Worst Possible Scenario - are we doomed?

[Lefty731PM]

what would you do if you found the club of yoour dreams on the course.

I know that I'm allowed to ignore threads, but this one is really starting to aggravate me.

Why would you even begin a poll like this? I don't think I am a saint, but the idea of not handing a club in is something I have never even thought of. I didn't realise there was an alternative. Let's have a poll about who deals drugs and snatches handbags from little old ladies. As for the idea of golf being a game of integrity where self regulation and honesty are seen as key principles, I'm starting to wonder if that is not as common as it could be. It seems that many Sandtrappers are as outraged as me when it comes to tales of people on these forums who do the following: i)Blatantly cheat and think that it's OK ii)Think that it might be OK to steal a club if it's a good one. iii)Think that the rules are for sticklers and wet blankets. iv)Play with folk who pick up any ball that they see v) Think that you don't have to putt anything under 3 feet. vi) Boast of a recent great score but claim to have taken "one mulligan" But - they are common Hence we get the notion that someone who plays the occasional 9 holes on a local course could break 100 on a US Open course if they used a "high spinning ball" and simply 2 putted every green!!! and, recently, a person trying to calculate their own handicap whilst admitting to cheating and thinking that doubling an "enhanced" 9 hole score will give them a legitimate score. Oh yeah, I forgot - one guy told us how his mate said that at Sawgrass' 17th there was an "easy place on th green to hit to". I feel that in the worst possible scenario this forum is in danger of being taken over by people who have been playing for 6 weeks, think that playing Playstation golf is an indication of their ability on a golf course and have the moral fibre of a worn out golf towel. The majority of posters seem to be great people with a genuine love of the game, but when the balance shifts, it gets ugly. Of course I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean.

[Dent]

I know that I'm allowed to ignore threads, but this one is really starting to aggravate me.

I have a feeling your feeling the same Way I am right now.

To me, it seems there are many liars on this forum. Not all, but some. I dont mean to be a total jerk but it has to be said, will make me feel better. Alot of people are shiting us and others. About their score, their drives, and their overall play. It used to not bug me and I applauded anyone and laughed who claimed to have hit their ball 350 yards 3 times a round, but now its too much. Everyday I see 12,13,14 handicappers shooting 75's or high 70's consistently. Alright its possible, but how? To me something doesn't seem right when Half of the higher handicappers on here are so good. Do you cheat? Do you lie about it? Are you playing the easiest courses in the world? It seemed before Getting a good handicap took great skill and a long time, years, but I see people getting down to Single digits in months? What happened? I liked it when It took a long time to get low. Not all of you do this, its for those who do.

[ChiChiIsMe]

Everyday I see 12,13,14 handicappers shooting 75's or high 70's consistently. Alright its possible, but how? To me something doesn't seem right when Half of the higher handicappers on here are so good. Do you cheat? Do you lie about it? Are you playing the easiest courses in the world?

I'm currently 13.6 according to GHIN and shot 75 a week a ago. 83 on Saturday. It's not impossible. I'm working hard to lower my scores tho.

Back to the original post, yea, I thought it was ridiculous post as well, however it IS the internet and takes all kinds, that and when I votes nobody voted to keep the club........

[Dent]

I'm currently 13.6 according to GHIN and shot 75 a week a ago. 83 on Saturday. It's not impossible. I'm working hard to lower my scores tho.

Sorry if it seemed like I directed it towards all 13's. Some are possible of doing it, Congrats on your great rounds.

I have a lot of respect for all of the members on this forum, but I just don't really appreciate all the lies sometimes.

[Wisco-Kid]

I tend to agree. I guess that when I read stuff like a 20 hdcp saying how he drove the ball 330 yards and has a swing speed of 130 mph it gets old. I wonder though if these "fibs" are intentional or if they are just because the person telling the fibs truly believe it to be true. It almost seems like some people on this forum convince themselves that certain things like gimmies and mulligans are no big deal. They have played that way for so long and dont really know any better, maybe dont even actually realize that is not how the game is meant to be played.

I also get pretty tired of so many of the same equipment threads. What driver do you use?, What putter do you use? What kind of glove do you use?
Of course these are all relevant golf topics dont get me wrong, but sometimes it just seems that people are more into the equipment then actually playing the game or learning how to get better!

[golf_junkie27]

I have a lot of respect for all of the members on this forum, but I just don't really appreciate all the lies sometimes.

You mean you don't believe that many of the posters "have an average swing speed of 110" and "hit it about 280-290?"

I believe all of these statements. I mean, c'mon, Zach Johnson has the same swing speed and he's hitting it 20 yards, less .

[Dent]

I tend to agree. I guess that when I read stuff like a 20 hdcp saying how he drove the ball 330 yards and has a swing speed of 130 mph it gets old. I wonder though if these "fibs" are intentional or if they are just because the person telling the fibs truly believe it to be true. It almost seems like some people on this forum convince themselves that certain things like gimmies and mulligans are no big deal. They have played that way for so long and dont really know any better, maybe dont even actually realize that is not how the game is meant to be played.

WISCO! A+ For you!

How many posts are we gonna see about getting us to recommend Irons or a driver for someone? It's the same thing everytime, and People, your going to get the same answer every time. I dont know if its an attention thing to get comments, but use the Search function, and find posts that others suggest. Enough with these posts! I'm tired of them. Sure its golf talk, but its repetitive, look back on others and read from theirs. You are the only one who can decide what you want.

[Lefty731PM]

I tend to agree. I guess that when I read stuff like a 20 hdcp saying how he drove the ball 330 yards and has a swing speed of 130 mph it gets old. I wonder though if these "fibs" are intentional or if they are just because the person telling the fibs truly believe it to be true. !

I think these people do believe it. I can picture them sitting there with their girlfriend watching the golf on TV and hearing the commentator saying a drive was 310 yards and saying that they'd be 20 yards past them.

When you look at the claims you couldn't possibly make them unless you DID believe it.

[Dent]

Best way to solve all their lies:

SkyCaddie.

[NM Golf]

Everyday I see 12,13,14 handicappers shooting 75's or high 70's consistently. Alright its possible, but how?

Actually, its not possible. More than one or two 75's and they shouldn't be 13 handicappers anymore. Figure than the GHIN system takes the best 10 scores if 3-4 of those are 75 you sure as heck aren't going to be a 13 handicap. So either these people are lying, or they aren't posting their scores. Handicaps are not an average they are a potential.

[Dent]

Actually, its not possible. More than one or two 75's and they shouldn't be 13 handicappers anymore. Figure than the GHIN system takes the best 10 scores if 3-4 of those are 75 you sure as heck aren't going to be a 13 handicap. So either these people are lying, or they aren't posting their scores. Handicaps are not an average they are a potential.

I knew I was right! It felt so weird to me when all these higher handicaps were shooting better than I am.

[GOLFSALOT00]

thanks for conforming my thoughts i shoot high 80's and i post all my scores and when i looked over at my handicap index i was shocked to see a 13.5 when my lowest score ever is an 85 and ive only done that once i knew it had to be potential or something like that:)

[meenman]

I had to laugh when posting our scores this weekend. My wife has a 40.9L handicap and shot a 106. The computer said *this score is unusually low please hit post again to verify.* Of course this girl carries a rule book at all times to make sure she is properly penalizing herself on all calls.

[SubPar]

It is the natural progression in the life of this kind of forum that the dopes and liars and antagonists will outnumber the serious participants. You have to use the "ignore" feature to weed out the undesirables. There are reasonable people here who offer valuable insight and you can easily identify them. Just look past the endless threads with the same hopeless themes.

Part of the problem is the nature of the web and the anonymity it offers people with small minds and giant egos. The other problem is that 85-90% of people who play golf can't break 100 if they have to play strictly by the rules of the game.

I play as a single with a lot of "average" players and I've seen it all on a regular basis. People miss 4' putts and count them as made. They hit the ball OB and go play it from OB. They lose a ball and just drop another ball where they think their ball should be and MAYBE add a one stroke penalty. My favorite is looking for a lost ball, then dropping and playing another ball, then finding the original ball and deciding to play it. They play the wrong ball and don't penalize themselves. They hit a tee shot they don't like and decide to 'reload'. They, for some reason, have to pick up their ball to 'identify' it every time they get to it, ending up with a better lie than they at first had. Some hit practice putts on the green while others are marking or lining up their putts.

An extreme example is a guy and his dad I played with Sunday. There is another golf course along side the 1st and 2nd holes and there are OB stakes all down the right side. He hits the first ball OB and plays it where it lies on another course. He hits his second shot which slices over our course and lands OB again and plays another shot from there which rolls onto our green. He makes the putt, for what is actually a 10, and announces he saved his par. He hits it OB off the tee on the par-4 2nd, again plays from OB across our fairway, then hits up by the green, then chips on and makes his putt and cards a bogey (actually an 8). He was 10 over after two, but in his mind he was +1. On the 5th hole he picked up after at least 6 shots on a par 5, two of which flew across the green in either direction. However, at the turn I heard him assure his father they had both broken 50 on the front nine.

I have an acquaintance that is just learning to play. He is a successful mortgage banker and poker player, so his ego just won't allow him to card an accurate golf score. We played at his country club course and he was proud to exclaim he had broken 50 on the front nine. I had been keeping his score on my card and, as best I could, kept up with the lost balls and mulligans... I had him at something like 70 on the front nine. Put him on this fourm and you'd be hearing about how he hits his 3-wood 250 and the eagles he makes on par-5s and about the great 85 he shot last week... all BS of course.

I play a lot of cash games so I have learned to play by the book. I hit a bad tee shot yesterday on #11 and one of the threesome of stangers I was playing with said "time to hit another one". I silently went to my bag and put my club away. They all managed to hit the fairway on the short par-4, but I punched out of the trees, got up and down from 143 yards and had the only par on the hole. If you don't play from your mistakes you can't learn to scramble.

SubPar

[Doctorfro]

The thread has turned into "what's wrong with golf" thread. Good. This sport is one that's supposed to be about integrity and manners, much of which is lost on many of today's players. I've seen sandbagging, cheating, fights over being hit into by the group behind, beer-swilling loudmouths cutting up on the course, etc. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm all that and a bag of chips when it comes to playing this sport but I am about this being a gentleman's sport and about honesty. Heck, I post all my rounds online now so anyone can see what I'm doing out there (see button below). I love days when I can go out on the course, walk the 18 and meet others of like attitude. It's very refreshing and happens all to infrequently.

[pjsnyc]

...They lose a ball and just drop another ball where they think their ball should be and MAYBE add a one stroke penalty. My favorite is looking for a lost ball, then dropping and playing another ball, then finding the original ball and deciding to play it. They play the wrong ball and don't penalize themselves. ...

I agree with a lot of what is being said here (how 'apparently' everybody but myself averages 300+ off the tee, blah blah blah)...but I will say this: I consider myself to be a down to earth honest guy. Unless you're on tour with people spotting your every shot, I see no problem in doing what I quoted above. You may call me a liar, but I say its down to earth honesty to myself and everyone else.

[Double Bogey]

This is a great read. I agree that most people here are Liars. Period. PJSync brings up a good point though, most folks are honest people. If they play the same game you do and keep score differently so be it. As long as you two are not playing against each other in a match of some sort, it does not effect you much. At least that is the way I look at it. The people who do not keep true score are not hurting anyone but themselves. Yeah maybe they have a lower handicap, so what. They are the ones that will get crushed if they have to show that handicap to enter a tourney.

It just seems to me that there are two different types of golfers in the world. Those that follow all the rules to a tee (no pun intended), and those that do not. I just choose to associate with the people like me :)

[ChiChiIsMe]

If it’s accurate, you should average about three shots above your handicap. For example, a player with a course handicap of 16 on a course with a rating of 71.1 should score on average about 90. The USGA handicap system is based on 96 percent of the best 10 of a golfer’s last 20 rounds, not simply average score.
Scores normally fit into the classic bell-shaped curve. More than half of your scores should be within three strokes of three over your handicap. In other words, taking our 16-handicapper, more than half of the rounds should be between 87 and 93. The player will better the handicap–shooting 87 or lower–only about 20 percent of the time, or once every five rounds. Golfers should only beat their handicap by three strokes one out of every 20 rounds.

The odds of someone beating their handicap–if it’s an honest handicap–by eight strokes are 1,138 to 1. For most players that represents about 54 years of golf–a lifetime for many. The odds of beating your number by eight strokes twice are 14,912 to 1, or 710 years of golf.

http://thegrandview.wordpress.com/20...icap-nonsense/