSS.  SSS will be different for yellow and white tee course, if it is significantly harder.  It's always a little tougher in comps, since you put more pressure on yourself.

I wouldn't stress about it, just work on technique and improving

Robbie Allison

They will soon cut you Matt after a couple of comp wins.,,

I know your better than a 25 hcap and I also know your recent dip is due to your lessons and once you are compfortable with the changes your pro has done you will benefit no end...

And if that don't work then once Dennis Shaw gets my letter you will be cut....

Ian Fellows

It strikes me that some men treat their handicap in the same way that they treat buying a sports car.  I know a feller who tells anyone who'll listen that he's an 8 handicapper.  To the best of my knowledge he last played in the 1980s- he just likes talking about it.

For me (and I can't even play to 28 yet) it should just be a means of measuring, testing and improving yourself or a way to have a fair game with players of a different standard.  We get too hung up on it I think.

Matt Hargraves

Thanks for the replies guys. I tend to be a confidence player, and mind games get to me, something im trying to work alot on.
And i think this is whats bothering me is that some of these falsely low handicappers are trying to make out there better than me because of that number where as in reality i could probably beet most of them if we both played of scratch.

David Lythgoe

Matt,

Don't worry about your Hcp, just go play and enjoy yourself.

A lot of the guys who can be found in Clubhouses across the country talking about their single figure Hcp, are never seen on the course. Why? because they can't or won't play anymore.

The same guys are also the first to shout "BANDIT" when a good score is returned.

These people can be found at all Clubs.

TheLyth

Wayne Santorini

Chris Perry

David Lythgoe

But if I called them "DICKS" (Dick Turpin) I'd also get my wrists slapped.

So it's "Sherman Tanks", "The Scottish Play" and ?????????

TheLyth

Chris Perry

Christopher Watmore

David I know what you mean about some Single Figure Handicap Players. I know one who constantly moans about competition scores and calls winners Cheats or Bandits depending on who they are.

Yesterday he played two competitions at two seperate courses and had rants about the winning scores and how his handicap goes up 0.1 as a result of Cheats/Bandits who's scores lower the CSS.

I just said he ought to try playing better and actually trying to play better then his handicap. If he did he'd get cut or at least be in his bufferzone.

I played yesterday got 36 points and realise its not good enough to put me in my bufferzone. I accept and deal with it.

Russell Middleton

Already said, but forget about your handicap and enjoy your golf.

If you play enough and are enjoying your game the handicap will follow.

Also, when you play for fun/practice why not play off the white tees?

I always play off the white tees when playing golf as I believe this will help me when playing the club competitions.

A bonus of playing the white tees is that when you have a round from the yellow tees the holes seem so much shorter!

Russ

Matt Collins

Many, if not most, courses, will not allow you to play off their 'precious' white tees, unless it's a competition.  Some will allow you if you ask permision first.  Some only allow low hanidcap players to play off them.

I played a club called Woolton in liverpool-it's a bit snooty I find.  On one hole we couldn't see the Yellow tee, since it was hidden by the dip in the fairway.  So we just teed off the white tee.  One of the members ran a full 50 yards waiving his putter to tell us how wrong we were to do this and we must not play off the White tees (he was quite fit for 70+!!).  A little over the top if you ask me-we didn't even leave a mark on the tee, no divot, no scuff nothing-and it was very dry, so not like the turtf was going to rip up.  not the most welcoming attitude to a couple of visitors.

I guess they are very fussy at Woolton about keeping White tees spot on for comps.  But the guy was pretty arsey about it and went way over the top-a quiet word would have sufficed, but he had to go on a typical woolton snooty power trip.

So beware if you are going to practice on White tees!

Paul Hindmarsh

Any golfers handicap should be calculated by playing 18 holes, not 14, so its not valid Matt.

Paul

Christopher Watmore

Well I got some good news today after my round on Wednesday where I yet again failed to play to my Bufferzone the Handicap Secretary at my club says that my record looks like a candidate for increase in the next review and the computer is recommending I get an increase of 2 shots on my Handicap.

I'm going to be a 19 Handicap Golfer again soon. Hope they put me up before the Club Championships.

Patrick Bourke

 I get a little drowsy when I hear people go on ad nauseum about their handicap: either it's unfair how it's calculated or high handicappers always put the winning position out of reach with 44 points etc. Shut up and take your lumps like the rest of us. It's a game and it's not as if it's your livelihood or they're taking food off the table.

 If you got 36 points then well done, if more you might get cut, if less get some practice in. That's really all there is to it.

Martin Goodman

Christopher Watmore

Martin, I played in our Club Championship weekend this weekend and was hopefully going to challenge for the Nett Prize over the 36 holes. On the Saturday I shot a very good 4 under my Handicap, which is very respectable and I thought would put me within the top two or three for the next day.

Someone then came in with a Nett 59, another game in with a Nett 57, a young lad off 24 handicap came in with a Nett 56, The Guy setting a new course record of Gross 66 came in Nett 56 as well but then the insult of all insults the last group came in and one guy had Nett 52. That translates to 50 Stableford Points.

After that many of us competitors felt cheated and still had 36 holes to play for no reason. None of us were going to turn that score round. To make matters worse on the Sunday he was 6 under his handicap again. So finished for the weekend 17 under Nett.

John Flood

Chris,

I hope they've had their handicaps cut??

John

Christopher Watmore

They have now shame they didn't before the weekend the flipping bandits. The guy with the Nett 52 played one comp this year in January. He plays three times a week and claimed Saturday he was a 19 Handicap Golfer. Then he shoots 11 under. Thats quite frankly bull.

I don't mind the guy getting a 56 having shot a course record gross 66, thats one of those things, and he would be competing for the Club Championship prize the following day so wasn't concerned too much by his nett score.

The Junior well like all Juniors now school is out he's been practicing every day for the last month so obviously his 24 Handicap quickly out of date and he was bound to have a good score.

Its just the guy thats won, that bothers me, he's cheated everyone.

John Flood

I think for club championships people should have played a minimuma amount of monthly medals to qualify for entry.

In 2008 our club championship was won by someone similar.

Christopher Watmore

We have the rule that you must have played in 6 John, however it doesn't state the 6 need to be played this year. As it turns out checking his record he played 5 last year and then 1 this January. So he played the Minimum of 6.

I've played 17 this year alone and one guy playing had done 22. So this fellow above can't argue there isn't enough competitions to play in. I think he's been protecting his handicap for the last 6 months, certainly now this morning after looking at the Summer Matchplay Board its no surprise to see him doing well in all the brackets he's entered.

Martin Goodman

This is terrible! 

Having read and contributed to the GS forums for perhaps a year now I have seen all manner of complaints about golf clubs.  Dress codes, snooty members, loutish non-members, poor course maintenance, mobile phones, etiquette...and so on....

However, if I were to identify one thing as a psychological barrier to joining a private members' golf club and fully participating in the world of club golf, this would be it.

Andrew Guyton

I think that all cards should be put in for handicapping, not just competition ones, and there should be a SSS for each set of tees (there may be already)?

Your handicap would then reflect how you play, not jsut how you played in the rounds where you handed your card in.  In situations like those mentioned above a person could be disqualified from the competition (retrospectivly as well) if it was found they had not been handing their cards in.