Sandbagging?

[Tball88]

Ok, for those of you who consistently play in leagues or club tournaments how much sandbagging do you think goes on? To give you guys an example, I'm a 6 index/7 handicap at my club. In our 9 hole league last week, I got absolutely absolutely hammered by a 23 handicap (who just happened to have 5 natural pars/net birdies).

Worse part was I shot a even par 9 and took it on the chin.


So I figure I got a couple of choices.

1. Better get better so I can compete with the scratch guys and not have to give strokes
2. Start sandbagging myself

There sure doesn't seem to be any vanity handicaps in my league.

 

[Jared Willerson]

I NEVER play net events nor do I play anyone and give strokes. Net events are simply silly and I have yet to see one where things were equitable. Our Handicap system in the US needs a major overhaul

 

[rbaumgolf]

Whenver there's is an opportunity to "cheat" , many will take that road. To me sandbagging is just another way to cheat an if everybody does then everybody does it.

 

[Tball88]

I agree that our handicap system needs some overhauling. I think it might work if events were strictly stroke play. However, most tournament type events, like member guests, are match play events.

A high handicap may only have a few holes where they blow up, but get a lot of pars. In a match play event, that type of player will kill you.

 

[JRJ]

Make sure he posts all his scores and knows about ESC
Suggest your league or club should play Net events at some % of handicap (say 50%) - the 18 plays as a 9 and the 6 plays as 3
Most club events are flighted - 23's don't play with 6's (even team events like our Member Guest won't allow more than a ten shot difference between partners - so a 23 and a 6 have a total team handicap of 22 (6+16) not 29 (6+23)

 

[ColinMB]

There are -always- going be guys with really low self opinion and misplaced sense of achieving personal glory. Do you want to be one of those guys?

You walked away from that league night knowing full well what happened. That really should be good enough. This guy has some personal issues, who knows, maybe it's a 'mommy' issue. Whatever. Those guys have problems bigger than 'sand bagging' trust me.

Another thought is your league. I'm in a VERY fun league. A lot of guys are there to get away from the wife, and there's a fist full of scratch guys, but even they are usually having more fun than anything else. Is this overall feeling you get from your league (aside from the odd sand bagger)??? If not, I'd look for a different league.

Otherwise I find simply having my own 'honest' good game, and all the new people I meet to be a great reward on league night. I concentrate on the positives... the awesome people, and those great moments where you nail a shot. Who cares about Johnny Sand bagger. Regardless of his facade, he's going home with a hollow feeling of empty victory and guys like you know the truth.

What are we really talking about here anyway? He wins a sleeve of balls for lowest net? Pffff... there's more to life than cheating your way through 'league night'. And don't think the clubhouse guys don't know about it either. It happens.

 

[JRJ]

There are -always- going be guys with really low self opinion and misplaced sense of achieving personal glory. Do you want to be one of those guys?

Well said Colin; the other side of the coin is equally as sad. The vanity handicapper who fancies himself as a great player because he played golf competively as a kid (40 years ago) or was a pretty good non-golf athlete in high school or college. He plays off a 3 or 4 and never breaks 80 in your Sat. group. I wonder what he would shoot if he didn't rake away those 3 footers for bogey? The pairings just came out and he's your A player again this weekend. Oh well, another $20 donation.

 

[Tball88]

Good points, by all of you. It actually probably pushes you to be a better player. I have a match play event coming up against a guy who will be getting between 7-9 shots against me, and seems to always play at or below his handicap in competition events.

For me to have a chance, I figure I have to shoot within a stroke of my handicap or better. If I'm the slightest bit off, I'll get beat badly.

I really like the scratch leagues, I'm just a hair off being able to compete with the best players. I'm hoping to get down to a 2-3 handicap by cutting down strokes around the green, and see if I can at least close to the better players.

And you're right, it's the people you make and enjoying the league that matters...I just got to get over getting whipped up on by someone who shoots a 100

 

[ColinMB]

Good points, by all of you. It actually probably pushes you to be a better player. I have a match play event coming up against a guy who will be getting between 7-9 shots against me, and seems to always play at or below his handicap in competition events.

For me to have a chance, I figure I have to shoot within a stroke of my handicap or better. If I'm the slightest bit off, I'll get beat badly.

I really like the scratch leagues, I'm just a hair off being able to compete with the best players. I'm hoping to get down to a 2-3 handicap by cutting down strokes around the green, and see if I can at least close to the better players.

And you're right, it's the people you make and enjoying the league that matters...I just got to get over getting whipped up on by someone who shoots a 100

I think that's the right spirit to have Tball. Seriously Golf is a game of honour and respect as much as anything else. Have fun, and good luck shaving those strokes.

 

[cmartingolf]

Try being the Club Pro who has to manage that crap....we were really tough on sandbagging and they were fleshed out quickly. We had to watch for the occaisional new member, newly retired, who's improvement outpaced the handicap system.

PopeOfSlope.com

A socialistic way of dealing with the socialists.

Automatically reduces Course Handicaps based on finishes in net events. Managing it is a pain in the rear, but it does spread out the purses. Net sucks, but it gets more people in the competitive spirit. Otherwise one or two club people would win everything. Very few people understand the USGA Handicap system and think that a Course Handicap is something they should shoot daily rather than 25% of time as noted in the guidelines.

Redirect | United States Golf Association - I spend a lot of time there setting up club events.

 

[Tball88]

CR, I feel for you. We have an official handicap committee, but there is always some kind of drama.

I think some people are professional at this kind of thing. I played one guy in a two man match play event, he was playing at 4 over or so through about 14 when he closed us out. He then went on to double the last four holes

 

[niblick1]

Our club manages this stuff as best they can. Some events are random draw team events with the club pros flighting and making handicap adjustments based on prior performance. I used to play in scrambles but kept finishing at the bottom with my teams until they started drawing for teams and adjusting handicaps. At some point my club will tell members, which is very hard to do, you must not be recording your scores correctly, why don't you sit out an event or two....

The reality is if you play most events that are large enough, there will be a good number of sandbaggers and unless you are one, you have no chance.

To me handicaps/strokes only work among people who know each other.

And regardless of strokes or handicaps, to me the real winner is the person who shoots the lowest score. And you can't claim to win unless you are playing from the same tees as your competitor. This means there are people I can never beat, but that's life.

I work with a guy who won a member-guest playing this summer as a guest with his brother. Got an adjusted handicap of over 15 for the event last month. Shot a 76 last week.