Vanity Handicaper Causes Issues With Other Members in Tournaments

[imsys0042]

I echo a couple of the things above.  Tournament or Handicap committee can set a tournament handicap.   It sucks having someone disrupt the rhythm in a flighted tourney,

 

on the opposite end, there are a couple of people who might get that at my club.   Enough of the magical days where they shoot a net 64.

it’s actually off putting to some people for the weekly money games.  A few people don’t want to throw in $25 when certain people play, their handicap never seems to move yet they get “hot streaks” and sweep the net payouts.

Edited May 30, 2021 by imsys0042

[boogielicious]

3 hours ago, snow bird said:

He has a nickname of the "Blizzard of 78" because that is one of his favorite "corrected scores".

Awesome! Having lived through that storm in Scituate, where my neighborhood was destroyed by the ocean, I can see the humor. Frankly, I would call this guy out.

[DaveP043]

Again, this is a problem for the membership, not just the head pro.  You SHOULD have a committee to monitor handicaps, its YOUR job (not any individual, but the membership at large).  If you choose to abdicate that responsibility, you should accept the results you get.  Get a group together, go to the pro and way "We want to be the handicap committee", read the handicap rules, and start to do things right.

[measureoffsetinnm]

8 hours ago, snow bird said:

This vanity handicapper has become somewhat of a legend at the club. He has a nickname of the "Blizzard of 78" because that is one of his favorite "corrected scores".  So much so that the women who play in the club championship have setup a money pool every year as to what the Blizzard of 78 will shoot in the tournament. 

Wait this is actually funny so maybe the head pro is just a comedian at heart.

14 hours ago, iacas said:

This goes beyond that. If he’s been doing this for 15 years he has naked pictures of someone or something.

I just meant the idea that a vanity handicap can influence someone else at all but yeah there are plenty of corrective measures for the situation so I think the blackmail theory is certainly a compelling one.

[onthehunt526]

6 hours ago, imsys0042 said:

I echo a couple of the things above.  Tournament or Handicap committee can set a tournament handicap.   It sucks having someone disrupt the rhythm in a flighted tourney,

 

on the opposite end, there are a couple of people who might get that at my club.   Enough of the magical days where they shoot a net 64.

it’s actually off putting to some people for the weekly money games.  A few people don’t want to throw in $25 when certain people play, their handicap never seems to move yet they get “hot streaks” and sweep the net payouts.

Our club championship is flighted after the first round... But it’s gross score, the sand baggers love it this way because they’ll shoot say 92 in the first round (probably what you’re “Blizzard of ‘78” hates) then shoot 77, 76 and win the second flight. I shot 84 in the first round at my old course and damn near won the championship flight the second day. (76 led the championship flight after day one... the leader shot 77 in round two to beat me by one, after I “technically” missed the championship flight cut.)

People who sandbag are annoying and people who vanity-cap are equally annoying.

If you’re going out on the course to play a “practice” round. Play a “practice” round. Call it that and don’t post the score. There are plenty of times I play a “round” of golf that I don’t post a score. Because I make the decision beforehand that I’m not going to post it. 
 

It sounds like this “Blizzard of ‘78” guy has a lot of 9s and 10s that ESC as double bogeys.

[mcanadiens]

What is hard for me to figure out is why that guy would want to do that.

If I were a theoretical 7 handicap and shot 100-plus on my homecourse, it would embarrass me to death. Why does this guy even want to play with legit single-digit guys?

Since my game has hit the skids in recent years, I won't even enter competitions.

[onthehunt526]

7 minutes ago, mcanadiens said:

What is hard for me to figure out is why that guy would want to do that.

If I were a theoretical 7 handicap and shot 100-plus on my homecourse, it would embarrass me to death. Why does this guy even want to play with legit single-digit guys?

Since my game has hit the skids in recent years, I won't even enter competitions.

If I were the actual handicap a 100 shooter usually is (~25 handicap), I would want to play with better players. You actually learn a lot from playing with better players. They’re the ones to tell you that you need to be on the range more than the course.
 

I do agree shooting 102 with a vanity handicap, and losing your ass to the guy who legit breaks 80, one in five times (thanks new World Handicap System), is no fun. It would make me want to either, practice hard and actually try to get “vanity-cap” to actually be legitimate. Or learn to post actual scores and play with people who are my actual skill level.

This is just a thought. You can all chide me if you want. I believe that a 20 handicapper that has reasonably consistent contact, can shoot 84 with reasonable course management on any given day...

@snow birdI want to know is how the hell does this guy have a 7 handicap when he’s shooting in the 90s and 100s in tournaments?

[mcanadiens]

5 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

If I were the actual handicap a 100 shooter usually is (~25 handicap), I would want to play with better players. You actually learn a lot from playing with better players. They’re the ones to tell you that you need to be on the range more than the course.

Sure. I've been playing with a really good player myself, but it isn't in competition.

6 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

I believe that a 20 handicapper that has reasonably consistent contact, can shoot 84 with reasonable course management on any given day...

20-Cappers don't usually have reasonably consistent contact. Or at least not good contact. My driver swing has consistent massive slice or snap hook contact. Obviously, some people could benefit greatly from better course management, but most of us 20-plus people got serious swing problems that are the bigger problem.

[mohearn]

24 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

I believe that a 20 handicapper that has reasonably consistent contact, can shoot 84 with reasonable course management on any given day...

Yes, esp if the course rating is lower and not too hard. If course rating is 69, that's only a 15 differential. Sink a 20 footer, chip in, stick few approaches, don't loose a ball.  Happens for sure...
 

And it depends... a 20 cap who is actively trying to improve and working on it, is a different case then a 20 cap who has been that way for years.

[onthehunt526]

21 minutes ago, mohearn said:

Yes, esp if the course rating is lower and not too hard. If course rating is 69, that's only a 15 differential. Sink a 20 footer, chip in, stick few approaches, don't loose a ball.  Happens for sure...
 

And it depends... a 20 cap who is actively trying to improve and working on it, is a different case then a 20 cap who has been that way for years.

I agree, with the 20 caps that way for years. 
 

It seems to me that this “Blizzard of ‘78” guy, has an ego problem, and if anyone ever tries to call him on it, (i.e. the other golfers at @snow bird‘s club) he has a shit fit. He sounds a lot like a used car salesman to me.

[snow bird]

7 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

It sounds like this “Blizzard of ‘78” guy has a lot of 9s and 10s that ESC as double bogeys.

Yes he does use the I can't take more then a double bogey line also. He isn't the only one who uses that line however. I have played many golfers who pick up at double bogey and say give me a 6 on a par 4 for instance. Then they go to the bar and claim they shot the score with the double bogey not what it was if they finished out. This used to bother me but now I just use it to help establish what that player's personal integrity is.  

 A lot of players like to play best ball matches so if you are having a bad hole and your partner is doing good you usually pickup in order to save time after you partner holes out. This will inadvertently lower your GHIN a little bit. Every year one month before the club championship I make a point of putting everything out in order to get a true feel of how I am scoring. 

[StuM]

1 hour ago, snow bird said:

Yes he does use the I can't take more then a double bogey line also

I may be “Math Challenged” but I cannot imagine ESC reducing a score of @ 100 to a score of @ 80.

I will, unfortunately, have to use ESC now and then when posting a score but it is usually 1 stroke on 1 hole.  Not 20 strokes in one round.

[pganapathy]

I am assuming this guy doesn't win any tournaments.  The easiest way to get him to change is see if you can get him DQ'd for a couple of tournaments thanks to submitting wrong score cards.  Or is he just submitting correct cards only during tournaments

[imsys0042]

8 hours ago, pganapathy said:

I am assuming this guy doesn't win any tournaments.  The easiest way to get him to change is see if you can get him DQ'd for a couple of tournaments thanks to submitting wrong score cards.  Or is he just submitting correct cards only during tournaments

Pretty sure that your assumption is correct.  

[snow bird]

9 hours ago, pganapathy said:

I am assuming this guy doesn't win any tournaments.  The easiest way to get him to change is see if you can get him DQ'd for a couple of tournaments thanks to submitting wrong score cards.  Or is he just submitting correct cards only during tournaments

You are right on both thoughts. He never wins and in fact usually ends up in last place. In our club Championship like most I assume you are given another players card in your foursome and are tasked with keeping that players score. Which BTW is why I brought this whole discussion up. It suck having to keep his score because it is just crazy to keep track of it. 

 

10 hours ago, StuM said:

I may be “Math Challenged” but I cannot imagine ESC reducing a score of @ 100 to a score of @ 80.

I will, unfortunately, have to use ESC now and then when posting a score but it is usually 1 stroke on 1 hole.  Not 20 strokes in one round.

He gets his reduced score by going through his card after rounds justifying his corrected scores with thoughts like I never 3 put or I don't chilly dip, etc. I know this sounds nuts but he has actually told people that. Again I could care less except it ruins players experiences who get stuck playing with him when playing tournaments.

[snow bird]

19 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

. 
 

It seems to me that this “Blizzard of ‘78” guy, has an ego problem, and if anyone ever tries to call him on it, (i.e. the other golfers at @snow bird‘s club) he has a shit fit. He sounds a lot like a used car salesman to me.

Actually he doesn't really say much at all. He is a nice enough guy but has a handicap problem that he refuses to acknowledge. Maybe we need to stage an intervention LOL!

[Shorty]

1 hour ago, snow bird said:

Actually he doesn't really say much at all. He is a nice enough guy but has a handicap problem that he refuses to acknowledge. Maybe we need to stage an intervention LOL!

Rough translation: A cheat who has cheated for a decade and a half to your knowledge and no-one has bothered to call him out.

The people organising the championships should have pulled him aside 13 years ago and said that they don't recognise his handicap and are going to put him with people that are closer to his ability. Shove him in there with the 25 markers and see if he accepts this with grace and dignity. Then you'll see if he's  a nice guy. When he objects, the pro or whoever just says - "Mate, we've had a look at your actual scores and they do not match the ones you've posted, so let's just consider this a friendly reminder." Problem solved.

 

[boil3rmak3r]

I have had the same problem with the golf committee at my club not doing anything with my issues with a fellow golfer.  The golfer in question is a 5 handicap (he is a good golfer).  BUT, he cheats all the time - even during tournaments.  He will hit a drive and we all see exactly where the ball went, he will bend over, pick up his ball, and confirm, "yes, this is my ball."  Miraculously, the ball ends up in a much better lie in the high rough.  He also marks his ball so egregriously that he'll be putting from 4" closer.  

I know this I much different than what you posted, but I have run  into the same response from my committee that you have.  They literally told me they have had many other complaints about this guy, but the member is a long-timer...  

I tried to call him out a few times on the course, but he still did it.  I never took it to the next step, because he is a client of mine.

I guess the committee will allow this stuff to happen so they don't lose a member.