robbest3offthetee
Tour Rookie
Tim,Think you will find thats Medal Play....
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PGA Pro Q+A: Ask Our Expert For Advice On Improving Your Golf Game ⛳
does always playing stableford help your game
- Thread starter quinn
- Start date
Sorry - me low IQ.
splashtryagain
Q-School Graduate
I'm with durango - a 5 capper has to shoot gross par to get 41 points but some 20 hcp bandit can play slightly less sh@te than usual and easily get past this = not for low hcpers.
Odd how its usually a low hcp who wins stroke play but higher for s/ford - would be interested to see some stats that back this up or not.
Odd how its usually a low hcp who wins stroke play but higher for s/ford - would be interested to see some stats that back this up or not.
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
So isn't it a greater challenge to win a Stableford event as a low handicapper?
I think it's accepted that a higher handicapper has much more chance of playing substantially under their handicap than a low handicapper does.
A 24 can play to 16 on a good day, a 3 can play to -3 on a agood day.
Do the Maths. Get over it. Play better. Be happy that you may get a cut.
I think it's accepted that a higher handicapper has much more chance of playing substantially under their handicap than a low handicapper does.
A 24 can play to 16 on a good day, a 3 can play to -3 on a agood day.
Do the Maths. Get over it. Play better. Be happy that you may get a cut.
RGDave
Money List Winner
I'd be keen to see some stats on this too.
High h'cap players surely make a big number somewhere on the course. Makes medal somewhat "tricky" to win.
splashtryagain
Q-School Graduate
Imurg - no it's not a great challenge it's near enough a waste of time - someone like durango can have the round of their life shooting 2 under gross of the whites score 43 and watch the whole shooting match go to the 28 hcp who shoots ONLY 20 over par.
Only worth entering if it's in divisions.
Only worth entering if it's in divisions.
sweatysock41
Q-School Graduate
In answer to the OP playing the same format all the time doesn't do anything to help. I prefer to mix things up and like the challenge of Match play.
Varying the type of competition teaches you to think differently about how you approach shots, e.g. in match play if your opponent has gone for it and cocked up you can opt to play more conservatively or 'turn the screw' by going for it yourself.
Medal play and Stableford the aim is the same get it in the hole in the fewest number of shots - it is you against the course - Match play you against your opponent.
Varying the type of competition teaches you to think differently about how you approach shots, e.g. in match play if your opponent has gone for it and cocked up you can opt to play more conservatively or 'turn the screw' by going for it yourself.
Medal play and Stableford the aim is the same get it in the hole in the fewest number of shots - it is you against the course - Match play you against your opponent.
splashtryagain
Q-School Graduate
stableford is the equivalent of stabilisers. It was designed with inconsistent golfers in mind was it not?
Sorry op - imho playing only s/ford is not good for your game as it supplies a safety net - try and play more forms as above ie match play, bogey, medal and foursomes etc. Helps you consider and think about shots more.
Sorry op - imho playing only s/ford is not good for your game as it supplies a safety net - try and play more forms as above ie match play, bogey, medal and foursomes etc. Helps you consider and think about shots more.
granters
Q-School Graduate
I always play to the scratch score regardless as this is what i'm interested in. I couldn't tell you what my points were at any given moment. Before i gave the game up for 10 years, there was 1 stableford event a year. Everything else was medal play, so maybe i'm a wee bit old fashioned still.
Last season at my club, there was one stroke event a month, and every other comp was Stableford, that's approx 3 a month incidentally.
If i get a 10, i count it as a 10. There was one occasion where i put 3 OOB on the 15th and NR'd (I never NR, but didn't want to hold the group up any more ), but continued to mark my score. So i couldn't beleive it when i checked the scoreboard and i'd buffered.
I just can't see how you can improve if you know you can have a double figure score on several holes, and they don't count.
To me it's an 18 hole game and each hole should count. It's been like that for centuries and there was nothing wrong with it before. Now that is old fashoned eh
Last season at my club, there was one stroke event a month, and every other comp was Stableford, that's approx 3 a month incidentally.
If i get a 10, i count it as a 10. There was one occasion where i put 3 OOB on the 15th and NR'd (I never NR, but didn't want to hold the group up any more ), but continued to mark my score. So i couldn't beleive it when i checked the scoreboard and i'd buffered.
I just can't see how you can improve if you know you can have a double figure score on several holes, and they don't count.
To me it's an 18 hole game and each hole should count. It's been like that for centuries and there was nothing wrong with it before. Now that is old fashoned eh
doubletripledouble
Head Pro
Stableford was designed as a fun game that could be played by groups of people without the possibility of NR for any of them. And to be able to play a bit quicker.
Grumps, I think at least two of the midweek should be strokeplay. There's too many stablefords during the season at our place.
Grumps, I think at least two of the midweek should be strokeplay. There's too many stablefords during the season at our place.
I enter all our club competitions irrespecitve of the format and just try and play to or under my handicap each time. I do tend to try and be less gung ho in a medal but I'm still trying to play as well as I can on the day
Durango
Challenge Tour Pro
Splash has got it right 
RGDave
Money List Winner
To me it's an 18 hole game and each hole should count. It's been like that for centuries and there was nothing wrong with it before. Now that is old fashoned eh
Not old fashioned in my book. I agree. That's why I battle to return 18 scores on 18 holes, regardless of format.
36 points ain't going to win anything. I'd prefer to have 35 points 13 over par (off 12) than 35 points scored on 16 holes with two totally unknown outcomes (blobs).
I handed in a supplementary card last year. I asked my "opponent/marker/partner" to record my gross score on every hole, although it was a stableford roll-up game. He seemed a little concerned what this might mean. I replied, "if I'm putting for a 7, I'll putt for a 7"..."if I'm chipping on for 7 or something, clearly I'll pick up my ball" He accepted the plan.
4 hours later I'd played to 12 and made 36 points. I though that was a useful card for the h'cap secretary....not much brain-power required to adjust my h'cap on that one!!!
SwingSlow
Head Pro
I don't agree with the more extreme views on this as each has it's merits, but I do think if you just play Stableford and ignore the actual number of strokes you take in the round you can get delusional.
I always keep a note of full stroke scores even when playing Stableford, and try (unless we have a group breathing down our necks) never to pick up even when out of the points and record an NR, otherwise you lose track of your performance over time. While there can be outliers, in my experience, Stableford scores and "medal" scores do tend to trend together over time.
I think the distribution of Stableford points within a round can also give you an insight into how your game is progressing and where you need to do some work to move to the next level. 36 points made up of 0s, 3s and occasional 4s is a very different round from one made up of 18 2 point holes.
I always keep a note of full stroke scores even when playing Stableford, and try (unless we have a group breathing down our necks) never to pick up even when out of the points and record an NR, otherwise you lose track of your performance over time. While there can be outliers, in my experience, Stableford scores and "medal" scores do tend to trend together over time.
I think the distribution of Stableford points within a round can also give you an insight into how your game is progressing and where you need to do some work to move to the next level. 36 points made up of 0s, 3s and occasional 4s is a very different round from one made up of 18 2 point holes.
Mongoose
Assistant Pro
Let's not get confused. The result of any comp that is based on handicap is fundementally flawed, as the person that wins is the one whose handicap was the wrongest. With Stableford the position is exaserbated as the player can choose to ignore any shot or hole he likes. At least with Medal there is the need to play every hole, but the results are usually the same, wrongest handicap wins.
There are no important amateur events based on Stableford. No good golfer ever talks about his handicap score. Stableford is fine for hackers, and beginners, but if you aspire to play good golf then you need to get out of Stableford mode mindset and into scratch strokeplay mode.
There are no important amateur events based on Stableford. No good golfer ever talks about his handicap score. Stableford is fine for hackers, and beginners, but if you aspire to play good golf then you need to get out of Stableford mode mindset and into scratch strokeplay mode.
SwingSlow
Head Pro
Well that's 95% of club golfers written off then
viscount17
Money List Winner
always playing any one style can't be good.you need a mix, medal, Stableford, matchplay and bogey, that's a brute and ideal for solo rounds
SwingSlow
Head Pro
My turn for a stupid question - what's bogey as a format?
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
Trouble is the vast - and I mean VAST - majority of club golfers don't have a Cat in Hell's chance of getting to single figures, let alone the low handicap required to compete in a proper Scratch event.
Stableford is a format that allows everyone a chance to compete.
If you don't like playing it because you never win then simply don't play it.
Have any of the lower handicappers on here never won a Stableford comp - ever?
granters
Q-School Graduate
Had to look it up myself- it's where you play the course at matchplay ie a bogey is a half, par or better a win, and Db or worse a lose. Idea is to be up at the end. Good idea that i'd never encountered before
