Leagues/Tournaments for high handicappers

I am interested in joining a league or maybe playing in a tourney or two and I was wondering if that is something that a high HCer like me should even be thinking about. Nothing serious obviously, just some friendly competition. I'm not worried about winning or losing so much, I just wouldn't want to be in a league where everyone else is a 15 or below and I am the lone exception. Is it abnormal to see high handicappers in leagues? I'm going to ask some of the local pro's to see what they say, I just wanted to see what everyone's opinion was.

What are the opportunities in your area?  You don't have any location listed in your profile, so it's going to be hard for anyone to offer any concrete suggestions.

The public course Men's Club I was in in SW Denver had a handicap range of players from near scratch to mid 30's.  With up to 250 members, there was something for everyone in every tournament.  We ran most tournaments flighted by handicap, so you would be mostly playing directly against players of similar ability.

I added my location. It' Beaumont, TX. About an hour east of Houston. I am sure there are a ton of options in Houston, but with a wife and two kids that just isn't feasible.

I've tried to do some internet searches and I can't find anything local. Like I said, talking to a local pro is my best bet, I just wanted to get some opinions on high HCers in leagues.

Most clubs have different leagues for different levels of play.  Some are more competetive and others are more about getting out and having a good time.  For example, the course I play most often has a competetive group that plays at 10:00 A.M. throughout the week and a more high handicap friendly group that goes off around 5 P.M.

I think that you have the right idea.  Just ask at any of the courses where you play and they can point you in the right direction.

.....and yes, it is something that even a higher handicap player can have a lot of fun with.  It will also improve your game a lot faster than just knocking the ball around with a bunch of buddies who really don't care.

Well, I know it's a haul from Beaumont to Houston but you are more than welcome to come check out the league I run.  Our handicap limit is the USGA limit.  Our only requirement is that you must be able to complete all the holes and you must be able to complete a full round in 5 hours or less.  Basically, you can't be a person who is just taking up golf and hasn't really learned how to hit the ball yet.

We divide the field in 2 flights and do so by handicap index.  We have 21+ events every season, basically playing every other Sunday morning.  All events are stroke play and payout is based up on net score.  We payout 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in both flights.  We pay closest to the pin on all par 3s and we pay most birdies front 9 and most birdies back 9.  We offer an optional combined net/gross skins game.

I see that you probably can't come to Houston so your probably have to talk to all the clubs or courses in Beaumont area.  Some of the sponsored leagues do not allow handicaps over a certain limit.  Some in Houston are that way.  As I said, we allow up to the max allowable by USGA (36 for men).  The reason we split into 2 flights, is we were having issues getting lower handicap players to stay in our league.  They felt they had no chance with 10 or 12 people with 15 handicaps or higher...and mostly that was true.  On any given day, an 18 handicapper can get lucky and have a net sub par round.  For a guy who is a 3 handicap...well he pretty much would have to shoot in the 60s gross to beat them.  Just was not fair so we now have 2 flights.

Check every course within reasonable driving distance and see what they have to offer.

I grew up near Beaumont but currently live in Omaha.  I had a friend (Clint Martin) that used to (may still) be the head pro over at Bayou Den.  I'd call Bayou Den, Babe Zaharias and even the Pea Patch to see if they have any leagues available that meet your criteria.  As a high handicapper you may want to start out over at the Pea Patch as it's fairly short, few hazards and pretty wide open.  Although, the last time I was in town it looked like it needed some TLC.

Hope that helps!

We have a LOT of high handicap golfers and a handful of Texans in our League at Copper Creek, CO- much nicer scenery and temperatures up here this time of year than you will find in Texas.

Most of those are charity type tournaments right? I'm playing in a charity scramble this Saturday at Wildwood. I'm looking for something a little more serious. Some individual stroke or match play. I'm going to try and play Bayou Din after work tomorrow and I am going to ask them if they know of anything.

The league I'm in plays 9 holes and the HCs range from max  to single digits. The local golf tournament here has qualifying which sets your handicap for the rest of the tournament too, however that requires people to take like a week off of work and it's not something I can do at this point.

Check your local golf association and ask for a list of golf clubs in your area. Then you can contact them and ask about their club.

Here in So. Ca., there are lots to choose from. Most will allow you to be a quest at one of their events where you can play and meet some of the members.

I didn't have any golf buddies and needed to get out and play regularly. Joining a club allowed me to get out more often, and I met some really nice people that I now play with almost on a weekly basis.

Oh I forgot, I am probably the worst male scorer in our co-ed club, but I have a blast anyway....and if I get lucky I can actually place in the top three (Net score) positions

I play in two leagues and we have guys who get more than the 36 stroke maximum recommended by the USGA.... seriously many guys come in in the upper 50's to 60's for 9 holes.

As for finding a league, go to your local golf courses and ask the people in the office.  I did that and found out that my golf course has 8 leagues!

You could also try searching online.  There are some sites that post golf leagues etc.

I realize you are in Texas but here in Michigan there is a Mulligan Tour.

http://www.themulligantour.com/

They cater to higher handicaps.    I believe there are similar tours in Texas.

Most all leagues are filled with high HC golfers................  For many league golfers, the 9 holes a week league play for however many weeks the league plays accounts for much of their play for the year.

I've been playing golf for over 20yrs, and I have yet to see a single league with my own eyes that consisted of a majority of good golfers. You should NOT worry about your skill level in the least with regard to joining a league.