Society golf, why do I play it?

[Herbie]

I mentioned a practice session last week with the team for the society meet today, well, of the few society golf comps I have been in over the years, yet again,it made me wonder why I bother

God knows how they calculated the h/c's, it was supposed to be 3/4 4 ball better ball/4 ball aggragate, but I think the abacus was broken by the chap who came up with the result .

Anyway, my partners full h/c was 18, the oposition were a 28 and a 25 , I love it when high h/cappers say certain formats make things easier for lower h/cappers
Anyway it was down to hole wins only, would count.

I played the front 9 well and the back 9 a little poorly but overall had a half decent round 83.
I won 1 hole, my partner won 2,they won 10! the rest being halved. To have beaten these guys myself, I would have to have made about 7 birdies and made par on the rest and Im not talking nett! and the only birdie I got today only halved the hole (si 5)

Oh I just love society invites I do hope I dont get asked again Still at least I played some decent golf and had some fun and the grub was good.

Society golf..doh!

 

[tonto768]

Herb whats your h/c

 

[SammmeBee]

Sounds a very odd game...not the suggested 4BBB format where you should be giving them shots over the lowest stroke index holes.....basically they got too many shots on the easy holes and you had no chance....

I think you play society golf because you think it's cheap....and we all know what happens when you pay peanuts....

 

[bobmac]

Herbie, I know your pain only too well.
I teach a guy who's a member of your club (no names) who I believe is off about 23.
He(no names) plays in a society and often go out for day trips to other courses. His (no names) society handicap has just gone back up to 13
Watch out for him (no names) in the board competitions next year.
Pm me for his name

 

[CVG]

I take the point and it is absolutly correct, and I accept that it should be as fair as possibe. Perhaps I'm lucky the society I'm a member of uses a handicap software package which calculates our handicaps for the society, which helps a lot. Having said all that the golf is not the most important thing about our meetings. I know that might be sacralidge to some of you but it's true.
I enjoy the company and the chance to catch up with old mates, play as best I can on challenging courses. To me thats more important.
Golf doesn't always have to focus on winning does it?

 

[Herbie]

I know you will get bandits in such comps but when they play like a compitent 11-16 handicapper its depressing..lol.
One of them shot 83 and the other about 90 and they also missed a few sitters and one chap had a couple of tripple bogey's, that level of golf is almost impossible to beat when you are in a format that gives you no shots, it just makes you work extra hard to achieve which in turn results in error. its not just some daft formats played but the level of banditry, but Im such a sucker for a game of golf, that I will probably play again if they ask me. It is so demoralising when on so many holes you are putting to make birdie just to halve the hole, I think my back 9 poor play was really a 'give up' mentality when you know what your best is capable of and its just not good enough by a long shot..

 

[Pants]

The society I play with have a strict policy on handicaps.

All games are played as Stableford. Any new member who hasn't got an official club h/c plays the first game with a h/c of 18 max. No new member can win a prize at the first event apart from longest drive/nearest the pin.

The winner gets cut 2 shots plus an extra shot for every 2 points above 36 so for 40 points he will get cut 4 shots. Any other players who score more than 36 points also get cut 1 shot for each 2 points over. To prevent any h/c protection by new members, their cards are looked at closely by the h/c sec who decides what h/c they will play off next time. Shots can occasionally be given back, again at his discretion.

It all seems to even out after a period of time and you don't get the same people winning every time.

 

[Imurg]

So if I win with, say, 28 points I would still get cut 2 shots just for winning? Do that 5 times and I'd be off scratch!!

Glad I don't play society golf

 

[Leftie]

Winning regularly with 28 points off a reducing handicap What does that say about the other players or the course?

I used to play in a society with a similar system. With occasional wins over the years and a win and second the year before last, I ended up playing 6 under my official club handicap. Little chance of me winning again until the other bandits have been sufficiently cut or the handicapper takes pity on me.

As someone else said though, society days are for fun, meeting up with old friends two or three times a year - winning comes second (but only just)

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Its a shame that what should be a fun day out is reduced to a mental exercise is self-belief. I only play in one society now where the handicaps are fairly well monitored and most members are bona-fide members of a number of clubs and who all play on or about thier society handicaps. Those that are more social or irregular golfers get 24 as a starting point and then get cut savagely if they perform well. It is one of the more competitive but even fought society's I've been involved in.

I've played in some where 20-25 handicappers have walked in shooting 10 or so over par. Its no fun for anyone and they know full well their handicaps are wrong. Is it worth it for a few balls and a cheap trophy. They are the first to moan about being cut but still seem to be playing only a shot or two lower next time out.

 

[rgs]

Our society cut the gross winner 1.6 or 10%, class winners 1.1 or 0.5%, class runner ups 0.6 or 2.5%, this stops the low handicappers being cut excesssively. Shot 38 pts or over and an additional cut of 5% applies.
Shoot less than 29 pts and you get 0.5 back.

Works well as the prizes are spread out, which i believe is fair and proper way to run a society.

 

[USER1999]

In the society I belong to, I used to be off 2. So I had to shoot 9 under net to get 36 points. I got depressed just tying my shoe laces, before I even got to the first tee.

 

[Herbie]

Oh it was a fun day, and a good laugh, with much beer and ridicule at the evenings fish and chips in the pub. I asked them to accept the winning shield only if they removed their handkerchiefs,so we could see their faces .

 

[johng]

our works society runs along simillar lines.

All stableofrd scores added together and divided by number of players. 1 full shot change (+-) per 2 points difference against average.

So if 26 points wins and the 'field' average is 18 points the winner will lose 4 shots off his h'cap.

My club h'cap is 13 and in the last meeting I had to play off +2 .

A guy in my group was off 28 so in effect i was giving him 30 shots over 18 holes. OUCH!

It does even out after a few games as big cuts and increases can occur. It does also prevent the same people winning evry time. (though my name is on the cup 3 times )

we also have a toilet seat for last place, as a way of preventing some people scoring zero and having a massive increase through 1 round.

That said, it is a works society, we're all good friends and it is mainly for fun and a game of golf.

 

[viscount17]

our society takes the fourth placed score as the CSS; anyone above is cut by the difference, winner is cut 2.0 + difference, anyone below +0.2.

you are also expected to update the sec with your national handicap and society cannot be higher than this.

I'm 21.1 national/ 19.8 society