Why do most golfers do this?

[bobmac]

You take up golf
You practice hard
You join a club
More practice
Lessons
More practice
Buy loads of kit
More practice
Enter comps..play rubbish
More practice/lessons
Get better
More comps
More new kit
More clothes
and finally...................

You have a good day and win a competition
.
.
.
.
and get called a bandit

Was it worth all the hassle to be called the biggest bandit of the day ?

 

[JustOne]

Thought it was going to another slow play thread.......





What is all this 'practice' and 'winning' that you talk about?

 

[GreiginFife]

Dunno about Bandit Bob but I keep getting hunted by the Mexican Immigration Service...

 

[swanny32]

I love being called a bandit, means that all the hard work is paying off and I'm actually playing well......unfortunately it's not often the bandit comment is thrown in my direction.

 

[ScienceBoy]

In my mind the definition of a bandit is someone who artificially keeps their handicap high to enter specific competitions. It is not someone who has put in hard work and entered plenty of competitions who then happens to have the fruits of their labour result in a good score!

The winner is the person who scores best on the day, its not my job to determine if the are cheating in some way unless I was responsible for their card or observed their actions on the course.

I would rather congratulate a good score than speak ill behind someone's back without evidence, japing aside

 

[SatchFan]

The only thing I can practice on my course at the moment is the breaststoke.

 

[USER1999]

I just get laughed at for practicing and having lessons. Most of my mates can't see why I'd want to put effort in, and get better. Why not just be happy hacking it round in the mid eighties.

That's the silly thing with golf. Due to the handicap system, there is no tangible reward for putting hard work in. You still shoot your handicap, and get 36 points. The only reward is what you make of it.

 

[socky]

Why not just be happy hacking it round in the mid eighties.

Sorry I'm confused.... is that hacking it round?

 

[pokerjoke]

Its a shame the word bandit is bandied about.
I was up the range earlier practicing my short game,hopefully
dialing in some distances.
The pro was giving a lesson to a girl.
On the way past he said hi,and mentioned the word dedication.
If i won the weekend and scored well,im sure the word bandit
would be used somewhere by someone.
However they wouldnt know it was probably deserved,due to hard work.
Its sad but it will always be there.

 

[JustOne]

That's the silly thing with golf. Due to the handicap system, there is no tangible reward for putting hard work in. You still shoot your handicap, and get 36 points. The only reward is what you make of it.

I'm finding it less rewarding all the time....

 

[john0]

Bob you lost me when you started talking about practicing Your assuming that people have time on their hands

 

[USER1999]

Sorry I'm confused.... is that hacking it round?

Yes, it can be. I tried very hard to shoot 100 once, but my concentration cracked and I birdied the last accidentally for a 98.

To shoot mid 80s requires very mediocre golf. It really does. If I can do it, any one can.

 

[G1BB0]

Yes, it can be. I tried very hard to shoot 100 once, but my concentration cracked and I birdied the last accidentally for a 98.

To shoot mid 80s requires very mediocre golf. It really does. If I can do it, any one can.

so if thats mediocre getting mid 80's mine must be absolute dog**** golf

 

[DaveyG]

Sorry I'm confused.... is that hacking it round?[/QUOTE

Haha was about to say the same. Unless your course is 1000yrds i would be happy to hack the way you do

Im the same though, i have the lessons because i get so much out of getting better at the game. Nothing beats playing with someone who says bloody hell mate you have got so much better.

 

[CMAC]

never been called a bandit

 

[ScienceBoy]

This season for me shows what practice can do:

1. (Month 1) Get a range membership, have a lesson, hit 200 balls a week for a few weeks.

2. (Month 2) Play with Philly169 and Poter_36 - Shoot 100+ (lost count I think) with tops a plenty

3. Another lesson + 200 balls a week

4. (Month 3) Round at Sudbrook Moor- Shoot about 19 over par. Round with Uncle, shoot ~ in the 90s but dont play well all the time.

5. Another lesson, start practicing short game and continue with 200 balls a week

6. Play with housemate at East Horton- Shoot 88

7. (Month 4) Practice the short game 2-4 times a week + 200 balls a week for a few more weeks

8. Play round Ampfield Par 3, shoot 13 over par for 18 holes.

9. Play round with therod and SyR- Shoot 84, just two over the old handicap of 12!

This shows gradual improvement over 16 weeks, I had a decent golf game 7 months prior to this but nothing much in-between. I usually go to the range 3 times a week and hit ~200 balls over the 3 trips.

My game drastically improved after two things, getting a consistent swing and starting to practice the short game!

So if someone had the time like me they could progress quite far in a year, I took 20+ shots off my game in less than 4 months with just 3 lessons and 6 hours a week practice plus a handful of rounds.

 

[Deleted member 15717]

I found I was getting called a bandit by people who didn't know me (actually leading people to complain to the club about me!) Now those people are coming to realise I was putting in hard work, and things weren't clicking on competition weekends so I was never getting cut. In 12 months, I have been cut nigh on 14 shots, with the half of that coming in the past 3 or 4 weeks, as I have managed to win a couple of competitions. Keeping the swing ticking over during the winter period has paid dividends, and I am hoping I can go lower still by the end of the year

 

[SocketRocket]

My Pro shop account is in Pesos

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I just get laughed at for practicing and having lessons. Most of my mates can't see why I'd want to put effort in, and get better. Why not just be happy hacking it round in the mid eighties.

That's the silly thing with golf. Due to the handicap system, there is no tangible reward for putting hard work in. You still shoot your handicap, and get 36 points. The only reward is what you make of it.

I'm with Murph all the way here. I take regular lessons and work hard on my game. Granted I enjoy the work I put in and so practuce isn't a chore. I want to get back to 10 and then lower and need to work at it because I'm not naturally gifted. I get frustrated when the good practice doesn't transpire into good scores on the course but I stick with it as I can see more and more progress over more and more rounds and know I'm moving in the right direction.

As for being called a bandit, it doesn't seem to happen that often off 12-13 at my place (or maybe I just haven't won anything in a while and have forgotten) and to be truthful apart from some banter in the 19th there are very, very few in our place that would actually begrudge anyone a win irrespective of handicap. I got blown out of the water in our Easter comp having posted a score that would have won 6 out of the last 7 years. The guy that won beat my 2 round combined with his second round effort alone. Yes I have played with him and yes off 18 he has shown that potentially he is much lower. He is now anyway (18-15) but he regularly enters comps and his handicap was what it was. Better man won on the day. A bandit? No chance

 

[kid2]

I agree with Murph and Homer....
Although im self thought and have never had a lesson my playing partners just cant seem to understand why i want to get cut...
Iv put a lot of hard work in over the last 12 months and i think this year it'll pay off a little...Fingers crossed...

For me a dropping handicap is a sign of your game getting progressively and consistently better.
So my reply to them when they start to rip the piss out of me for wanting to get better is "Getting cut means im getting better.....
Going up in 0.1's like ye do means ye are getting progressively worse .....


I hate when they compare their game to mine....There may be a decent amount of strokes of a difference yet they are adamant that their game is as sound as mine...Which i know isnt right.