Someone's lyin' about their golf game when they....

[playar32]

Question: celebrity handicaps - like the ones you see at AT&T Pebble Beach - I feel like a lot of them are super exaggerated, no?

 

Vanity Handicap Central!

 

Maybe not all of them. Just about anybody is going to have trouble shooting around their cap in front of camera's, fans and on a tour prepped course. Then most of the guys play 70% of their rounds on one course, meaning their cap likely does not travel well.

 

That's true 2b. But there are also plenty of them that you can tell just by watching them swing. Didn't Berman come in at an 18 a couples years back(not sure, but thought I remember that being the case)?

 

I'm sure there are plenty of baggers too.

 

Berman has a bad swing but actually plays to about a 16, hits it all over the place but can putt well. Caddied during a pro-am and he was in the group I caddied for so I got a good sense for his game.

 

Agree with above, could be that some ppl/celebrity dont have an "exact" handicap, but coupled with a short course that they play often they can get around in 85-90. Berman has to has "some" athletic ability, and can get a 5 on every hole at his home course.

[fillwelix]

 

Vanity Handicap Central!

 

Maybe not all of them. Just about anybody is going to have trouble shooting around their cap in front of camera's, fans and on a tour prepped course. Then most of the guys play 70% of their rounds on one course, meaning their cap likely does not travel well.

 

That's true 2b. But there are also plenty of them that you can tell just by watching them swing. Didn't Berman come in at an 18 a couples years back(not sure, but thought I remember that being the case)?

 

I'm sure there are plenty of baggers too.

 

Berman has a bad swing but actually plays to about a 16, hits it all over the place but can putt well. Caddied during a pro-am and he was in the group I caddied for so I got a good sense for his game.

 

Agree with above, could be that some ppl/celebrity dont have an "exact" handicap, but coupled with a short course that they play often they can get around in 85-90. Berman has to has "some" athletic ability, and can get a 5 on every hole at his home course.

 

That's exactly right, he hits about one poor shot per hole, some holes better, some holes worse

[deadsolid...shank]

 

 

Vanity Handicap Central!

 

 

Maybe not all of them. Just about anybody is going to have trouble shooting around their cap in front of camera's, fans and on a tour prepped course. Then most of the guys play 70% of their rounds on one course, meaning their cap likely does not travel well.

 

That's true 2b. But there are also plenty of them that you can tell just by watching them swing. Didn't Berman come in at an 18 a couples years back(not sure, but thought I remember that being the case)?

 

I'm sure there are plenty of baggers too.

 

Berman has a bad swing but actually plays to about a 16, hits it all over the place but can putt well. Caddied during a pro-am and he was in the group I caddied for so I got a good sense for his game.

 

Agree with above, could be that some ppl/celebrity dont have an "exact" handicap, but coupled with a short course that they play often they can get around in 85-90. Berman has to has "some" athletic ability, and can get a 5 on every hole at his home course.

 

That's exactly right, he hits about one poor shot per hole, some holes better, some holes worse

 

You guys probably know if you’ve seen him in person. But from what I’ve seen, at a 16 I’d be working like crazy to set up a money game with him.

[playar32]

I will never understand why people would fabricate falsehoods about their golf games. They know what they are saying isn't true.

 

Thats your mistake. They think it's true. Every single one of them. Golf is maddening (and incredibly ripe for lying *to yourself* because (1) it is the repetition of the same thing over and over and (2) it doesn't require any outward physical obvious trait to claim prowess (unlike, for example, if some 5'11" 270 lbs guy claimed to be able to dunk, you have no idea if they are right or not).

 

Golf is also one of the only pursuits where sheer time gets you absolutely nothing. Unless your doing the right things you won't get better but since you've put in the time you feel like you should be, and therefore are, better.

 

When you ask a golfer how good he is he will you how good he thinks he should be given his time and money investment, because that's how he measures it in his own head. He isn't lying. Your just using score as a metric whereas he is using effort and practice time not realizing that, to quote snoop dog, deserve ain't got s*** to do with it.

 

They "get out of it" that they don't have to admit to themselves that their just as good as five years ago despite all the time and cash because they just beat balls at nothing when their "working" on their game. They don't have to admit that their either idiots or that they're too lazy/unhumble to admit what their feeling as correct is actually wrong. I had a guy actually tell me he never wanted to see himself on video "because he is a feel player". I would bet a whole lot of $$ that someone who doesn't "want" to see video of themselves lies constantly to themselves and others about their swing and their game.

 

There are a ton of golfers who put in a ton of time and absolutely stink bc they don't know how to get better but because of the time (and money, in some cases) they have an inflated view of themselves as being just one tip away. Like loosening a pickle jar before it finally opens. They're delusional but not liars. IMO of course.

 

1.) Golf is essentially judging people by what they shot. Birdie 17 in a row but go +40 on the last hole and you're still +23 overall. People lie just to show others they actually care (as said above)

2.) People are delusional, but they also have in their mind it's easier for them to get better. How easy is it in your head to go " I shot 96, but the triple on 1 should have been bogey, should have made the 4-footer on two, if it was a tourney I wouldn't have aimed at the pin on three...essentially I should 82."

3.) Everyone likes to replicate the pros and say they are on their level. It's like when you go to the gym and your friend said they can curl 35 pounds, but hyper-extends their back to curl 35.

[FourTops]

Guys who say "the new pro messed up their swing" after topping drives...and sculling sand shots.

[EKELLY]

I guess I need to get out more, as I play with the same group of guys every week. We know each others games backwards, know how to piss each other off, and insults to the 10th degree.

[deadsolid...shank]

I guess I need to get out more, as I play with the same group of guys every week. We know each others games backwards, know how to piss each other off, and insults to the 10th degree.

 

Absolutely. The best way to play. No fun if you can’t talk a little smak.

[TollBros]

I hear from pair ups CONSTANTLY, "I used to hit it 300+ too when I was younger." Then their golf swing tells me otherwise. Never ever was a 175 yard slice a 320 yard rocket down the center.

[DLYskes1976]

My boss asked me one time what do i normally shoot.... and I said it all depends on the course... I could shoot low 40s per 9, or in the 50s...

[FlyingLaw1]

Overheard in the pro-shop yesterday.

 

Person behind the counter: What'd you shoot today?

Golfer: "Around 74"

 

How does one shoot "around" a score?

[Shipwreck]

Overheard in the pro-shop yesterday.

 

Person behind the counter: What'd you shoot today?

Golfer: "Around 74"

 

How does one shoot "around" a score?

 

I can understand vague scores like “around par” or “around bogey golf” if someone didn’t keep score and just rough guesstimated, but yeah 74 is oddly specific for an “around” score.

 

But we all know that the vast majority of golfers know what they shot and I’d almost guarantee that this particular player is a good 10+ strokes worse than that score. A breakfast ball here. A missed putt given there.

[8602081]

Overheard in the pro-shop yesterday.

 

Person behind the counter: What'd you shoot today?

Golfer: "Around 74"

 

How does one shoot "around" a score?

 

I can understand vague scores like "around par" or "around bogey golf" if someone didn't keep score and just rough guesstimated, but yeah 74 is oddly specific for an "around" score.

 

But we all know that the vast majority of golfers know what they shot and I'd almost guarantee that this particular player is a good 10+ strokes worse than that score. A breakfast ball here. A missed putt given there.

 

I do that occasionally.. I don't write down my scores.. but it's easy to know..

Pretty consistent with my game, wish it was better.. 80% par, 15% bogey, 5% birdies..

 

As long I remember my bogeys and birdies,, I can easily know what my score is..

 

Example: on Par 72.. I birdied 2 and 4 bogies.. that's around 74

[pinestreetgolf]

Example: on Par 72.. I birdied 2 and 4 bogies.. that's around 74

 

That isn't around 74. That is 74.

 

I either keep really, really tight score or I don't keep score whatsoever. I find that I don't have the mental strength to keep score and really try every single round I play. I don't know how some players' do it. If I'm keeping score, I'm not talking, I'm marking putts, I'm playing at my speed, and I'm completely ignoring you. If I'm not keeping score, I'm working on having a blast.

 

Its really hard to maximize both fun and score in one round, IMO. When I care about my score I'm a complete dick to play with.

[Atrayn]

Lied yesterday after being paired up with a couple hot shots for 9 holes and after me striping 6 iron shots in a row...I hear, "nice little baby draw"...

I reply, "is that what they call it?...

[FlyingLaw1]

Overheard in the pro-shop yesterday.

 

Person behind the counter: What'd you shoot today?

Golfer: "Around 74"

 

How does one shoot "around" a score?

 

I can understand vague scores like "around par" or "around bogey golf" if someone didn't keep score and just rough guesstimated, but yeah 74 is oddly specific for an "around" score.

 

But we all know that the vast majority of golfers know what they shot and I'd almost guarantee that this particular player is a good 10+ strokes worse than that score. A breakfast ball here. A missed putt given there.

 

This particular golfer is well known for greatly exaggerating his scores. I have no doubt his "around 74" was much higher than that.

[Drewmiller07]

I hear from pair ups CONSTANTLY, "I used to hit it 300+ too when I was younger." Then their golf swing tells me otherwise. Never ever was a 175 yard slice a 320 yard rocket down the center.

 

This bothers the hell out of me. Me and my buddy are two of the farthest hitters I know. I’ve never played with someone our age that hits like us. Yet every guy over 40 says he used to hit it that far.

[howellhandmade]

Like someone said on here, these are a popular style of thread because people love to hate. A good amateur golfer is aesthically pleasing. They look like they know what the'yre doing but are liable to chip over a green or three put. We all know what that can do to a score over 18 holes. We're all inconsistent and that's the great divider in sports. The pros are consistent but the separation comes from the guys who consistently bag those few extra birdies over a course while getting pars in their sleep on the rest of the holes. None of us are that good but for a few days a year when it all comes together. All said, scoring is important for amateurs in telling how good they are but you can more or less just get a feel by playing with them. Amateurs should go by how many balls they use. If someone shoots a 92 with two balls, I would say they know what they're doing and you can probably trust them if they said they've shot a 71 before.

 

Poetic.