Are high handicappers losers?

[wubskis]

I play from the whites. I'm not moving down to the ladies.

flex yo muscles son

[lefty.drew]

I think some of this tee business boils down to perspective. If you're playing a nicer golf course, a person playing from a longer tee could be adding an extra stroke a hole because of stubborness. On a lower-end course, the blues are 10 feet behind the whites and 1- feet in front of the ladies, so it really doesn't matter.

I do, however, believe players should play the tee their distances match.

Here's how I convinced an older uncle of mine:

You take a standard Par 4 on a course. From the white tees, if you make your average swing with your average contact, can you reach the green with a tee shot then an iron? (we're stricly talking distance, not accuracy) If the answer is a definite no, or a likely no, then you should move up a tee box.

It's the same for going from white to blue. My driving distance isn't supreme, but I'm an athletic guy who can put it over/around 250 consistenly. If I'm playing a decent course, it's white all the way. But I've played some courses where some a lot of the par fours are rather short, and I find myself hitting a pitch shot into every green (assuming I'm not behind a tree 50 yards offline!). In that case, I'll play the blue tees so I have the chance to play full swings into the par 4s.

Now, if you're a male in your 20-40s and you're not reaching because you're a duff machine; then maybe hit the range a bit and forget about the tee box debate altogether.

[Chris Stack]

I do, however, believe players should play the tee their distances match.

Agreed. But I think we've got to divorce "distance" from "skill" in our minds. I'm walking proof that the two are not one and the same. I've never met a perfect tee shot that I couldn't screw up on the green.

[I <3 Titleist]

I think some of this tee business boils down to perspective. If you're playing a nicer golf course, a person playing from a longer tee could be adding an extra stroke a hole because of stubborness. On a lower-end course, the blues are 10 feet behind the whites and 1- feet in front of the ladies, so it really doesn't matter.

I guess that's why I find the whole teebox argument to be rubbish. It isn't consistent. I play a very nice, absolutely lovely links style course that'll cost you between $40-50 on a pretty weekend day. The tee boxes here are club down distances at most. With a minuscule amount of hazard brought into play. My driver can get me within at very least a 6 iron or closer of every par 4. I'm still of the school of thought that there are people who don't care about other people using the same golf course. They don't care about picking up their ball after 10 strokes. They don't care if you stand around and wait while they find that expensive ball. There is a local course called Bluebonnet Hill. Known as The 4 Hour Round of Golf Course. I've seen people removed from the golf course / told to pick up their ball for having a marshall on them a few times.

[lefty.drew]

I'm still of the school of thought that there are people who don't care about other people using the same golf course. They don't care about picking up their ball after 10 strokes. They don't care if you stand around and wait while they find that expensive ball.

I'd call that an undeniable fact. I've encountered several people whose first response was to point out that I didn't pay their greens fee.

[iacas]

Agreed. But I think we've got to divorce "distance" from "skill" in our minds. I'm walking proof that the two are not one and the same. I've never met a perfect tee shot that I couldn't screw up on the green.

No, we shouldn't. As I said, it takes skill to hit for distance.

I don't know you and, and you may be the exception that proves the rule, but 250-280 isn't exactly pounding it, particularly since it's probably a lot closer to 250 than 280 and you probably don't do it as often as you think. But even if you averaged 280, again, you're one guy. For every one of you, there are a hundred out there (or a thousand) that prove the rule. For every Long Drive guy out there who can't break 90, there are guys who play golf every day (which most of them don't, focusing instead on one sliver of the game) and average 215 off the tee regardless of what they say online. And those LD guys... if they spent time practicing "golf" at all, they wouldn't be "high handicappers" for long. They've already got some skill. Work on the short game a little and dial back the distance a touch in favor of control and they'll shoot 80 or so pretty easily.

[I <3 Titleist]

I'd call that an undeniable fact. I've encountered several people whose first response was to point out that I didn't pay their greens fee.

And usually it's those same exact people who feel entitled to "relax" during their foursome round and end up playing for 5 hours. If you're topping 2 or 3 balls of the tee, being

100 yds closer won't get the ball up in the air. Where I'm from, Red is for Ladies only. White is Beginners, Blue for Intermediate Golfers and black for anyone who can shoot in the 80's or below. Also, I find that two scrappers in one golf cart who don't understand course etiquette and "ready golf" can often times slow play down more than if they were both walking to their shots. Golf carts really slow down play when you can't find the fairways.

[steve8820]

I'm one of those guys who can drive the ball a mile (not really, but my GOOD drives tend to go around 250-280, and I'd say 75% are good, ie, fairway or 1st rough) but not do squat from about 75 yds in, including putting. I shoot around 100 (I don't have a REAL handicap, I figured 25 was around a "100 shooter" handicap) because I putt like a moron and have trouble chipping consistantly. And quite honestly, the dozen or two times a year just aren't enough for me to get a whole lot better, and I can't afford, in time or money, to play a whole lot more than that.

Here we have a perfect example of someone throwing driving distances.........."I shoot over 100, but I drive 250-280 usually in the fairway or first cut, blah blah blah.....". The next time you are in Orlando shoot me a PM. I'll give you 10 tee shots and I will guarantee you will not put 1 in the fairway at 250-280. I bet you hit 16/18 GIRs too........

[billysandy]

The second poster after the OP has a Zolex hammer driver! I didn't know people actually bought them!

[I <3 Titleist]

What can I say bro, I watch a lot of Golf Channel after 3:00 AM.


Edit: that's two posts gone now. LOL

[sacm3bill]

I see no reason to play from the ladies tees when my ball traveling a little less distance is not the hold up. I play with my brother in law quite a bit, and he shoots low 80s/high 70s. I drive plus/minus 10 yards of almost every one of his drives.

You are failing to consider the fact that even if you can keep up with your bro-in-law on the drives, your

second shot has much less chance of finding the green, or getting close to it, than if you had played more forward tees.

So me playing off closer tees isn't going to make a darn bit of difference when my problem is putting and chipping.

Again, you would have fewer (and shorter) chips and putts if you had a shorter approach shot into the green.

[Shorty]

I'm one of those guys who can drive the ball a mile (not really, but my GOOD drives tend to go around 250-280, and I'd say 75% are good, ie, fairway or 1st rough) but not do squat from about 75 yds in, including putting.

This is a perfect example of why these threads get derailed.

This would make you far and away the best driver of the ball within a 100 mile radius of your course's 11th green. What complete garbage. How many pros do you think can equal this ridiculously exaggerated driving claim? As has been stated before, the people who believe that there are lots of high handicappers who hit the ball close to 300 yards have probably never seen a golf ball go 300 yards with a few yards roll. If they did, they would keel over in astonishment. If you hit it 275 and straight, but "can't putt or chip", use your putter from 100 yards out and with driving like this you'll comfortably break 85 every time you play. The "can't chip or putt" defence is nonsense. It is just used in an attempt to explain outrageous driving claims.

[Cussin hacker]

Slow players be it high HC or low HC are the kind of people that are just slow at every thing they do. Thats been my observation anyway.

[Fat Slice]

The derailing that happens here is almost ALWAYS due to the difference between "I can in some circumstances and with plenty of luck drive the ball XXX yards" and "I average XXX yards off the tee." Often when a person says the former, people reply as if he claimed the latter, and the miscommunication goes on and on.

I think while there could be more civility here, especially toward the less capable, the OP is a bit too thin-skinned for forum discussions. Hopefully, as his handicap improves (and it will), so will his understanding that you don't take stuff here personally.

[plugged]

When I was a high HC'er (25+), I always felt like a loser on the golf course. Only within the last two years have I dropped down to a somewhat respectable score. Occasionally, I still shoot over 100 and then, once again, I feel like a loser. I still had fun, but did not really internalize any long-term satisfaction from the game.

[Cussin hacker]

When I was a high HC'er (25+), I always felt like a loser on the golf course. Only within the last two years have I dropped down to a somewhat respectable score. Occasionally, I still shoot over 100 and then, once again, I feel like a loser. I still had fun, but did not really internalize any long-term satisfaction from the game.

Why do you feel that way plugged? I never feel like that myself. I get frustrated with my game from time to time, but I always feel that a better game is right around the corner. One good thing about how you feel is that you care about your game. I dislike playing with people who don't give a shit if they ever get better or not. Those kind are the losers to me.

[plugged]

The derailing that happens here is almost ALWAYS due to the difference between "I can in some circumstances and with plenty of luck drive the ball XXX yards" and "I average XXX yards off the tee." Often when a person says the former, people reply as if he claimed the latter, and the miscommunication goes on and on. I think while there could be more civility here, especially toward the less capable, the OP is a bit too thin-skinned for forum discussions. Hopefully, as his handicap improves (and it will), so will his understanding that you don't take stuff here personally.

I tell you, that could not be more true. I see so many "I'm sick of high-HC'ers claiming 290+ average drive lengths" that frankly, I'm tired of seeing them. ESPECIALLY when their rants usually cannot be substantiated. They intentionally misrepresent the claims of other posters, for what reason I don't know but I guess may be they derive some sense of superiority from it. Example: a 25 HC claims he drives 1-2 holes per round in the 280 range and straight. Someone will inevitably start calling him out, "that's simply not possible that your average drive is over 300 yds!" WHAT?? That's not what the person claimed, but next week they will still be going on and on about it.

Another example: "I once hit a drive 330 yds" Response: "that is ridiculous. you've probably never even seen 330 yds, you probably can't even count to 330! It is simply impossible for any amateur golfer with a HC over +3 to ever hit a straight drive over 300 yds. I know, because I have never driven it over 300 yds! blah, blah, blah, blah, blah" Please, give us all a break. Occasionally, even a blind dog finds a bone.

[plugged]

Why do you feel that way plugged? I never feel like that myself. I get frustrated with my game from time to time, but I always feel that a better game is right around the corner. One good thing about how you feel is that you care about your game. I dislike plying with people who don't give a shit if they ever get better or not. Those kind are the losers to me.

Because I simply didn't "get it." That was very frustrating. After 15 years of playing the game, within the past two years, I finally "get it." Now, I get frustrated if I play poorly because I have no excuse. I understand the fundamental swing and there is no reason I should not be able to hit it on every shot. Mind you, I don't expect a great game (yet), I just expect to play within my game.