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Ideas to stop 'Sandbagging' in Tournaments

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Atxpkrgolf

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I played in a member-guest this week ( I was the guest) and I really liked some of the things they did to prohibit sand bagging. I want it to be known that these measures actually hurt me & we didn't win squat but I nonetheless applaud the effort of the host club.

First off, they took the LOWEST posted handicap that each player had for the ENTIRE year. I am probably playing to a 7 right now and am having the worst stretch of the year. I have had some back issues and haven't been able to practice/play as much the past 60 days but I had to play as a 0.8 which I was 6 months ago.



Secondly, and I really like this, is that when they did the Calcutta, each team had the right to buy half of their own team if someone else bought them


I'm not sure this would matter if ur tryin to stop Sandbaggers but they used a Stableford System which I had never played before but really enjoyed. 1 pt bogey. 2 pts Par. 4 pts birdie. 6 eagle. 10 dbl eagle. No negative pts were given which I think they shd use but that's a minor deal

What other ideas can we do to stop sandbaggers (cheaters is really what they are)?

I know a lot of ppl won't admit it but I've heard countless times (even from close friends) that "Hey, we have to fudge our handicap to compete because everyone does it"

I think that is ridiculous and we should put our efforts into finding a way to fix the system, not trying to circumvent it.

They also adjusted the Handicap after each round (50% for member & 75% the guest which was fantastic) to make quota


BTW, my quota was supposed to be 35 the first day which is unattainable as a 7 HC. I got 24 day 1 which made my Day 2 quota 27.5 where I got 28 and then my quota was 28.5 and I got 30 the last day.

Anyway, just wondering what other members have for ideas
 
If we're talking about a private club, the biggest thing is to have a handicap committee with some cajones, that will call out the cheaters.
 
wadesworld said:
If we're talking about a private club, the biggest thing is to have a handicap committee with some cajones, that will call out the cheaters.
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Thx for the reminder. There was a guy who tried to turn in a bunch of scores and say he was a 12 and like 6 members told the Club that he is a scratch and they made him the right Handicap. They should have DQd the team and kept the entry fee but these guys were on top of it
 
The quota system works nicely in multi-day event.
 
Lets just call it what it is - two notorious cheaters at my club. They don't post all their scores.

One of the guys shot a 74 from the tips at our club championship and I still don't see that posted as of right now :)
 
sleuth said:
Lets just call it what it is - two notorious cheaters at my club. They don't post all their scores.

One of the guys shot a 74 from the tips at our club championship and I still don't see that posted as of right now :)
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Well the club should never let em get away with it again! Use those scores for next year IMHO.
 
sleuth said:
Lets just call it what it is - two notorious cheaters at my club. They don't post all their scores.

One of the guys shot a 74 from the tips at our club championship and I still don't see that posted as of right now :)
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Get to the computer and post it for him or have one if the pros do it.
 
I've never understood this debate. Just don't handicap. May the best player win.

I say this as someone who completely stinks at golf, and who could NEVER win without a handicap. I don't mind that at all. If I cared about winning, I wouldn't play this game.
 
ryebread said:
I've never understood this debate. Just don't handicap. May the best player win.

I say this as someone who completely stinks at golf, and who could NEVER win without a handicap. I don't mind that at all. If I cared about winning, I wouldn't play this game.
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You have to have a handicap, it's what levels the playing field. If there were none, a tournament like this that got 300 ppl would get maybe 8
 
We use a "bust out" rule. If you shoot so many strokes better than your potential or shoot a high round in the first round and an extremely lower round in the second then you "bust out" and are either DQed or moved up into the next flight.
 
Atxpkrgolf said:
You have to have a handicap, it's what levels the playing field. If there were none, a tournament like this that got 300 ppl would get maybe 8
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Really? Do 300 people think they actually have any sort of shot? I play in tournaments knowing I don't have a prayer, as it should be given that I stink.

I personally view a handicapped tournament sort of like a crutch. I'm not good enough on my own merit, so I want this system to "level the playing field." If I want to level the playing field, I should just practice and play more.

I guess I'm weird though. I stink, but enjoy the game for what it is. The score is just the score.
 
ryebread said:
Really? Do 300 people think they actually have any sort of shot? I play in tournaments knowing I don't have a prayer, as it should be given that I stink.

I personally view a handicapped tournament sort of like a crutch. I'm not good enough on my own merit, so I want this system to "level the playing field." If I want to level the playing field, I should just practice and play more.

I guess I'm weird though. I stink, but enjoy the game for what it is. The score is just the score.
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If this was the case then people that are any higher than a 1 or a 2 would have no shot. Handicapping is the great equalizer, providing people are entering their scores correctly.
 
I think the handicap system is one of the coolest things about golf. Anyone can play anyone on a somewhat level playing field.
Its a shame the system is misunderstood and abused by so many.
 
No way to stop it in open public golf .. Been like that since I started golf . Knew several that would intentionally post the high scores , come in as a 15 plus handicapper . Than they shoot 70's in the events , and impossible to beat them with their handicaps . I guess why my main focus is having fun in golf , comptete against old man par ... And just focus on making my golf swing better

Stinks this is how most big amateur events are . But most want to win no matter what. Shot even par this summer in a 2 man best ball event . We finished 1 under as a team, and with handicap we finished 2nd to the last . But , I had a wonderful time ..wonderful time . Winners were almost 15 under
 
i think there should be a rule to catch folk who only hand in the bad cards to keep a high handicap and then shoot low in a event. What should happen is they are cut the next time they play in a completion no matter what there handicap is.
 
First off, they took the LOWEST posted handicap that each player had for the ENTIRE year. I am probably playing to a 7 right now and am having the worst stretch of the year. I have had some back issues and haven't been able to practice/play as much the past 60 days but I had to play as a 0.8 which I was 6 months ago.
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I'm not sure if this would balance out or not, but I'd like to give it a try. Currently my handicap is a 1, and my low round for the year is a 69. I'd only drop four strokes, vs most of the guys I know who have low rounds that would obliterate their current handicap, despite not sandbagging at all.

Course difficulty would also need to come into play, so I presume it's not just 'low round number' but actually low round differential?

Really really interesting. Tough for the high caps I'd think.
 
chas said:
i think there should be a rule to catch folk who only hand in the bad cards to keep a high handicap and then shoot low in a event. What should happen is they are cut the next time they play in a completion no matter what there handicap is.
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Impossible .. That is how golf is . Anyone can have a career of year low round . But If they do it consistently tourney to tourney I agree .. ( which when I was more competitive i would see a bunch of this )
 
We always do one event a year where we flight it after the first round. That way if you play really good in round one then you get to play with the big boys in the final round. We also have a shot rule in place where if you play a lot better the second day then you jump flights
 
I know people that are just the opposite, record only good rounds, they want a lower cap for vanity. The only up side to that is when I beat them straight up and their supposed to be 6 better than me, the after round beer tastes sweeter & I get bragging rights until next round. HA! so much for their vanity.
 
Canadan said:
I'm not sure if this would balance out or not, but I'd like to give it a try. Currently my handicap is a 1, and my low round for the year is a 69. I'd only drop four strokes, vs most of the guys I know who have low rounds that would obliterate their current handicap, despite not sandbagging at all.

Course difficulty would also need to come into play, so I presume it's not just 'low round number' but actually low round differential?

Really really interesting. Tough for the high caps I'd think.
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Low round of the year brings in far too many issues. Here is an example.
Earlier in the year, (very early) when I was playing, I had 2 rounds in the 60s. Anybody that has seen me play as of late, and battled the injuries that I have, know I am not playing to plus, scratch or even 2-4 right now.
My father plays right now to a 15. He has been as low as a 6 in his life (he is 75) and as high as a 17. As he has gotten older, the game is harder for him due to a number of factors. He shot 74 this year when he eagled two holes by holing out from the fairway and played the best round he has played in 5 years. Most of his rounds are in the mid 80s on a very tough course they call home (Hammock Beach).
 
chas said:
i think there should be a rule to catch folk who only hand in the bad cards to keep a high handicap and then shoot low in a event. What should happen is they are cut the next time they play in a completion no matter what there handicap is.
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I'm not sure how most courses operate but my course has a handicap committee and the pro shop monitors handicaps for tournaments. They even make calls to home courses if someone comes in and obliterates their own numbers.

In fact, my dad had this happen to him last year. He's about as honest as they come with handicap, and plays a bit further back than he should at my home course -- Which causes his handicap to climb and extend beyond what it should be. Long story short, he played in a member/member last year and shot probably 8-10 strokes better than his handicap because the course was short with limited trouble. They called my home course to confirm handicap and the pros vouched for him. ---- There's really no way to combat this type of score variance, but it certainly isn't sandbagging.
 
JB said:
Low round of the year brings in far too many issues. Here is an example.
Earlier in the year, (very early) when I was playing, I had 2 rounds in the 60s. Anybody that has seen me play as of late, and battled the injuries that I have, know I am not playing to plus, scratch or even 2-4 right now.
My father plays right now to a 15. He has been as low as a 6 in his life (he is 75) and as high as a 17. As he has gotten older, the game is harder for him due to a number of factors. He shot 74 this year when he eagled two holes by holing out from the fairway and played the best round he has played in 5 years. Most of his rounds are in the mid 80s on a very tough course they call home (Hammock Beach).
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That's exactly what I was thinking. My dad is currently a 17 (I think) and has one or two rounds in the high-ish 70s this year. He'd get rocked in a structured tournament utilizing this handicapping system.
 
I think using low round of the year would just give the cheaters even more incentive to not post their good scores.
 
Whatever device is used to try and prohibit sandbagging, there are golfers who will find ways to get around it. I wonder what ever happened to the "gentleman's" game, where we are responsible for self-policing, calling penalties on ourselves and handing in an honest scorecard?
 
TexasHacker34 said:
If this was the case then people that are any higher than a 1 or a 2 would have no shot. Handicapping is the great equalizer, providing people are entering their scores correctly.
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I understand why there's a handicap system and that it can allow for a weaker player to compete with a better player. Maybe it is just me and I am weird, but I just don't think that so many people care about winning. I don't believe it would be catastrophic to participation as some believe, but I could be wrong.

When I was younger, I was hyper competitive. I was competitive with others, and I was competitive with myself. That's part of why I quit this game the first time. I wasn't playing at the level I thought that I should, got frustrated and stopped.

Since I've returned, I have decided not to take the score side seriously. I'm having a lot more fun and my scores are down due to practicing more and a different swing and game philosophy.

I wouldn't be bothered at all entering a tournament knowing I had no chance to win. My only hope would be not to embarrass myself.
 
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