2026 Knockout Stories

[louise_a]

My confusion with this is why are the Captains left to do that, trusted to get it right and taken as fact. I’ve never played a single match where I’ve not personally asked my opponents handicap, worked out the shots and agreed it with them verbally on the first tee.

Absolutely right of you to be checking every time from now o

That is the way it is done around here, I have done the cards myself many times in the past but I always put names and handicaps on the card so if there is a mistake it can be seen, I can only say our captain was lazy and we should have double checked when we saw no handicaps on the card. Happily the team won the match so in the next round there wont be the same error.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

That is the way it is done around here, I have done the cards myself many times in the past but I always put names and handicaps on the card so if there is a mistake it can be seen, I can only say our captain was lazy and we should have double checked when we saw no handicaps on the card. Happily the team won the match so in the next round there wont be the same error.

Gotta say I think that should change. There’s no way I’d be accepting it and would do it myself, if I’m playing in a match it’s the responsibility of those of us playing in it to know our handicaps and shots. IMO no way that should be allocated or worked out by a 3rd party captain or not. Just doesn’t sit right with me but I guess that’s just different everywhere.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

First round of scratch KO

Won 7&6

 

[Orikoru]

First round of scratch KO

Won 7&6

Not one for a dramatic yarn are you?

 

[YandaB]

I got knocked out of our singles ko on the 22nd hole. It was a great match but I felt that I had played quite enough golf for one day

 

[srixon 1]

1st round of the summer KO today. Giving 8 shots and I was 3 up after 4 and was never troubled after that. Although I did lose the 5th to a very annoying birdie two. I knocked a 7 iron pin high left about 10’ from the hole. He then thinned an iron about 180 yards that barely got off the ground and finished in the light rough through the back of the green. He then holes a downhill right to left putt from about 15 feet. I of course missed my putt. I eventually won 4/3.

 

[Hacky]

Giving three shots in the first round of singles match play and won easily 7 and 5. We continued the round and in total I shot a net 63 (6 under par), playing my best golf ever.

 

[srixon 1]

1st round of the seniors 4BBB matchplay KO today. 1st time I’ve played this. Max shots you can get is 18. Our opponents were getting 18 shots each and my partner 8. The two guys didn’t even know the basic matchplay rules. If they were off the green but not the farthest away they took their shot anyway. Gave up trying to tell them in the end. Having to get birdies for halves was painful. They were clueless and one has been a member for 20 years. Finally got the better of them on 17 for a 3/1 win.

 

[sunshine]

Foursomes knock out first round from a week or so ago. Giving 1 shot. Sunny but windy conditions.

1. Not a great start when my partner pulled his opening drive into the trees. I managed to punch a low one out through a gap with draw to chase it down the fairway, then he made up for it with a flushed 5 iron to find GIR and we halved the hole.
2. I have a 5 footer for a half after our opponents recover from a poor drive, but I tug it left. 1 Down.
3. After our opponents find the green on this par 3, my partner leaves me short-sided with a bunker to chip over. I open the face of my lob wedge and play an exquisite flop shot over the bunker to 4 feet. It's exhibition stuff, but my partner is left with a tricky putt across the slope for par which he can't hole. 2 Down.
4. Our opponent pulled his tee shot into the trees trying to cut the corner of the dogleg. I hit a safe 4 iron down the middle. We help them look for their ball, I reckon they are searching too far up and let them know, but they don't go back to where I think their ball is. I'm not going back either, so we all search in vain. After a couple of comments from me, and at least 5 minutes searching, they reluctantly head back to the tee. We hold our nerve to secure the hole. 1 Down.
5. Stroke index 1, we play this long par 4 safely, but because we are giving a shot we ended up relying on a good chip from me to get up and down and secure the half. 1 Down.
6. I leak my drive right and it finds a tough clump of long grass. From there my partner leaves me short sided behind a bunker again, but no dramas we both make bogey. 1 Down.
7. My partner safely finds the green on this short par 3. Opponents miss and chip on. I lag it short and below the hole, knowing that a par will likely be good enough for the win. Our opponents duly 2 putt for bogey, leaving my partner a 4 footer straight uphill for the win. He races it 4 feet past, leaving me a slippery down hiller... knees trembling but I sink it for the half. 1 Down.
8. Long par 5 into the wind. We're in trouble when I top my driver 100 yards up the fairway, but my partner bails me out with a beautiful flushed 3 wood. From a good position, our opponents found fairway bunkers and rough, I then hit a great 5 iron into the front of the green to turn the hole on its head. They are now in a greenside bunker and we can afford the luxury of a 3 putt and still win the hole. All square.
9. Short par 4, 340 yards downwind. I turn to my partner to tell him to hit that 3 wood again, but he's already got it out and drills one 280 down the middle. I then hit a crisp 58 degree wedge pin high. Our opponents have also hit a great drive 280, but in the semi-rough, and can't control a wedge to hold the green downwind. Solid 2 putt from us and we go 1 Up.
10. 200 yard par 3. I hit a big push off the tee into the lake, opponent finds the green. Although my partner then hits a decent shot off the tee and I knock it close, we are 3 off the tee and out of it. All square.
11. Long uphill par 4. Neither of us play this well or badly, halved in bogey. All square.
12. Long downhill par 4 into the wind. Neither of us play this well or badly, halved in bogey. All square.
13. My partner hits a great drive on this par 5, but I make a mess of the second shot, hitting a tree on the dogleg. We escape with a bogey and a half. All square.
14. Par 5. I push my drive and it finishes behind a tree, my partner can only chip it on to the fairway. I then push a 3 wood and it finishes behind a tree again. My poor partner just has to chip it back on to the fairway again. Although I then hit a good shot into the green, the hole is gone. 1 Down.
15. My partner hits another good 3 wood and I only have a wedge in but I hit a horrible push to leave the ball in the rough above the hole. My partner has no chance of getting it close, and our opponents wedge it in close and make birdie. 2 down.
16. The momentum is with our opponents, and I've lost my swing, but our opponent hooks his drive into deep rough. Unfortunately I hit a horrible thin drive off the toe into the right hand rough. My partner chops it back into the left hand rough near our opponents. They've already spent 3 minutes looking by the time we get over to them, we help them for another couple of minutes then indicate time is up. They keep on searching but eventually decide to go back to the tee. The guy hits an absolute bomb but I respond with a solid 9 iron to the heart of the green. They play a nice wedge to 12 feet and my partner putts to 5 feet. This is a crucial moment: their bogey putt drifts by, mine finds the cup for the win. 1 Down.
17. 170 yard par 3. My partner fires an iron into the middle of the green. They miss a couple of yards right then chip to 6 feet. I have an 18 footer with about 3 feet of break, I put a nice stroke on it, the ball climbs to the hole then takes the break as it slows, perfectly dropping dead weight into the centre of the cup. We are buzzing and confidently stride to the 18th tee. All square.
18. Long uphill par 4. Standing on the tee, a sudden storm whips up. Strong gusts of wind from the left buffet me and bring rain lashing horizontally. I look down at my driver, I haven't hit a good drive since the 2nd, I dig deep and drill a drive down the middle. The storm quickly blows over, it's stopped raining for our opponent's drive and by the time we get to our balls the sun is out. They play first, hit a scruffy shot but then find the green with their 3rd. My partner leaves our approach short and left. I have to pitch over some mounds and I want to leave it below the hole as this green is treacherous, I leave it 8 feet short but below the hole. They putt it from distance to 6 feet. My partner rolls a nice putt but it breaks more than we thought and just misses, it's a gimme though. They have a 6 footer to keep the match alive... and they also under read the break. 1 Up - we've stolen this from them. 3 holes ago we looked dead and buried. Borrowing from Alex Ferguson in 99: "Golf. Bloody hell."

 

[IanMcC]

On Wednesday I play the 2nd round of Seniors Singles Knockout, which I won last season.
I play an 89 year old, who is very consistent, and a great guy as well.
I have to give him 14 shots, and I reckon I'm a slight 2nd favourite.
I'm getting 6 and he is getting 20.
Should be interesting. I will report back.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

First round of the 4somes KO that i won last year

Partner had a mare - got best 4&3

 

[Neilds]

On Wednesday I play the 2nd round of Seniors Singles Knockout, which I won last season.
I play an 89 year old, who is very consistent, and a great guy as well.
I have to give him 14 shots, and I reckon I'm a slight 2nd favourite.
I'm getting 6 and he is getting 20.
Should be interesting. I will report back.

Don’t want to be pedantic but, as the lowest handicap, you aren’t getting any shots.

 

[peld]

Don’t want to be pedantic but, as the lowest handicap, you aren’t getting any shots.

different conversation and you are right , but do you think ideally that should be the case in match play?

e.g. if you are a 6hcp, you'd be happy with a bogey on SI 1-6. why do you all of a sudden need to make par? I always think the shots should be on the holes where there difference exists.....

 

[wjemather]

different conversation and you are right , but do you think ideally that should be the case in match play?

e.g. if you are a 6hcp, you'd be happy with a bogey on SI 1-6. why do you all of a sudden need to make par? I always think the shots should be on the holes where there difference exists.....

The reason it isn't that way is because SI allocations are done to ensure an even spread across the round, and ensure matches going to extra holes between two players of similar handicap are not decided by a stroke being received on the first hole.

For example, take a course where the first is SI10; if strokes were received where there was a difference, a 10 handicapper would have an unfair advantage if playing an extra hole against a 9 handicapper.

 

[Orikoru]

different conversation and you are right , but do you think ideally that should be the case in match play?

e.g. if you are a 6hcp, you'd be happy with a bogey on SI 1-6. why do you all of a sudden need to make par? I always think the shots should be on the holes where there difference exists.....

I've thought that before - but the fact is stroke indexes were for matchplay first and foremost, and Stableford was an after-thought.

 

[IanMcC]

Don’t want to be pedantic but, as the lowest handicap, you aren’t getting any shots.

You are being pedantic in the extreme.

'Get' means 'Receive'. In matchplay, the allowance is the 'full difference between Course Handicaps'. Check out the definition of Course Handicap:

'A Course Handicap converts a player's Handicap Index to the specific number of strokes they receive based on a course’s difficulty (Slope/Course Rating) for a round'

So, I 'get' 6. But as my opponent's CH is 20, my PH, in matchplay, is 0, and my opponents is 14.

You knew exactly what I meant.

Don’t want to be pedantic but, as the lowest handicap, you aren’t getting any shots.

 

[Voyager EMH]

I've thought that before - but the fact is stroke indexes were for matchplay first and foremost, and Stableford was an after-thought.

Stroke index is for matchplay first and foremost. Stableford is an after-thought.

That is the game I learned to play.
It hasn't changed - as far as I know.

 

[Backache]

SI shouldn't make a difference in Stableford it might determine where points are won but the total number of points should be the same.

 

[sunshine]

Stroke index is for matchplay first and foremost. Stableford is an after-thought.

That is the game I learned to play.
It hasn't changed - as far as I know.

Wow this thread is full of pedantic comments

 

[Orikoru]

SI shouldn't make a difference in Stableford it might determine where points are won but the total number of points should be the same.

It definitely makes a difference how aggressive you are with your bogey putt though.