Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
I've played with 6 handicappers that are "brilliant". I've also played with a 6 handicapper who is "diabolical".
:lol:
:lol:
Handicap of a "good" player
- Thread starter AlbertsTache
- Start date
cookelad
Tour Winner
Thing is both were James!
its all relative..........as Mr Einstein once said:smirk:
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
I meant very good player - 26 h/cap is a good player to someone who doesn't play - it'sd a bleedin' hard game. In our almost obsessive self-examination and beating ourselves up I think we sometimes forget we are played the damnest and hardest game there is to play - full stop.
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
I've just checked randomly the h'cap lists of 5 clubs in my area. There are 17 players at scratch or better. I didn't look how many members at each club but lets assume 400 as a conservative guess at each. So out of 2000 golfers, 17 are scratch or better (5 of them plus h'caps). That HAS to make them better than just "good" doesn't it?
Golfmmad
Tour Winner
A Guy I work with, who plays golf very occasionally, once said to me, "But you're a good golfer", "I'm not, said I, what makes you think that?" "Well, you belong to a club and have a handicap, and can go round in less than 100".
IMHO if you start and finish with the same ball you can't be that bad. Myself? Average at best but very inconsistent.
Does it really matter, as long as one enjoys playing and doesn't have to earn a living doing it. :thup:
IMHO if you start and finish with the same ball you can't be that bad. Myself? Average at best but very inconsistent.
Does it really matter, as long as one enjoys playing and doesn't have to earn a living doing it. :thup:
ArnoldArmChewer
Tour Winner
That makes them the top 1%, but is that good! who knows as good is a very transient word in this context. If they were trying to make a living at golf scratch would be nowhere near good ( enough). However clearly they can play well so in that context they are good. A definitive meaning of good won't be found in this thread.
S
Snelly
Guest
The man in the street is totally irrelevant. The question is being asked of those on this forum.
richart
Major Champion
S
Snelly
Guest
Where do you play tennis with handicaps? My Club everyone played off scratch.
Real Tennis has handicaps and works brilliantly but it is a quite different game.
Lawn Tennis - you could have a handicap tournament I suppose but I can't see how it would work all that well. Inter club matches in Sussex and the 12 internal leagues at my club are not handicapped, nor do I know anywhere that has such a thing.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
As 'good' is a relative term and will receive responses biased according to handicap of individual asked - the individuals handicap being the main biasing factor IMO - I tried to take that factor out of the equation by putting the question in the context as if posed to the man in the street. I think in that way you are more likely to achieve a consensus from those on here as most would probably agree that the man in the street would think a 10-18 handicapper is a 'pretty darn good golfer' - and a 6-9 handicapper would be an excellent golfer. Cat 1 - fantastic!
Those on here would have a healthy discussion worthy of a forum post as to whether the man-in-the-street was actually correct with that assessment.
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
Where do you play tennis with handicaps? My Club everyone played off scratch.
I may have made a bit of a generalisation. I googled "tennis club handicaps" and some club websites came up that used handicaps so I assumed, obviously wrongly, that it was common place - sorry.
S
Snelly
Guest
A very sensible post. Context is important and the answer is entirely dependent on who you are asking.
I would argue though that if you frame a question to the man in the street as follows - "is someone a good golfer if you take their score at the end of every hole and then knock one shot off so that they can have a game against better players?" Then I think most people would say probably not.
If you get a shot a hole, you are not a good golfer, irrespective of context. Apologies if this sounds harsh but I believe it is the case.
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
i also think you have to take age into consideration for this.
i've played with quite a few older gentlemen who had good all round games. they don't hit it remarkably far. but what they do, they do well. they might have a mid-teen handicap but i would class them as good golfers as opposed to the big hitting man in his teens or twenties who can easily shoot single figures every time with a ropey all round game,poor course management but big length off the tee.
i've played with quite a few older gentlemen who had good all round games. they don't hit it remarkably far. but what they do, they do well. they might have a mid-teen handicap but i would class them as good golfers as opposed to the big hitting man in his teens or twenties who can easily shoot single figures every time with a ropey all round game,poor course management but big length off the tee.
chrisd
Major Champion
I've played football, then tennis and finally golf as a main hobby over my 60 years. In the context of players as a whole, I played in the Kent County league at football, for my town at tennis and 10 handicap at golf.
I would say, compared to how many people play each of those sports I was ok at football, decent at tennis and better than average at golf. In all of those sports I was no where near the best players in ability but surely we don't say you're not a decent golfer unless you play off less than, say 5? at football unless you play league standard and at tennis if you havnt played county level?
I would say, compared to how many people play each of those sports I was ok at football, decent at tennis and better than average at golf. In all of those sports I was no where near the best players in ability but surely we don't say you're not a decent golfer unless you play off less than, say 5? at football unless you play league standard and at tennis if you havnt played county level?
TheJezster
Tour Rookie
Everyone is different, people have different opinions on things. Someone who doesnt play golf will think someone who does and has a handicap to be a pretty good golfer.
As others have said, this is a hard game. I think some on here are being too picky and harsh with their assessement myself, but then that is everyones right.
In some peoples eye's I will be a good player, in others not so much. Doesnt affect my game or the way I play though, so I dont really care.
There will never be a general consensus tho because of the nature of the question and the context, so its pointless trying. Interesting to see the varied views though.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
I think that if you asked that question to the man-in-the-street who has had a go at the game - he will know how easy it is to rack up a 10+ on a hole. So taking only one shot off your score for a hole to be able to compete with a good low handicap player would mark someone out as a pretty good player. If you think about it - a shot a hole is not a lot when it is easy to score a 10+ on any hole.
2putts2many
Newbie
I've got some interesting views on the 18+s that I find it better to keep to myself
Which are?
El Bandito
Q-School Graduate
I suppose I echo all of the 'relative' comments above. At my level (which seems to be categorised as rubbish to unmentionable to some people
) - I consider a good golfer to be one whom is good company, considerate and a pleasure to be with - even when I get two whole shots. I try to be that golfer when playing with the club pro, the club champ or the club's newest beginner. I played with a 4 handicapper last weekend who did not score well - but who was hitting shots that I realistically will never hit - but we had a great laugh and a beer afterwards. Perhaps my view will change should my golf improve...
) - I consider a good golfer to be one whom is good company, considerate and a pleasure to be with - even when I get two whole shots. I try to be that golfer when playing with the club pro, the club champ or the club's newest beginner. I played with a 4 handicapper last weekend who did not score well - but who was hitting shots that I realistically will never hit - but we had a great laugh and a beer afterwards. Perhaps my view will change should my golf improve...
JustOne
Ryder Cup Winner
I'm sticking to my original 4 h/cap for someone to be a good golfer.... all the rest are OK golfers. I'm an OK golfer myself (before anyone whinges about my opinion). To an outsider I'm sure an 18 h/capper looks bloody brilliant!
