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does this qualify as a bandit?

hovis

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I played a match play comp against two lads i know yesterday. Both play off 16. One of the lads had just come back from a golf camp in spain. End result..........we we're shacking hands on the 12th. This guy completely destroyed me and my pp and won it single handedly. However my pp was really miffed and had his arse in his hands calling him a bandit, but i dont think so. He got off the plane from spain on friday night and this was his first game since. The way i see it is he spent 1.5k on his golf camp and got great results. Hats off to him. My pp said he should not have entered knowing he had transformed into tiger woods and he should have handed in a couple of supplementary cards before he played any comp. What ye recon?
 
Honestly, I'd like to know more details on this golf camp....

On the other side I applaud your respect for the improved golfer, technically he's handicap is active and now playing catch up, it seems your a gent and appreciate he's commitment :cheers:
 
Not in my book. It's no different to someone working hard all winter on their game and then coming out and winning the first comp of a new season.
 
sounds like your playing partner has a serious case of sour grapes. Sometimes, people play well and their opponents not so well. It happens. I don't think any dubious actions occurred regarding handicap either - if you check the rules, even if the guy played of the wrong handicap, the result still stands. It's up to the player/s to sort out any handicap allowances before the match starts. See rule 6 and decision 6-2a/1
 
I think the recent thread where a true 20+ handicapper shot 50+ points proved that there's no such thing as a bandit (except genuine cheats fiddling their cards).

Such is the arbitrary nature of the handicap system that competitors may feel hard done by from time to time.

The only solution to this is to get down to a good enough level to play in scratch competitions, at least you know the playing field is even.

Until then, whilst the handicap system isn't perfect, it makes do for making a friendly knock with friends a little competitive.
 
He is only a bandit if he now fails to enter comps and get his handicap down.

I can see your partners point but still had to go out and see if he brought his game home and obviously did.
 
Tough one this! However from 1st hand experience he may not be a bandit just someone who gas tried to improve his game! It's no different than you having loads of lessons and then practice what you have learned.

until you enter a medal comp will you then know if they have improved or not. For example I shot a gross 86 and 41.points in a society match yesterday !

played my match play today and could not hit a cows backside with a banjo , back to square one for me :(
 
£1.5k seems a lot of wedge for a golf camp but clearly it has worked. I don't see the issue. No different from going through intensive coaching with a pro here and then going out and scoring well. Fair play to him but lets hope he plays regularly and gets his handicap down at EVERY opportunity to a level much lower than it is now
 
Don't see him as a bandit

Is golf camp the same as band camp :D ( but using a putter :D )
 
Not a bandit but i would feel a bit let down by this guy basically getting a leg up the ladder. Spending so much on a golf camp has obviously seen this guy improve massively.

If this guy has the same aims as most of us as being as good as you can be then he would have put a supplementary card in before entering a matchplay comp imo. I could maybe understand entering a comp where his handicap could be cut but a matchplay comp is bang out of order imo.
 
Anyone and everyone is entitled to improve especially if they have been working hard on their game and taking lessons/coaching. Now as long as that person plays to their best in qualifiers I don't see an issue.
 
how long does golf camp last? he must have had some touch before he went. I doubt you could find a real touch for the short game within a week no matter who was teaching you.
 
how long does golf camp last? he must have had some touch before he went. I doubt you could find a real touch for the short game within a week no matter who was teaching you.
it was a two week camp in a 5 star hotel. He's alway been a steady golfer with an awful long game. Not any more, slit every fairway with his driver
 
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