Vanity Handicappers - What Is A Fitting Penalty?

There are several vanity handicappers in our club-without-real-estate.  One guy in particular is especially obvious.  Every year he shoots like a 12-14 handicapper during our events in June-August but manages to put up several single-digit differentials during the year while playing "away" from the group.  He records scores from higher rated tees (we play the "blue" tees but he records his score as having played the "black') and his use of ESC is improper.  For example, he shot "90" but recorded the score as an "83" even though proper ESC would have only reduced him to "87". If he has a really bad day he will not turn in a score card (DQ) or quit the round with a couple holes to play (DNF).  Last year he recorded a long string of low single-digit "away" differentials after our competitive season was over.  Those scores from 2012 are still keeping his handicap index at 6.4.

His 2013 tournament gross scores have been: DNF, 95, DQ for no card, 89, 94, 91, 90, 94 and DQ for no card.  Prior years have produced similar results.

With a sandbagger you can cut his handicap to make him less competitive, a fitting penalty.  So in theory one would reverse the process for a vanity handicapper and increase his handicap.  Of course, making him more competitive doesn't seem like much of a penalty.  His ego may take a hit when he sees his index increased to 9.0.  Somehow, however, possibly winning might soothe the hurt feelings.

Ultimately, I guess maybe the best approach is to ignore him.  Let him wear his low single-digit "badge" while finishing in last place every time in the "A" flight.  At least I know there are only 23 guys in the "A" Flight to beat each tournament, not 24!  Oh, and maybe put him in a foursome with the other vanity handicappers for our season ending scramble.

Anyone have any thoughts on a fitting penalty for vanity handicaps?

No penalty.  Just like in tournament golf ...  If you sign for a score better than you shot, you're disqualified, but if you sign for worse than you shot, then that becomes your score.

If it's an individual league, then it's his own problem anyway.  Who cares?  If it's a team competition of some kind, then either his teammates need to confront him, or if its a blind draw kind of deal, then there has to be an intervention.  Basically, tell him that he cuts it out because everybody's is tired of playing with him.

The only one he's hurting is himself.  Ignore him.  If you want to have a little fun, you can mention the guys in the D flight that beat him....

The penalty for these people is that they tell their work buddies and aquaintances that they play off 5 or whatever and then when they actually play, anyone can see that they are 20 markers.

That's an appropriate penalty.

If it's singles net play, he has already penalized himself.  No penalty.  UNLESS you feel he is ruining the integrity of the tournament by DQ/DNF, then penalizing each DQ/DNF by not allowing him to enter 1 tournament for each one he doesn't finish.

If it's partner play of some kind, I'm not sure.  Allow people to pick their partners?  I doubt anybody would want to play with him, which should be punishment enough.

As long as he's only playing in individual competition, it's his funeral.  I don't want the guy on my team in a best ball comp though, and if we were matched that way I'd demand a different teammate, or I'd withdraw from the competition (or I'd tell the organizers that they had to balance him with a real sandbagger on the team )

That... and anything else he wants to play for. For the sake of saying you're a single digit? I'd make sure to match up with him in any nassau and press the heck out of him at every opportunity. The chances of losing are outweighed by the other 99 times you'll own his house by the end of the season.

We are pretty fortunate in our league.  We don't have any of those.  We have had some people join who came in saying they were probably around a 9 (guess that gets you into the single digit category and makes'em feel good) but as they set their handicap for real it becomes obvious they are not.

We play individual stroke play so in the end they are only hurting themselves.  Sometimes they get lucky and win a closest to the pin or a skin or two and that seems to satisfy them but in our league most everyone's handicap is based upon our tournament scores anyway.