Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2014 - 16

(ask the expert
)
Studying Sand (baggers)
Sandbaggers exist, but perhaps not in the numbers that
practitioners perceive.
Interview by Joseph Oberle
D
an Sachau, professor of psychology at
Minnesota State University, Mankato,
recently conducted a study among
MGA golfers about sandbagging. His results help
identify sandbaggers, even though there may be
less of them than imagined.
Q What did you learn about sandbagging?
A The funny thing about sandbagging is that it
will definitely increase your chance to win, but
it does so at a cost. It cheapens the victory because
you've won with an unfair advantage-and
it doesn't really give you rich feedback on how
good you really are.
Q What did the study reveal?
A We found that you can divide golfers into two
Dan Sachau
sand*bagg*er [sand*bag*er]
noun
groups: the mastery-oriented golfer and the status-oriented
golfer. Mastery-oriented golfers are
passionate about the game and want to master
it, so they are all about sharing information, helping each other.
They define success by getting better and use themselves as the
benchmark of performance.
Status-oriented golfers are about beating other people. They
define success as " I won; they lost. I won the most money. I had
the lowest score. " We know that the status-oriented golfer is more
likely to sandbag than the mastery-oriented golfer.
A golfer who intentionally
plays below his/her ability
level to deceive his/her
opponents about his/her
skill level in order to gain
an advantage in a golf
competition.
Q Do you think " anti-sandbagging " publicservice-announcement
messaging would help
reduce sandbagging?
A We examined a wide variety of variables in
search of predictors for sandbagging. The single
best predictor turned out to be the belief that
others sandbag. As a result, state golf associations
could start campaigns dispelling the myth
that most people sandbag. Programs like this
can work. Universities have lowered the amount
of binge drinking on campus simply by posting
statistics showing that binge drinking is not actually
as common as most students think.
Q Do you think the handicap is a measure of
one's ability, or is it a tool to be managed for
net competitions (e.g., 'a license to cheat')?
A One question I wish we'd have asked is, " Do
golfers think the handicap is an indicator of
ability or a tool for leveling the playing field? "
Of course, it's both, but consider how the incentives change
depending on [which you emphasize] . If you only think of the
handicap as a measure of ability, then you will probably work to
lower your handicap. If you think of it as a tool for positioning
yourself in a tournament or making a bet, then there is a much
smaller incentive for having a low handicap. I would like to see
how beliefs about the function of handicaps affect sandbagging.
Q What is the mindset behind sandbagging?
A Some of sandbagging benefits from a bias that psychologists
call the self-serving bias-we tend to take credit for our successes
and blame the world for our failures. For instance, in the classroom
if the students do well on the test, they'll say, " I am really
smart. " If they do poorly, " The instructor wrote a bad test. "
Q The study talks of interpersonal sandbagging-can you
explain that?
A It's what some do on the course to directly make [a false]
impression, such as fake a bad shot or pretend to be injured or,
even more subtly, carry an old, beat-up bag or dress down to give
people the impression that they are not that good. The people
who were willing to sandbag their score were also more willing
to do that. They are more prone to this general tricking of their
opponent. The pool shark is the quintessential sandbagger.
Q What from the research surprised you?
A That given a scenario where it was known everyone was
sandbagging, only 4 percent were willing to adjust their handicap
even when there was justification for it. The vast majority of
golfers are unwilling to sandbag. That is a pretty strong testament
to the nature of the game-we police ourselves. That 4 percent
indicates that people strongly value the honesty that is necessary
in the game.
Q What can an honest golfer do with the information in
this study?
A You need to look at yourself. Instead of thinking " Oh, I'm going
to watch out for more sandbaggers, " my goal is to reflect on
myself. It should make you stop and not analyze others but think
about whether your handicap is really reflecting your real ability.
14
MINNESOTAGOLFER Directory 2014
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Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2014

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