Let's get it out in the open.

[CrapHacker]

With all this stuff about bandits etc, lets just see what people own up to.

Have you ever been a bandit ?

I have been accused in the past ( for anyone that has seen my game this year it was a looooong way in the past ).

Back in the early/mid 90s I rejoined a club after a 15 year layoff, and was given a 18 handicap. They offered me 22 or 24, but I was confident. However, I couldn't play to it in the first year, and moved a few 0.1s.

Cue lots of work over the winter layoff, meant I could come back with something to play with. Over the next few months I put in two medal cards of 81 ( par = 71 ) and got cut down to 13.

However, before the first cut I had a society do ( still off 18 ) which had prize of a round at the Brabazon for the top 2 stableford scores. Playing round the Waterfall course at Mannings Heath.

I went out early and came back with, I think, 42 points. Cue lots and lots of bandit comments, until towards the end of the day when someone else came in with 45 or 46 points, when the venom was passed on to him.

It wasn't so much that I'd played better than anyone had seen before, it was the fact that I did it when the prize was such a good one.

The case for the prosecution : I knew my game had improved, I was hoping and expecting to play much better than anything seen the previous year. I always concentrate better when it matters, and I'd played the course a few months earlier, so it wasn't a strange course.

The case for the defense : It was early season. It was not my home course. I didn't know if I should offer to cut myself, prior to teeing off.

And tbh, I wanted to win the damn prize.

I still don't think I was a bandit in the proper sense of the word, but I was probably a lot nearer to it than I've ever been before, or since.

What do you think?

And how close have you ever got to the dark side?

 

[Pro_V_wan_kenobi]

No Master Hacker, I have never had the opportunity or the inclination to embrace the power of the dark side.
I have been a member of a golf club since I was a youngling and have played in regular medal and stableford competition (except during the Clone Wars when most of the golf courses were vaporized) so my handicap has always been a fairly good indication of my inability. If you regularly play in comps and hand in your card, marked with honesty, then you can receive any prize that comes your way with pride and without scruple. Flapping tongues cannot be heard by honest men but neither can they be heard by men so base as to let the dark side seduce them.

May the force be with you and steer you clear of the water hazards as well as the dark side?

 

[HRC99]

I was for a week several years ago.

I'd joined a club near me (not where I am now), put my cards in and had a handicap of 24, I hardly ever played at my club because it was so cliquey and you struggled to get a tee time or find anyone who'd play with a newbie. It was not a friendly place.

Needless to say, I didn't stay long at that club.

So I played a lot at other courses with friends rather than at my home course. I was probably worth around a 20 handicap at the time but didn't play competitive golf other than very occasionally.

Then one week it all just clicked, I shot +8 at Chris Mc's course and took the lot in a corporate day: first place, nearest the pin and longest drive. More than a little embarrassed at the prize giving. The only thing that saved me from a lynching was that I'd played with quite a few people there before who were warmly congratulating me as they knew I must have had a freak round to shoot what I did.

Two days later at another course, Hessle, in an am-am, +6 in a total of 24 under having come in on all 18 holes. We won by 14 shots but never put the card in out of shame.

I'd never got remotely near those scores before and have never since. It is faintly depressing to think I've peaked some years ago and am unlikely to get close to that again.

 

[jammydodger]

Tough one this Clive

I think instead of being a bandit everyone just has had those periods where the h/c cant keep up with their improvement. I've had those times as much as the next man/woman. I've shot many many under h/c for a period and cleaned up a few prizes and a bit of wonger but it doesnt last long cos the h/c catches up and then you level out. Sometimes its just a temporary thing as you get comfortable with your newh/c and kick on again , sometimes thats your lot and you're never going to shoot the lights out again

Bandit ? no , improving player whos h/c cant keep up ? yes

 

[Smiffy]

After a few years of "hacking" around off 23 and struggling, something just clicked and my play suddenly started improving, along with my handicap.
I came down from 23 to 14 very, very quickly.
Anybody playing me at that time could have (and some did) call me a bandit. But as I have stated in a thread elsewhere, every card I completed went in for h'cap consideration.
I was playing in club matches at Crowborough and inadvertantly put my name down for a "scratch match" against Royal Eastbourne, whilst playing off 14. I made the team, courtesy of a late withdrawl by one of the Davis & Tate lads who was playing off 4.
After 5 holes, my team mate whispered to me as we walked off the tee "I'd hate to play you off 14!!". I took that as a massive compliment as he himself was off low, single figures. I won an Invitation Stableford competition at a local club with 40 points. I got called a bandit by the guy who had won it the previous year. When I asked him what he had won it with he said "40 points". How could he call me a bandit when he won the thing with the same score the previous year???? But my card went in.
So yes, you can get clobbered by an improving golfer in a situation where his handicap is on it's way down big time.

 

[CrapHacker]

I'd never got remotely near those scores before and have never since. It is faintly depressing to think I've peaked some years ago and am unlikely to get close to that again.

When I was a junior, I played in my first club comp about a month or so after joining. The winner got their name up on the 'glory board' in the clubhouse for all time.

I actually won the blimmin thing on countback, but the lad with the same score as me was the son of the organiser, and he was playing off 36, or some rediculous h/c. ( I was off 17 - you'll note that I've spent a lot of my years on 17 or 18 )

Suddenly the guy announces that his son had miscounted his score and he had actually scored one less than he'd signed for, so he was the winner. His name went up for posterity, he won the money ( to be spent in the pro shop ) and he got his name in the local paper.

I got a sleeve of three balls.

That was my peak.

It's been downhill ever since.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

For one day, through no fault of my own, I can claim to have been a bandit.

A society I play in has one of those strange handicap systems whereby your handicap goes up when you score below 36 points. I went through a period of about a year where I was playing in the society comps shooting between 30 and 35 points but because of the h'cap system ended up playing off 17 in the society. At the beginning of 2006 I had a couple of lessons joined Hoebridge and got my 1st club handicap of 9.

Our society summer medal came around with me still off 17. When I got to the course I told the organiser that he can't play me off 17 as I would win. His exact words were, "don't be so effing Cocky". I did try to explain I wasn't be Cocky, all the guys in the society know me and knew 17 was too high.

In the morning 9 hole warm-up I shot 1 over thanks to a 3-putt bogey on the 9th. Again at lunch, I asked the organiser if he was sure he wanted me to play off 17 and he again told me not to be so Cocky. So I play off 17 and shoot 5 over gross for a Net 60. The 1st shout of bandit was from the organiser when he saw my card!!!!

It's their own fault, I did warn them.

 

[Crazyface]

Nope, never ever. My H/C has always reflected my inability to play the game.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Was given a 20 handicap after putting my 3 cards in at RA after a break of several years and no practice or lessons before rejoining. My 3 handicap scores were 98,99 and 98 played in winter. One was in horrid conditions with constant heavy rain and a gale and one was in hurricane like conditions.

In theory I'd have been off 24-28 but as an ex-member they put me off 20 although I argued for 18 or less on past history. I had some lessons and went to 14 in a two month purple patch. I knew I was lower. I ASKED to be lower. I told them as soon as I got back into it I'd drop like a stone but that was the number I was given. Yes of course I felt like a bandit. I was a) bloody embarrased to be off 20 b) doubly determined to stick 2 fingers up to the h/cap secretary and prove a point and c) wanting to prove to myself that I could still do it.

I think what I've learnt from all these threads is that club golfers particularly from the higher end down until single figures all have a capability to have "one of those days" and clean up on the day. Not a bandit in my book if you do that.

There are those that have a higher starting point imposed when they join a club (like me) that they can't get changed and they do well until the handicap finds its natural plateau. Bandit? Probably. Deliberately so - NO

Then there are those that we've all met and have been discussed on here that can clean up a good few quid per week of their regular groups by rocking up with 40+ points every weekend but come a competition round melt like ice cream in the sun. And then when a big event arrives, verrily it comes to pass that they remember how to play. Bandit? Definitely

It's also painfully obvious that like the word cheat in golf, its something that will open a whole can of worms. Can bandity be stopped. That I'm not sure about. There have been some interesting suggestions put forward, but I can't see a way of eradicating it whilst you only need to put 3 qualifiers per year in to retain your figure. Will CONGU look into it? I doubt it. Maybe its time for a GM Facebook campaign

 

[pokerjoke]

Never been called a bandit to my face although im sure a few people have behind my back but it wouldnt bother me in the slightest,i am seen regulary at the practice area working hard on my game,sometimes it all clicks sometimes it doesnt but i know the more i practice the better i will be,and you can guarantee the people that call players bandits are the ones who turn up once a week expecting to clean up when it doesnt happen everyones a bandit.

 

[HughJars]

Bandit to me is someone who nurses their handicap to avoid getting cut in smaller medal play rounds (ie not a major event), by either avoiding being cut with a few well timed duffs late on, or by ensuring they miss the buffer to get a 0.1 back, or even simply plays as few medals as possible, but plays plenty of mixd/betterball or matchplay events.

So while as a new player I rapidly dropped in handicap with some low scores, and would have fallen foul of Homer's definition of a bandit, no I have never been a bandit by what I would term the correct definition.

 

[Pro_V_wan_kenobi]

Can bandity be stopped. That I'm not sure about. There have been some interesting suggestions put forward, but I can't see a way of eradicating it whilst you only need to put 3 qualifiers per year in to retain your figure. Will CONGU look into it? I doubt it. Maybe its time for a GM Facebook campaign

Well said Homer. It has always puzzled me why a starting handicap goes down from its starting level of 28 for instance to a level that is consistent with a players ability. Why can't it go up? Why can’t we have a handicap of 28 but a playing handicap of scratch, much like I have a handicap of 12.6 but a playing handicap of 13. As the player improves and plays in competition, his (or her) handicap would reduce, giving the beginner a goal to play for, Also, the playing handicap will naturally rise to meet it rising at say 4 shots per card. Once the two meet in the middle, as it were, they can be managed as they are now but with one difference, an official card must be submitted at least once a month and if not then the <u>playing handicap is cut, not raised..</u> In this way the hideous inconsistencies caused by a new players’ rapid improvement will be irradiated and the despicable practice of not playing in competition to protect a handicap will be negated.

 

[GB72]

I have, jokingly I hope, been accused of banditry but that is simply due to the fact that I am improving. I have gone down 7 shots in the last year but consistantly play to my handicap then have a break through, lose a few shots, play to that handicap and so on. On a good day I can play to 3 or 4 shots under my handicap but rarely play more than a couple of shots over. Part of the problem, I think, is that a lot of my bounce games are with people who have put in maybe 2 or 3 cards each year and are on lower handicaps that they can no longer play to (less timet to play, practice etc). If they had put in cards most weeks like I do then they would be on more realistic handicaps and would be less frustrated when I play to or under mine. I am accused of banditry occasionally but as I put a card in most weeks then I think it is false accusation.

 

[haplesshacker]

Not yet. But I will be at sometime, I'm sure of it.

On a good day I can easily knock 10 shots off my gross, (and add 10 shots to my gross on a bad day!), so at some point it's inevitable that I'll be labelled a bandit. But my h'cap will be adjusted to show that.

But just let me have my one moment of glory. Please.

 

[JustOne]

I've never been accused of being a bandit...


...just looking up which hole on my course is SI:7

 

[CrapHacker]

I've never been accused of being a bandit...


...just looking up which hole on my course is SI:7

Broken Beech.

The short, straight par 5 where you push your drive into the trees on the right, then you play a stunning escape out onto the fairway, followed by a slightly fatted pull into the cross ditch.

A drop, then a nice wedge, and a couple of putts for a nice sweet 7.

Just think, when you get that extra stroke, you'll get a point on that hole.

Unless you three putt, of course.

 

[RGDave]

Have you ever been a bandit ?

Yes. Who hasn't? It's not my fault I got better.

Thankfully when I started playing again, they didn't put me off 24 again.

- - - - - - -

The higher the h'cap, the more possibility of knocking lots of strokes off on a good day.

If a 24 h'cap made 45 points, I'd not even blink.
If a 12 h'cap made 45 points, I'd be concerned.
If a 2 h'cap made 45 points, I'd recommend turning pro.

 

[Region3]

Suddenly the guy announces that his son had miscounted his score and he had actually scored one less than he'd signed for, so he was the winner.

Am I the only one thinking he should have been DQ'd for signing for the wrong score?

Or at the very least if you sign for more than you shot it stays as signed for?

 

[CrapHacker]

Suddenly the guy announces that his son had miscounted his score and he had actually scored one less than he'd signed for, so he was the winner.

Am I the only one thinking he should have been DQ'd for signing for the wrong score?

Or at the very least if you sign for more than you shot it stays as signed for?

If you sign for a higher score, I think you stick with it.

You sign for a lower score, you get DQ'd.

I think.

I'm not bitter ( yeah, right ) but I'm wondering if the bloke was going to cheat to let his son win, whether the actual number of shots taken was even remotely important to him.

 

[HRC99]

Although, active/inactive is a step in the right direction. Three cards hardly seems a lot given the opportunities at most clubs. I'll have five going in over the course of eight days this week.

Ten cards or even higher would help.