Am I a bandit?

[Lucas]

Your doing well, don't worry about. Actually, you're doing great for just starting last year. :-)

[meenman]

I think I like the term *bandit* - that is what I will now call my sandbagging playing partners........

[mailman]

Righto, so I saw the handicap chap on Saturday and said not to worry about getting my handicap cut for the time being. The reason is that everyone in the club is in the same boat in that there have been very few qualifying events this year so far because of the weather (the course is on a flood plain) and that I should just enjoy my golf and eventually my handicap will come down naturally. Also, my partner and I won our match on Thursday night coming back from being three down after three holes to win 2 and 1 :) Regards Mailman

[chasm]

Righto, so I saw the handicap chap on Saturday and said not to worry about getting my handicap cut for the time being. The reason is that everyone in the club is in the same boat in that there have been very few qualifying events this year so far because of the weather (the course is on a flood plain) and that I should just enjoy my golf and eventually my handicap will come down naturally.

Well, you've done the decent thing by raising the issue, so your conscience can be clear. If I were you I'd now take full advantage by entering any available competition in which you get your full handicap allowance. There won't be many times in your golfing career when you can be confident of shooting net sub-par rounds.

And especially matchplay competitions. You'll be tough to beat when half the field has to give you shots on nine or ten holes!

[Sam Spud]

While you may not be a bandit. (Ie not maniplying your handicap deliberty). I can see why people may get that impression.

You seem to play in non qualifying competition (Ie January - Probably lift clean & place " Non qualifying"  - GUI rules) or show up at your clubs major competition and finish well. I can't understand how you could still be off 24.5 if you finish 1st and 2nd in two major events last year thro. Something is wrong their.

Every high handicap golfer claims they had the round of there live. However It seem highly improbably if this happen regularly in your clubs perimer competition when presure is probably increased.

If you play once every weekend. I would suggest you support your club and enter their competitions therefore allowing the system to evaluate your performance regurlarly.

Otherwise accept the abuse that you may receive.

[mailman]

Hi Sam,

As the summer is over and we are now playing off the yellow tee's all of the competitions from now until March are pretty much non-qualifiers due to there always being a hole that is closed (my course is built on a flood plain).

However all of the competitions I play in the summer are full qualifying competitions AND a fair few of them are also 3/4 handicap competitions as well. This has lead to my handicap coming down to 22, although I have submitted two provisional cards that should have got my handicap down to 20 (as I posted two pretty good rounds) but for what ever reason my handicap hasn't been cut yet!

My big problem is consistency though! I can go out with a 40 or a 41 but come back in with a 60! Or it will be the other way around, out with 50 and back in with a 41! The day I can string two 9's together is the day I become about average! :)

I have had situations where Ive had a sting of 9 holes where I was even gross and one of the guys playing with me thought I was a 10hcp. Sadly Real Life (tm) caught up and I limped off with a 95!

As Ive said previously, there is nothing more in the world that I would like right now than a lower sub 20's handicap and god willing, in 2015 I will not only come down BUT my handicap will plummet!

Regards

Mailman