What is golf buaya?
You may have heard of this term ‘buaya’ in golf. But do you know what it really means?
Thanks to my Facebook friend Michell Lee who had started a Non-Buaya Golfer Group (NBGG) in Facebook, I was referred to this great article about ‘buaya’ which I would like to share with all my readers.
Once you read it, you will understand why ‘buaya’ is not a healthy trend in golf. Please show your support to Michelle’s NBGG by joining this group. Enjoy!!
Eradicating The Alligators From The Golf Course
By Malkeet KaurA couple of weeks ago, a Malaysian English daily featured several articles concerning handicap abusers, or those commonly known amongst local golfers as buayas (alligators). The topic of discussion was on ?why this happens? and ?how to put a stop to this menace?.
Basically, buayas are golfers who nurse their handicaps for several months for the purpose of competing in events at a later date to subsequently win big prizes.
The culprits are jeered at instead of cheered and if the event warrants enough media attention, as it did in the case of a local corporate event recently, the winners get bombarded with bad press and ultimately some of those razor-sharp darts also get aimed at the local golf association for their inability to control this malady.
Essentially, the result of handicap nursing is golfers whose ability of the game does not match their handicaps. These golfers will go to great lengths to ensure that while their game improves their handicaps remain on a higher scale.
This is accomplished by submitting only their bad cards, or sometimes not submitting their cards, or altering their scores i.e from par to bogey. Thus is born a buaya! He or she will compete in competitions declaring a higher handicap, which in reality doesn’t reflect his or her actual playing ability and proceed to win the big prizes on offer.
Golf buayas have been around for a long time and will probably always be lurking around the fairways and greens, looking for fresh game. There’ll always be golfers tempted to nurse their handicaps and as the game opens up to a larger cross section of the general public, the problem will definitely crop up time and again.
Golf is a gentlemen’s game and is probably the only sport in the world that requires more honesty of the player than any other sport, as there is no one monitoring the players except the players themselves.
Sadly, these days, honesty is becoming more and more of a rare commodity, especially on the fairway and greens and handicap nursing has become a common golf disease, a foible of human nature. It’s human nature to flaunt rules and regulations and the royal and ancient game is certainly full of them.
On top of everything, the rewards offered these days in the game, especially to amateurs, are tremendous, not to mention tempting. The Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) has often been taken to task by well-meaning officers of the game and the media, as well. But to be fair to the MGA, it has tried to eradicate the problem but they’ll be the first to admit that it’s not an easy task.
However, the MGA is certainly trying its level best to beat the buayas at their game. One of its solutions’ was to implement the National Handicapping System (NHS), which is based on the USGA handicapping standard. In Malaysia, only the MGA is authorized to implement the NHS.
Golf clubs in Malaysia are aware of the system and out of the 189 golf courses in the country, more than half have subscribe to the system and with the recent hue and cry, more and more golf clubs are inclined to implement it. Currently, out of the 168 golf clubs affiliated to the MGA, only 136 have conducted a slope rating.
When the system was first introduced to golf clubs more than five years ago, there was some resistance, as implementing it involves cash. The system requires a slope rating to be conducted on the course, which means money and of course, they is also an annual fee of RM12 for maintaining the system at the club. Golfers were unhappy with this, as they felt they were already paying a subscription and the additional payment was not justified.
Some clubs, especially the smaller one, claimed that they are unable to afford the slope rating fee, which is less than RM1,000, which also includes all the incidentals of the five professionals conducting the slope rating.
Imagine if a golfer from one of these smaller clubs without a NHS handicapping plays in an event and shoots a fantastic score well below his or her handicap, he or she will immediately be branded a buaya, even if its unintentional!
The MGA is also looking at holding discussions with corporate event organizers and club managers on how best to solve the problem of limiting the number of such players entering competitions and inviting bad press.
With more and more clubs leaning towards the NHS, the MGA is hoping that eventually event organizers will make having a NHS handicap compulsory. This will certainly help weed out the culprits.
However, even the best systems cannot be a success if there is no honesty and sincerity. The system cannot identify these intangible elements, which are part of human nature. It certainly cannot tell if a golfer is cheating or submitting a bad score card on purpose.
Golf clubs can either, choose to or not, be the guardians of moral by imposing strict score card submission rules. Every golfer must return his or her scorecard or face disciplinary action. This should go a long way in helping curb this menace.
Perhaps sponsors of corporate events can play their part by not perpetuating human failures of breaching rules, greed and handicap nursing in competitions. While sponsors sponsoring events are not in breach of any rule, the rewards offered do, in a way, encourage handicap nursing.
Golf is an honorable sport and perhaps all including corporate sponsors should endeavor to preserve its honorable stature.
Article credit: Asian Professional Golfers Association
