I played a hell of a lot of golf in my teens. Like, a hell of a lot.
I was fortunate enough to have parents willing to ship me across the Deal-Dover-Folkestone Strait of southeast Kent, so that I could spend hours on the course.
Thinking about it now, the driving range, course, and cheesy chips in the club kitchen must have been a godsend for them. That was me and my brother sorted for the day, pretty much every day of the summer holidays and every Saturday in general.
I don’t feel guilty anymore, is what I’m saying. I was forcing childcare upon them. And on each of these days, we’d play junior competitions, men’s competitions, pitch up in the middle of fairways and hit shots into greens until dark, have putting contests and go ball-hunting.
“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them” – the words of Andy Bernard of The US Office have never felt more true. We played so much golf, whether it was nine holes, or 18 holes.
We were determined for our handicaps to come down, and in many ways, we were in competition with each other. My brother was always lower than me, as were a few of our other pals. I floundered off a 24 handicap while they were almost down to single figures. Thankfully, we all levelled out in the end.
ALSO: I told my playing partners I was entering a General Play score. They looked at me like I had 3 heads
ALSO: ‘I play with higher handicap golfers who are disappointed with a score under 40 points’
I distinctly remember taking matters into my own hands, outside of our Saturday junior competition schedule, and completing a supplementary card, which, in today’s currency, translates to a General Play score on the MyEG app.
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I’m referring to a system from a decade ago. We had to write our names in a book, formally declare the card, then put the card in the box by the handicapping computer when we were finished. I don’t even know if the card was entered by the handicap secretary. It would’ve been shortly after me and my brother’s surnames were entered as ‘Chivas’ on the membership list when we first joined.
What a rigmarole, though. I never did supplementary cards, because it was like going to the village hall to vote in the General Election, except this also cost £2.50. If I were a junior golfer now, with no adult duties, unlimited time to play golf and all the enthusiasm in the world, there would’ve been no ceiling to how many cards my pals and I would’ve entered.
If I were dropped at the golf course at 9 am, I would’ve practised chipping and putting for about an hour, then played 18. Then, probably another 18 holes in the late afternoon, so potentially two cards in one day. Countless rounds that weren’t in a junior competition were lost to thin air.
When I was off 28, my first handicap, I remember shooting 22-over-par playing with my dad, and it was the best day ever. I felt like Tiger, it was like I hadn’t put a foot wrong despite failing to break 90. But, there was the lingering feeling that it counted for nothing, as far as my handicap record and perceived ability level were concerned.
Also, when I was a junior, the thought of a youngster playing well or even winning a men’s competition was dreaded by many members. I suspect this is a culture that was mirrored at other clubs. Now, I don’t know so much.
Juniors were seen as bandits (holding much higher handicaps than their ability), and in some cases, untrustworthy. There were never accusations of that poisonous word starting with ch- and ending in -eating, but it was borderline. In one competition, I might have been 15 years old, I birdied the 1st hole and had a 10-footer for birdie on the next hole. Stood over it, I felt actual fear of playing ‘too well’.
A tidal wave of cards entered by juniors would equally cause a tsunami of suspicion. But, no matter if you are a junior golfer or an adult, doing as many cards as possible is going to give you the most accurate handicap possible.
To any naysayers, if I were transported back to my teens, that would’ve been my response. I was desperate to get to the lowest handicap possible, and the mind boggles as to how many General Play cards I would’ve submitted to MyEG roughly between the years of 2011 to 2016.
My message to juniors would be: These are the good old days. Use the time before you leave them.
NOW READ: Do we honestly believe 36 Stableford points should bring us a prize?
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What do you make of this junior golf handicap piece? Would your junior golf handicap have been lower if you had the current WHS facilities at your disposal? Do you have any stories on how to get a junior golf handicap? Tell us on X!
The headline image in this article was made using A.I.
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