Sandbaggers

My league play starts tomorrow. At the league meeting some of the more competitive players wanted to use the last 3 league scores for the handicap instead of the USGA handicaps. They thought this would be more accurate of how a player's current level is.

The issue comes from people never turning in scores to go against their handicap. The league scores are turned in, but since we only play 9 holes in league and some of league play is a scramble, it takes years to really make that much difference in their handicap.

One player in particular carries about a 12 handicap when he's much closer to being scratch than 12 handicap. Also if he's got a big lead in a round he'll miss the green and have an aweful chip to make his score worse on the last few holes. Something you'd never be able to prove, but you know what he's doing.

I voted against using the last 3 league scores for several reasons.

1. The administrators of the league don't make enough for the extra hassle.
2. Why get a GHIN score if you don't need and would that take money away from the clubhouse.
3. It's a gentleman's game, your supposed to have the dignity and pride the game deserves.
4. It's feasible to play way above your handicap for 3 weeks and then your in trouble that next week.

I think I'm going to propose that they make turning in a certain number of rounds of golf outside of league per year mandatory.

How do other leagues handle sandbaggers?
One other problem is the worst sandbagger is on the board of directors for the course and league. So it makes it harder to broach the subject.

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I'm not part of a league now, but in the leagues I was in previously, you needed to use your official handicap. Last 3 league event scores is complete bull$h!t, if you ask me.

I agree with you gord. But the league also needs to do something with these people who don't turn in scores outside of league so their handicaps are a lot higher than they should be.

This makes me hesitant to join a handicap league.

One idea - I played a scramble tournament that requires each team to have an A,B,C,D player (determined by handicap ranges). There is a prize at the end for biggest sandbagger. Winning it comes with ridicule for the rest of the year. You could implement a prize like this, and if it goes to the winner, it will at least taint their win. It is the job of all non-sandbaggers to make the award winner regret it.

That's pretty funny. I was also thinking of just putting a bag of sand in his cart when he's up getting his score card.

Hi guys,

I'm assuming that a 'Sandbagger' is one who fluffs a few strokes to maintain his handicap?

Secondly, what is this 'League' you are talking about?

With regards to those who fluff a few strokes to maintain handicap;

In Australia the CCR of the day is determined by an average of those who played.

I can't be precise but for example, say if 40 people played the 5th best card would be the CCR.

One of the reasons why the handicapping system was changed is for that very reason 'Sandbagging'. The person duffing the shots has no idea of what the CCR of the day is going to be.

I have a real problem with this system though, ie, your playing the person and not the course. It hurts the low markers in Summer. The CCR is always low. You have to have a blinder in Summer to break. Sometimes even if you do have a blinder you can go out .1

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Your correct the ones that score a little higher on the end of the day to keep a higher handicap.

The league I'm in is 2 person team. You play against a different team each week. The first 5 weeks are stroke play. 2nd 5 a scramble and the 3rd 5 is match play.

After visiting with a few golfers at league, the problem isn't so much for good players that miss a few shots late in the round to raise their handicap slightly. It's the people that just picked up the game a couple years ago and only do league. They have these huge handicaps and have improved a lot. When you give a team 30 strokes over 9 holes it's almost impossible to beat them.

__________________
TaylorMade Rac Lt. These sticks are awesome!!!!

Now featuring brand new TaylorMade Burner Draw 10.5, Stiff Shaft.

Strikes me that you have two different problems with two different kinds of bandit (as we would call them this side of the water).

The first - the improver who hasn't had their handicap changed - is easy to deal with; the league should be able to apply an adjustment based on their league results.

The second lot - who throw away shots at the end - are more difficult because they are in effect cheats. My answer would be not to play the team with the worst offender - give them a walk over and explain to your fellow players why.

I am assuming you are at a private club? Ask that the pro shop print out a sheet of how many rounds every member payed for, and then make sure that matches how many scores they turned in

It's a small semi-private club. Which is really a public club as they give members no preferential treatment. Other than you pay your membership and that includes green fees for the year. Anybody can come and walk-on and play though.

They don't keep track of who is on the course other than a sign it form. Which is really only there just in case an emergency pops up so they can tell if they are out there.