My first US Open Qualifier experience

[Shorty]

i think it's pretty obvious that the OP is a handicap manipulator who picks and chooses his posted scores for reasons of vanity, The giveaway is his complete shock and confusion at putting on fast greens. A plus 3 handicap player is certainly not coming onto a golf forum and saying " i need tp practice on fast greens more". So, as usual, we have a deluded vanity handicapper who gets a reality check and can't cope. Why not just post all your scores and accept a genuine hcap? It would save a lot of embarrassment, surely.

[GHIN0011458]

i think it's pretty obvious that the OP is a handicap manipulator who picks and chooses his posted scores for reasons of vanity,

The giveaway is his complete shock and confusion at putting on fast greens. A plus 3 handicap player is certainly not coming onto a golf forum and saying " i need tp practice on fast greens more". So, as usual, we have a deluded vanity handicapper who gets a reality check and can't cope.

Why not just post all your scores and accept a genuine hcap? It would save a lot of embarrassment, surely.

I wasn't saying anything.. lol

[cipher]

I wasn't saying anything.. lol

Yeah Shorty has never been accused of beating around the bush so to speak.

[flopster]

i think it's pretty obvious that the OP is a handicap manipulator who picks and chooses his posted scores for reasons of vanity,

The giveaway is his complete shock and confusion at putting on fast greens. A plus 3 handicap player is certainly not coming onto a golf forum and saying " i need tp practice on fast greens more". So, as usual, we have a deluded vanity handicapper who gets a reality check and can't cope.

Why not just post all your scores and accept a genuine hcap? It would save a lot of embarrassment, surely.

Gee @Shorty tell us what you really think.

[Shorty]

The other clue is his confusion about wedges and how he is using Cobra wedges that came with his old set. Plus handicappers, like all players should love fast greens. And when they're super fast you deal with it. And you certainly dont start talking about your "ballstriking" after one round. You might say you putted poorly or couldn't hit a fairway, but "ballstriking" , needing new wedges and fast greens? Give us a break. This is why newbies here get confused- especially when another poster thinks that this guy is "3 shots away from pro level". A +3 player could have a bad day and shoot 80, but he wouldn't make excuses or use terms that a 20 marker would. My guess is he was close to 90.

[saturday]

The other clue is his confusion about wedges and how he is using Cobra wedges that came with his old set. Plus handicappers, like all players should love fast greens. And when they're super fast you deal with it. And you certainly dont start talking about your "ballstriking" after one round. You might say you putted poorly or couldn't hit a fairway, but "ballstriking" , needing new wedges and fast greens? Give us a break. This is why newbies here get confused- especially when another poster thinks that this guy is "3 shots away from pro level". A +3 player could have a bad day and shoot 80, but he wouldn't make excuses or use terms that a 20 marker would. My guess is he was close to 90.

Don't worry everyone, Shorty has figured it all out! We can sleep at night.

[Shorty]

Don't worry everyone, Shorty has figured it all out! We can sleep at night.

You think I'm wrong? Want to say why?

Here's a link for you.

http://www.ghintpp.com/wsga/TPPOnlineScoring/ResultsStroke.aspx?id=154&fid;=0

Do a little detective work and see what you come up with. ;-)

[Golfingdad]

Here's a link for you.

http://www.ghintpp.com/wsga/TPPOnlineScoring/ResultsStroke.aspx?id=154&fid;=0

Do a little detective work and see what you come up with. ;-)

Hmmm, that's a tough one.  I have no idea how to figure that one out.

Also, @Shorty don't forget how our handicaps work over here.  You can have a handicap that is not very reflective of your true game that is also NOT a vanity cap, just by the nature of the system.  I could change nothing about my game, but instead just play the two or three courses that best suit my game, and lower my handicap by 2 or 3 shots just like that.

It's just as plausible that he has no experience in tournaments (something that would disqualify you from even obtaining a handicap in Australia, I believe) and spends all of his time playing his home course.

Side note:  I know of another guy, who shall remain anonymous ;), who played in a qualifier around here and had a similar experience.  He's scratch (not plus, just right around zero), was playing in his first qualifier, and he also shot in the high 80's.  He finished ahead of about 10 guys (counting the few WD's).  I have no opinion to tie the two situations together, just figured I'd share.

[flopster]

The other clue is his confusion about wedges and how he is using Cobra wedges that came with his old set.

pluss handicappers, like all players should love fast greens. And when they're super fast you deal with it. And you certainly dont start talking about your "ballstriking" after one round. You might say you putted poorly or couldn't hit a fairway, but "ballstriking" , needing new wedges and fast greens? Give us a break.

This is why newbies here get confused- especially when another poster thinks that this guy is "3 shots away from pro level". A +3 player could have a bad day and shoot 80, but he wouldn't make excuses or use terms that a 20 marker would. my guess is he was close to 90.

Don't worry everyone, Shorty has figured it all out! We can sleep at night.

I think @Shorty is a lot more intuitive than some people want to give him credit for, just because he speaks his mind a bit more than some care for doesn't mean he's not saying what a lot of us think. I do however hope the OP is accurate with his abilities though..

[Shorty]

If you look at the US Open qualifying results you'll see that in fields of over 100, a typical situation is that 4 qualify with 2 alternates.

The winning scores, and those of the top 4 tend to be 4 or 5 or 6 under par.

Then you have scores all the way up into the 90s (typically with only a couple of pars) plus those who didn't hand their cards in.

So, you haver a differential of perhaps 25 0r 30 shots between the first half dozen and about 10% of the field.

Presumably, to gain entry, all of those guys have handicaps of under 4. Is that right?

I understand the way the handicap system works and I have no problem at all with it. It is fair and equitable, but ONLY if people submit all of their cards.

I can't think of a single reason not to do that unless you get caught in a storm and don't finish.

In theory, the guys who shoot 66 in these qualifiers are perhaps within a couple of handicap points of the guys in the 90s.

I'm guessing that there's a little bit of a difference in skill level there....... (wink)

I'm saying that the 66 shooters in these qualifiers regularly shoot in the 60s on good courses in good conditions and that some of these guys have never shot a legitimate par round  - yet their handicaps are almost the same..........

If it walks like a frau.... I mean duck, etc. etc.

[Dave2512]

Even if the OP is selectively posting his best scores they would have to be damn good to get to a + index. His crap rounds would be pretty good to be able to play at that level on good days. I seriously doubt that is the case. It's probably more due to the courses he is accustomed to playing. The courses here that host qualifiers and Web.com events are brutal for every day play. Setup for a high level tournament/qualifier they would be very tough. When my parents club hosts events/qualifiers for lower level tournaments like the CO Open it plays like a different course. We've made tee times right before and after and were surprised how different it is. They have lived there some 20 years and a week ago we played from a tee on a par 3 my step-dad didn't even know was there. I could see how stress and unfamiliar conditions could get into someone's head. It's not like playing for dollar skins with your weekly group and everyone has a bad day once in a while. Being a good even elite golfer doesn't exempt you from that.

[Shorty]

Even if the OP is selectively posting his best scores they would have to be damn good to get to a + index. His crap rounds would be pretty good to be able to play at that level on good days.

My contention is that there are not enough legitimate rounds posted by certain types of players in DIY systems.

They post numbers, but not scores.

And a +3 handicap player is not freaked out by competition. That would be how he got to that level - by competing.

Guys playing with their buddies and conceding everything inside 6 feet should not be posting scores.

Hence the amazement that fast greens make putting scary. We are not talking about a 15 marker in his first competition, we are talking about someone who paid serious money with, presumably, a sincere belief that on a good day he could beat guys who in fact beat him by over 20 shots.

[johnclayton1982]

I have a buddy who plays with me quite a bit who entered the local Friday qualifier for the Zurich Classic (our New Orleans PGA stop).  He is a good player, and routinely shoots under par on our home course.  He plays off around my handicap (3-4ish).

He shot over 95 and finished last.  You can look up the results and find him but please don't type his name in here so it can be found by google search.

I'm pretty sure his handicap is legit and he shot over 95.  It was his third tournament and it was in pretty insane wind (as a reference point, +3 qualified which is *really high*).

I'm not ready to indict the OP on his handicap for what he shot in the open, but I agree with Shorty that the way he is talking post-round is odd for a +2.

I'm also not familiar enough to know if there is a huge difference between +2 and 3-4.

[GHIN0011458]

Sorry.. there are too many red flags here. I agree with Shorty. From the clubs he says are old to not having any other tournament rounds to show for. I mean really, who is a +2.4 handicap who DOESN'T play tournament golf. I know I don't know any of them.  Its just tough to believe. And if you are posting your best rounds in your handicap you will have a much better handicap. Think about it.. your handicap will be 5 strokes better at least if you are only posting your low 70's rounds after course rating vs posting your high 70's and 80's rounds. If you are skipping the ones that bring you up a couple of strokes on average, then it is going to look great online. I don't care who you are, if you are a PLUS 2.4 HANDICAP you shouldn't touch 87 or higher unless you have one or two blow up holes where you take a 12 or something astronomical on one hole.

[3putter]

Man, this is a tough one. I really enjoyed the OP's account, but that score was mean. Ball striking and putting would bought have to be horrid to generate numbers like those.

However, I do agree with @Dave2512 that some of this depends on the course one is accustomed to playing...but still

[Golfingdad]

If you look at the US Open qualifying results you'll see that in fields of over 100, a typical situation is that 4 qualify with 2 alternates.

The winning scores, and those of the top 4 tend to be 4 or 5 or 6 under par.

Then you have scores all the way up into the 90s (typically with only a couple of pars) plus those who didn't hand their cards in.

So, you haver a differential of perhaps 25 0r 30 shots between the first half dozen and about 10% of the field.

Presumably, to gain entry, all of those guys have handicaps of under 4. Is that right?

I understand the way the handicap system works and I have no problem at all with it. It is fair and equitable, but ONLY if people submit all of their cards.

I can't think of a single reason not to do that unless you get caught in a storm and don't finish.

In theory, the guys who shoot 66 in these qualifiers are perhaps within a couple of handicap points of the guys in the 90s.

I'm guessing that theres a little bout of a difference in skill level there.......

I'm saying that the 66 shooters in these qualifiers regularly shoot in the 60s on good courses in good conditions and that some of these guys have never shot a legitimate par round  - yet their handicaps are almost the same..........

If it walks like a frau.... I mean duck, etc etc.

Actually, and this only helps your point, you need a handicap of 1.4 or better.

But, yes, you have guys who are probably only a couple of shots better than me, but play all of their rounds on the one perfect course suited for their game who have scratched and clawed their handicap down to 1, playing against possible future stars who shoot in the 60's weekly.  Here's a local one: http://www.ghintpp.com/scga/TPPOnlineScoring/ResultsStroke.aspx?id=1026 One of the qualifiers is a UCLA player (Lorens Chan - listed cap of +3.7) and one of the guys who missed (Max Homa - listed at +4.5, not very updated) is 9th on the web.com money list.

[Dave2512]

My contention is that there are not enough legitimate rounds posted by certain players in DIY systems.

They post numbers, but not scores.

Maybe but I doubt those guys are foolish enough to lie their way into a plus handicap and attempt to qualify for an Open. I don't doubt there are a lot of vanity handicaps out there but my experience it's more a problem with recreational golfers that never play in any organized events.

[GHIN0011458]

To be a +2.4 you have to be good on EVERY COURSE. At a handicap that good, you can shape shots anyway you please, you can get up and down from a garbage can and you can surely get out of the car at any course and fire off a 75 or better on a normal day.