Sandbagging is alive and well

[HoosierGolfer]

I'm the handicap chair of our club. I hear about "sandbagging" complaints all the time. Most often, people claim that players are driving up their scores with fluff rounds so that they can kill all the tournaments. However, it's kinda hard to sandbag with the way the USGA system treats tournament rounds. At most, these guys could hit a couple of tournaments before they would get a tournament adjustment.

I agree. There are 'sandbaggers" at about every course but not everyone does this. I have been as low as 5 in my life and right now I'm just trying to stay below 16 and I turn in every single round I play with the acception of the ones I play with my pro/teacher. With me being at 15.5 right now, I shot 84 a few days ago.

[sean_miller]

I agree. There are 'sandbaggers" at about every course but not everyone does this. I have been as low as 5 in my life and right now I'm just trying to stay below 16 and I turn in every single round I play with the acception of the ones I play with my pro/teacher. With me being at 15.5 right now, I shot 84 a few days ago.

You're not the typical tournament prizewinner - you have a pro to back you up.

BTW - an 84 could be a differential of anywhere from 9 to 16, depending on where you play. That's a huge factor - not everyone can shoot low scores on easy courses.

[treebound]

What about having levels in a local tourney where the A group could be the + to 9over players, the B group could be the 10-19 handicap players, and the 20+ players could be the C group. Prizes could be graduated as well where the better players would play for better prizes, and the high handicappers could play for lessons and free food. That way if a region has a bunch of sandbaggers in the 15-hdcp range they'd be duking it out with each other. Just a thought, seems to work in other sports where participants are graded up or down (like cycling where the road racers have Cat-1 through Cat-5). This would be an incentive to post legitimate scores, maybe.

I know that personally when I used to play a lot there was one course I played maybe 20 times a season. I eventually got a par on every hole, got at least one birdie on half of them during the season, but was never able to put a whole 18 good holes together and the best I ever shot for 18 was 100. I would always blow up on random holes, shot double pars or worse, so I never broke 100 for 18. If I'd been playing skins against co-workers I'd have been called a bunch of names, but due to the variability of my game I never played for wagers and never entered a tourney.

Trust me, if I could consistently shoot scores in single digits I'd be posting them honest and proud.

I thought there used to be tracking of tournament scores and tourney players would have basically two handicaps, a tourney rating and a general rating. If I recall from 10+ years ago, this caused a bunch of sandbaggers to drop out of a match for any number of reasons around the 13th-17th holes if their scores weren't going to put them in contention that day. Eventually, at least in one region, the dropouts were red flagged as well.

I could be wrong, but that's what I recall.

[Fat Slice]

Some people don't play well in the wet, cold weather and their handicaps inflate. Some spring/summer they can post some low net scores as they get back in the groove.

[sean_miller]

Some people don't play well in the wet, cold weather and their handicaps inflate. Some spring/summer they can post some low net scores as they get back in the groove.

Funny you should say that - my first tournament ever (1987) I shot a net +1 and won the low net by a mile.

Anyway, there was a steady light rain both days and late Sunday the wind started to gust. It was "same old same old" for me, since I always played in terrible weather. Even though we got to play for free (worked on the course) we could only get out when the weather was bad or at 05:55 on weekends if it wasn't already booked. I lost count of how many times I got called a "sandbagger" that day. I didn't even know it was an insult at the time.

[holeinon3]

I'm the other way, if I don't turn a score in it's because it was extremely high. Hah

[JWL1957]

I have been burnt too many time by sandbaggers to even think about playing in a handicap tournament. I was in a mens golf association that played the club championship using handicaps. 5 years in a row.... some 15-20 hdcp wins the title playing WAY OVER THEIR HEAD ............. or so they said . Flighted tournaments are not much better..............you have guys intentionally shooting a little high enough scores to fall into the easier flights.

[kpaulhus]

I take full enjoyment in shooting a new low round and checking to see what my handicap has dropped to. I havent played in a tourney, yet, but I cant see myself bumping up my hard earned handicap. I feel very proud when I say Im an 11.

[ElWagonne]

I agree with Fat Slice...at least for me, weather played a big role in my current HC. I post any round where I'm paired with somebody, whether it's through my organizations, or just walking up and the starter placing me with someone. Played a few rounds in February/March with suspect conditions and could barely break 90. However, since the weather has shaped up, my last rounds (at courses where the slope is between 126-134), I've shot 81, 87, & 84.

[Fairway_CY]

I take full enjoyment in shooting a new low round and checking to see what my handicap has dropped to. I havent played in a tourney, yet, but I cant see myself bumping up my hard earned handicap. I feel very proud when I say Im an 11.

You and I both. I don't even wait for the revisions. I use my Excel spreadsheet... plug in my round and have it calculate my handicap. I love watching it drop with each round. Began the season at 23.0 and as of my last round... I've worked it down to an 18.7 index.

I play in tournaments all the time... most of them are flighted... but the club I play in uses net scores for every event. I know my number is legit, and if anybody has questions about it... I expect them to say something rather than talk about me behind my back. Nobody has every said anything to my face. In this club, though... most guys numbers get better as the season wears on. CY

[playfromthetips11]

I dont get the whole sandbagging thing. I am a competitive guy. But I want to be the best of the best when i do things. I dont want to beat a 20 handicapper(no offense guys), i want to beat a scratch golfer. Not with my pencil, but with my game. the "sandbaggers" out there are just washed up losers who need that 5th flight trophy to make them feel like they still have it.