How bad can a plus capper play? AKA I played with a very delusional man today

[hjimzaf]

Played 18 today with my buddy who plays to a 5 and is LONG, can hit most par 5s in 2. On the 3rd hole we catch up to a single playing from the tips who was whited out from head to toe with the latest TaylorMade gear. R11 driver, woods, staff bag, Tour preferred MBs, etc. He asks if we want to join him and says, "I'm prepping for a tournament tomorrow so I'm playing from the tips." He then proceeds to hook his drive into the woods on his way to double bogey. I notice that he's playing a Callaway ball and I ask why he doesn't play the Penta since he obviously loves TM. He says, "I hate that ball. I used to play the Pro V1 but my swing coach suggested I play a better ball so I switched to the i(z)." He keeps talking about this tournament that he's playing in so my buddy asks him what his handicap is and he says, "plus 1.7", I almost spit my water out! He also said that he was sponsored by Allstate. This guy was hooking and slicing drives, missing greens left and right, missing multiple 5 foot putts, just bad. On the 6th hole he moves up and plays from the whites with us. I mentioned my buddy's handicap and length because I'm constantly in awe of his pure crisp swing and his power, I love playing with him. If this guy was really a plus 1.7, he should have been playing lights out, especially from the whites with a rating of 69 and a slope of 125.

[Tomboys]

Didn't you get the memo?  The asylum gives the patients day passes on Fridays.  Sponsored by Allstate, eh?

Maybe you should've told him his grip needs to look like this:

Not like this:

[Fairway_CY]

Quote:

Didn't you get the memo?  The asylum gives the patients day passes on Fridays.  Sponsored by Allstate, eh?

Maybe you should've told him his grip needs to look like this:

Not like this:

Bahahahaha!

CY

[arogolf]

Lol, good stuff.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Tomboys

Didn't you get the memo?  The asylum gives the patients day passes on Fridays.  Sponsored by Allstate, eh?

Maybe you should've told him his grip needs to look like this:

Not like this:

Awesome!!

[hjimzaf]

What made it even more funny is that he never once made an excuse for how bad he was playing. He just kept talking about tournaments he's played in and the low scores he shoots. "Last week I played in the Bremerton City Championship and shot a 69 and 73." If one of us mentioned a local golf course, he'd tell us the low score he shot there.

[Kieran123]

He needs to change to State Farm

Like a good neighbor State Farm is there to find my ball in the trees

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by hjimzaf

Played 18 today with my buddy who plays to a 5 and is LONG, can hit most par 5s in 2. On the 3rd hole we catch up to a single playing from the tips who was whited out from head to toe with the latest TaylorMade gear. R11 driver, woods, staff bag, Tour preferred MBs, etc. He asks if we want to join him and says, "I'm prepping for a tournament tomorrow so I'm playing from the tips." He then proceeds to hook his drive into the woods on his way to double bogey. I notice that he's playing a Callaway ball and I ask why he doesn't play the Penta since he obviously loves TM. He says, "I hate that ball. I used to play the Pro V1 but my swing coach suggested I play a better ball so I switched to the i(z)." He keeps talking about this tournament that he's playing in so my buddy asks him what his handicap is and he says, "plus 1.7", I almost spit my water out! He also said that he was sponsored by Allstate. This guy was hooking and slicing drives, missing greens left and right, missing multiple 5 foot putts, just bad. On the 6th hole he moves up and plays from the whites with us. I mentioned my buddy's handicap and length because I'm constantly in awe of his pure crisp swing and his power, I love playing with him. If this guy was really a plus 1.7, he should have been playing lights out, especially from the whites with a rating of 69 and a slope of 125.

Good players don't always play well. Did you watch Phil M's first round at the US Open on Thursday? He looked like a 12 handicapper.

[arogolf]

He looked like a chopper but he scored only 3 over...in the us open.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by arogolf

He looked like a chopper but he scored only 3 over...in the us open.

With all due respect, Phil is probably a +9 handicapper and streets ahead of a +1.7. The problem here is that the average golfer thinks a +1.7 is as good as a tour player, when in reality he still has a long way to go. I know players from my local club that are + handicappers from the men's tees at my club, but can't break 80 anywhere else.

[MartinVR 182]

Should have said to him you'd go cheer him on in the 'tournament'!

[Gerald]

It actually happens a lot, we have a few really low cappers at our club and all the guys playing in the first team MUST play in the monthly medals to show form.

I have seen 1-3 cappers play into the high 80's and even low 90's, and at the same day seen high single cappers playing in the high 70's .......

I think it is rare to see a +1 or +2 capper, playing his handicap, bc. one bad teeshot and a bit of bad luck and he can be in the 80's.

And (although I am not a low capper) see it myself ..... I changed to another homecourse this year (and knew every tree etc. from the old course) and it took me about 50 rounds to get my play at the same level as last year.....

[arogolf]

With all due respect, Phil is probably a +9 handicapper and streets ahead of a +1.7. The problem here is that the average golfer thinks a +1.7 is as good as a tour player, when in reality he still has a long way to go. I know players from my local club that are + handicappers from the men's tees at my club, but can't break 80 anywhere else.

That was also my point, he appeared to be headed for disaster but he is so good he saved a 3 over from what could have been much worse. By "only" I meant he only lost three strokes to par. A plus "handicap" versus absolute tour scores are two different things.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by hjimzaf

What made it even more funny is that he never once made an excuse for how bad he was playing. He just kept talking about tournaments he's played in and the low scores he shoots. "Last week I played in the Bremerton City Championship and shot a 69 and 73." If one of us mentioned a local golf course, he'd tell us the low score he shot there.

Was his name Justin?

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by hjimzaf

What made it even more funny is that he never once made an excuse for how bad he was playing. He just kept talking about tournaments he's played in and the low scores he shoots. "Last week I played in the Bremerton City Championship and shot a 69 and 73." If one of us mentioned a local golf course, he'd tell us the low score he shot there.

I took an interest in this thread because back in the 90's I played in a number of Bremerton City Championships.  I checked the scores online for this year's tournament, and found that no one shot 69-73. And, I could be wrong, but having a sponsor (Allstate?) makes one a professional and, by definition, cannot play in amateur tournaments. Maybe only over a certain $ amount, but why would anyone sponsor an amateur?

Sounds like he doesn't qualify for the "good driver discount" either.

[TourSpoon]

Was it this guy...looks like Mayhem to me. Maybe he was trying to wreck your game!

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

With all due respect, Phil is probably a +9 handicapper and streets ahead of a +1.7. The problem here is that the average golfer thinks a +1.7 is as good as a tour player, when in reality he still has a long way to go. I know players from my local club that are + handicappers from the men's tees at my club, but can't break 80 anywhere else.

Well OK, these tour players are very good, but most people are telling us all the time they are a +7 to +10 handicapper, but that is not really the case.

No matter how "easy" the course, even for these guys it is hard to shoot more than let's say 6 birdies in a round and even at shorter courses a par 4 is still a par 4 and if the par 4 is not reachable with a drive, there are no guarantees for making a row of birdies, not even at the average homecourse and the greens at average homecourses will be less predictable, the bunkers can be harder, etc.

Besides that not all tour events are held at those superlong courses, many are (at least in Europe) at the same courses we play from the back tees, and also there come these superstars, but we don't see scores of minus 30 over 72 holes.

Looking at the shorter courses Tour events, the winner is a guy maybe playing -20 in 4 days, but 10th place orso, even at these kind of courses is mostly not lower than around -10.

We all know how good these guys can play, but they will not likely play a +9 handicap at your homecourse.

The best have maybe "only" a +4 or at best a +5 handicap, and of course they can play below at certain days, but that doesn't give them a +9 handicap.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by Gerald

Well OK, these tour players are very good, but most people are telling us all the time they are a +7 to +10 handicapper, but that is not really the case.

The best have maybe "only" a +4 or at best a +5 handicap, and of course they can play below at certain days, but that doesn't give them a +9 handicap.

Gerald, you need to read the report this website did on this subject (under The Numbers Game section). At the time, Tiger was the best at +9 and Jim Furyk second on +7. If I recall, Tom Pernice was 125th on +3.5 or thereabouts. AND...these handicaps were calculated on courses set up for PGA Tour events and the handicaps calculated on the highest slopes/ratings possible. The author actually mentioned this in the article basically saying that the handicaps would be even better if there was a way to properly grade courses set up for a PGA Tour event.

If Tiger and Jim played my home course, set up for an amateur event they'd both be off +10-11 after 20 rounds of golf.