LOTUS GOLF MAGAZINE

WATCH OUT , BURGLAR ABOUT! Foreword

I came across this article written for an Australian publication, MSL, which highlighted perfectly the dilemma faced by many golf clubs around the globe. It is a phenomenon experienced by almost all golfers where players manipulate their handicaps and purposely keep it high so that they can win competitions, even though they are actually pretty good golfers – we call them “ringers” in South Africa! It happens everywhere and muddies the great game of golf – it tarnishes the whole handicap system which seeks to level out a player’s skills and abilities and it needs to stop! Capturing incorrect higher scores or simply not capturing scores ruins the golfing experience overall – golf is meant to be enjoyable, even when we have mediocre games, but to compete against a decent player who “massages” their handicap, leads to players being indifferent to the handicapping system and deters good players from competitions, even though they play their hearts out, they know that there are players in the field competing with ulterior motives i.e. cheating on their handicaps just to be in the limelight and win prizes by stealing victory. We should be proud to play off lower handicaps as we have achieved something very few people can do – our aim should be to improve our game to the best we can get to, and that should be reflected in our handicaps – not to have manipulated handicaps in an effort to seek glory and walk away with the prizes. A recent club competition saw an amateur player win a stableford competition by a whopping 21 points when he scored 61 points and shooting 100 with his nearest competitor coming in with 41 points! It is often said that how a golfer plays his game of golf is a direct reflection of how he carries on his personal/business affairs and business deals are brokered on the golf course simply because

potential clients can trust their playing partners by observing how they approach their game and whether or not they cheat on their scores and handicaps. Let’s endeavour to keep it this way so that golf remains the litmus test for future business relationships and new ventures. Watch Out, Burglar About! - The Article By Adrian Logue A recent series of tweets from a beginner golfer described an appalling but all too plausible experience of being excluded from the second round of a two-round club competition – allegedly for being considered a “burglar” after posting the leading score in round one (the tweet is not supplied here for the privacy of the player). For emphasis – this is a relative beginner – a keen new convert to golf whose handicap is high but trending downward after only a dozen or so handicapped scores. Also, for emphasis – this player is a subscription-paying member of the club that was running the competition. And for further emphasis – the player was leading after the first round… This new golfer’s introduction to the game was typical – they’d been learning for around two years, joined a club and later found the courage to participate in competitions – an intimidating step up. Far from being encouraged and guided through the outmoded rituals of Australian competition (comp) golf, they describe an unwelcoming culture of suspicion and pernickety bureaucracy. The official explanation – as recounted by the player – was a hasty excuse about registration being required two weeks in advance on a piece

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