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Gamesmanship?

Posted by: user20126 [FORUM MODERATOR] | Sun 31st May 2009 00:11 | Last Reply

My playing partner and I were taking part in our golf club matchplay pairs competition.

My handicap at my golf club is 21, my partners is 20.  I do play in the competitions on a regular basis and all my cards go in.  My handicap on here is 13.  For some reason I don't seem to play well on the main course at my golf club!

Our opponents on the day were a guy who plays off 6 and the other played off 15.

We started our round and I had a blinder!!!!  I had a par on four of the first five holes and this meant my partner and I were three up after only five holes.

Now I wasn't taking much notice of my scores, all I knew is that I was playing well.

On the way from the fifth green to the sixth tee one of our opponents started to mention the fact that I was one over par after five holes, and that my handicap shouldn't be 21!

Now I know that my cards go in on a regular basis and that I was playing particularly well that day, so it didn't bother me too much.

Well it ended up with my playing partner and our opponents getting into a heated discussion about it!

Now I have to admit that I just thought this was their way of trying to upset my game, so I stayed out of the way and concentrated on my game.

We played a few more holes and by the time we had reached the tenth green we were six up!

Every time I missed a green the ball would be sat up lovely, just right for me to get my clubhead behind it and chip it close.

My first bad shot of the day was on the 11th tee.  Now this is the furthest point in a round of golf where I have ever reached before hitting a bad shot, be it a chip, pitch or iron shot, etc.

They proceeded to win the next four holes to get it back to two down.

My partner and I were convinced we couldn't win that I had arranged to pick my daughter up from school, due to the fact we wouldn't get the full 18 holes in!  How wrong could I have been?  Leaving the 15th green which I won, I had to ring my mother-in-law to get her to pick my daughter up from school.

We havled the 16th and won on the 17th green, 2 and 1.

Our opponents then shook my hand and walked away without even looking at my playing partner! 

This was the worst round of golf I've ever played in, never again I hope!

My partner has put in a letter of complaint about their conduct and I have backed him up with it.

I do think that they thought it would be a nice walk out, finish early and move onto the next round.  Well that didn't happen, and I do think if they had got on with their game they would have won.  The fact they went the other way upset my parnter, who didn't hit a decent shot after the sixth green, and even upset our opponents.

We'll have to see what the outcome from the letter is!

Russ

re: Gamesmanship?
user202037 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Sun 31st May 2009 02:37

Hi Russ,

That is just the sort of thing you get in Club Knock-Outs. The 6Hcp will play with the 15Hcp for the shots and when things go against them they don't like it.

Match-Play is great, I once played for Filey GC at home to Hull GC in a Scratch League. I was 6up after 7 with four birdies. Chris, our Captain was 7up after 9. I next saw Chris down the 13th fairway, he'd won 7 & 6. I was then only 3up, I just couldn't kill they guy off. Halved 13 & 14, drove the par 4 15th and holed the putt for eagle to close the match 4&3. It was great playing the last few because the whole team was watching and egging us both on. The fact I was 6Hcp and the other guy was 1Hcp didn't even come into it. Some of us low Hcp'ers accept the fact that some days things go right for high Hcp'ers and we just hope its not when they play against us.

re: Gamesmanship?
user20126 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Sun 31st May 2009 09:41

One thing I have noticed is that I always seem to play well when I'm playing against somebody with a low handicap, plus the fact that I'm hitting the ball as well as I've ever hit it at the moment.

Russ

re: Gamesmanship?
user202037 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Sun 31st May 2009 12:54

Russ,

This can be classed as Gamesmanship, but it is the way to play Match-play. You play off 20 so will most likely get a shot on most low S.I. holes. Because these are the hardest(?) holes it means that the person giving the shots will also find them hard. You just play them for a Bogey, forcing them to make Par to halve. They usually hate that.

TheLyth


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