Being called a bandit

[Bucket92]

It's really getting on my nerves now, I'm trying as hard as I can to get down but I just can't seem to do enough. Played with a guy today and he asked what my handicap was and I told him and he said "oh, bit of a bandit are you?" No, I don't care about prizes, I just want my handicap to come down ffs. People I play with always complain that I'm off 21, if they care that much they should go and tell the handicap secretary, I'd absolutely love them to! Rant over

 

[JustOne]

Your h/cap has already come down practically 4 shots this year?

 

[Sweep]

Good for you! If everybody had the same attitude and just wanted the lowest possible handicap there would be no such thing as a bandit. The problem is that there are a lot of golfers who see a high handicap and think bandit without considering that you may be new to the game or have gone through a slump etc. Keep going and your handicap will drop which is the best reward and the one all golfers should prize the most.

 

[rosecott]

People I play with always complain that I'm off 21, if they care that much they should go and tell the handicap secretary

And how would that work? The handicap system is based on what actually happens on the golf course, not petty jealousy and gossip. If you do it on the course you'll have a realistic handicap.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

what scores have you been getting in normal rounds recently?

If you have been getting 90 or less regularly, then there is a cut on its way,
if you are between 91 & 96 regularly then you are about right
Over 96 regularly, then you need to practice more

 

[Wolfman]

I too can relate to this and for this reason do not like the current hcp system

You can be a very good golfer playing off 21 but a poor short game player

Most mid handicappers i have beaten have poor short games, cannot putt, chip etc

My tee, long irons and mid irons i play like a mid handicapper my approach and short game more like 21hcp

Too much is related to hcp and when you start at 28 it can be even harder as many people think you cant hit the ball

I think the HCP should start only when you can play under 100 and for newcomers have a special cat such as CAT5 but do not enter comps until they can score below 100. Have CAT 5 comps for all non hcp golfers instead

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I too can relate to this and for this reason do not like the current hcp system

You can be a very good golfer playing off 21 but a poor short game player

Most mid handicappers i have beaten have poor short games, cannot putt, chip etc

My tee, long irons and mid irons i play like a mid handicapper my approach and short game more like 21hcp

Too much is related to hcp and when you start at 28 it can be even harder as many people think you cant hit the ball

I think the HCP should start only when you can play under 100 and for newcomers have a special cat such as CAT5 but do not enter comps until they can score below 100. Have CAT 5 comps for all non hcp golfers instead

I may have misunderstood this but how is it the handicap systems fault if you can't chip or putt. A handicap is based on how many shots you take to get it in the hole, not how many it takes you to get near the green. What would be the point you have a 15 handicap because you long game is OK if you can't get the ball in the hole?

 

[Bucket92]

Yeah I've come down a fair bit, but people think because I drive it longer that I should be off a lower handicap. I've shot 38, 43 and 40 points in the last 3 comps, and today I was on track for a late 30's perhaps 40 score, but my marker stuck to my putter when I was tapping it down for a playing partner to putt, which meant the hole was gone even thought I had a 2 foot putt for a par. That caused my head to go and I just lost it..

 

[Wayman]

Just keep nocking the scores in it will sure to come down

 

[Bucket92]

Cheers fella, I plan on doing so next Saturday!

 

[Birchy]

I get this all the time but i dont let it bother me. I go out there to play my best every time i hit a ball and play every hole like its my last. I play regularly and try to improve all the time.

I think most people are having a laugh with bandit jibe though. Anybody who plays well on any given day is a bandit . Im sure almost everybody who has played handicap golf has had it at some point unless they dropped out of their mums backside with a club in their hand.

I do notice that the better players dont seem to bother much. Most players ive played with are very encouraging and dont start whining if ive got a better stableford score etc etc. I suppose these guys are more interested in their own game and have the better mindset golf wise which is why they dont let things like that annoy them. Its the guys off mid teens who are stuck and going nowhere that seem to get most upset about it.

 

[duncan mackie]

at your age you should be improving, and it's quite normal to hit the ball a lot better than you score (which I suspect is what can drive some of these comments).

just keep playing in comps, and put in supplemental cards if the conditions look good, you feel good, and there's no comp on - you can't do more than that.

 

[Birchy]

I too can relate to this and for this reason do not like the current hcp system

You can be a very good golfer playing off 21 but a poor short game player

Most mid handicappers i have beaten have poor short games, cannot putt, chip etc

My tee, long irons and mid irons i play like a mid handicapper my approach and short game more like 21hcp

Too much is related to hcp and when you start at 28 it can be even harder as many people think you cant hit the ball

I think the HCP should start only when you can play under 100 and for newcomers have a special cat such as CAT5 but do not enter comps until they can score below 100. Have CAT 5 comps for all non hcp golfers instead

You cant be a very good golfer off 21 im not having that. Handicaps are based on scores as well so it doesnt matter how you get them by chipping, driving, putting etc.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I may have misunderstood this but how is it the handicap systems fault if you can't chip or putt. A handicap is based on how many shots you take to get it in the hole, not how many it takes you to get near the green. What would be the point you have a 15 handicap because you long game is OK if you can't get the ball in the hole?

P.S. You can't be a very good golfer off of 21, you just can't.

 

[joe nustedt]

Personally I would love to be called a bandit, just once would be fine...

 

[rosecott]

today I was on track for a late 30's perhaps 40 score, but my marker stuck to my putter when I was tapping it down for a playing partner to putt, which meant the hole was gone even thought I had a 2 foot putt for a par.

Was this the situation you mention?

Q. A player marked the position of his ball with a coin, lifted the ball and pressed down the coin with the sole of his putter. He walked to the edge of the green and then noticed that the coin had stuck to the sole of the putter. What is the ruling?
A. In this case, the movement of the ball-marker was directly attributable to the specific act of marking the position of the ball.
Accordingly, no penalty is incurred and the ball or the ball-marker must be replaced. If the spot where the ball or the ball-marker lay is not known, it must be placed as near as possible to where it lay but not nearer the hole (Rule 20-3c).

 

[Bucket92]

Oh brilliant! One guy I was playing with said that I couldn't score on the hole because of that. It pays to know the rules I guess... :rant: :mmm:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It doesn't matter what mark you are off, if you play well you will get cut and if you don't you get 0.1 back. No point whining that you should be lower. If you don't make the scores in the comps you don't go down. If you are that fussed, go and put some supplemental cards in but same rules apply and if you chop it you'll go up.

 

[Bucket92]

I'm not whining, I'm just annoyed with people that call me bandit when my only aim is to go down, not to win prizes, and im disappointed with myself that I haven't played well enough to go down anymore.

 

[munro007]

Bucket, i have just left my club because of this. I came down 5 shots last year, and they are still having a pop at any opportunity. Even when i am playing with them, you can hear them saying he's a f,in bandit. Just because they cant play to there handicap Hay ho, their lose.....................