Golfer Sues Club For Lowering Handicap

imageHere’s one of the stranger golf stories I’ve read: A golfer is suing his club for $13.2 million for embarrassing him by lowering his handicap.

A 75-year-old pensioner at the centre of a €10m lawsuit against his former golf club—which he claims damaged his reputation by lowering his handicap—plans to share his windfall with his extended family if successful.

Thomas Talbot, a retired insurance official, claims his reputation was damaged after Hermitage Golf Club in Lucan, Co Dublin reduced his handicap by 7.7 shots between 1999 and 2004, and wants €10m in damages.

He is suing both the club and Eddie Murphy, its former handicap secretary, in the High Court for defamation.

The issue seems to be that the club believes he was sandbagging and lowered his handicap accordingly. The issue has been going on for six years, and the trial took 21 days. A verdict is expected in two weeks.

 

3 thoughts on “Golfer Sues Club For Lowering Handicap”

  1. I am guessing that the majority of clubs struggle with this.  Our club has a few baggers, but one is completely notorious.  He will gladly tell you of the 75 he shot last week as he makes his way to the front tees and lets you know that his handicap is 17.  Rarely, as he hands you a beating will he have shot north of a 83 or so.  I won’t say his name, but if you come to my club, his name has been stuck on one of the awarded parking spots for a few years. 

    We have a couple others who have wild swings, one guy who will go from a string of 78s to struggling to break 95.  He will do that a couple times a year, but at least he doesn’t time it to the handicapped tournaments.  And that guy will complain about another guy who goes sober for tournaments and plays a different game than when he is drinking during normal rounds.

    This Irish case is a complete joke, because the handicap chairman didn’t defame him, the handicap chairman has been taking fire for not doing more sooner for the past few years as every other member told him of this joker’s antics.

    Reply
  2. Its A Game is a commenter who clearly doesn’t play the game. Handicaps are an integral part of golf. If we eliminated everyone who doesn’t make par, literally 90 percent of golfers would disappear.

    Actually, it is more like 100%, since no one makes par without LOTS of playing time and practice.

    Reply
  3. its a game that shouldnt even have a handicap. if you cant get par then you cant its that simple. golf is hard, if you cant stand the fact that YOU SUCK dont play.

    Reply

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