who has actually played with a legit scratch golfer/pro level player?

[madchens]

I've played a few times with a +6 at his home course who made a run on the Mackenzie tour (Canadian one, I think it is Mackenzie?) and played on the UofO championship team. Another one, his buddy who also tried out for the UofO team but didn't make it, is a +2.5 and I have played with him a few times as well. They are both friends of my brother in law.

 

Driving, long iron, and wedge play stand out. It isn't that they drive it far, it is that they drive it really far and exactly where they want consistently. Long irons are always flushed, not always where they want but always consistently putting after a long iron. Wedge play is outstanding, seems like they always put it somewhere decently close to have a chance at birdie. Not superhuman like 5 feet every time but like 15-30 feet and a few at 5-10 feet to have 3-6 chances at birdie. I asked the +2 once what is the difference between him shooting -1 or -6. His response was "how close I wedge it that day".

 

Overall, I think it is just consistency. They have hit so many golf balls at the range, in rounds, and under tournament pressure that they are just playing a different game. Course management is also exceptional, they know their miss and play to it.

 

Also, they bitch about any minor imperfection on the course ;D. Never their fault right?

[Forged4ever]

I have?

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friends⛳️

RP

[xkilgorextroutx]

Played with a guy who made the rounds on a few mini-tours before he took a job as a course pro when he settled down to start a family. Same exact control and trajectory as I saw from the pros standing behind them on the range at TPC Boston. It was amazing to watch and hear - the sound his shots made was completely different than anyone else I'd ever played with hitting the ball. He ended up 1 over and apologized for playing so poorly that day, claimed he had been on the road for his new sales job and hadn't played in nearly a month. I shot 95 and wanted to strangle him lol!!!

 

In all seriousness, he put the ball wherever he wanted on the course. I think he only used his driver, 8i, 9i, wedges and his putter the entire round. I was playing from the blues my second shots were landing behind some of his drives from the tips. Talk about humbling.

[Maccarossi]

I'm fairly new to playing proper golf having recently got a handicap back in June it's now at 19 and I'm slowly working to get it down but my best mate has always been a very good golfer and I've played social rounds with him over the years on weekends etc. and he plays on +4 and it's just maddening at times seeing how good someone can be at the game. He hits the ball and absolute mile and on the 1st hole of our local he teed off one day with only a little bit of wind assistance and was on the green in 1 on a 350m (383y) par 4....... think I got there in 4 shots.

[Brunchz0r]

In my club we have a sports-division which I am a part of. Some of my teammates are very good, like +3 handicap good. The game they play is something different, while I sometimes can keep up - the consistency they deliver is really mindboggling. From 120yards and in, they just play another game. The course record (par 71 6400 yards - dont have backs) is -10, shot this year (+3 player who is a pro travelling with a golf-holiday company)

[aramirez24]

My brother in law is a sophomore in high school and usually plays around E every time we play. Just here to comment on the consistency thing. He doesn't even really seem to be trying. I remember when he picked up the game and I had to give him strokes.. haha

[RickK]

I have had the good fortune to play with several PGA and LPGA pros in my life. I have also played with several plus handicappers. Seen my share of sub 70 rounds from these folks. It is a real pleasure to watch people hit the ball that well. And, the sound the ball makes coming off their drivers is a sound I have never heard on my shots.

[Signman150]

It is a joy to watch an elite ball striker play a round of golf.

[bortass]

I played with a -1, Tommy, a few times years ago. Here are two stories.

 

I was his partner in a couple member-member tournaments. 18th hole is a par 5 dog leg left. He has a rare mishit and is in the trees on the left corner. He's over 200 yards out and the ball is resting near a tree, so he can't take a normal stance. He takes his 4i, turns it around to use the back of the club face, and swings lefty, he's a righty... Ball comes flying out of the trees and ends up on the green.

 

Another time we're playing a random round and there is a lefty in our group. Someplace on the back 9 he asks the lefty if he can try the lefty's driver. The lefty says sure. Tommy takes the driver and rips a ball down the middle past where the lefty had his drive. This goes on for a few more holes. Tommy asks lefty if he can use his clubs and proceed to play left handed for the last 3 holes and plays par golf.

[llamont]

I have...

[Sean2]

Quite frequently.

[DougNutter]

Grew up with a guy that went to BYU. He was a legit +5 cap when he turned pro (mind boggling). Missed his PGA Tour card by 2 shots in the final stage one year. Won multiple 1st and 2nd stages when the PGA Tour had the qualifying. He ended up playing the Web & One Asia Tour. My god he hit the ball incredibly long and solid. Putting is what held him back from being a PGA Tour player. I'm a 3 cap and I felt like a slasher when I played with him haha. I was fortunate enough that I was able to play with him a half dozen time in the summers.

[TimK1]

There is a kid at my club ( Works there in the summer ) going on one of the overseas tours next year. He is 19. We have spent several hours together on the range taking golf and swings and we have hit together plenty of times. One day we went out and played. I'm a 2 and shot a 72 that day and he beat me by 11 shots and shot a 61.

I felt like I shot a 100. He's was just so much longer and better at every phase of the game. It really was a sight to see. I ended up basically cheering him on. He must have had at least 12 birdie chances within 8 feet. This course is not easy and he made it look like a muni par 3 course.

If I ever thought I was decent, I don't anymore. That was a whole other level I know nothing about.

[BraxtonFullerton]

Friend I normally go with got a 4th for our group and warned me that he was really good and a +5. It was my first time out with my new set of irons that I hadn't even got to hit at the range yet. He shot a 2 over because of an unlucky bounce into a hazard. I couldn't figure out my loft to club comparisons between my old & new sets and put up a 112.

[dpb5031]

I played a match against a really good player this summer. He's an aspiring Tour player (just made Q school) and both his mom and dad played and won professionally.

So we played a four-ball with me (at 51) the old man in the group playing to a zero even though I was disadvantaged by the yardage a bit. The other two were assistant pros (former college players) from my club and played off of scratch.

Anyway, the pro gave us each 7 shots (4 & 3) on a $25 Nassau with $5 junk. I had been playing well and figured I could beat just about anyone getting 7. Well, I shot 73, can't remember what the other two shot, and the pro fired a 65 with a double on the 3rd hole. We halved the match but lost $40 in junk...lol!

It's an entirely different level folks! ?

[bladehunter]

Sorry. Didn’t mean to quote you ^. And I don’t figure out how to unquote you. Lol

 

 

 

to answer the op .... yes.

 

I live close to one pga tour guy who’s a past winner of the memorial .... another who’s just got his card back through the Korn ferry finale , And his dad who is a pga master pro. This past year we had 3 juniors from 10 min from me make the finals of the US junior Am , two of those also went deep in the us am. And those two are on full scholarship at Georgia now. I’ve been on course with all of those at one time ( not same group ) before.

 

And who knows how many mini tour guys are around. Loads. The woods are full of them.

[No5somes]

Dozens of times over the years. Played against + handicap College players, scratch & + handicap players in USGA qualifying tournaments, & played w/ many club pros. Of course the club pros had the weakest games because they're always organizing tournaments & teaching. For me, playing w/ College players for any reason has been the most fun...well except for one a hole in a US Am qualifier. Been 15-18 years since I've had that level of a game, though. Am now an old hack.

 

There are legit +/scratch players everywhere. Just need to know where to look.

[J Bez]

At my club we are fortunate to have several good players (that I have played with) - guys who play US AM, US Mid AM and have finished top 20 in State Open. Went to Greenville SC and did a day with Brad Hughes - he played Presidents Cup and had several big international victories back in the 90's. The day included a 9 hole playing lesson and that was amazing. First 6 iron he hit had a sound to it I will never forget. Its a different world at that level.....

[GoTime]

Still a head scratcher when people use the phrase "legit" scratch. What does that even mean? +5? Someone who shoots even par on their worst day? Depending on their home course slope/rating....I would guess most scratch players shoot 74-78 on average, and then every few rounds go around 0.0 or + with differential. Lots of scratch players shoot in the 80s on their bad days.

[BKN1964]

How about if we drop the word "legit" and just use the USGA definition:

"Scratch Golfer

Is one who can play to a Course Handicap™ of zero on any and all rated golf courses. He (she) can hit tee shots an average of 250 (210) yards and reach a 470 (400)-yard hole in two shots."

[dpb5031]

Key word: "can" play to a.......

Certainly does not mean that a scratch player should be expected to shoot the course rating at will. It simply implies the capability to do so.

I resemble these remarks...lol. My HC index was around zero +/- fractions over the entire summer. My average score during that time frame was ~75.1 with several scores in the 80s as well as several score in the 60s. My highest posted ESC score over the past 12 months is 86, and my lowest score is 66.

Tour pros are well into plus territory, like around +6-10 and will literally leave a scratch player in the dust, especially over time/multi-round tournaments.

D1 college players and other top ams are typically in the +1 to +4 area

[tungstenplug]

.

Edited February 26, 2023 by tungstenplug

[DON SVO]

 

I believe the catchy phrase is "legit scratch".

[No5somes]

So, now we're debating the validity of the term "legit/scratch?" Y'all know what he was asking. This place does get anal @ times.

Topic related & once again... Yes, I have played w/ the level/ type of player asked about, dozens of times. Really not a big deal. It's still just golf.

[SNIPERBBB]

The guy that can play to scratch at any course is what I believe most people call "legit scratch". Lot of stories about guys that have a swing that or strategy they've figured out how to score great on their home course but if they go away from home, they couldnt break 85.

[dpb5031]

Again, "can play to scratch," ....

[rich_s2]

The first time I saw it was when I thought a single digit handicap was decent. This guy had played on a canadian tour and tried to qualify for the US open every year. Anyways, I met him in a pool hall and somehow golf came up and he said he played a little. We went to the local muni and he was 8 under thru 13. Weather started getting bad and he wanted to quit. I could not wrap my head around it. Got to play with him many times after and even drunk and screwing around, we was always very low. He was long but not crazy long. Did not have any type of big miss and his wedges were insane. He played old beat up clubs in a ratty old bag.

[caeye0710]

I was a + HCP at my local tracks back in the day. Thought I was good enough to hang with the big boys and did some Monday qualifiers. Quickly found out just how different even the "worst" tour players are. I shot 4 under in one Monday Qual and missed the playoff by 5. That was the last time I ever tried.

A guy I played with one one of those Mondays, who was absolutely amazing, told me flat out on the 5th hole: "Your an excellent ball striker with the irons, but your wedges are trash." Nice to meet you, too. He was right, though.

 

[Mr. Grumpy]

One thing I find mind-boggling and deflating quite frankly is the output vs result. I bust my backside to mid 80 (I do not make it look easy). Yet, and specifically one guy I have played golf with many times is a kid stuck in a mans body, barely breaks a sweat and plays like he could not care less but with a love for the game attitude,, and shoots par every time. Not 1 over or 1 under,,, par.. I don't get it.. Yes, another level..

P.S. Just about every swing, except when he has to play a weird shot, makes that "click","thump" of ball first then ground, it is very distinctive...

[Moshjean]

Actually played with an ex D1 golfer today. Every ball was hit solid, perfect trajectory, slight 2-3 yard draw. Beautiful to watch. We all played the tips 7200 or so, and this is where you really see the difference. 3 of us are mid-high single digits and only one of us broke 90 on the tough track, he shot under par with ease.

Still one of my favorite story to tell, one of my best friends played on the Japan Tour, and after a late night of drinking and partying we made our way to the golf course with almost no sleep. We roll to the first tee with no time to spare and there’s already a few 4 somes waiting to tee off after us. My buddy is wearing a Hawaiian shirt, board shorts, and sandals and I’m pretty sure he’s still inebriated. Needless to say we’re getting some looks and whispers until he bombs it 320 or so and splits the fairway. Eagled the first and last hole and shot a 63.

My observation has been that really good players are often the nicest, encouraging, and unpretentious golfers on the course. It’s the low single digits who think they have a shot on the tour who are insufferable.