Am I a bandit? Or am I just overestimating my level?

N00b2fitness

Hi all,

Just wondering if I would qualify as a 'bandit'? Reason I ask is because I'm off 18 but I have a feeling that I am capable of shooting in the mid to low 80's if I can have a half decent day and I am pretty sure I will do so soon. I've shot 82 in a non qualifier competition (Par 72) but didn't get cut because of Winter Rules and I have shot low 80's many times before albeit not in competitive play. My best round is 78 on a Par 72 course. You may think that automatically makes me a bandit but in the comps (where it matters) I have only managed low 30's (Stableford). In getting low 30's I'v scratched several holes or 3 or 4 putted. So does that mean I am where I should be? I think it does - but I would hate people to think I'm a bandit because I strike the ball as well as most 10/12 handicappers I have played with.

More about my game...

I just moved to the Waterford area and recently joined a club down here. I used to play the odd bit of Par 3 golf and proper golf when I was younger. I'm 27 now and back playing after a break of about 8 years. I filled in 3 genuine cards and handed them in for handicap a few months back. I got given 18.

They were genuine and not great rounds - good few scratches, the odd par and mostly bogeys. I was given 18. I've started playing in competitions and am suffering a bit from nerves naturally enough which has resulted in my getting only low 30's stableford. My long game is okay-ish, can get it away off the tee consistently - guessing I average about 230/240 with driver (if I nail one I can get it 250+ but very rare). 3 wood is more accurate and about 220. My irons from the deck are usually as follows:

SW - 80
PW - 115
9I - 125
8I - 136
7I - 150
6I - 165
5I - 180
4I/3I - ?? Rarely hit
Rescue 3 - 190/200
3 Wood - 15 to 215

My short game is ok - I'm usually up around the green in 2 barring one or 2 disaster holes where I get into trouble or have a crap shot and I usually get down in 3. My putting is poor, I average about 36.35 putts per round, single putt 17% - two putt 67% - 3 putt 15%.

So what's the verdict? Bandit or just inconsistent and deservedly off 18?

GreeBo

I would argue that a bandit should be winning things, you are clearly not and so are not a bandit in my book.
Plenty of people (myself included) strike the ball better than our handicap would suggest. But the reason we are not lower is that it takes us more shots to get the ball in the hole. Simple as that.
Analyse your rounds and see what is causing the scratches. Are you trying to par low index holes that you should be accepting a bogey on?
Are you missing greens from 100m in?
Work on the weak part and then (if!) you are able to turn it on when you want, then worry about being a bandito.

ShriekingSheet

Nope you're not.

What were you shooting last year before the winter rules came in?

I'm sure you've improved over the winter but also bear in mind that you've been teeing the ball up nicely on the fairway and cleaning it in the rough all winter.

Also, most people shoot better scores in casual, non competitive rounds. You just relax more and hit it which only the best guys can do in a competitive situations.

I'm sure you'll get cut to lower teen digits this summer. But to be honest, handicaps don't lie. If you shoot the scores you come down, if you don't, you don't.

A bandit in it's purest sense refers to someone who artificially keeps their h'cap high eg: having 38pts after 16 and mysteriously finishing with 38pts. This ain't you. People who "should" be lower are also called bandits sometimes but to be honest, if you play regulalrly in comps your h'cap is what it should be according to your scores. How you hit the ball isn't all that important.

Ask the lower guys on the board. We can hit shots that you see on TV. But we've also hit the ball into areas of the course that were previously yet to be discovered by man-kind.

I'm just saying that while your good shots might match those of golfers at a higher level, you're only as good as your bad shots.

N00b2fitness

Thanks for the replies - that makes sense what you both say and is pretty much in line with what I thought. If I do manage to pull out a solid, disaster free round sometime over the summer I won't get the guilts about it.

I've been playing regularly now and am still at 18 (17.8) so I've totally earned it. Thanks for clarifying the meaning of bandit. It seems to me it's bandied about a bit too often and sometimes unfairly at high handicappers. In fact, I would go as far as to suggest that most high handicap golfers are even more keen to go south than other golfers.

For instance, I was playing with a 50 something guy who was off 9 a few weeks back and on several occasions, he made snide comments about my handicap. Granted I was playing well better than it might suggest. The insinuation was that I was some sort of bandit, although he never mentioned the word, I could read between the lines. I totally collapsed on the last 5 holes because of nerves and he even half joked (whole in earnest) to one of the other guys "That's what you call protecting the handicap". I just let it slide... as if I would throw away a potentially winning score? As I said, it seems to be the lower handicap guys that seem more obsessed with it?

That's a really interesting point about only being as good as your bad shots - and absolutely true. I've been working on my putting recently and have improved there a bit so I need to just work on the scratches now. It seems to me that it's nerves as I usually scratch the 1st, sometimes the 2nd and then a few holes toward the end of the back 9 after I have gotten myself back into a good position!

Anyone know any good tips for battling nerves?

Par72

N00b2fitness wrote: »

My short game is ok - I'm usually up around the green in 2 barring one or 2 disaster holes where I get into trouble or have a crap shot and I usually get down in 3. My putting is poor, I average about 36.35 putts per round, single putt 17% - two putt 67% - 3 putt 15%.

So what's the verdict? Bandit or just inconsistent and deservedly off 18?

No, you're not a bandit but if you want to get your handicap lower and start winning some prizes one of the keys lies in your short game. If you are up around the green in 2 on most holes and usually getting down in 3 that's where you can easily take a few shots off your score. If you could turn 4 or five of those getting down in threes into getting down in twos you'd be 4 or 5 shots better off.

Believe it or not the distance you hit the ball bears very little importance in terms of scoring (unless you are exceptionally short). Focusing on your short game is where it's at as far as I'm concerned.

Sandwich

Banditry is a combination of how better than your handicap your scores are and how frequently you can do it.

Add up the number of stableford point that are more than 2 strokes above CSS (ie you shoot 40pts or equivalent, and CSS was 37, then add 3 points) for the last 8 qualify competition cards returned.

If you have more points than the following for your category then you are a bandit :

Up to 10 handicap : 10 pts
11 to 17 : 12 points
18 or greater 14 pts.

PhilipMarlowe

N00b2fitness wrote: »

As I said, it seems to be the lower handicap guys that seem more obsessed with it?

I wouldn't say so particularly, it's really that a higher handicap golfer striking the ball well is capable of shooting a much lower score (relatively) than a low guy.
Generally my best rounds have been 5 under my handicap (at the time). An 18 handicapper breaking 80 will murder that score. It's just the nature of things - you are less likey to have those kind of days and you're handicap will adjust pretty quickly to any happy days you may get!

Trampas

If you were hitting 40+ points then yes but your not then no.

I used to hate when i was playing of 18 when you could hit a good drive and par the 1st and your playing partners would be like bandit this and take.

It seems like you are not allowed to have a good hole when of 18. Its 18 holes not 1.

Plus 10

Think your situation happens to many people who have a bit of ability starting out in the game - you gets a legitimate handicap of say 18 (in my case actually got 20) - you plays a bit, get better, it don't click in the first couple of competitions and next thing you hit 46 points in a competition.

Personally I got a lot of slagging but as a previous poster says it wouldn't last long - you can only do it say twice (2 good cuts) and then you will be at your genuine handicap. One bit of advice (golf integrity, etc) don't go out and win say the captains prize - get your score in some minor club event/open or alternatively explain your situation to the handicap secretary and maybe he will cut on general play.

N00b2fitness

Plus 10 wrote: »

One bit of advice (golf integrity, etc) don't go out and win say the captains prize - get your score in some minor club event/open

You know, I've actually thought about that scenario and it's one I have to say, I would not be proud of.

Let me preface what I am about to say with an acknowledgement that it's an extremely unlikely scenario....

In reality, if my nerves are inhibiting my scoring on a Tuesday competition it's unlikely they will stand up during a two day major... but that said, it would be Murphy's law if all the basic elements of my game (driving, short irons, putting) which have not yet all come together on one round, came together during one of the major competitions.

But it's not something I can control - I strive for them to come together every round and I can't turn it on/off at will, obviously. Basically, by what you're suggesting, I'd have to 'throw' the competition if they did. Which could be construed as 'banditry' (my new favourite word ), albeit more socially acceptable banditry :rolleyes:

One Cold Hand

I may have gotten the wrong end of the stick here, but for me a bandit is someone who manages their handicap, ie keeping it higher all year so they can win something like the captains prize. It's annoying as you see these lads winning Scrambles, rumbles and 4-balls week in week out, yet they never seem to do well in a singles comp.

So for me, no your not a bandit due to your scores, but also due to the fact that you want to improve you handicap and get it down.

And don't worry about the scoring, it'll all come together one day, and you'll shoot the lights out. The best tip earlier in the thread was to work on your short game.

GreeBo

I won my captains prize of 18. Its a 36 hole strokes competition run over 2 days. On the second day you are paired up according to score with the best (lowest) going out last. Its a great event and a real test of nerves with guys on walkie talkies reporting your score back to the leaderboard at the clubhouse every 3 holes. Then you have to face the approach shot at the 18th, downhill lie over water with 100+ people crowding around the back of the green. Fun times :pac:

I'm not sure if your captains prize is the same format, but if you can win it then do. Dont throw it away because of what someone else says or may say.
Most singles competitions are won by higher handicaps who are on their way down. People who regularly play to their handicap dont win that often as there is always someone who is getting cut that week based on their performance.
99% of golfers start off at 18 (or higher) the only way to get lower is to get cut based on your performance. You are going to win something for getting cut (unless its all observation, which I doubt) so enjoy it. Its the "easiest" time to win something.
You dont get to choose when you win something in golf (unless you are a bandit ), so take all you can get and enjoy it.