I’ve just started playing again after about six years away from the game completely. I played reasonably well back then, was off about 16, allthough it was only through a social club at my course. I started playing again six weeks ago and put my five cards in ranging scores from 102 (disgraceful) to 95 (still not happy). My course is a par 70. as you could imagine i am off 27. I played terrible last saturday and had 32 points, but sunday i was average on the front and had 17 points, but my game seemed to come back on the back, and i had 23, winning the comp on a countback. everyone is calling me a burglar, i swear i didn’t WANt a high handicap!!!! lol

40 points of 27 is a pretty good round, but it aint great. Your not in burglar territory yet Gribbles. When you start posting 46+ off 27, don’t stick around for the preso. See if you can do it again next week off 24.

The handicapper will soon catch up on you. In the meantime enjoy and continue to post some good scores. In your position it would be in your best interest to get that handicap down to a more realistic level. Certainly less embarrasing in your case !

Late last year we had a guy join our club after a lay-off of a few years. Before that, he was off 12. The 5 cards were average 22, but a couple of us who had played with him saw what he could do, so we told the Captain to give him 17 or 18. He gave him 22. 3 of his first 5 comp rounds – 44pts, Net 63; 43 points. Now he’s down to 13. Not his fault – but that was burglar territory!

This has just happen to me. Word got round quick. i.e the captain told the H/C. Drop me quick smart.

I would think it might be a good idea if you had a word, don’t think you would want to be seen as a burglar.

I suppose there can be 2 sides of a story here. You can join a club from a past club and your handicap will just move over or you can join a club having never been a member of one previously with no handicap. Golf is a game of honesty between yourself and the elements and to be fair, I have seen some burglars out there in my time but I would say under 5% are. Joining a club for the first time and getting a 27 HC after your HC rounds and then slaying a comp happens. I remember when I was off 27 and would have 100 after a 100 and then one day I broke 90 and was called a burglar. That was a while ago however. The thing I do dislike is golfers not handing in their scorecards to protect their handicaps.

Come and join my social club and you’d need 48 points to win! I shiat you not! Burglars!

I had 47 points off 17 a few months back. Luckily I put a ball over the fence on the 17th, otherwise I could’ve had 50 points.

now i don’t want to sound like i’m blow’n my own trumpet here but i had 44pts playing off 4, and this bloke called me a burglar. you gotta be kidding me. this bloke ncr’s if he has better than 36 and once a month pulls out a 45 to win the comp.

Hey gribbles, don’t let them worry you mate, enjoy your handicap shots while you still have them cause once you start going off, so do your handicap shots to a point where scoring becomes very difficult.
I’m with you as well smooth, getting called a burglar off a low h’cap always makes me laugh.

In my experience people who use this term are usually bitter about not being good enough to win themselves! I’d never stay away from a presentation for it – if they want to have a go let them complain to the h’cap manager/committee

I’ll give you the definition of a burglar.

Member of my club plays off 3 . Moves to the gold coast and joins a club there, puts in cards and gets given a hcp of 9. Never plays a comp game at that club, but comes back down around our area to the courses he knows and enters the major events and walks away with hundreds of dollars in prizes.

His best mate ( off 12 here) moved up with him and did the same thing ( funnily enough at a different club) and plays off 20.

Now that is burgling.

I started off a 32 hcp when i took up the game at 25. Had a 70m slice with most shots. One day i put my woods away and had 47 pts ( off 31) and the captain cut me to 25 and said in a snide way “that’ll fix you”. I came out the following saturday and had +8 in a par event and was cut from 25 to 19…12 shots in 7 days.

I was later to become the handicapper at the club and every time someone started to whinge about losing too many i explained what had happened to me. they tended to shut up quickly.

I think the true burglar isn’t the bloke who has a big score in a midweek comp or a normal saturday – its the bloke who consistently has 32pts until the major event comes around then has 47pts. As a handicapper they were the ones who felt my wraith.

I’ve seen and heard of low markers deliberately missing putts just a week or two before club championships so they have a chance of getting into the money.
Personally…......screw that. When I had a registered hcp I kept trying to shoot as low as possible. When I eventually join a club again I’ll be doing the same thing. Trying to shoot as low as possible.

I got down to 13 many years ago playing every saturday and practising during the week. I gave the game away for about 5 years and when I came back they said they were going to give me 14. I complained so they had me put in 3 cards (all in the 90’s) and they would work something out. they gave me 19. First comp day I was fired up with my burgular mask, black outfit and sack over my back with “loot” marked on it. Stroke off the back marks. put three balls out of bounds off the first tee and had a 13. nett 75 for the day wasnt too bad.
now off 18 and as it turns out the handicapper got it right.

Hi Gribbles,

I have just been in the same situation as you.

After an enforced 6+ year lay off from golf due to knee problems I have returned to the game obviously with a higher h/cap than when I stopped. Was off 18 at best, but on return got given 29 as that is the standard I was playing too.

Now back at 19 but in the 8 months it has taken to get there have won 4 Sunday Comps plus finished in top 3 in a couple…............... but I don’t consider myself a ‘burglar’ as each time that was the level I was at, (and they were not even won with astronimical scores, 41pts in one)

i had 46pts of 12 in January this year at a very difficult course Pacific Glof Club in Brisbane

When I was younger I once played in a charity golf day with my Dad. I had stopped being a member, so I didn’t have a handicap. Dad must have had some fond memories of my finer hacker moments because he put me in with a 27 handicap when I probably should have been off something in the teens.

I shot 90 and won. Copped plenty at the preso. Fortunately it was a teams event, so when they made the presentation I got up and accused the winning team of being a bunch of burglars. :)

well safe to say after last weekends performance i definately won’t be called a burglar again!

sat- stroke monthly medals. 78 net. ouch. played terrible.

mon- stableford at different course. started with par par bogey par birdy (looking good!). then 12 straight wipes.

but i love it and i’ll be back out there tomorrow, with my balaclava on trying to burgle again lol

Hey Gribbles,

Take it while you can mate !! Besides 40 points is generally not enough to win at most clubs these days.

I had 46 points recently playing off 3 – still haven’t lived it down, but might I add also still boasting in the glory around the club.

lol. yeah i’ve come to realise that mate haha. 46 off three is a rudely good effort! well done

46 points off 3 is not rude, it is just brilliant, cannot be called a burglar off that handicap. Some good things must have happened.

You’re a burglar Flusher, obviously you should be off +3!! ;)

Brett

whoa…... hey i didn’t mean rude in a negative way or even think of the term burglar- sorry i picked the term up from one of my colleagues- perhaps a poor choice. just to clear up i meant that i was absolutely impressed also, espicially as you are off three.

hope nobody took that the wrong way…

BURGULARS
they are everywhere and infect every golf & social club in this country.
the easy thing about burgulars are they are found out very early.
guys who protect their handicapp and pull up when things are going well are the people you dont want to play with.
ive seen it and know well all the cheats in our club,these dopes get especially active around championships.

if your having a super round and play 5 to 10 shots under your handicapp good luck,these games happen to most golfers when through some freak of nature your whole game comes together these games dont last long as your handicapp and ability to play the game will sort you out in the long run.

good luck with your game

I played with a guy recently who had 50 points off 24 handicap,(29 + 21)and he done it easy. When we quizzed his handicap he indicated he told the club he played off a lower handicap in a social club, but he was told back, that because he had not been a member of any golf club previously to play off the one allocated. He obviously played bad when he submitted his cards, to get 24, or threw off, but I would call him a dead set burglar, even though he told the club about the social club.