Stroke play competitions

Seve OB

Im playing Saturday with a lad off +2 so that should be fun. My game tends to rise to the occasion when i am out with better golfers, so anything short if a medal on saturday will be a dissapointment

Russman

We have only 6 (I think) strokes competitions in my club, just the monthly medals from April to September. There might be one or two more but that's about it. Plus there's probably a couple of foresomes competitions that will be strokes.

I genuinely think most high handicappers are put off before they tee it up in strokes, rather than going out and playing their game and seeing what it gives them. And I think it mostly makes no difference at all to a winning score, if you're going to shoot 41pts, chances are you're not going to have any scratches (although not impossible).

Even V-Par is slightly tougher than stableford I think, a loss is a loss, none of this 1pt rubbish !

Our Captains is always stableford unfortunately, but I hear on the grapevine that might change soon, its the captain's decision each year and there's a couple of golfers coming down the line that might just rock the boat hopefully. There will be much wailing and crying then !!

Fix, why shouldn't an 18 handicapper win a medal ? Surely he's as entitled to a good day as the next fella ?

joxer1988

Just had my best ever round in a stroke play competition. I'm off 25 (gross 88, net 63), so I'm thinking that the possibility of carding a 10 helped me concentrate that bit more!

Seve OB

joxer1988 wrote: »

Just had my best ever round in a stroke play competition. I'm off 25 (gross 88, net 63), so I'm thinking that the possibility of carding a 10 helped me concentrate that bit more!

definately

Seve OB

Russman wrote: »

We have only 6 (I think) strokes competitions in my club, just the monthly medals from April to September. There might be one or two more but that's about it. Plus there's probably a couple of foresomes competitions that will be strokes.

I genuinely think most high handicappers are put off before they tee it up in strokes, rather than going out and playing their game and seeing what it gives them. And I think it mostly makes no difference at all to a winning score, if you're going to shoot 41pts, chances are you're not going to have any scratches (although not impossible).

Even V-Par is slightly tougher than stableford I think, a loss is a loss, none of this 1pt rubbish !

Our Captains is always stableford unfortunately, but I hear on the grapevine that might change soon, its the captain's decision each year and there's a couple of golfers coming down the line that might just rock the boat hopefully. There will be much wailing and crying then !!

Fix, why shouldn't an 18 handicapper win a medal ? Surely he's as entitled to a good day as the next fella ?

Agree with this. If you are not scratching a hole from a stapleford point of view, your score in strokes will actually be the same. strokes is more a mindset really. some people get mental blocks when they are told they are playing strokes

Senecio

Myself personally, it doesn't change my mindset. As a mid single figure golfer my stableford and stroke scores rarely differ.

The thing is, amateur golf is a game that needs to cater to all levels of ability and I feel that stableford does that better than stroke. For better golfers there is little difference. For higher handicappers there is the safety that a scratch doesn't destroy a card. Nor does it drop them half a hole behind the group in front if they card a 10.

galwaylad14

Seve OB wrote: »

Agree with this. If you are not scratching a hole from a stapleford point of view, your score in strokes will actually be the same. strokes is more a mindset really. some people get mental blocks when they are told they are playing strokes

Well I play off 4 and I'd agree that for me this is almost always the case, that my stroke score and stableford score would be exactly the same. Thankfully I've reached a stage where "blowout" holes are fairly rare and whenever I would have a scratch it's generally just a case of a double bogey on a hole that I don't have a stroke on.

But for higher handicaps out there that definitely isn't the case IMO. I'd say no matter how well they play they'd always have a hole or two where things go astray and in stableford they'd end up picking up the ball.

As an example say if I was to shoot a 40 point round chances are it would be made up something like: 12 pars, 3 birdies, 3 bogeys. Consistent scoring and that'd be a net -4 in stroke aswell.

Where as a 20 handicapper having 40 points will have mostly pars and bogeys with a few doubles and then a maybe 1 or 2 unspeakables which could take the stroke score to somewhere around 72.

So I've no doubt that strokes definitely do favour lower handicap golfers but stableford favours the higher players so a balance does need to be struck

Senna

Regardless of handicap, if you have a decent round in stroke, you always feel like you could be near contention. -1 net can be in the top 5 in my club regularly.

spacecoyote

My place announced a change today. A new Alternate Medal.

Over 60s with a handicap above 19 can play stableford off the blues instead.

I think it's a good logical option. A lot of the older guys can't handle the length off the blues in my place so it should in theory speed things up

whizbang

Just had my best ever round in a stroke play competition. I'm off 25 (gross 88, net 63), so I'm thinking that the possibility of carding a 10 helped me concentrate that bit more!

Me too!!

It wasn't technically strokeplay game, but as i'm playing for handicap(first time), The last 4 rounds i have played as strokeplay. 2 of those have been bests.

spacecoyote

Well, played a thoroughly mediocre round of strokes at the weekend. No blowups, but 1 too many doubles was costly. Would have scraped a buffer (if it had been qualifying, big IF these days)

Playing partner had an incident though.

He was playing really solid golf the whole way round. an 11 handicap who drove the ball better than most single digit lads I've played with. Got to the 12th hole. He hit the green in 2. Its index 12 so in stableford he wouldn't have a stroke.

He overhit his first putt, missed his par putt back, then missed a tiddler for 5. It was like his brain switched into stableford mode. Thinking he'd scratched the hole, he knocked the ball away as we were shouting "STROKES" at him. He managed to just pull out of the swing & his ball stayed on the green. Took him 2 to get down, so a bad 6 turned into an awful 8.

He'd been 5 over through 11 holes, suddenly was 9 over through 12. Never quite got it back after that.

Really felt sorry for the guy.

Moral of the story...keep the concentration up in strokes!

Seve OB

spacecoyote wrote: »

Well, played a thoroughly mediocre round of strokes at the weekend. No blowups, but 1 too many doubles was costly. Would have scraped a buffer (if it had been qualifying, big IF these days)

Playing partner had an incident though.

He was playing really solid golf the whole way round. an 11 handicap who drove the ball better than most single digit lads I've played with. Got to the 12th hole. He hit the green in 2. Its index 12 so in stableford he wouldn't have a stroke.

He overhit his first putt, missed his par putt back, then missed a tiddler for 5. It was like his brain switched into stableford mode. Thinking he'd scratched the hole, he knocked the ball away as we were shouting "STROKES" at him. He managed to just pull out of the swing & his ball stayed on the green. Took him 2 to get down, so a bad 6 turned into an awful 8.

He'd been 5 over through 11 holes, suddenly was 9 over through 12. Never quite got it back after that.

Really felt sorry for the guy.

Moral of the story...keep the concentration up in strokes!

Ouch!!!

It would be nearly never I could fall into this trap because if I have made it as far as the green I would pretty much always finish out even if it is for a scratch. Reason being the above example, but also and more important for me, taking the 2 foot putts or whatever give me practice and confidence for when they actually count.

Nearly had a boo boo myself on Saturday. We were qualifying for the first time. On the fourth hole I was just on the edge of the fairway, but with a nice bit of mud on the ball, the hand in the pocket picking out a tee and as it was on it's way down to mark the ball, playing partner shouted at me..... close one!

Normally, right throughout the winter I try not do the whole placing thing unless the ball is in need of a clean. That way it keeps the mental frame of mind that you just play it as it lies and when the summer rules come in, it tends not to make much of a difference. Probably why I made it as far as the 4th hole before I went to mark the ball!!!

Incidentally, strokes on Saturday... I had a disastrous round, but time taken was 3:50

bustercherry

Seve OB wrote: »

Ouch!!!

It would be nearly never I could fall into this trap because if I have made it as far as the green I would pretty much always finish out even if it is for a scratch. Reason being the above example, but also and more important for me, taking the 2 foot putts or whatever give me practice and confidence for when they actually count.

Nearly had a boo boo myself on Saturday. We were qualifying for the first time. On the fourth hole I was just on the edge of the fairway, but with a nice bit of mud on the ball, the hand in the pocket picking out a tee and as it was on it's way down to mark the ball, playing partner shouted at me..... close one!

Normally, right throughout the winter I try not do the whole placing thing unless the ball is in need of a clean. That way it keeps the mental frame of mind that you just play it as it lies and when the summer rules come in, it tends not to make much of a difference. Probably why I made it as far as the 4th hole before I went to mark the ball!!!

Incidentally, strokes on Saturday... I had a disastrous round, but time taken was 3:50

That's great for you but you should pick up and move on or the slow play police will start whining.

kieran.

bustercherry wrote: »

That's great for you but you should pick up and move on or the slow play police will start whining.

Seve OB wrote: »

but time taken was 3:50

But he is the slow police so its allowed !!!:)

Boskowski

kieran. wrote: »

But he is the slow police so its allowed !!!:)

In fairness 3:50 for a stroke play round is not that bad.

BoardsMember

Agree about the Strokes being the true test. Our Medals and some of our bigger Comps are Strokes. But Captains is just too busy for Strokes. The timesheet is from first light and last players in usually struggle with bad light, you would lose an hour or more if stroke play, so common sense has been applied.

Ronney

Even if you have a blow up in strokes, when qualifying your score is converted back to Stableford for H/C purpose. So you can still save that point 1 or even get cut with a big number on the card.

kieran.

Boskowski wrote: »

In fairness 3:50 for a stroke play round is not that bad.

3.50 is a brisk round in my opinion if it was a fourball !!

BoardsMember

kieran. wrote: »

3.50 is a brisk round in my opinion if it was a fourball !!

It'd be fairly unusual to have a strokeplay fourball I would have thought.

bustercherry

Boskowski wrote: »

In fairness 3:50 for a stroke play round is not that bad.

Just imagine then how quick their stableford round would be if he picked up then.

kieran.

BoardsMember wrote: »

It'd be fairly unusual to have a strokeplay fourball I would have thought.

They all are in my place ? Was 4:05 for my fourball on Sat morning

dball

this thread could also be titled the best 17 holes of golf I ever played

Rikand

joxer1988 wrote: »

Just had my best ever round in a stroke play competition. I'm off 25 (gross 88, net 63), so I'm thinking that the possibility of carding a 10 helped me concentrate that bit more!

I hope it was a counting comp and you'll be posting an update in the handicap thread very soon

In athlone I think we have about 6-8 strokeplay comps. Not enough for me, but you have to think of the majority of the members. Actually I think most of them would rather play off the reds and have preferred lies all year round

Seve OB

3 ball.

In my defence, I did say that if I made it to the green I would finish out. If I was hacking it down the fairway with balls OB i wouldn't bother.

Boskowski

bustercherry wrote: »

Just imagine then how quick their stableford round would be if he picked up then.

Not sure I get the point you're trying to make. Strokes is what its all about imo and every now and then we're playing a strokes competition, like monthly medal etc. Most competitions however are stableford comps, I'd say 4 out of 5 Sundays. Regardless of format they're all 3 balls. I'd say most clubs operate similar enough to that. Are you saying there shouldn't be any stroke comps?

I think I said it before I'm not really on board with this minute pinching attitude to golf. Nobody likes slow golf but I think if the difference between 3:30 and 4:15 is that big a deal to someones Sunday then maybe golf isn't for them?

alxmorgan

Boskowski wrote: »

Not sure I get the point you're trying to make. Strokes is what its all about imo and every now and then we're playing a strokes competition, like monthly medal etc. Most competitions however are stableford comps, I'd say 4 out of 5 Sundays. Regardless of format they're all 3 balls. I'd say most clubs operate similar enough to that. Are you saying there shouldn't be any stroke comps?

I think I said it before I'm not really on board with this minute pinching attitude to golf. Nobody likes slow golf but I think if the difference between 3:30 and 4:15 is that big a deal to someones Sunday then maybe golf isn't for them?

How about 4:15 to 5 ?

bustercherry

Boskowski wrote: »

Not sure I get the point you're trying to make. Strokes is what its all about imo and every now and then we're playing a strokes competition, like monthly medal etc. Most competitions however are stableford comps, I'd say 4 out of 5 Sundays. Regardless of format they're all 3 balls. I'd say most clubs operate similar enough to that. Are you saying there shouldn't be any stroke comps?

I think I said it before I'm not really on board with this minute pinching attitude to golf. Nobody likes slow golf but I think if the difference between 3:30 and 4:15 is that big a deal to someones Sunday then maybe golf isn't for them?

I'm taking the p1ss because he said he never picks up in stableford comps.

On your point about the difference between 3:30 and 4:15; that's greater than 20% longer per round. I'm not one for going mental over a saving a few minutes but that's a huge difference. I'd be asking serious questions to the 4:15 group tbh if the pace of play allows a 3:30 round.

Boskowski

alxmorgan wrote: »

How about 4:15 to 5 ?

I think 5 hrs is not acceptable. Can't remember ever playing a round of golf that took 5 hours though.
But if it happened once a year on captains day with 70 four balls going through the course in strokes, I could live with that.

benny79

I find as a high HCer (20) if its strokes and I know in advance Im mentally prepare, but if I rock out to the club without knowing I fall apart but learning to play better in them. Its just if you hit a ball and you think its ok till you get down and cant find it, so you have to run back to the tee, This totally ruins my mental state. Thankfully hasn't happened in a long time!

But I do find I concentrate more.

Seve OB

Ah....... Always hit a provo if there is a chance you are lost...... especially if it's strokes