Source: Vietnam News

Figure it this way, you are going to win six holes guaranteed. Your opponent is going to win six holes. It’s the remaining six that you’re fighting over, and that’s where understanding your own strength and weaknesses is vital, and where handicaps come into the picture.

Handicaps are something that everybody wants, few people like, and even fewer truly understand. If I had a dollar for every time someone complained about their handicap, I’d be able to purchase a comfortable island in the south pacific.

There are many different Handicap systems being used around the world, but the one thing that they all have in common is that the player is required to submit a scorecard for handicap consideration every time they play.

One of the biggest problems that Clubs face is that most players refuse to submit all of their score cards. They have many excuses…er, reasons for not doing as the system requires such as: "I played too badly and am embarrassed to put it in", or "I did not play for real today".

There is another word for this phenomenon… "Sandbagger".

Sandbaggers come in many forms, some are good players but work hard to get a high handicap to ensure they always win. Others are high handicappers, but cannot accept that fact and only put in their best scores to get a low handicap.

A good way to see which category a person fits is to check tournament scores. The players who consistently win with net 65 or less are most likely manipulating their handicaps and fall into the first category. Granted, some players just perform better in tournaments then during normal play, but that is a rare case.

The players in the second category are also easy to spot. They shoot much higher than their handicaps and always claim to have had a "bad day", or they weren’t "feeling well", or an old war injury is acting up…

The first example are moral degenerates who deserves nothing but contempt from honest golfers. These types feel that winning is the only thing and nothing else matters. The fact that they are dishonest cheats doesn’t bother them in the least. Clubs are always trying to catch people like this as they create a feeling of unease amongst the honest players.

The second category players deserve pity, or a slap in the head to bring them back to reality. There’s no shame in admitting that you’re a 15, 20 or even 30 handicap. Honest golfers will accept you no matter what your handicap is as long as you’re honest about it.

Face is the arch enemy of true golf. Anytime ego gets involved, the quality of a person’s game is sure to go downhill on roller skates.

Imagine the pressure a player with an oversized ego puts on themselves…

They are always setting themselves up for a disappointment because they cannot ever reach the levels they claim to be. The harder they try, the more frustrated they become and the worse they play until making excuses for poor play becomes second nature to them.

Golf directors have an even harder time with Sandbaggers because it’s our job to catch them and keep honest the events held at our clubs.

Another problem is that we are required to be able to swear on a Bible that the player’s handicaps are correct. When a player isn’t putting in all of their cards, it puts the Golf director in a very dangerous position because our honesty and the reputation of the club is at risk. If we say a person is a 20-handicap and that person shoots a net 58 at a tournament, our credibility goes out the window.

Thus, we are always reminding players to put in all of their cards, good, bad or ugly and let the computers decide what the handicap should be.

Play fair and be honest…to yourself and to the game.