Being branded a cheat....

Davey247

Davey247

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So playing 2nd round of Nike Matchplay. Having the best driving round of the year and leaving wedge into most greens. Was +3 gross thru 9 and 4up against a chap in his 50s playing off 2.

After scoring bogey on the 10th due a bad chip (started 30feet from the pin and finished 30 feet from the pin) I make comment that its a part of my game I need work on.

The guy then responds with his own assessment of my game, saying there was no weak parts of my game, that I shouldn't be off any more than 5. 'I'll take that as a compliment' I said - dont think that went down way as then ranted on for the next 2 holes suggesting I protect my hcp, dont play in enough comps and cheat just to get the trips away, then because I didn't rise to it he asks why I dont defend the comments or apologise for having a good round even after another bogey to go +5 thru 12.

He then missed the 13th green, my ball middle-ish, walks past my ball, picks it up and says 'Here you are, I've had enough of this you can have your win' no handshake, no well played just left me on the 13th green and walked off.

Gobsmacked!!!

This is a guy who represents his club in the league every week. Couldn't believe someone 50+ could be so immature and petulant. :sbox: :rant:
 
Wow. How did you keep your cool? What a total idiot and rude to boot. Take it as a compliment and try to forget it...
 
+3 gross after 9 is a decent score for a 13 handicapper but not exceptional. If you opponent had been playing like a 2 handicap he wouldn't have been 4 down. Complete tosser, think I would have behaved in a similar way to you. "apologise for having a good round", that's a good one, you're probably like the rest of us, normally apologising for having a bad one.

Good luck in the rest of the competition. Hope you don't come up against another "sportsman" like him.
 
I find that quite staggering,why did he ever enter in the first place.

However we are hearing more and more that players that enter these comps that
give away holidays as a prize are bandits and people that deliberately protect
their handicaps.
Although this is very hard to prove it seems to be happening a lot.
I for one would never enter a comp like this purely down to the rumours.
Good luck in your next round you never know you might need it.
 
:eek:

Blimey.
I would really struggle to keep my cool in that scenario.

Apologise for having a good round? What a joker.

+5 through 12 off 13 is good shooting, but it's hardly blowing the doors off, and who knows what's going to happen in the final few holes.
 
i don't condone the other guy not shaking hands and walking off etc.

But its hard to take sometimes when you give a load of shots away against someone that plays as well or better than you have.

I played a guy a few weeks ago, giving 7 shots at the time, he was 3 under gross at the turn. He even professed to "not liking stroke play comps and preferred , match play and texas scrambles"

he's still not played in any comps at the club, though he is out every weekend playing..... just not to get his handicap cut;)

I'm sure you are not doing that but there's a few out there that do.

well done on the win, nice shooting
 
He had a bad day; you had a good one! That's what happens in Golf and nobody knows the reason - though a negative attitude is a fast way to have a bad one!

Good to see a miserable guy gone from the comp!

You are in that range (around 11-14) where you are capable of having a good day and that can mean you are 'unbeatable' by low guys!

Does the Sombrero fit though? :rofl:
 
I feel your pain OP, I had a similar thread a few weeks ago also in the Nike Matchplay, sounded like the same fella, picked up walked off as he didnt get his own way.
He sounds like a complete Nob.

They say (and I believe it) that golf shows your true character, he sounds like a petulant child. I would imagine he is known for this.

It's guys like this that give the whole 'fun' game a bad rep
 
1. he was clearly rattled and calling upon all his experience in baiting you....
2. you are clearly way better than your handicap because you didn't rise to the bait but 'floated above it all'

well done.

as a possibly interesting aside I was 5 down after 8 against a new 28 handicap player 2 years ago - I'd said nothing about his scoring (he was 4 over gross) and remained chatting. He suddenly turned round and blurted - why aren't you complaining about my handicap??? I responded that (1) we had only played 8 holes and (2) as everyone knows the back 9 here is the real test!
I won that one with a birdie on the last to go 1 up, but he beat me last year on the 2nd extra hole off 23.

Fastest way to get beaten at match play is to get overly wound up about either what your opponent is doing, or what they are thinking about what you're doing!
 
Funny how we react differently isnt it

In the Nike I lost 7&6 in the first round giving away almost a shot a hole to a guy who played well inside his handicap (not that it overly mattered the way i played)

I complimented him on everything he did, was gracious in defeat and then played the remaining 6 holes with him. He even asked for a few bits of advice over those holes which I was happy to offer. We then changed shoes and had a drink and a chat and hopefully we'll get together for another game sometime.

Hes a high handicapper whos been working hard at his game, wants to improve and is probably at a slightly better level than his handicap, doesnt make him a cheat or give me (or any opponent) a reason to behave badly

Life is just too short to get het up, every one has good and bad days in this game and if you're unlucky enough to come up against the very small minority who are sandbagging their hcap then remember it reflects on them not you, dont let it spoil your game or your perception of the sport. Yeah we all joke occasionally about "bandits" but Im pretty sure the problem is far less widespread than a lot think it is (or ive been very fortunate!)
 
I am staggered and saddened to read this. OP you were a super star to keep your cool.

As CMAC said, golf is a mirror... I am guessing he cannot look at himself in his.
 
I would have laughed - thanked him for the lovely game and thank him for the congrats ( loudly so he could here ) then smile and also thank him for the drink he won't buy -

He isn't someone you would ever want to meet and didn't deserve to win so well done
 
Did you tie your horse up at the clubhouse or have him carry your clubs?

So +5 through 12 holes that's what (averaging it out) 4 under your handicap, as someone else said it's good scoring but it's hardly Seve-day scoring!

If he talks like a nob, acts like a nob chances are he's a nob!

Good luck in the next round!
 
Devils advocate here , and i appreciate that +5 thru 12 is a decent score & with 6 holes to play its likely you'd drop maybe another 2 (maybe more) shots or so . +7 thru 18 off 13 is 42 pts ? ? good score but be lucky to win at our place right now ..

id say he was commenting on your all round game hitting fairways and wedges to the green is not the common game of a 13 handicapper now is it ? im not for a second saying you were minding your handicap im just trying to have an objective view of it ,

in any event im delighted ya beat him if that's his attitude
 
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I'd say >2 shots dropped in the final 6 holes is more than likely, meaning a stableford score somewhere in the high 30s to low 40s. Which is good, obviously, but hardly warrants being called a cheat.

There seems to be a real problem with some low handicappers (some! Not all!) who think they are entitled to beat players off a higher handicap. That rather misses the point of a handicap.
According to CONGU even at full difference lower cappers still win out >50% of the time.
 
We all have the occasional day when we can't do a thing wrong, and matchplay tends to produce the extremes in one's game- Hero or Zero.
Yeah fine, josh or even grumble about someone playing better than their handicap. But how can he say you don't play in enough comps or protect your handicap ? Does he have access to your playing records?

There's only one way to beat someone who is playing better than their hcp...play better than your own hcp Mate!
 
I had a great round earlier this season and racked up 45 stableford points off a 20 handicap (a gross 83).

It's not that I was a bandit though, I just had one of those days where I was hitting every fairway and then hitting iron shots confidently and very well (by my standards) and a putt or two dropped to boot.

I haven't had a day like it since!

Perhaps it was a glimpse of what I'm capable of, but it's not a fair reflection of my current ability on any normal average day, however anyone that saw me play that day would have at least thought the same as your opponent - that I protect my handicap etc etc.

It's only possible to make a judgement like that taking into account all of the golf that a player plays, not just a one off round.
 
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