Golf Thread

[SWP's back]

Context, dear boy. Context.

Some club's Club Championship is meant for the "elite" members. Imagine a 2 h/cpr and a scratch golfer being drawn (if it is a drawn comp) with the afore mentioned 20 h/cpr. The two "good golfers" have their day burdened by experiencing poor golf/ball searching etc (whilst losing their concentration), and the 20 h/cpr being intimidated, and getting flustered.
Everyone loses. Tweety offers good advice, if this is the case.

However, if that club's Champ is open to all, and you're playing with your mates/people of similar ability, then fill your boots.

That’s entirely what the handicap system is for.

I’m very sad to say that it’s statements and feelings like the ones you’ve just espoused that make people think golf is a game for arseholes.*

*not saying you’re an arsehole. I’m sure you’re not. But it’s the petty elitism that I hate. I play every week with a couple of scratch golfers and one guy (QA Exec pilot) who’s off +3 and very luckily for me, they’re the exact opposite of that mindset. They couldn’t be more welcoming. I first met them in November, I’d been playing for two months, was off 23 and they were playing a 3 ball with a 4 ahead of them. I was on my own and they insisted I joined them to even out the waiting. I was shitting myself and they made me feel so welcome and were incredibly encouraging. I’m sure it’s playing with guys like that regularly that has enabled me (along with too much free time) to get down to 11.7 inside 9 months. I know you’ll say “but that was social play and he’s on about a tournament” but it’s the same thing near enough.

 

[tweety]

But that's not the point he was making. A club championship is a scratch competition, no handicaps. A winning score might be level or under par for 2 rounds. A 20 handicapper might be 40 or 50 shots off.
Where I play there are probably 100 qualifying competitions during the season, 99 of them will use handicaps. Let the low handicappers play the club champ, I don't understand the kickback over this.
.

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

I have entered in Club Championship, off 20 at the minute and newish member not played many comps. I have only entered to get experience of playing in comps and the course will be set up very hard I am told......I am just worried might piss other members off if I have shocker and put them off game.....was thinking of withdrawing. Anyone been in this position?

You'll be fine. If it's a club championship you'll be drawn in HC order. Which means you'll be drawn with others of similar ability.
Tee it up and enjoy your day, my friend. You've as much right to be out there as any other fucker on the course.

 

[SWP's back]

I don't understand the kickback over this.

Then you should probably have a think.

 

[toolah1511]

My first club championship I was playing off 13 and drawn with a +2 and a 2 players. On the first tee before we teed off the 2 handicapper turned to me and said "if you go in the long stuff I ain't helping you look for it I ain't here for that shit" at that point I found myself getting really nervous and topped my tee shot about 60 yards, +2 handicapper comes over puts his arm around me and said "I'm here for the company, nice to meet you" made me relax no end. By the 10th I was having a decent round but the 2 handicapper had been in the long stuff 2 or 3 times and both the +2 and I had helped him look for his ball. On the 10th tee I sliced the hell out of it and put it right in the long stuff. Took a provisional and nailed it straight down the middle, the 2 handicapper says to me "no point in trying to find that" the +2 says "yes there is" and marched off into the long stuff with me following, I said to him "we ain't finding this" to which he replies "I know but the 5 mins we will take will really piss him off and I want to see him chuck his toys out of the pram"' we had been ambling about in the rough for a bit when the 2 handicapper shouts "You ain't finding it give up" to which the +2 shouts back "I am timing this are you?" "no" came the reply. We never found the ball and returned to the fairway where I proceeded to put my second shot to 6" from the hole. "for fucks sake" came out of the 2 handicappers mouth. he the proceeded to put his approach into the front bunker and raged "that's because I've cooled down from the waiting about". I putted out for a 5 the 2 handicapper left one in the bunker, the 3 putted and scored a 6. The biggest smile was on the face of the +2. At the end of the round I had shot an 80, 2 handicapper an 77 and +2 a 65. I shook hands with the +2 handicapper and went to shake hands with the 2 handicapper who did so begrudgingly saying to me "you ruined my round" to which the +2 handicapper responded "nope you never had a good round in you because your a ****". The +2 handicapper came 2nd in the championship and I apologised to him if I distracted him "no you didn't, playing with you made me relax and I've won it three times before anyway". I still tee off with the +2 handicapper now and again and the 2 handicapper has left the club.
What I took out of that experience was, club golfers with nothing to prove will help you out and relax you, and cunts will always be cunts.
I say tee off in your club champs and treat it like a day out with your mates and enjoy it, and hopefully you might find new playing partner or 2.

 

[tweety]

Advise him to enter it, finish last by a good margin and his confidence is probably gone. I'll leave it there, I don't think you understand how competitive sport works.

 

[lefty goldblatt]

Blimey, I didn't even realise there was an elite class of amateur golf, here's me thinking the handicap system enabled golfers of all abilities to play together. It's the club cup, not the fucking open.
Some say there's a lot of snobbery in golf, I wonder where they get that idea from!
When I was starting out I loved playing with the lower handicappers, you learn so much from them. Not once was I made to feel I was impeding their game. Maybe they were too polite, or were mentally strong enough to not let a hacker like me affect their game?
Context my arse, he should play and enjoy every minute of it. And maybe if one day he gets his handicap down to the magical elite level, he might return the favour and welcome a nervous high handicapper to competition golf.

Untwist your knickers, there's a good chap.
I've played with many players (hundreds of times) umpteen levels above my abilities, and likewise, below, and enjoyed them both. Snobbery comes nowhere near it. By all means, play competition golf with ALL levels of ability, each weekend, THAT'S how people learn off each other. That's how I dropped from a 20 h/capper myself, to my lowest of 4.5

I've no idea of how Belfast Blue Boy's club operates it's CC, but, as I said before, IF its open to all, then he SHOULD play. If its heavily entered by low single figure h/clappers, then maybe just give this week a miss, and enjoy playing a sociable 4 ball, or, if his club is running one this weekend, an alternative competition.

To put it into context (again), I played in my club's Championship for about 20 years running. One year, playing off 7, I was DRAWN with a 1 h/cpr and a +2er. I probably shouldn't have played in it, as my form was poor, but I'm a competitive animal, so I played. Guess what!!! I played poorly. Hacked it, whilst my playing partners were "smoking it". I've never felt so embarrassed on a golf course. SHOULD Belfast Blue Boy's club offer a similar situation, I wouldn't want him to go through that. Golf's a hard enough game as it is.

My club's Championship is NOW only open to 9 and BELOW (over 36 holes in one day), where entrants go out in seeded order in the morning (highest first) , and then highest score downwards in the afternoon.

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

Advise him to enter it, finish last by a good margin and his confidence is probably gone. I'll leave it there, I don't think you understand how competitive sport works.

You're right. He should withdraw and cancel his membership with immediate effect.
Competitive sport? It's a golf club not a fucking academy.

 

[lefty goldblatt]

You're right. He should withdraw and cancel his membership with immediate effect.
Competitive sport? It's a golf club not a fucking academy.

BUT THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT.
The Club Championship IS the "fucking academy"
The other 51 weeks of the year, it isn't.

I've no idea of your footballing prowess, but would you enter a free kick competition with KDB, Yaya, Tevez, Ronaldo, Ward Prowse, etc....

 

[sky tot]

My first club championship I was playing off 13 and drawn with a +2 and a 2 players. On the first tee before we teed off the 2 handicapper turned to me and said "if you go in the long stuff I ain't helping you look for it I ain't here for that shit" at that point I found myself getting really nervous and topped my tee shot about 60 yards, +2 handicapper comes over puts his arm around me and said "I'm here for the company, nice to meet you" made me relax no end. By the 10th I was having a decent round but the 2 handicapper had been in the long stuff 2 or 3 times and both the +2 and I had helped him look for his ball. On the 10th tee I sliced the hell out of it and put it right in the long stuff. Took a provisional and nailed it straight down the middle, the 2 handicapper says to me "no point in trying to find that" the +2 says "yes there is" and marched off into the long stuff with me following, I said to him "we ain't finding this" to which he replies "I know but the 5 mins we will take will really piss him off and I want to see him chuck his toys out of the pram"' we had been ambling about in the rough for a bit when the 2 handicapper shouts "You ain't finding it give up" to which the +2 shouts back "I am timing this are you?" "no" came the reply. We never found the ball and returned to the fairway where I proceeded to put my second shot to 6" from the hole. "for fucks sake" came out of the 2 handicappers mouth. he the proceeded to put his approach into the front bunker and raged "that's because I've cooled down from the waiting about". I putted out for a 5 the 2 handicapper left one in the bunker, the 3 putted and scored a 6. The biggest smile was on the face of the +2. At the end of the round I had shot an 80, 2 handicapper an 77 and +2 a 65. I shook hands with the +2 handicapper and went to shake hands with the 2 handicapper who did so begrudgingly saying to me "you ruined my round" to which the +2 handicapper responded "nope you never had a good round in you because your a ****". The +2 handicapper came 2nd in the championship and I apologised to him if I distracted him "no you didn't, playing with you made me relax and I've won it three times before anyway". I still tee off with the +2 handicapper now and again and the 2 handicapper has left the club.
What I took out of that experience was, club golfers with nothing to prove will help you out and relax you, and cunts will always be cunts.
I say tee off in your club champs and treat it like a day out with your mates and enjoy it, and hopefully you might find new playing partner or 2.

Brilliant story mate , 2 hcp was just a twat in life , end off .