Golf Club Member vs Golf Gypsy???????

Having Taken my handicap to 9.4 recently with playing over 50 courses in my golfshake life in the best part of a couple of years, who would be the stronger 9 handicapper a golf club Member off 9 or a golfing gypsy off 9 such as myself?

Im on the verge of joining a club at the end of the month as it will save me money and it is a quality track but for me you cant beat playing different courses to challenge you and im not sure if  me joining a club may hinder my progress???

Any thoughts?????

Personally I am sure you will become a better player by playing as a member at a golf club, especially if the club has excellent greens.

Good greens allows for a good putting stroke to develop and this good stroke will stand you in good stead when you play courses with inferior greens.

It does not work the other way round as it takes time to develop a putting stroke, and playing different surfaces and speeds as a gypsy does your putting game and chipping game is not so  good as you are constant;ly having to change your method to suit the conditions.

Golf Gypsy

Golfing Traveller

I thought it was Nomadic Golfer

The difference between us and the Pro's Wayne is that they get to play on courses that are manicured to hell, with greens that are fast and true. Only the links courses can provide that quaility in this country. They would not hole their fifteen footers ,like they do, if they had to play the courses we play on in the main.

I would say the 9 handicap player who has obtained his handicap playing on different golf courses would be the better golfer.

When you play on different courses you encounter so many different problems that a person who plays on the same course each time would meet.

I do, however think that a person who is a member at a golf club will improve their golf faster than a non-member.

Once you are a member at a golf club you will actually spend some time on the practice ground.  Something most non-members actually do!

To be honest, I'm a member at a golf club but I still like to go out and play other golf courses, and being a member of the Crown Golf Group I don't pay any extra money midweek.

Now the other problem with this question is the standard of golf course that you are playing on, we've had the scenerio of who is the better golfer, a low handicapper on an easy course or the high handicapper on a hard course?

Russ

I am lucky that I get the chance in both worlds.

I am a member of a Club and also get the chance to play all over the place.

Once in a Club you get their perks, Team Matches, Qualifiers and such.

During my time as a member at Filey, I played in the Scratch Team so played Hornsea, Hull, Driffield, Beverley and Scarborough NC for free, with a meal after.

Now I'm a member at Horsforth and not low enough for the Scratch Team and too low for the Nett Team but we are members of the "1906 Club" so can get Free golf at a number of other clubs which include Crans-Sur-Sierre. I played at Ganton for free last week due to our 'MacKenzie' connection. So once you are based at a Club, that opens doors for games away. I will not be playing at Oulton Hall because I will be trying to qualify for The International Pairs at "home".

I was sixteen years a member at Clevedon Golf Club and never ever found it boring.

Interesting discussion this.  Having played loads of new courses last year (20 odd?) and only failing to shoot 30+ points on a couple (Lindrick and South Winchester) I think it has made me a better player, although I don't think my Golfshake handicap shows it.  But I have to ask myself, would I be fooling myself by joining the closest club to me (Trent Lock) and shooting mid 80's all the time?  In the couple of games I played there last year I shot low 90's (best is 87) and reckon I could easily get a handicap in the mid-teens if I was a member.  It certainly wouldn't prepare me half as well as trying to think my way around a new course, which is what I do now.  I don't think the added pressure of club competitions would effect me any more than any of the Golfshake comps have.

 I'm tempted to say that a golfer who can play off 9 at a variety of courses looks to be the more accomplished player on the face of it but there's two sides to this.

 They can obviously adapt to the changing conditions (by that I mean the course) though I would find it hard to believe that a player of that standard can consistently perform to 9 on poor greens. 

 Being a club player inevitably means that you go to a tee with a preconcieved idea of what you're going to hit, you know all the dangers and the consequences, however if you're new to a course you are not aware of that bunker in the dip which can be an advantage. I have played some of my best rounds on courses the first time I played them.  

I have played some of my best rounds on courses the first time I played them.  

Yes Patrick, I remember the first time I played Wimbledon Common Golf Club, which is the second oldest club in this country. I shot 68 and thought to my self this would be a nice club to join, which I did. The longer I was a member the more paranoid I became, as the already narrow holes and very long par 3's took their toll on my ability to swing freely. I never ever repeated that score agin in the six years I was at that club. One tough little golf course.

Unless you join a club that is an easy track then you are unlikely to match your 9 handicap because of the way the system of handicapping works.  Your handicap is mainly based on your best rounds so as a golfing nomad you are bound to play some easy tracks and it is those scores that your handicap is based on.  When you go to more difficult courses to score on, the maximum you get back is 0.1.

As mentioned elsewhere my golfshake handicap of 22.6 is mainly based on three rounds I have played this year at SSS 68 courses with yardages well below 6000yds and very few hazards.  My club (SSS 71, yardage 6500 and loads of hazards) handicap is 27 which I struggle to play to either in comps or social rounds. 

Not necessarily true Jon.  As a golf tart I tend to stay away from easy courses, much more fun to have a decent challenge, that's the reason I only play the local course when it's convenient and usually unplanned.  Having said that I do try and play the courses that get the better of me a second time, which is why I've got to have another go at South Winchester this year. True, there is a certain satisfaction on shooting a sub 90 round for me, but nowhere near the same as hitting a 38 pointer at Doncaster on first sight!

My personal opinion is that someone who can play to their handicap consistently in a competitive environment is the better player.

By competitive I mean off the back tees & medal format. I can play to my handicap quite easily on my course from the yellows in stableford but until recently (when I won the monthly medal) I struggled to achieve this in medal rounds.

Russ,

At my course off the whites is not much longer but it's where the tees are. On some of the holes they are 150yrds back & all the hazards come into play & on one hole it's tree lined 150yrds all the way down until you reach fairway.

This is what makes it more difficult.

Russ,

At my course off the whites is not much longer but it's where the tees are. On some of the holes they are 150yrds back & all the hazards come into play & on one hole it's tree lined 150yrds all the way down until you reach fairway.

This is what makes it more difficult.

Russ,

At my course off the whites is not much longer but it's where the tees are. On some of the holes they are 150yrds back & all the hazards come into play & on one hole it's tree lined 150yrds all the way down until you reach fairway.

This is what makes it more difficult.

Allright John - heard you the first time!

Russ

I don't understand your statement that you will have to play to 5 to come down because the course is SSS67?

That is correct, Russ, tough isn't it with these silly SSS's.

Your handicap will mean nothing until it is a recognised club one, so the sooner you join a good club, the better off you will be. You will then find that you will have to commit to the club competitions in your quest for a lower handicap. Open competitions are many and I am quite sure that on the club noticeboard you will find all of these advertised with forms for you to enter. This is also a cheap way of playing the better clubs as the Entrance fee for these are usually lower than a green fee.

If you make it down to 4 handicap then another level of competition will open for you, county competitions where the limit will be 4 handicap and if you ever achieve your goal of scratch/1 handicap then you will again be in a different level of competition.

Being scratch gives you no divine right to win, the pros have found this out. Having said that, there is nothing better than playing amongst your peers and finishing first. Very few get this opportunity and it all starts by being a member of a proper golf club. Good luck.

I never said it was easy, Russ. We have many good players on this forum who are finding it difficult to make the final push into category one.

I now see what you are meaning Russ. You are talking about a SINGLE score to drop you to 8.

You need to look at FIVE rounds to drop each shot on Hcp and beating SSS by one each time. You then drop to 8 and are playing to it at the same time.

I'm 5.6 and need only one round at 1 better than CSS and I'm off 5.4 and into Cat1 (Where I want to be) then its a drop of 0.1 for each shot better than CSS. The last 10 Comps I have played in the CSS has been -1 on SSS and I have only managed to match that.

Hi Russ

In my experience i don't think it will hinder your progress but make you a stronger golfer only if you keep playing other courses aswell.

I have known many really good golfers of scratch or even plus handicap's on their own course, but  go to county or national events and they shoot big numbers because they are so used to their own course.  You just have too look at some of the scores and you will see the competitors that regularly play away from home, you will find them the better all round golfers.

Anyway Russ, I personally think playing so many different courses stands you in good stead. Joining a club that you play on a regular basis will see your handicap fall but competitive golf is slightly different so it might take getting used to.

Martin

One only has to shoot big numbers once when scratch to be no longer scratch. That is the system. If you know scratch players who do this then they never were scratch players. Never heard of such rubbish.

It's true though John no matter your opinion. Check out the stats for comps in county or national and you will see, please don't just look for an argument until you know the facts. Am i unable to post anything  without you baiting me. Will i just leave the site and make you the master. LOL

Ive been a golfin nomad all of my golfing life - 9 years and I must admit, I am now more than ready to join a good local(ish) club. I can play a bit but apart from the odd society match, not tested enough.  Stableford is kop out as you can bounce back after a shocker!

 The thought of an early morning crack at the saturday medal will leave me more than satisified. Remember, you are playing against par not your partners and you will not go far wrong.

Martin,

Scotland may be different to England, but as soon as a Club Golfer hits 3Hcp then the County take charge of their "Official Recognised Hcp"  and the player also has a "Club Hcp".

When you play County or National Comps the Hcp system changes again because out goes CSS. Also to reach Scratch, and stay there, at least some of the scores have to be "AWAY" from home.

Don't fall into the trap of looking at scores in Big Events and comparing them to your view of that course. Pin positions and Tee locations can change any course by 10 shots.

Paul

Thanks for that.

I was never Scratch, I lost my Hcp in March 1973 (6) and didn't get it back until 1990 (4). The reason was, I turned Pro in 73 and got my amateur Status back in 90.

I am a very good Course Manager, so can still shoot low on some days.

David

David Homer,

If your interested in joining a club then you might be interested that Handsworth are waiving the £1000 joining fee for the next 40 members. There are plenty of comps every month & a good social side as well.

If your interested me PM me & I can arrange for the introduction.

John.