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Played with a +3 handicapper yesterday.

Golf Ghost said:
Working at a golf course means that a lot of the guys I work with play to scratch or better handicaps. I really enjoy playing with them. Love just watching, sometimes asking small questions to pick their brain just to understand their thought process behind a particular shot or club choice.
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Same here. I get to go out with our head pro a bit, and he played to a +4 before becoming a pro. He hits the ball hard, and it goes far. It's a blast to watch. His little brother is a +2, and pretty skinny. He can really strike it. He shot a 65 in our club Championship. The 2 guys in the group with him said he just couldn't miss anything. :D
 
My roommate back in the late 90s didn't keep a handicap, but he was a scratch. We were just out of collage, and he played golf in school. Never saw him shoot over par. It was fun to watch him play and educational. Would love to play again with a scratch or so player.
 
sleuth said:
Boy I've played with a lot of great golfers. I usually maintain a +5-7 somewhere during the peak season. To see some guys swing effortlessly, bomb it, or just tear up a course is humbling. Shows me that it can be done and there is light at the end of the tunnel. I feel playing with these types of players does elevate my game. I'm highly competitive so I always try to match each shot. I'd love to get to scratch myself some day.
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I think you meant 5-7, not "+". A plus 6 index would mean your average score is about 69 and 25% of the time you shoot a 66 on a course with a rating of 72.0.
 
I know a former tour pro (played with Tom Watson in the juniors and made the tour the same year as Watson). He only was on tour a couple of years but he gave me some lessons and we played quite a bit in the early '90s. One of my friends knew a guy who turned down a full ride golf scholarship (young and wanted to party instead!) who was as good as my friend. We all four played a few times together, and it was something to watch these two play. I don't think we ever saw the two shoot over par for a round.
 
I've played with a few guys that are a couple of shots on either side of scratch. Just amazing to see how they make the game seem so easy. It seems like nearly every hole they'd putting for bird or tapping in for par. Very little stress in their rounds. Of all the guys I've played with, they only ever seem to get into trouble off the tee. When their putting is on, they're below par, otherwise always right around it. Very fun to watch, and I agree with the OP that I always seem to play better when playing with somebody significantly better than me. I don't know if it's that I focus more (likely, I have bad attention issues lol) or that I play safe to avoid looking stupid, but I always seem to play a few strokes below my cap when playing with a scratch player.

P.S. I've played with a lot of very good golfers, but the most impressive guy I've played with was in his mid-80s. Shot in the 70s from 5600 yards. Never hit it farther than 150, but everything was dead straight and he would get up and down nearly every time he was too short to hit the GIR.
 
I think the lowest handicap I've played a round with is Six4Three5 who's about a 6.
Don't know why but I tend to press even more when playing with better players.
 
played with 2 different + handicap players multiple rounds. Very different experience with both. One had so much freaking talent, it was unreal. We were on a 323 yard slightly downhill par 4 and he hit 3w and he was pain high left of the green. Great short game and obviously super long. He chatted and wasn't focused on shots so he would make some serious misses, but then would pull off miracle shotes to scratch out a par. When he played serious golf (as a +4 he played in the US Am, and tried qualifying for the US Open) he would blow up...

Other guy was 17 and a junior in high school the first time I played with him when he was a +2. He had was quiet but friendly, and had a consistent routine before every shot. He shot a 65 that day, and that was only after he bogeyed the last hole (a 115 yd par 3 no less). I learned a ton from him on how to think my way through a round. He was still super talented and probably hit his driver 280+ as a 17 year old, but he set up his approach shots while the other guy just bombed it and then went from there.

Very interesting difference in the two, and proves more then 1 way to skin a cat.
 
I have played with all ranges of indexes, anywhere from +5 to 38. At my old club we had a couple kids who were +3 - +4, 1 of the kids is on the UNLV team currently. Playing with some guys that are older in the 30-40s who are still +2 or better on a semi regular basis. But all of them, except the kids will tell you that being a +3 or +4 at your course is still a great distance away from being competitive on a mini tour and certainly the Web.Com or PGA tour. But it is fun watching those guys play this game.
 
My PB was when I paired up with my B-I-L's best friend. He was a week removed from shooting 68-69-68 to win the local county muni. Shot 73 that say and according to him, played like crap. I was blown away by his consistency and short game moreso than his ball striking.
 
I am a 5 hcp golfer and i often play with higher hcp's,(16hcp to 25hcp). I also play with my son who is a -2 hcp or scratch. It is a difference in playing with both, but I just enjoy the game and just getting out. I practice a lot during the week and play on weekend's. so for me playing and enjoying the game and the simple money games is what i love. Local tourney's are good for keeping the game sharp and focusing, but its fun playing with anyone who enjoys the game and is good to be around. so a good mix of all type's of golfers is good for everyone. teaches everyone something.
 
While I enjoy playing golf with people of just about any skill level, I really do like playing with people better than me. Like you I tend to elevate my game a little, its kind of hard to explain but I just play with a different overall mindset that I find to be quite enjoyable. Just the competitive nature in me I guess.
 
I often play golf with my son and hes mad when he shoots over 75 from the 7000yds. I do enjoy playing with him and his buddies and they are all outstanding golfers, and i do go into a differnet mind set when i do play with him. we are both highly competitive golfers and i enjoy the game, but im 53 and their 26-30 and crush the ball, so be out driven by 40-50 yds on a regular basis is not uncommon. lol! So this is the circle of life.
 
a coworker/friend of mine, also on THP but never comes on anymore, is a 2hdcp. he's pretty scary... and he's only a junior in HS.
 
I prefer to play with people that are just a little better than me, but the couple of rounds I have played with low handicaps have been great. To see how they play and the short games were phenomenal, easy par after easy par. If only it was that easy.
 
tpluff said:
I played with a guy once that can go low, hope to play again soon. His name is Canadaneline. Maybe you've heard of him?
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hahahaha Canadaneline fears the talents of the real Haneline.

I've played with a few plus handicaps and have really enjoyed watching them go on a run stringing together 5-6 birdies in a row. Watching them get dialed in and going into the zone is something I strive for every round I play. It's scary how connected they get and how seldom they miss any of their shots.

Interestingly, that's not the most humbling experience I've seen. I play sometimes with a guy who is an internet golfer in the RL regarding distances. Swings incredibly fast and is deadly accurate at times. Watching his ball sail through the air is just absolutely crazy humbling. Reminds me how entirely human I am every time. Each time I think "I wish i could carry the ball that far" and then he misses one and I change my mind hahahaha!
 
I'm not a very bad player if I may say so as I break 80 more often then not the last two months (in winter yes!). But I do play with 7-9 handicap players a lot and one of my friends and training buddies is around 3.5 right now.

I caddie good players, it's really refreshing how they 'attack' the course. And yes there's a massive difference between the 4 handicap, 1 handicap and +2.6 handicap player. I'd dare say the difference between each is about as big as a 14 and a 20 handicap..

For example: I've caddied a seriously low 'capper that took a 3iron to hit a ball from a bad-ish lie in the rough, shape it to a big draw and end up within a foot of the pin, a mere 232 yards out.. A 4 'cap player wouldn't even bother trying unless they're a little over confident ;)
 
A lot of replies and a lot of people that feel they play better and concentrate more when playing with low cappers. Thanks for all the replies.
 
Played with a few scratch or better golfers and there game from 100m and in is the biggest difference compared to myself on a 5 handicap. They do not hit it any further but just more consistent and give themselves far more good chances at birdie and the odd time they are in trouble they get up and down.
 
Oregon Jack said:
a coworker/friend of mine, also on THP but never comes on anymore, is a 2hdcp. he's pretty scary... and he's only a junior in HS.
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A 2 or a +2? I think this thread is more about playing with people on the other side of scratch.
 
I played in Vince Gill's Celebrity Pro Am Invitational The Vinny some years back and was paired with Russ Cochran. The real difference I saw first hand was the pros approach to playing the course. It's not just hitting the fairway, it is which side of the fairway. Not just hitting greens, where to leave the ball for the best birdie opportunity. Ball striking and short game is obviously out of this World, but the approach of a plus handicapper on each shot is truly awe inspiring. It was great to walk inside the ropes and pick his brain on his way to a smooth 66, lowest round by a pro that day at Golf Club of Tennessee.
 
I've played with a whole bunch of plus guys. I used to be one myself but the difference between them and some of us isn't from the tee because even the best players spray it,push it, pull it and shank it. The difference is they know their misses and they get up and down
 
tpluff said:
I played with a guy once that can go low, hope to play again soon. His name is Canadaneline. Maybe you've heard of him?
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Yea, I was wondering why nobody brought up Dan.


That said, a buddy of mine plays just on weekends now, but was once a teaching pro, and is still probably a 5 or 6. Natural. Irritating, really.
 
One time I was playing a match against a guy who was playing on the Canadian tour and after 9 we were even , he beat me 3&2 but we had a really in depth conversation about golf and I straight up asked him what's the difference between me and him and his reply was pretty simple. He said the only difference is that on days I don't play I'll hit about a thousand balls. On days I do play when you go home and have a beer I'll head to the practice area and still hit a hundred or two balls.
 
You guys are spot on regarding their ability to get up and down from all over the course. I can scramble like a mofo but this guy made me look average at best :beat-up:
Another thing that really stuck out was how dialed in he was with his distances, almost always pin high even if he wasn't 100% on target. Playing with him has really motivated me to get back to a +handicap.
 
I have a friend who I play with frequently and fluctuates between 3-5 depending on how often he plays. I love playing with him because he is always willing to give advice, but only gives it when asked. I'm not sure he likes playing with me though because when he shanks a shot I let him hear it.


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