I've quit senior golf

[D-S]

I have said this for ages off our yellows I can reach all the bunkers off the tees and I lose 2 shots.
Off the whites I can’t reach most of the bunkers it makes a difference.
If I lay up short of the bunkers off yellows I have the same shots to the green but lose a quarter of my handicap.

Must be a nightmare when the ball is running a good deal extra as it is now or completely different when the fairways are very soft and wet with little or no run at all.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I have said this for ages off our yellows I can reach all the bunkers off the tees and I lose 2 shots.
Off the whites I can’t reach most of the bunkers it makes a difference.
If I lay up short of the bunkers off yellows I have the same shots to the green but lose a quarter of my handicap.

You hit the ball too far

 

[Springveldt]

Due to this thread I had a look at the result for the seniors comp at my place yesterday.

The club captain shot a 1 under 71 for 40 points and finished 7th. Winner shot 100 for 43 points.

 

[Neilds]

I also had a look at our last seniors medal. The winner shot a 71 nett off 29, so also a gross 100. However, looking at his last 4 scores for this year (all stableford) he scored 28, 26, 28 and 33 - these are all comparable with his scores that are visible (back to 2018). This shows he had a good day, is probably not going to have another round like this for a couple of years, but if he posted on this forum he would be hung, drawn and quartered and no-one would ever play against him again.
When people post high winning scores, they need to look at the full details and not just take 1 round in isolation.

 

[RichA]

I also had a look at our last seniors medal. The winner shot a 71 nett off 29, so also a gross 100. However, looking at his last 4 scores for this year (all stableford) he scored 28, 26, 28 and 33 - these are all comparable with his scores that are visible (back to 2018). This shows he had a good day, is probably not going to have another round like this for a couple of years, but if he posted on this forum he would be hung, drawn and quartered and no-one would ever play against him again.
When people post high winning scores, they need to look at the full details and not just take 1 round in isolation.

Yep.
A board Stableford at ours a couple of weeks ago was won by an 18 handicap with 44 points. Looking at his record it was the best round of his life.
In second place was a 10 handicap with 41 points. He's in our WhatsApp group and was moaning about losing having taken 5 shots fewer. It wasn't even his best round that week.
Moaners gonna moan.

 

[Swango1980]

Due to this thread I had a look at the result for the seniors comp at my place yesterday.

The club captain shot a 1 under 71 for 40 points and finished 7th. Winner shot 100 for 43 points.

Looks like our Seniors have 2 divisions. Just looked back at last 2 comps, no unusual results stand out. 13 over gross for 40 points won Div 1, 20 over gross for 40 points won Div 2 in the last one.

I suppose if a Club has a Seniors section where 30/40 handicappers are winning most comps with 40+ points, then they should consider splitting into Divisions, setting handicap limits or maybe ensuring competitors have more up to date handicaps / more reviews. At least for the bigger Seniors Comps anyway.

 

[clubchamp98]

Be brave and hit to the side of the fairway that doesn't have bunkers. If your course has every par 4 and par 5 with bunkers all the way across the fairway then you need to get in touch with the raters

The raters came last year and dropped it from 129 to 120.

 

[clubchamp98]

Awful design of a course if all, or most, of your Par 4's and 5's give you this same issue

How you can say that without even seeing it is strange but you might be correct.

 

[clubchamp98]

You hit the ball too far

Yes I can still hit about 245yds not bad for an oldie but there lies the problem off the yellows.
The course is 130yrs old and hasn’t changed much but technology has.

 

[Swango1980]

How you can say that without even seeing it is strange but you might be correct.

It was only based on the assumption that all / majority of holes present the same issue.

I suspect, however, your course presents a number of varying challenges, and I've no doubt it is a lovely course and well designed.

 

[Crow]

Yes I can still hit about 245yds not bad for an oldie but there lies the problem off the yellows.
The course is 130yrs old and hasn’t changed much but technology has.

Play with clubs from an era suited to the course!

 

[KenL]

Play with clubs from an era suited to the course!

Or balls.

 

[Backache]

Or balls.

Featheries are quite pricey if you lose them.

 

[Steve Wilkes]

The raters came last year and dropped it from 129 to 120.

That would make sense dropping down to 120, as that means/makes it relatively more trickier for a lower handicap if they can't hit driver safely every hole. The Course Rating should be closer between Whites & Yellows if you have to hit to the same place of both sets of tees

 

[D-S]

That would make sense dropping down to 120, as that means/makes it relatively more trickier for a lower handicap if they can't hit driver safely every hole. The Course Rating should be closer between Whites & Yellows if you have to hit to the same place of both sets of tees

Equally if the bunkers are too far away for the bogey golfer and in play for the scratch golfer it will make the course relatively easier for the bogey golfer in comparison with the scratch player so this will reduce the slope (which shows the relative difficulty of the course between a scratch and bogey player).

 

[Crazyface]

I've got a senior stableford coming this Thursday.....mostly guys I'm familiar with and I don't expect to place well. I don't mind. I do mind playing in senior matches with other clubs.....nope. Only done it a few times, but unless they are desperate for someone I don't do them. Slow, people always arguing about handicaps....just not fun for me. But it is the same with regular Open comps, a lot of people only play them so they can play cheaper on another course. Cheating in golf is a big thing.....in my opinion. Not usually tooooo bad at the two clubs I'm at.....or maybe it is and I just don't notice.

Fixed that

 

[Crow]

Featheries are quite pricey if you lose them.

Interestingly enough, I was discussing this recently with an expert and the total number of genuine featheries thought to be in existence, in the world, is between 200 and 400.

You don't want to lose one.

 

[howbow88]

Played Vet's yesterday and I said to a chap he must be out of shots by now......

His reply was if I can get this putt I get 9 for 1........bloody 3 shots on a par 5.

I'm very much of the thinking 'don't moan about handicaps - just play better golf.' But...

Getting a point for a 9!!!! That is bloody mental. 3 shots on 1 hole?!

At this point, the handicap system is actively encouraging longer rounds. I am all for welcoming people of all abilities, but this is a nonsense

 

[Swango1980]

I'm very much of the thinking 'don't moan about handicaps - just play better golf.' But...

Getting a point for a 9!!!! That is bloody mental. 3 shots on 1 hole?!

At this point, the handicap system is actively encouraging longer rounds. I am all for welcoming people of all abilities, but this is a nonsense

In terms of your last paragraph, it is a contradiction.

You can't be welcoming of people of all abilities if you can't accept players who are only capable of playing with those sorts of high handicaps

 

[rulefan]

The raters came last year and dropped it from 129 to 120.

Course Rating or Slope? They are different things.