Joining my first league

[jlh1508]

I am joining my first league and I am worried about making an ass out of myself. Oh well should be fun anyways.

Any tips and pointers? Is it worth to buy into skins, closest to the pin, and all that jazz?

[Blades4me]

For the most part you should have fun. There will always be a few tight asses wherever you go. Here are what have been the pro's & con's for me.

Pro's
Pretty much everyone in the Men's club I'm in is friendly and conversant
Some are very knowledgable about equipment and/or rules
After awhile of golfing in the Mens Club its like golfing with friends
There are some great after round discussions

Con's
You have to pay money to join.

Tips, ahh just be yourself.
Is it worth it to buy into skins, KP and all of that; well thats up to you. Personally I like to size up the competition before I commit. Your hc could work well for you or it could not work well for you. The hc braket of 9-12 is a wild one, cuz many these players are capable of shooting below 80 once in awhile, which IMO can make it fun cuz its usually a dog fight, but a friendly one--well at least that has been my experience.

[jlh1508]

well that sucked. I hate playing around other people. Shot a freaking 60. Had a 3 hole stretch of a 9, 8, and 11.

[VolunteerGolfer]

Give it time, and remember to play your game not theirs.

[Williamevanl]

haha, did you report your handicap of 11.3 before shooting a 60? I had the same concern before starting mens league. They asked me my average score. I thought to myself, hmm, my average score out here with a friend or my average score with four strangers? I figured 44 was a good answer when taking nerves into consideration and I shot exactly a 44 my first day and a 38 that next. :) *it gets easier*

You are right though, its easy to panic and play really terrible with a completely new group of people.

[jlh1508]

I did give my handicap, but the league has its own handicapping system it uses based on your scores on that course. So since yesterday was my first round out there my handicap is based off that. So I will be playing off a 20 handicap next week in my first match. I am going to be accused on sandbagging, but I just could not hit my driver yesterday. I kept popping it up and pushing it right

[Williamevanl]

Do you mean 20 off of 9 holes or 18 holes? That will be pretty wild if you get 20 strokes off nine but I guess it would be 48 strokes over par on 18 so maybe.

[Fourputt]

Best advice... relax and enjoy the game. That's why you're there isn't it? Just because it's a league doesn't change the game... it's still golf. I've played in my course's Men's Club for 21 years... sometimes I play well and sometimes I don't. That's pretty much how golf works.

[saevel25]

Dont worry about it, it happens all the time. Something new, your want to make a good impression, show off some skill, and you try to hard. You'll get use to it, its good experience.

Sandbagging, just agree with them, they wont know if its true or not. I went out and shot 10 over for 9 holes my first time out, and was called for sandbagging as well, but its all in good fun.

Do what this guy in my league does, if he knows you have a bad hole and he's won the hole and maybe has two strokes on you, he will give you the 5 foot putt. Like if he got par on a par 4 and his opponent is putting for a 7, he will give him the putt. It keeps there handicaps down ;b

Honestly, just pay golf.

[jlh1508]

Do you mean 20 off of 9 holes or 18 holes? That will be pretty wild if you get 20 strokes off nine but I guess it would be 48 strokes over par on 18 so maybe.

yeah it is 20 over 9 holes. So if I come out next week and shot my typical 42-45 my net will be ridiculous. I tried to tell them that last night was not typical to how I play but they insisted on use the handicap of their league

[martytilma]

well that sucked. I hate playing around other people. Shot a freaking 60. Had a 3 hole stretch of a 9, 8, and 11.

Do you usually play by yourself? Hate to rub it in, but what were you driving with your putter? As a 11.3 that had to be a brutal round! If I shot anything around a 50 for 9 holes, I probably would have thrown my clubs into the nearest pond. LOL! Hang in there and relax!

[Williamevanl]

yeah it is 20 over 9 holes. So if I come out next week and shot my typical 42-45 my net will be ridiculous. I tried to tell them that last night was not typical to how I play but they insisted on use the handicap of their league

Can you imagine if you shoot a 42 and it results in a net 22! :)

[jlh1508]

Do you usually play by yourself? Hate to rub it in, but what were you driving with your putter? As a 11.3 that had to be a brutal round! If I shot anything around a 50 for 9 holes, I probably would have thrown my clubs into the nearest pond. LOL! Hang in there and relax!

No I have a group of 5 or 6 good friends I generally play with. So I very rarely play with strangers

It was miserable. I have not hit my driver like that in 3 or 4 years. If it had not been a round in a league I would have walked off the course

[Fourputt]

No I have a group of 5 or 6 good friends I generally play with. So I very rarely play with strangers

One question which might clear some of the confusion. Is that 11.3 in your profile a 9 hole handicap too? I ask because most of us post 18 hole handicaps, so when we see that 11.3 we think you shoot in the 80's for 18 holes.

[SVTGolfer]

I am joining my first league and I am worried about making an ass out of myself. Oh well should be fun anyways.

I just joined my first "club league" this year myself. ive been playing in it for about 5 months now. I LOVE IT! Im not a great golfer, hell, I wouldn't even call myself a good golfer at a 17 handicap, but its really been good for me. It gives you the opportunity to play for money, and have a little competitive adrenaline to see how you deal with it. I just wish we played "club matches" more than once a month...

If you have a high handicap ALWAYS buy into skins. You have the potential to win a bunch of money. You can bogey a hole and still beat a guy who got a birdie depending on the handicap level of the hole. I made a legite birdie on one of the toughest par 3's (over 200 yrd carry), which with my handicap I got to double pop it, which landed me with a net 0. I won a ton of money that day. Hahaha Because of my high handicap I have walked away with 2 first place finishes & a 2nd place finish in our monthly tournaments. Closest to the pin... it all depends. I would say do it if your hitting the ball well and getting close to where you're aiming during warm up, but if not maybe its not worth it??? I always buy into it though. Sometimes I win a lot of times I don't... Risk reward. It keeps me on my toes (sometimes literally)...

[jlh1508]

One question which might clear some of the confusion. Is that 11.3 in your profile a 9 hole handicap too? I ask because most of us post 18 hole handicaps, so when we see that 11.3 we think you shoot in the 80's for 18 holes.

yes that is an 18 hole handicap. I generally shoot between 80-88. Had a terrible round at the league and shot a 60. The league has its own handicap system and according to theirs I will get something like 18 shots over 9 holes based on my round of 60. I tried telling them about my legit handicap and to use that, but they said no

[GolfBear]

In my opinion a great golf league is 50-50 split between competition and social networking. Most of the guys in my league spend more time in the clubhouse bullshitting after the round than they do on the actual round. Sure there's competition but it's not the in your face douche baggery type. I've played a lot of competitive golf and I enjoy the relaxed league much more than I do the uber competitive types. If it's not fun it's not worth doing!

Here's a simple rule for golf leagues scores: if your friends shoot below their handicap they're sandbaggers and should be ridiculed as such. If they shoot double their handicap you giggle at them and listen to their recollection of everything that went wrong with their round.

[saevel25]

Go with it..

When i joined my league they did the same thing, i go out and shoot 10 over for 9 holes, sandbagging indeed ;b Nah, it was a bad night, haven't golfed in ages.. Took me till our summer league to get in a groove. Leagues have strange handicap rules, but its not to bad.

Dont worry, go out and shoot a 42, and your handicap will drop from a 20 to 13, it will lower very fast. Its better than going out and shooting even par or something, than your skrewed ;b