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 (ILLUSTRATION: John Cheresh) Competitive golf is an entirely different animal from casual or corporate golf. Try taking a mulligan or a gimme or bending the rules slightly as you might in a casual or corporate setting and you’d be in big trouble — or worse, disqualified. It’s where the game transitions from social to serious. • The first step in determining if you are ready for competitive golf is to take an honest assessment of your game. As an amateur, you don’t have to be a scratch golfer to play competitively, but you must have a handicap. If you don’t have a handicap, join a club. There are clubs that are affiliated with golf courses and others that aren’t. While some amateur tournaments are geared for elite players, most feature flights based on handicap — so don’t worry about being a hack. Tournament organizers will pair a hack of similar ability right along with you. • Purchase a rule book. Most amateurs are less than scholarly when it comes to the rules, and there’s nothing that turns off seasoned competitors like a player who’s clueless. Lack of rules knowledge gives the impression you’re either nonchalant, arrogant, a cheater, or worse, all three. Learn the rules and play by them. • Be honest about your ability. As you become more advanced in your play, you will find sandbaggers — those who artificially elevate their handicaps by posting scores higher than they are capable of shooting, then clean up in competition by firing scores at their true ability level. Most players who are new to competition are what I call reverse sandbaggers. They so desperately want to be accepted by the competitive community that they enter tournaments with a handicap that is not a true reflection of how they play. They get into a tournament, and when they can’t employ the mulligan or the gimme, their score inflates. The result leaves them in the bar after the round telling stories that start with, “I haven’t scored this bad in years.” The reality is yes, you have scored this bad — you just never really kept score correctly. A great tip before heading to competition is to play practice rounds like a tournament round and hole every putt. • Know your etiquette. Be prepared to exchange scorecards on the first tee. There is no keeping your own score in tournament play. Once the round begins, keep it simple. Be prepared to play when it’s your turn and stay out of the eye-line of your fellow competitors when they are playing. And keep your witty banter and sarcastic remarks to a minimum. Remember, competitive players are playing tournament golf because they are serious about the competition. You should be, too. Greg Flores has been a sports and entertainment publicist for 20 years and has written for Southland Golf since 1995. ALSO SEE: Essential rules for corporate golf The basic principles for casual golf |
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