snide comments and accusations

[papyt]

I have played golf on and off for 30 years and have been as low as 7hcp but having only been back playing for 3 years after a lay off due to illness i joined a local private club,i put my cards in and was given a 17 hcp all well and good as i can only play 2 rounds a week, i played in one of the board comps last month and played the game of my life,you know the one, hit every fairway,all greens in regulation and sank impossible putts and as a result shot 6 over par gross 75 a nett 58,i now have to face a constant barrage of abuse from members who either claim i am a pot hunter or a cheat i even have to suffer from snide back hand comments from the pro,has any one else suffered from having the round of their lives or been classed as a cheat for winning when not expected to.

 

[Billysboots]

The question I would have to ask is, having been as low as a 7 handicap, did you feel the 17 handicap awarded was an accurate reflection of your standard of play? I accept you have been away from the game for some time, but by your own admission you have been back playing for three years - you do not get as low as 7 if you don't know which end to hold the club. If you felt 17 was not a fair reflection of your game, did you speak to the handicap secretary about it?

I have to say, if I saw a new member shoot a nett 58 and I then found out he used to play off 7 but was now ten shots higher then, at the very least, I would be asking a few questions!

 

[papyt]

hi billy boots i was off 7 20 years ago and have been a member of my club 3 years and have not had any were near a score of 75 and in all honesty for the amount i play will probably will not go as low again.

 

[Hobbit]

If you put 3 consecutive cards in you've got nowt to worry about. You'll will improve quicker than a new starter as your old swing returns. Its the difference between a new starter anda returning golfer. Its up to the handicap committee to recognise that and manage your handicap appropriately.

As to the snipers; there's an element of jealousy with an awful lot of ignorance. Providing you haven't deliberately managed your handicap, its the handicapping committee that's responsible for what you play off. It may not be fun, being sniped at, but its a fact of life. Give it a wee while and it'll be yesterday's news.

And well played and congrats on your win.

 

[imran_ali]

When I joined my club last year I done the usual and was given a 22 handicap as the 3 cards were put in in the winter. I told the H.S that it was not a true reflection of my handicap but he said play a few comps and see how it goes. As usual the questions were asked and the HS supported me all the way. In the end I found it a burden playing off 22 and took a observational cut to 18. I can understand how you feel but I can also see how the other members would get upset...........net 58= B.A.N.D.I.T lol

 

[Imurg]

Everyone has good days - everyone has bad days.
The ones that are making these remarks are happily forgetting the bad and only remembering the good.
In the last 3 months I have had scores of nett 57 and nett 87 - does the first score make me a bandit or does the 2nd score mean my handicap is too low....?

 

[Junior]

Difficult situation paypt. Only you know if 17 was a fair handicap at the time. If you were shooting between 14-20 over each time you played then 17 is fair h/cap from your 3 cards. If you had a couple of blinding games of 5-10 over and didnt put these cards in in favour of the higher scores, then your on dodgy ground.

 

[rosecott]

I have played golf on and off for 30 years and have been as low as 7hcp but having only been back playing for 3 years after a lay off due to illness i joined a local private club,i put my cards in and was given a 17 hcp all well and good as i can only play 2 rounds a week, i played in one of the board comps last month and played the game of my life,you know the one, hit every fairway,all greens in regulation and sank impossible putts and as a result shot 6 over par gross 75 a nett 58,i now have to face a constant barrage of abuse from members who either claim i am a pot hunter or a cheat i even have to suffer from snide back hand comments from the pro,has any one else suffered from having the round of their lives or been classed as a cheat for winning when not expected to.

Were your 3 submitted cards the sole justification for a 17 handicap?
Did you disclose your previous handicap and playing history?
If you did, did your handicap committee take the disclosure into account?

Without knowing the details of the 3 cards, it would be difficult to know if you were properly assessed although my gut feeling is that 17 would be too high for someone who had reached a handicap of 7.

 

[edgey]

Did you disclose to the club that you used to be off 7 with the name of the last club that held that handicap?

In all fairness genuine 17 handicap golfers dont play to 6. I am off 8 and i dont shoot 6 over very often.

 

[Hobbit]

Its 20 years since he was off 7, and he's been a member of a club for 3 years. He's had a day out.

Did he declare his 7 handicap from 20 years ago? Just what relevance is his handicap of 20 years ago got to do with it? We've got a (62yr old) guy at our place who plays off 23, and 20 yrs ago he was off 2, and he plays every week.

If he was a genuine bandit, out managing his handicap every week, do you honestly think he'd post up here?

Give him a break...

 

[rosecott]

Its 20 years since he was off 7, and he's been a member of a club for 3 years. He's had a day out.

Did he declare his 7 handicap from 20 years ago? Just what relevance is his handicap of 20 years ago got to do with it? We've got a (62yr old) guy at our place who plays off 23, and 20 yrs ago he was off 2, and he plays every week.

If he was a genuine bandit, out managing his handicap every week, do you honestly think he'd post up here?

Give him a break...

Not the faintest suggestion that he was a bandit!

I was just going through the process that all handicap committees have to adhere to when awarding initial handicaps so that the OP could demonstrate that he had acted correctly.

I didn't see any mention that it was 20 years since his previous handicap of 7. If that was the case, then it would not carry the same weight as it would if it were just a couple of years ago.

There is no issue with your 62-year old as he has been playing regularly and has risen to 23 in the normal way.

Sorry - missed his second post which said it was 20 years ago.

 

[Imurg]

In all fairness genuine 17 handicap golfers dont play to 6. I am off 8 and i dont shoot 6 over very often.

They can and do.

The Prizewinners Comp at my last club was won by a 16 handicapper who shot a nett 61 (par 71). He's been playing off 16 for 20 years playing virtually every comp available...............

How often does Kaymer shoot 9 under? How many times does he shoot 5-6 over?

I was a genuine - whatever that means - 9 handicapper and I shot 4 under par gross a month after shooting 15 over par gross. We're amateur golfers, we have good days and we have bad.
It's jealousy and ignorance that cause whispers.

And, to a point, I agree that a handicap of 7 20 years ago has little relevence to now. 5 years ago I'd say there was cause to take it into account but 20...?

 

[Jonny]

You'll always get people who do that.

Fact is the handicap you were given is the handicap you were given. I had a year or so off the game and had to return 3 cards. I was Cat 1 so the county told them what to apply based on my previous scores etc... but the computer said 17 and 17 is what you are. If they don't like the score you shot their problem.

 

[edgey]

Its 20 years since he was off 7, and he's been a member of a club for 3 years. He's had a day out.

Did he declare his 7 handicap from 20 years ago? Just what relevance is his handicap of 20 years ago got to do with it? We've got a (62yr old) guy at our place who plays off 23, and 20 yrs ago he was off 2, and he plays every week.

If he was a genuine bandit, out managing his handicap every week, do you honestly think he'd post up here?

Give him a break...

In fact it almost feels that he has posted here to allow total strangers to sooth his conscience. I would suggest that it isnt us he needs to convince of his "game of a life" (incidently if it was the game a life how did he get down to 7 out of interest) and more his fellow members.

I have no idea if you are a bandit or just lucky, problem appears to be that neither do any of you fellow members. Golf is a game of personal integrity and honesty and this is what your fellow members appear to be questioning. Only you know the truth and i dont need convincing.

 

[Tommo21]

I would not be happy with 17 after playing off 7...even if it was 20 years ago. Sorry, but I would have wanted better cards put in for the new HC.

 

[richart]

I played off 6 over 30 years ago, and through not playing went out to 11. Gave up for years and when I came back 4 years ago, told the club my history and was given 11. Didn't have to submit any cards and I was happy with that. It went up to 13 over a couple of years before starting to come down again. Would not have felt comfortable with a higher handicap in case I did have a very low score just after joining the club. New technology certainly hasn't made the game harder than 30 years ago even for an old duffer like me.

 

[Bandido]

Well one things for sure now; it wont be 17 now. Well done and keep it going.

 

[Robobum]

............ hit every fairway,all greens in regulation and sank impossible puttsand as a result shot 6 over par gross........

Hit every GIR reg but still shot 6 over?? Where did the need for holing impossible putts come up??

What did you putt with? A croquet mallet??

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have to say, if I saw a new member shoot a nett 58 and I then found out he used to play off 7 but was now ten shots higher then, at the very least, I would be asking a few questions!

Sorry Billy but I know where the OP is coming from. I use to be a low handicapper going back nearly 30 years but then I packed it in for over ten years, came back with swing flaws and then drifeted in and out of the game with injuries, meeting HID and other family crap. It wasn't until about seven years ago that I really got back into it properly and when I rejoined Ascot was given 18. Now bearing in mind I put three cards in playing in torrential rain and gales I thought it was a fair reflection of where I was. My swing was being over hauled by a teaching pro and I was improving fast. Naturally I picked up a few medal and stableford wins and when people knew about my past I got the same thing although my club pro knew me from my first membership spell at Ascot and so didn't join in.

I will never get back to the really low days but can still have my good days. Sadly I think there are members at a lot of clubs who never win or meet their own aspirations and feel a certain bitterness to those doing well. I know Sundance has had a stellar season this year and gone from 26 to 13 and had much the same treatment

 

[Billysboots]

To be fair, Homer, what I said was I would be asking a few questions! I did not know until I asked the question that he had been a 7 handicap over 20 years ago, for example.

Whilst I agree entirely that everyone can "have their day", I nevertheless feel it would be remiss if questions were not at least asked at some level if someone came in with a nett 58, regardless of the circumstances.