Is competitive play really fun? because all i hear about seems to be mostly problems

rollin

"Just playin golf pally"
Joined
Aug 28, 2012
Messages
12,619
Reaction score
1,113
Location
planet earth, milky way galaxy
Handicap
15.7
I dont play any official competitive golf nor leagues etc...

We often talk on the forum pages about competitive golf and unfortunately a huge amount of that talk seems to be more bad than good.

Sandbagging, rules cheaters, problems with the way events are run, issues with the handicap system, personal issues between players, etc,etc.. it just sems to me (being one who doesn't play competitively in any official capacity) that there is more negatives and sour times than positive good ones. And not just on forums but as i play my none competitive golf and for years am at/on courses so very many times I hear the bitching and moaning from others while they discuss their competitive golf. I mean even while outside the actual events , leagues, whatever, and it could be on the practice green, or at the practice range, or simply at the club house, or of course while you play a casual round. The negative frustrations about all the bad and unfair stuff or often vented. Its not constant but collectively through the years its a whole lot. and we certainly have the fair share of that here too.

So it all got me thinking....just exactly how much fun is official competitive golf? whether here or in person out at my courses it seems a ton of it is plagued with unpleasant issues. Heck, even friendly unofficial competitive play has its ugly side sometimes that has been brought up.

It seems that sometimes perhaps i should be glad im not involved in that stuff. because it seems there can often be more problems than it is fun.

I can understand that when things go worng is usually when they get discussed and not so much when things are ok. So i'll amuse that has something to do with why the bad is talked about more than the good. But the bad and the issues/problems are still a dominant topic too many times in too many places. So it all almost makes me question if its really as much fun as it should be or is it actually more stressful , aggravating and problematic than it is anything else?
 
It is at THP Events.
Lots of fun actually. We don't have those issues there.
 
Casual play isn't even fun for me these days lol
 
It is at THP Events.
Lots of fun actually. We don't have those issues there.

been there and it was. And so are most charity outputting and other forms of golf gatherings Ive participated in. But the official leagues and events and tourneys that so many regularly play in just seem to have much more negative than good. At least in discussions i read or hear.
 
I dont play any official competitive golf nor leagues etc...

We often talk on the forum pages about competitive golf and unfortunately a huge amount of that talk seems to be more bad than good.

Sandbagging, rules cheaters, problems with the way events are run, issues with the handicap system, personal issues between players, etc,etc.. it just sems to me (being one who doesn't play competitively in any official capacity) that there is more negatives and sour times than positive good ones. And not just on forums but as i play my none competitive golf and for years am at/on courses so very many times I hear the bitching and moaning from others while they discuss their competitive golf. I mean even while outside the actual events , leagues, whatever, and it could be on the practice green, or at the practice range, or simply at the club house, or of course while you play a casual round. The negative frustrations about all the bad and unfair stuff or often vented. Its not constant but collectively through the years its a whole lot. and we certainly have the fair share of that here too.

So it all got me thinking....just exactly how much fun is official competitive golf? whether here or in person out at my courses it seems a ton of it is plagued with unpleasant issues. Heck, even friendly unofficial competitive play has its ugly side sometimes that has been brought up.

It seems that sometimes perhaps i should be glad im not involved in that stuff. because it seems there can often be more problems than it is fun.

I can understand that when things go worng is usually when they get discussed and not so much when things are ok. So i'll amuse that has something to do with why the bad is talked about more than the good. But the bad and the issues/problems are still a dominant topic too many times in too many places. So it all almost makes me question if its really as much fun as it should be or is it actually more stressful , aggravating and problematic than it is anything else?

Two kinds of competing are fun for me. Head to head or partners friendlies for some sort of small stakes (dollar Nassau, loser buys beer, whatever) in which case nobody is going to get to worked up about whether handicaps are correct or did somebody tee up in front of the markers on one hole. And regular group games with people you know and play with regularly. Again for some small stakes to keep things interesting.

Organized "tournament" formats are just way too elaborate for my taste. I'm as likely to shoot 100 as I am to break 80 in any given round and my game just isn't something that needs to be tested in an elaborate stroke-play setup. I'd rather play some game I can show up and tee off 15 minutes after I pull into the parking lot, not an all-day thing with an hour of preparation followed by a 5-hour tournament round then do it all again the next day. Life's too short.

I personally think handicapping as practiced in USA is a complete joke and a hot mess. I think a lot of the whinging and moaning you see comes from people who play in competitions that they take very, very seriously but they're playing against people they don't know whose handicap is determined by whatever the heck numbers they choose to type into GHIN. If how you do in a tournament really matters a lot to you, then of course you're going to be bitterly disappointed to find there are a few guys in the field sandbagging by 5-6 strokes.

My solution is not to play in any event I take that seriously. The other solution is to play in events where you either know the other players or they are vetted somehow (outside the USGA handicap system). USGA is selling a pig in the poke by claiming USGA Handicaps are Peer Reviewed and can be trusted for serious competition among large fields of people who don't know each other. That would require a very different system than just letting everyone type anything they like into a phone app.
 
I could talk about this for hours but I'll just say this:

I really enjoy playing in my League where only league scores count for your league handicap.
 
I could talk about this for hours but I'll just say this:

I really enjoy playing in my League where only league scores count for your league handicap.
My work league is this way. We recently made an adjustment to how the handicap is calculated to make it more fair. We have one of the nines which plays much easier than the other two, and this was causing higher handicaps to shoot career net rounds every time we play that nine. Now it is much more reasonable.
 
Playing in club competitions is usually a good laugh but when you go to charity gigs or where you submit a fourball then its prime hunting ground for some right cheaters.

Example is up at archerfield it was a two day comp and on the first day the winds were brutal and apparently a 12 handicapper shot level.... Every dog has its day but on that course it was taking the p@@@
 
there is a group called "NW Golf Guys" that has a fairly elaborate tournament system replete with "Majors" worth double points, varying formats, a season long points system. They have one in the Portland area, one in the Bend area and just started one in California. Frank got me interested in playing in them more to play high end courses relatively cheap (Pumpkin Ridge for 79 bucks is a solid deal.) I have gotten on private courses I could not otherwise play in these tournaments.

At first, based on things I read here, among other things, I was not interested in the competitive portion of it. As it turns out, I have had so much fun meeting random people, playing these rounds that I entered not only their tournaments but the Central Oregon Shootout, a 3 day tournament with pretty good size awards on the line. And it was as much fun as I have had playing golf.

I don't sweat the caps other people play with, I go in with little to no expectation that will win. I like to think I both have fun and am a good partner. At the tournament this past Saturday, one of the guys was a 13.6 and had...shall we say...a sub par round. And as we were shaking hands at the end, he literally said, "That is the most fun I have had shooting a 98".

So yeah, I enjoy the competitive rounds. And in this one I netted a 1 under.


Ironically, I probably look like a sandbagger to many because even though the majority of my scores posted are now from tournaments, my scores fall in a very narrow window..72% of them are between 92 and 96, with a variance in slope from 112 to 137. Playing a 112? might shoot a 95. Then a 96 on the 137. So by the time they are done adjusting for course handicap, virtually every tournament round is net 1 or 2 below. I have one sub 92 score...an 85 I shot with Frank a week or so ago that got me a warning for posting outside normal expectation. I have one score worse than 97...a shockingly bad 104 where I could not handle the wind at one course in the Central Oregon Shootout...and even that day was better ball and my partner and I combined to shoot 6 under...

the point of that for me is that I don't really care or think about what others do, I know I am playing legit with a legit number and just whacking balls around having a good time and loving it.
 
there is a group called "NW Golf Guys" that has a fairly elaborate tournament system replete with "Majors" worth double points, varying formats, a season long points system. They have one in the Portland area, one in the Bend area and just started one in California. Frank got me interested in playing in them more to play high end courses relatively cheap (Pumpkin Ridge for 79 bucks is a solid deal.) I have gotten on private courses I could not otherwise play in these tournaments.

At first, based on things I read here, among other things, I was not interested in the competitive portion of it. As it turns out, I have had so much fun meeting random people, playing these rounds that I entered not only their tournaments but the Central Oregon Shootout, a 3 day tournament with pretty good size awards on the line. And it was as much fun as I have had playing golf.

I don't sweat the caps other people play with, I go in with little to no expectation that will win. I like to think I both have fun and am a good partner. At the tournament this past Saturday, one of the guys was a 13.6 and had...shall we say...a sub par round. And as we were shaking hands at the end, he literally said, "That is the most fun I have had shooting a 98".

So yeah, I enjoy the competitive rounds. And in this one I netted a 1 under.


Ironically, I probably look like a sandbagger to many because even though the majority of my scores posted are now from tournaments, my scores fall in a very narrow window..72% of them are between 92 and 96, with a variance in slope from 112 to 137. Playing a 112? might shoot a 95. Then a 96 on the 137. So by the time they are done adjusting for course handicap, virtually every tournament round is net 1 or 2 below. I have one sub 92 score...an 85 I shot with Frank a week or so ago that got me a warning for posting outside normal expectation. I have one score worse than 97...a shockingly bad 104 where I could not handle the wind at one course in the Central Oregon Shootout...and even that day was better ball and my partner and I combined to shoot 6 under...

the point of that for me is that I don't really care or think about what others do, I know I am playing legit with a legit number and just whacking balls around having a good time and loving it.

There was a group that I used to play with every year. Local guys along with some from out of town or out of state. We'd get together for a one-day tournament with full handicaps. Not flighted, just everybody played with their full 'cap and low net score won. Typically 30 or so guys.

I always thought this was the biggest bunch of boy scouts on the planet. Year in and year out the winner would be like net even, net 1-under, maybe net 2-under once in a while. Out of a field of 30! The only year I came close I shot net even par and lost of a scorecard countback playoff. D'Oh!

A real sandbagger could have cleaned up in that event...but the prize was a trophy and no cash so I guess the real 'baggers wouldn't bother.
 
there is a group called "NW Golf Guys" that has a fairly elaborate tournament system replete with "Majors" worth double points, varying formats, a season long points system. They have one in the Portland area, one in the Bend area and just started one in California. Frank got me interested in playing in them more to play high end courses relatively cheap (Pumpkin Ridge for 79 bucks is a solid deal.) I have gotten on private courses I could not otherwise play in these tournaments.

At first, based on things I read here, among other things, I was not interested in the competitive portion of it. As it turns out, I have had so much fun meeting random people, playing these rounds that I entered not only their tournaments but the Central Oregon Shootout, a 3 day tournament with pretty good size awards on the line. And it was as much fun as I have had playing golf.

I don't sweat the caps other people play with, I go in with little to no expectation that will win. I like to think I both have fun and am a good partner. At the tournament this past Saturday, one of the guys was a 13.6 and had...shall we say...a sub par round. And as we were shaking hands at the end, he literally said, "That is the most fun I have had shooting a 98".

So yeah, I enjoy the competitive rounds. And in this one I netted a 1 under.


Ironically, I probably look like a sandbagger to many because even though the majority of my scores posted are now from tournaments, my scores fall in a very narrow window..72% of them are between 92 and 96, with a variance in slope from 112 to 137. Playing a 112? might shoot a 95. Then a 96 on the 137. So by the time they are done adjusting for course handicap, virtually every tournament round is net 1 or 2 below. I have one sub 92 score...an 85 I shot with Frank a week or so ago that got me a warning for posting outside normal expectation. I have one score worse than 97...a shockingly bad 104 where I could not handle the wind at one course in the Central Oregon Shootout...and even that day was better ball and my partner and I combined to shoot 6 under...

the point of that for me is that I don't really care or think about what others do, I know I am playing legit with a legit number and just whacking balls around having a good time and loving it.

see now...thats what i mean. An honest scorer and you got a warning? Its part of the very reason i dont do it. The whole thing is ugly. You get a warning like you did something wrong or are a cheater? I dont get it. Why even bother with these people and there miserableness about the competition? Your accused of something . what happens if you honestly did it again? You would be disqualified from events? labeled a cheater. I mean really?
 
I love competitive play. But I won't play in handicap events (besides my league) because the sandbagging is real. But scratch events or fighter events are fine by me.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
 
I love competitive play. I play in a league for work and we have a blast. I also play in events at our club and they are a lot of fun. When I play with my friends we always do $1 skins or something, honestly if it's not competitive it's just practice IMO. All that said, while I love competition, winning and losing at golf does not define who I am so I think I have a pretty good perspective on golf. If someone wants to cheat so be it, I can't imagine it's that satisfying to win knowing you cheated the handicap system.
 
I’m naturally competitive so I love to compete at just about anything. It doesn’t matter if it’s golf or trivial pursuit or competitive knitting (is there such a thing??), everyone is going to get my best shot every time. That does NOT include cheating. Those that “massage” their handicaps to make them stay artificially high are cheaters.

I don’t play much competitive golf but it would stink to not have a chance to win even if I played my best because someone else is cheating. I’m talking more of a matchplay type scenario. If I’m playing in a stroke play tournament the golf course itself would be what I was trying to conquer.

I’m really looking forward to the Bridgestone event on many many levels, and getting a chance to compete is definitely one of them. It’ll take a backseat to the event itself, but as a competitor that doesn’t get to compete often, I’m looking forward to having a chance to compete.
 
I don't do leagues or handicap stuff but do a handful of local events a year. They are fun in a weird way. Honestly tournament golf and fun/super casual event stuff are barely even the same sport as tournament golf.
 
I think it depends on your mentality and approach to playing competitive golf. Count me as a supporter of competitive golf. I play in 2 leagues, one after work and another (more competitive) weekend league. I got worked up a bit about some sandbaggers at the beginning of the season, but I've come to realize that there is more to playing in a league than winning prizes or placing high up on the leaderboard. It's really helped my enjoyment of the game and it's now my go-to for a 'true' golf experience.

What do I mean by that? In league play, regardless of handicap fudging, everyone plays by the same rules when they are on the course. Everyone has to deal with the bad breaks and figure out the best possible plan to put up a good score. There are no mulligans, no gimmie putts, or foot wedges. Were all out there doing our best. If someone gets an eagle or birdie, they damn sure earned it and the rest of the group (at least the groups I play with) are genuinely happy for them. We get to feel like we're playing like the pros out there and that's a lot of fun for me. It's rare to get a forsome of guys that are all playing by the rules during a casual round and I'm not going to be the stick in the mud when a guy asks to be put down for a 5 after he goes 2 off the tee and three jacks on the green. If we were in league, nobody would even attempt to pull that kind of BS with 3 other players out there who are invested in playing by the rules.

You make a great point though, there is a lot more negativity than positivity when people are talking about competitive golf. It could be that people are simply more likely to vent about things than they like to praise them.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
I could talk about this for hours but I'll just say this:

I really enjoy playing in my League where only league scores count for your league handicap.

This is how the league I played in did it, and it was almost always decent matches (within reason - there were some matches were the gaps were just way too big).
 
The internet was created to provide a place for everyone in the world to b**ch, and usually anonymously.

Golf was created so that people everywhere had a chance to try a sport that can aggravate them daily, and drive them absolutely crazy, thus leading to lots of b**ching.

Combine the two, and, well, you get lots of threads and posts about sandbaggers and cheaters.

Also, people do b**ch at THP events about other people either 1) cheating, or 2) sandbagging. Or at least one did back in 2015. It's just human/golfing nature.

~Rock
 
>> that got me a warning for posting outside normal expectation.

That's my favorite part of keeping a handicap - when I have such a good round that my (honest) score gets questioned by the handicap app.
 
The internet was created to provide a place for everyone in the world to b**ch, and usually anonymously.

Golf was created so that people everywhere had a chance to try a sport that can aggravate them daily, and drive them absolutely crazy, thus leading to lots of b**ching.

Combine the two, and, well, you get lots of threads and posts about sandbaggers and cheaters.

Also, people do b**ch at THP events about other people either 1) cheating, or 2) sandbagging. Or at least one did back in 2015. It's just human/golfing nature.

~Rock

At my course from the championship tees I should shoot 95. If I shot a 101 in a handicapped event and lost no one would complain at all, but if I shot an 89 and won they would gripe for a week. It is what it is.
 
see now...thats what i mean. An honest scorer and you got a warning? Its part of the very reason i dont do it. The whole thing is ugly. You get a warning like you did something wrong or are a cheater? I dont get it. Why even bother with these people and there miserableness about the competition? Your accused of something . what happens if you honestly did it again? You would be disqualified from events? labeled a cheater. I mean really?


it was the GHIN app itself saying "warning...the score posted is outside the expected" or something along that line.

I will do it again. I have shot 83 twice and I honestly believe on the right day I could break par the day I break 80. I have every necessary shot. I have the length..according to the GPS on golfpad, my driver average is 254, my 7i 168 and so forth. it is just a matter of putting it together in the same day. The 96 I just posted in the tournament was 1 shot wide that cost me 3 strokes, the words "I am taking a provisional" not being spoken cost me 2, a bad tee shot trying to be smart and take a short iron that I hooked that cost me 3, a meltdown hole where I went ob with a 6i and 8i on back to back shots where normally you would not think trouble in play, and the only draw I hit coming at a bad time with the drop leaving no backswing. 12 easily preventable strokes off of 5 bad swings. Time those swings different, slightly different course layout...an 84 on the toughest course I have played this year.

And I was not swinging all that well. A lot of mediocre shots...the 3/4 pitching wedge from 120 that bounced sideways and went into the sand turned into a bogey.

I also tend, due to my competitive streak, to play better when there are stakes, even if I don't care...an ice cream cone on the line takes 3 strokes off my game.

Despite me being net below par pretty much every round, they have never mentioned a thing to me. Possibly because they can see all my scores and there is nothing in the tournament rounds outside it, the only round I have gone low was just with a THP buddy.
 
I could talk about this for hours but I'll just say this:

I really enjoy playing in my League where only league scores count for your league handicap.

I love this setup! I wish our league had something like this.

I've never really experience sandbagging or cheating for the most part but I can understand being frustrated with it. I think I'm just starting to get over playing in competition (unless it's a THP event) in general and look more forward to playing casually these days.
 
Golf channel am tour has a pretty strict policy on handicaps. Once you play 5 tournaments, only your tournament handicap is calculated for your “flight” placement.

I don’t ever feel cheated or that there’s sandbaggers playing. It’s way too difficult to do.

I love the competition,
Love the rush.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I won't play handicap events. I play our Wednesday skins match. It's an overall vs the field and various side games. Lots of fun to compete against some REALLY good players.

Also played my Club Championship last September for the first time. That was a blast for me, my first real formal competition. It amazed me how the feel of the very game and vibe of the course changed so dramatically for the event.

Competition is fun as heck for me, so long as I avoid handicap events at all costs.
 
It's one thing for a 2 hcp to avoid handicap events. I'm sure it works fine.

Just a pity that 5-10-15-20 handicappers don't have that option.
 
Back
Top