Dave Wells enjoys a beer at Greasewood Flat. Photo courtesy of Dave Wells.
By Dave Wells
Golf expert Brent Kelley has a concise definition of a “sandbagger.” He writes, “A sandbagger is a nasty species of golf vermin who lies about his true playing abilities – making himself seem worse than he is – in order to gain advantage in tournaments or bets.” I would simply clarify Kelley’s definition by adding that the term is not gender-specific; women can also be sandbaggers.
NOW, let me share with you two more funny sandbagging stories that I have witnessed during my many years of enjoying the game of golf.
Sandbaggers and Trophy Seekers
This story defines sandbagging in a different way and comes from an international couples golf tournament that Nancy, my wife, and I played in Bermuda a few years back.
We were paired with a very nice English couple who loved the game of golf and knew every golf rule in the entire game of golf. As we progressed around the beautiful Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, it was obvious that we were working hard to play to our handicaps on this tough ocean-side course.
The couple in front of us were shooting “lights out” in this 36 hole handicapped tournament. I mentioned the word “sandbagging” to the English gentleman, and he asked, “What is sandbagging?”
After explaining the definition of a sandbagger to him, he said, “Oh, we have those in England too, but we call them a different term. We call them ‘Trophy Seekers’.” So, Sandbaggers and Trophy Seekers, are one and the same.
Beware “11”
In the 1980s, a group of us were having lunch with former PGA Commissioner Deane Beman at TPC-Sawgrass when the subject of the handicap system and sandbagging came up. Several at the table were complaining about the handicapping system. Commissioner Beman quickly said, “It is the only system we have in order to make golf a fun and competitive game for millions of aspiring golfers who enjoy competing with all golfers, some who have superior skills in the game. The handicap system supports the game and the golf industry including golf courses and clubs; without it, we would probably have much lower interest and participation.”
Well said, and then he added, “We did a quick analysis one year of all the Wednesday ProAm events in the PGA Tournaments to see which handicap showed up on the winning team the most. That handicap for that particular year was 11.”
One of the amateurs in our group then said, “So when I get to the 1st tee and a golfer says their handicap is 11, I should run like hell.” Everybody laughed. Someone then added, “Don’t forget the Vanity Handicappers, the golfers who sometime show a handicap lower than where their golfing abilities take them, but obviously, the Baggers outnumber them.”
Watch out for a golfer with an handicap of 11, could be a sandbagger! Funny, Funny.
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Sandbagging in Golf: What it is and some very funny stories – Published 9/30/2015
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