I am firmly of the belief that all golfers started to play for enjoyment but after joining a golf club or society you are allocated a handicap and the competitive juices kick in and sometimes the original enjoyment is lost and people start massaging their handicaps in trying to WIN.
We all have examples of golfers playing like a pro for 16 holes in a weekly medal only to protect their handicaps on the closing hole’s so they avoid a handicap cut before next week’s club major competition.
We had a member of our golf society who regularly played below his handicap and when we cut his handicap he left the society claiming we were victimising him and he now plays with another society off an inflated handicap.
I can’t believe what I am about to show you but a well-known golf periodical recently published an article showing ways in which you can legally increase your handicap and these can be summarised as follows:
- Play STRICTLY to the rules of golf.
- Play in BAD weather.
- DON’T practice.
- DON’T warm up.
- Use cheap clubs unsuited to your swing.
- Have an alcoholic drink before playing.
- Play immediately after a lesson.
- Fill you head full of swing thoughts.
- Try to hit the ball as hard as you can.
- Play the new out of bounds rule to the limit.
I don’t personally condone any of the above and believe that if you reach this point you should pack the game in BUT it just shows you how the minds of some golfer’s work.