Category 1 golfers

[rosecott]

There is a thread running on another forum (isn’t it sad to use more than one forum) on which I would be interested to see opinions.
A guy is sending many posts on his golfing prowess. He has been playing for 6 months and has a handicap of 4.3 – from the site he has posted on which invites you to send in your scores and awards you a handicap.
I have been trying to give the guy enough rope to hang himself but he seems to have some support.
Has anyone had experience of someone reaching Category 1 level 6 months after taking up golf?

 

[Tommo21]

No

 

[ScienceBoy]

There are some juniors who cna do it, natural talent + quick learing + good coaching = good golf quick

As an adult its much harder to learn anything so it takes a lot longer, espcially with physical and muscle memory tasks.

Its not impossible, just more common for things to take longer.

If its true then its probably a 1 in a million story and well done on him for finding what he has a natural talent for at the right time in life. I found mine, IT stuff, too late to do it at Univeristy so now I am struggling to get a job in the sector.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

No, but that's not to say it's impossible!

 

[rosecott]

There are some juniors who cna do it, natural talent + quick learing + good coaching = good golf quick

As an adult its much harder to learn anything so it takes a lot longer, espcially with physical and muscle memory tasks.

Its not impossible, just more common for things to take longer.

If its true then its probably a 1 in a million story and well done on him for finding what he has a natural talent for at the right time in life. I found mine, IT stuff, too late to do it at Univeristy so now I am struggling to get a job in the sector.

He's not young (29) and no coaching.

 

[Mongoose]

Impossible! If only that one couldnt play enough counting competitions to get the handicap down if starting from a high handicap, and how can you start from a low handicap if you have just taken up the game? In the USA system of handicapping it would be possible, but so unlikely, its just not going to happen, but then in that system its easy to be whatever handicap you want, so you could take up the game, bung a load of scores in and be a + handicap. But in the Congu system its not possible to get that low that quickly.

 

[twohats]

If this is a site that invites you to send in your own scores, isn't there some scope for him submitting cards that are way better than what he s actually shooting? There has to be no way of anyone actually verifying his cards are accurate...

I guess if this is the case then the only person he is cheating is himself!

Does this website share his scores with you? Maybe check out what he says is shooting for each round, see if you can sus him out that way?

 

[Mike_j_golf]

I played with a guy in collage never had been on a full course before played a bit of pitch and putt he shot 79 first time out, he was gifted at every sport he played so in theory his first handicap could have been 7.
Mike

 

[upanddown]

Anything is possible.

Guy at my old club a few years back was playing off a low 20 handicap.
In the run up to a new season he took a few lessons and by the end of the year he was a single figure player and in the team the following year.

In terms of whether this guy is off 4, it is no doubt possible, but I would say lets see him in a Saturday medal playing to all the rules and then lets judge him after a few comps.

 

[Alex1975]

I would think he is putting every card in he plays, we cant do that as we have real handicaps. I think there is a big difference when one is in competition conditions and putting everything out and so on.

He is doing well though! where is he from? someone should get a game with him.

 

[pokerjoke]

Anythings possible,it can be done.
I would say he must of had lots of natural ability.
Pretty immpresive if its true,but why doubt it.

 

[rosecott]

I would think he is putting every card in he plays, we cant do that as we have real handicaps. I think there is a big difference when one is in competition conditions and putting everything out and so on.

He is doing well though! where is he from? someone should get a game with him.

Dundee area - any forummers want to get in touch with him?

 

[rosecott]

Anythings possible,it can be done.
I would say he must of had lots of natural ability.
Pretty immpresive if its true,but why doubt it.

Possible - yes. Probable - doubt it.

Any highly talented golfer I've ever known will tell how hard it is to reach Cat 1 and then even harder to stay there. I've offered to donate £100 to charity if he joins a club - he says he is about to - and gets a 4 handicap within a month.

I'll be quite content to be proved wrong - not for the first time - and will happily hand over the dosh.

 

[MashieNiblick]

That's the sort of achievement that would deserve a feature in the magazine. Beginner to cat 1 in 6 months - self taught. Would love to read that story. Wonder if he'd be up for telling the nation's golfers how he did it in the pages of GM. Maybe a round with one of the GM staff passing on his secrets to success. If it was me I wouldn't be shy about stepping up!

 

[bladeplayer]

There is a thread running on another forum (isn’t it sad to use more than one forum) on which I would be interested to see opinions.
A guy is sending many posts on his golfing prowess. He has been playing for 6 months and has a handicap of 4.3 – from the site he has posted on which invites you to send in your scores and awards you a handicap.

id say there is a bit of bull going on here somewhere , either the handicap or the scores been handed in .. you may remember his name coz he will be on one of the tours next year if he can improve at that rate ,, personaly i only recognise official club or established (say 1 year member) society handicap .. anybody tells me they have (for a better word) a self regulated handicap i just wouldnt take seriously .. im playin ok at present & trying hard to get handicap down & its buffer after buffer at the min .. mayb im wrong but until someone on here plays with the guy & reports back id have my doubts .. just my opinion tho

 

[twohats]

There is a thread running on another forum (isn’t it sad to use more than one forum) on which I would be interested to see opinions.
A guy is sending many posts on his golfing prowess. He has been playing for 6 months and has a handicap of 4.3 – from the site he has posted on which invites you to send in your scores and awards you a handicap.

id say there is a bit of bull going on here somewhere , either the handicap or the scores been handed in .. you may remember his name coz he will be on one of the tours next year if he can improve at that rate ,, personaly i only recognise official club or established (say 1 year member) society handicap .. anybody tells me they have (for a better word) a self regulated handicap i just wouldnt take seriously .. im playin ok at present & trying hard to get handicap down & its buffer after buffer at the min .. mayb im wrong but until someone on here plays with the guy & reports back id have my doubts .. just my opinion tho

And then when he done on the course, he would be able to show us how he turns water into wine!

 

[Ken_A]

Wahooo wait a moment before you go mad - I played with a fella last year on captains day - playing 6-8 months playing off 4. I thought that he was taking the pi55 but he was a great player. Swing was totally unique and it was deffo not created by lessons with a pro.

Upon chatting through the course of the day I found out he was 21 (I think) and plays 'professional' football for one of the Irish league teams. While it may not be premiership standard he is regarded as being one of the teams key players. He was saying that he gets onto the course 3-4 times a week and his short game was awesome - so before you ridicule the lad - take caution.

 

[twohats]

I think that the reason for the skepticism is that no-one can prove or disprove the claims and that the H'cap is not a
'proper' one....

If he can step up to the plate and disprove us all then I will gladly shake the mans hand

 

[Ken_A]

Also met a +2 player last year, well that was his society handicap - he got a club handicap of 5 and could just about play to it (though never when I was playing with him)

So gotta agree a real handicap is very different from a self regulated piece of paper.

 

[USER1999]

I used to know a guy who would have got to cat 1 that quickly. He was 21, but had retired age 17 (sold a software company he started when he was 14, and would not have to work again). He played govlf for about a 6 month period, and towards the end regularly shot level par. His handicap could not keep up at all. If he had held off getting a handicap for about 3 months, he would have gone straight in at 5.5. That ssaid, he had lessons every day, and played / practiced all day, lke a pro.

He got bored, and quit.