Bandit Alert!!

This one seems a very clear cut case of banditry but I thought I add a post and see what comments you have about.

In the recent YMCA Worcester Charity Day Event a 28 handicapper (playing off 21 as it was a 3/4 stableford comp) managed to score 52 points. Yes, thats fifty-two points!

The golfer in question said that he hadn't played for 2 years (apart from a warm up game the previous week where he'd struggled) but when he had played he was a decent mid-handicapped player. As the organiser of the competition I checked with him that he's 28 handicap was realistic and he agreed.

So, imagine my surpirse when he handed his card in at the end of the round! 9 pars and 2 birdies gave him a gross 77 on a par 72.

Now, thankfully, this was a team competition and this players team did not win, although they came second.

So, as the event organiser, could I have done anything to prevent this?

Yes,

you could have told all of us that played in the comp & we would have kicked the #### out of him

Seriously though I don't get these people that used to play off a high standard & then don't play for a few years & then when they come back decide to play off an artificially high handicap.

My thought process is that even if you played in every medal, qualifiying comp for 2 years at a golf club & didn't play to your handicap so your getting 0.1 back you'd probably only manage to get back 3-4 shots max.

John.

You could have a fine system to discourage banditry, Dave.  Lets say that 36 points is the most a player can reasonably expected to score.  The fine system would then operate for every point over 36 but as a summation figure so:

37 = £1

38 = £1 + £2 = £3

39 = £1 + £2 + £3 = £6

40 =  £1 + £2 + £3 + £4 = £10....

So a bandit with, say 52 points would be fined £136 - or could voluntarily give some points up....

Totally impractical I know, but....

I think you should be able to enforce some kind of maximum. There is no way a 28 handicapper could ever shoot a gross 77, thats a net 49 for goodness sake. I think a 9 hole retrospective handicap should be enforced.

In the above case, if the guy had shot a 39 on the front nine that would put him in line for a 6 handicap score. thats a 22 stroke difference from his handicap. You should then be able (just for fairness sake) to adjust his handicap retrospectivley half the difference. Giving him a handicap of 17 (probably his original handicap), 3/4 to 13. He still would have scored about 44 points.

I'd only suggest this if the golfer was a ''not played in 2 years honest'', type of golfer. If he had an approved hanidcap and scored 52 points, then good luck to him. Although I've never seen that happen.

Bandit is too polite a word for this gentleman, he is an outright cheat and should be ashamed of himself.

It's quite hard this because I was going to suggest banning them from all future comps but as it's for charity you want as many people turning up. You could try & implement a 'capping' of scores & say that 40 points is the maximum any 1 person can score?

I think that would work JF. In the case of a tie the lowest handicap wins.

Leave him alone he's my new matchplay 2011 partner

Been there, seen that.

A player who hasn't played for any length of time should play off his last Hcp and put in "Official recognised scores" to warrent anything higher.

A Charity Event will always attrack some one who hasn't played for a long time or doesn't play and wants the maximum allowence. That is why most Events want Official Hcps for its entrants.

In this case here we have a guy who cheats the rest of the field in obtaining a Prize winning score.

If I turned up playing off 6(5.6) my official last EGU recognised Hcp, and shot a Gross 64 (possible) so scoring about 48pts, would I be a BANDIT or did I just have a great round.

It is always possible for someone to shoot a lower score than they should on paper, but to enter on a Hcp over 10 shots lower than their last one is wrong.

I just hope everyone enjoyed the day and some money was raised.

TheLyth

I blame the organiser!

Same here, didn't he shoot a low number as well  

By the way I haven't played for a few weeks so I'm off 28 for Cleobury, any objections? 

None at all mate fill yer boots . Had a goodun today 16 hcper 23 back 9 thought he done it ,leyo was there 24 pts -2 get in there matched with my 15 out  for 39, slow starter

Yeh 45points cap is excellent idea dave, my moneys safe !

Some years ago I ran a Pro-Am and got a load of stick off the PGA.

No Individual Pro Prize, just £25 towards expences and each Team Prize was x's 4. The Pro's who played loved the idea but the PGA stopped us from doing it again. When you get the likes of Mark James, Gordon J Brand & Howard Clark willing to take part along with the likes of Alex Higgins & Denis Taylor. You get a lot of people watching too. St. Gemma Hospice in Leeds benifited from that day.

TheLyth

Dave, I would have disqualified him, plain and simple.

i agree, he's an out right cheat and should be strung up by the balls