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Vanity Capping Is Worse Than Sandbagging


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2 members have voted

  1. 1. Which is Worse?

    • Vanity Handicapping
      6
    • Sandbagging
      102


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I'm curious as to what the consensus is on the topic.  I have seen a few threads about both.  I personally think that vanity capping is much worse.  I have a friend who has just started keeping a handicap this year.  Today on the first hole he hit one out of bounds and found it so he played it from our driving range.  On hole 6 he donated a ball to the parking lot and then proceeded to also hit his provisional out of bounds.  Instead of shooting 5 off the tee he goes and finds the first ball he hit O.B. and plays his second shot from there.  Through out the round he took many practice shots and even nailed a 15 footer with the pin in.  He also conveniently found a ball and he wasn't sure it was his so he played it anyway.  He currently plays to a 25.9 (the way he keeps score) and so when I make fun of him for not following the rules he says, "does it matter if I'm a 25 or a 30, I'm still bad."

I'm not entirely sure how sandbagging occurs.  Is it people just reporting false rounds, or is it people not following ESC when entering?  The reason I think vanity capping is worse is that simply enough it is blatant cheating.  If I told you one golfer was cheating on his round and another golfer was playing every stroke by the rules to the T, 100% of you would say that the person playing by the rules is the one playing the game right.  But if you say that the cheater is a vanity capper and the person playing by the rules isn't following ESC and coin him a sandbagger the role gets reversed and the vanity capper is more acceptable.  Another reason I think vanity scores are worse, is that when you take handicap out of it vanity scores are much worse.  I am bothered much more when my friends claims to par a hole that he should of been shooting 5 off the tee, then when he plays well below his ability and cards a 12 on a par 5.

It bothers me a lot more listening to someone claiming that they have done something that they have not done then someone downplaying their game.  I understand how sandbagging is more of an issue in tournaments and how vanity caps pretty much shoot themselves in the foot, but the cheating involved with vanity capping is what sells it to me.

Anyone else have an opinion of what is worse?

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Both are cheating and lying so both are bad.

I would place sandbagging worse because of the potential to cheat someone else out of the chance to win (and their money) and a vanity capper is more likely to end up costing themselves money.

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if you want to play like that simply tell him that ur gona be following the rules - approach the course next time and tell him ur gonna play this one 100% legit:  no gimmies everything in the cup all the rules - call it tournament conditions or something say u just want to see how u do in those circumstances! make it fun for him but ur still gettin to play how u want - then see how he scores and how the handicap is - if he doesnt play how u want then either dont worry about it and play ur own honest game, or find a new playin partner.

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You are entitled to your opinion, but I suspect you'll get very little agreement on this board. To me, sandbagging is the worse of the two and it isn't close. Forms of sandbagging are endless and not simply limited to ignoring ESC. I have heard stories of guys literally trying to finish "double, double" so that a good round becomes mediocre. I've have guys tell me they are going to "forget" to post until after the next revision so that it won't adversely affect them in an upcoming tournament. If a guy wants to forget about the o.b. on hole 6 and the missed 3 footer in 15, that's fine with me, just so long as he isn't doing it in a tournament,
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Sandbagging only becomes a problem in tournaments where handicap is considered.  In straight up rounds vanity is much worse.  If anything sandbagging shows a blatant weakness in the handicap system.

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Vanity capper only hurts themselves a sandbagger is conniving. One is personality flaw the other is a character flaw.

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Dave :-)

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Your mate isn't a vanity handicapper, he's just a cheat.

A vanity handicapper will manipulate the handicap system to lower his handicap, by doing things like not turning in bad rounds, or turning bad rounds into practice rounds. Your friend is actually recording scores he hasn't shot, that's simply cheating.

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I have never understood the point in manipulating your score during a round of golf, You are only cheating yourself and deep down you know the score you have recorded is a false one

I have a friend who I watch everyweek drop balls out of his pocket and cliam its the orignal one, Not count bunker shots that just take sand, Not add on a shot for an out of bounds/lost ball/water hazard and hes always moving the ball from behind a tree or kicking his ball from deep rough

Pointless

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ha ha...I simply tear up my card halfway through the round and try to enjoy whats left hoping that "next time" will be better. This is probably worse though as only "acceptable" scores get posted. Although, recently I am recording everything since I am on a "mission of self improvement".

"James"

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I don't necessarily feel the same way- I know that I would rather play against a vanity capper in a tournament although beating a sandbagger is a bigger accomplishment.

Of course, it is no fun playing a tournament when you get paired with some obvious vanity cappers.  Another point for your side is that some courses have a maximum handicap that they allow to play, so some vanity cappers shouldn't be allowed to play those if they turned in all/accurate scores.

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Originally Posted by MacDutch

Vanity cappers are losers by cheating, Sandbaggers are winners by cheating. Sandbagging is far worse in my eyes.

.....and vanity cappers are more stupid.

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  • Administrator

Poll added.

I voted for sandbagging.

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Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
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I voted sandbagging. Look at it this way, your vanity cap is you cheating yourself but your sandbagging is you cheating me. I play with lots of guys who are pretty loose with the rules, mulligans, free drops if they feel they "should" have found their ball and my all time favorite, picking up and claiming they've "maxed out" on the hole - who knew ESC could be so good for your game! I don't care because we don't bet and I rob them of any opportunity to try to claim BS bragging rights by keeping my own score and not tallying it up till I get home. They get to play their game and I get to play golf.
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Yours in earnest, Jason.
Call me Ernest, or EJ or Ernie.

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Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

Look at it this way, your vanity cap is you cheating yourself but your sandbagging is you cheating me.

Bingo.

Dan

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Sandbagging, and it isn't even remotely close. Sandbagging is cheating with a capital C. A vanity cap is a harmless (to most others - not the unfortunate team partner) ego stroke.
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I agree with everyone else who voted, sandbagging is by far worse.  I have a family member who has a vanity handicap and he is not allowed to play with me in tournaments until he starts doing it right.  When I play with him for non-tournament rounds I try and bet with him a small wager but he refuses because deep down he knows what he is doing will screw himself.  Sandbagging is just cheating.  Some people have posted that the handicap system has flaws because of what you can do to manipulate your handicap for vanity reasons or sandbagging reasons.  But that is what I love about the game of golf, the honesty and integrity of it.  I know that my handicap of 18.8 was earned by posting every score and playing by the rules.  I feel good that mine is accurate and actually don't care if others feel the need to adjust theirs for whatever reason.

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