Jammy sod - Are you

[Liverbirdie]

Playing with a mate the other week and got talking about luck. Now we all know the Gary player comment. The question is are the better players luckier, are the worse players less lucky?

Personally, I'm generally a bit of a jammy sod, but is this down to course management, trying to always get up to and even through greens by always clubbing up (less danger at the back, mostly) etc etc.

A mate of 17 thinks he is dead unlucky, but he is someone who always blames outside agencies, someone whispering 3 fairways away, swarms of flies in his face, etc etc.

Also got a mate who is off 24 and is so unlucky. If it can go wrong it will for him.

So, is it handicap related or are there any low handicappers who think they are dead unlucky, or high handicappers who are jam on toast.

Thoughts.....

 

[dave]

cant speak to whether its handicap related, would say from personaly experience i tend to forget the good luck events rather quickly but the bad luck linger...

 

[Scouser]

Playing with a mate the other week and got talking about luck. Now we all know the Gary player comment. The question is are the better players luckier, are the worse players less lucky?

Personally, I'm generally a bit of a jammy sod, but is this down to course management, trying to always get up to and even through greens by always clubbing up (less danger at the back, mostly) etc etc.

A mate of 17 thinks he is dead unlucky, but he is someone who always blames outside agencies, someone whispering 3 fairways away, swarms of flies in his face, etc etc.

Also got a mate who is off 24 and is so unlucky. If it can go wrong it will for him.

So, is it handicap related or are there any low handicappers who think they are dead unlucky, or high handicappers who are jam on toast.

Thoughts.....

Its in your head ....same as all sports you make your own luck....

Also some remember when they have good luck others remember the bad...

Course management isnt luck its a skill

 

[SocketRocket]

As an old golfing friend used to tell me "Better lucky than skillful"

 

[Heidi]

Lucky!
but when I get a bad round, boy is it bad! bad bounces into bunkers, lies on the wrong side of trees, balls missing in rough when i know exactly where it went in
I usually get all my bad luck in one evil round tho!

 

[DaveM]

Just think you tend to remember the bad luck stories. Not so much the good luck. Like when you hit a tree and it bounces back onto the short stuff. You forget it once the holes over. But that drive you creamed straight down the middle. That first bounce hit a stone or rut or something. Then bounces at right angles 20yrd out of bounds. You will remember that forever. (yes that happened to me).

 

[dave]

Lucky!
but when I get a bad round, boy is it bad! bad bounces into bunkers, lies on the wrong side of trees, balls missing in rough when i know exactly where it went in
I usually get all my bad luck in one evil round tho!

you missed everyhole being into the wind

 

[Heidi]

you missed everyhole being into the wind

lol, and rain down my collar...

 

[thecraw]

It generally levels itself out over 18 holes. We just tend to forget about that missing putt that hit the spike mark and dropped in the side door and dwell on that horrendously unfair and wicked bounce straight left into a gorse bush.

Human nature I guess.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I would say luck is the same for everyone and evens itself over time but higher h'cappers do probably hit the ball in more places to be "unlucky". Let's say for example you hit a drive down the middle, it might hit a divot and kick right a few yards but it's still pretty much down the middle. You mate then hits his drive towards the light rough and also hits a divot and bounces right, no more than yours but enough to put him in the clag. Which kick to the right do yo think you'll see and claim bad luck?

Also, how do you define luck? I hit a putt yesterday that hit the back of the cup and stayed out, I could claim it was unlucky or I could be honest and admit I hit it a touch to hard.

 

[Imurg]

I feel it goes in waves.
I'll go weeks without a bad bounce, maybe having some lucky ones, then for the next few rounds it seems every time the ball comes back to Earth it goes every which way except the way it's supposed to go.
And when you're not playing well but your Opponent is, it feels even more unfair.
Recently, if Fragger and me have both hit into the rough, his ball is sitting nicely while mine is buried up to its neck - luckily I've been playing long enough to know that sooner or later things will go my way.

 

[papyt]

how many times do we say we were un-lucky and not that shot was crap,duck hooking a driver and it hitting a tree before going ob is not un-lucky it was a bad shot,hitting a driver down a tight fairway with a bunker at 280 yards slap bang in the middle and landing your ball in it was not un-lucky it was bad course management.But on the other hand thinning a wedge from 80 yds and hitting the pin like a guided missile and dropping down to within 3 inches ( me last week) is just pure luck or a touch of genius you decide.

 

[JustOne]

If you want to be lucky..... play against me!

Everyone I play against seems to have the putting day of their life, or chips in twice, or literally KNOWS how to bounce balls off trees back into the middle of fairways

It can definitely begin to p*ss you off after a while

 

[Evesdad]

Playing partner few weeks back in the cold snap sliced a driver onto the 2nd fairway. Hit a great soaring 9i over the trees straight at the green, unfortunately a tad short, heading for the far side of the pond. Bounced of said pond as hit the only solid bit of ice and bounced up onto the green! Yes very jammy he was that day!

 

[Region3]

I'll admit to being lucky, or at least I think I am.

It must be very frustrating to my playing partners the amount of times I hit in the trees and have a line to the green.
At Porthcawl my ball was always sitting pretty nicely when I found the rough too.

Maybe I just blank out the bad luck stories of my games, but I do remember being lucky quite often.

 

[Liverbirdie]

I'll admit to being lucky, or at least I think I am.

It must be very frustrating to my playing partners the amount of times I hit in the trees and have a line to the green.
At Porthcawl my ball was always sitting pretty nicely when I found the rough too.

Maybe I just blank out the bad luck stories of my games, but I do remember being lucky quite often.

Well done, a fellow jammy sod, at least we'll admit it. That said, lost a ball on the first today, where you dont normally lose one.I thought, here goes, I've just mentioned luck and see what happens. just like mentioning the shan###!!!

Football wise I have never bought into that it evens itself out over a year, The obvious example would be Man U (but I'll stay away from them). So, Chelsea. A few years ago it felt like Lampard and Joe Cole where scoring 10-15 deflected goals and other jammy goals a season, or where things were just falling for them. Nowadays Chelsea aren't getting much luck.

So, is it more linked to the successful players/teams getting more luck? Ok with football it's a team game and there are outside agencies like referees decisions, which doesn't come into golf anywhere as much.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Take the luck on offer because sooner or later you'll hit a decent shot, not get the reward it deserves and it'll cost a shot or two. I try and be pragmatic about it all but it can be hard when you're chopping it round like a prize wally and everything seems to conspire against you. Still it could be worse. You've got to be out there to get the bad luck and nothing beats playing