Best Sandbagger Story!

[crusher]

Can you top this?? I played in a modified alternate shot format last week with a friend, and a twosome who's index was a 6.7 and 14.4 carded a 61 GROSS!! They went 30, 31 on a 6500 yd, 134 slope course. I've seen a lot over 25 years of golf, but never this! They were members at the local course. We filed an official protest but the head pro is not going to disqualify them!

Your thoughts??

[clubchamp]

Why should the head pro disqualify them? If it was a twosome was another twosome playing with them? I'm assuming 61 is 11 under and the 14 would have been getting strokes on all but 4 holes. I wouldn't find it that far fetched that a 14 could make quite a few pars which would result in birdies and the 7 would probably be able to contribute a handful of birdies. I've seen legit scores that low and in handicap tourneys it only takes one mid to high handicapper to have a good day for a team to run away with it. I know a couple of high 20 low 30 handicappers who can turn in 3 to 5 pars a round and if they do it in a handicap tourney they would go low.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by clubchamp

Why should the head pro disqualify them? If it was a twosome was another twosome playing with them? I'm assuming 61 is 11 under and the 14 would have been getting strokes on all but 4 holes. I wouldn't find it that far fetched that a 14 could make quite a few pars which would result in birdies and the 7 would probably be able to contribute a handful of birdies. I've seen legit scores that low and in handicap tourneys it only takes one mid to high handicapper to have a good day for a team to run away with it. I know a couple of high 20 low 30 handicappers who can turn in 3 to 5 pars a round and if they do it in a handicap tourney they would go low.

He said 61 gross.  You are talking about their net score.  You are also talking about best ball, and he said it was alternate shot.  That means that you could theoretically average the 2 handicaps to get an idea where they should be ... which is 10 or 11, meaning if they shot at their handicap they should have been around 81 or 82.  I would have to agree with OP that a 61 seems pretty far fetched for that pair.

But my first thought was the same as yours ... if it was a twosome, they probably had another twosome in the group with them.  Did you ask them what the deal was?

[clubchamp]

Ah yes I missed the gross part yeahhhhhh that would be highly unlikely but if they were letting 2somes go out alone you'd pretty much be asking for it.

[crusher]

The other twosome were members as well, so they did attest the score...highly suspicious! Same twosome won last years event and won a trip to Whistling Straits. First place prize this year...all expenses paid to Pebble Beach for 2 days/3nights. There is a PGA tour event called the Franklin Templeton Shootout, which plays the same format. No Pro twosome recored a double digit under par score. They bogied 18, had they pared the 18th hole they would have shot 60! One away from the magical 59! Does this change anyone's opinion?

[clubchamp]

So by saying the other 2some were members do you mean they knew they were sandbaggers and didn't care? The only other mistake that could have been made was they were writing down their net scores and not even keeping gross.

[BallStriker]

Whatever their respective handicaps, they had a career day.....not absolutely certain i know what you mean by "modified alternate shot," but this score in any alternate shot -- even if both get to hit tee ball and pick -- is impressive.....i would think obviously bullshit on the handicaps, but the fact they carded a 61....can't argue with that for a winner

[crusher]

Modified alternate shot is pick the best drive, and the other person hits the second shot. You alternate shots until the ball is holed. They had 9 birdies, 1 eagle, 7 pars and 1 bogey. There were two tournaments in one that day, the other being a 4-man scramble. They beat the 4 man scramble team by 1 shot, GROSS scores. Net score, they beat the 4 man scramble team by 7 shots.

[Beachcomber]

This is why I don't play in lame tournaments like this... I've seen it happen far too many times when guys come in with scores that are far - far - far from being obtainable.  Crusher... For the winning team to get a trip to Pebble - what was the entry fee?  I'm guessing it had to be steep.  I don't think I would waste my time or money on that event in the future.

[crusher]

It was $150/player. We are not going to play in the event again or at that course...lesson learned.

[CraiginKSA]

These guys are obviously managing their handicaps (only turning in high scores).  They are stealing money.  The problem is, if they never play in an individual stroke/medal tournament, they will not get adjusted.  In fact you have to have two stroke play tournaments in a year, significantly below your index, before you get adjusted.

They're crooks.

My buddy counts every stroke and turns in every casual round.  He had a couple of good tournaments last year and they broke him down from a 21 to a 16!!  That seemed harsh as he really is about a 20-22.  But those are the rules.

[caniac6]

I played in a tourney with a guy that was an officer in the club. He shot a 78 with a 19 handicap. After the round, he proudly announce" I'm turning that one in". I am not a member at that club anymore.

[soon_tourpro]

welcome to cheating the rules and win better strategy.

[Balibushka]

Sounds like the two "sandbaggers" are absolute *******s! These people who come into an event knowing that they have padded their handicap to win a tournament should be stripped of their cards or should have a suspension cast against them if the USGA or state handicap association finds suspicious activity in regard to their indexes. All of us have seen it, when or how does it stop??

[Valleygolfer]

The USGA handicap set is very effective system and I believe accurate in making a very fair game of golf. To have the same crew win two years in a row in a similar manner would be enough to investigate all past scores and tournament scores.

Anyone swarmy enough to cheat like this is a disgusting scourge of the earth. I always say you play the game how you live.

[Motley01]

I agree I HATE sandbaggers. What kind of self satisfaction is do they have when cheating the system? No morals at all.

And if complaining to the club management didn't get you anywhere, that's very bad. Just stay away.

I'm in the GolfWeek Amatuer Tour. They have very strict rules for sandbagging. If you shoot 4 or more strokes under your handicap, then it's reviewed by the directors. And then you are immediatley moved up to the next flight. This is all flighted based on your handicap.

They also manage your handicap in all the tournaments, not just your USGA handicap. So if your USGA handicap is 15. But in the last three tournaments you shot 9, 10, and 9 over par. Then they calculate those scores.

[meenman]

The question is - did low gross or low net win the tourney?

If it's low gross - they may be sandbaggers but it is irrelevant. If it is low net, you may have an argument, however if someone else attested to the score there is nothing you can do,

[xmanhockey7]

Assuming they really didn't shoot that score, and from the sound of it they did not, this is what happens when you make such high stakes for a tournament.