Enjoying medals - do you?

[AmandaJR]

I don't! Played yesterday morning and yes strike off most of the round so a bit of a battle and scraped a 1 over buffer score for a 0.1. I just struggle to enjoy the rounds though even when playing well as the self-imposed pressure and anxiousness/nerves isn't a feeling I relish or enjoy. Not sure how to overcome that or if more experience at the format will help. It is only my 3rd season playing competitions and I guess it doesn't get easier as my handicap drops.

Played another 18 holes in the afternoon and started just as poorly but had the "nerve" to try to make a change or really figure out what was amiss and played very tidily so confidence given a bit of a lift.

Through the medal round though it did make me question why I play golf and what gives me the most enjoyment. If it's not playing it well (which is the best feeling in the world!) then next to that it's working out through practice what is going wrong and fixing it. I get a real buzz out of figuring things out and seeing the positive results. Through the medal I was itching to chuck another ball down and work out the kinks but of course couldn't.

Not sure what my point is but - do you enjoy medal rounds and any advice how I can learn to do so too?

 

[Imurg]

Can't remember - only played about 2 in the last 12 months.
It's mentally tougher as every shot counts. In Stableford every shot doesn't.
To me they're much the same as I don't pick up in Stableford that often so the score would be the same.
You need the ability to cast aside the bad shots and focus on the next one but that's not easy.
I don't really worry about them anymore, just treat them as another round...

 

[Davey S2]

Not yesterday!

I stood on the 11th tee three over gross ( off a 13 handicap) and ended up 14 over.

My last 4 holes finished double bogey, double bogey, par, QUADRUPLE bogey!

Words cannot describe just how pi££ed off I was when I finished.

My aim this year was to get to single figures and I should have played to that yesterday.

Oh well. Down at 7.30 am next Saturday so will try again.

 

[Ethan]

I like playing medals and most of my games are in competitions of some sort. I don't see so much of a difference with stableford. The difference between the two only occurs at nett triple bogey, and that is too expensive in either format.

 

[louise_a]

I dont mind medals, they keeps you more focused as every shot counts, that said I also tend to dwell on bad shots more in medals.

 

[RGDave]

I like Medals. It suits my boring style. However, when I get to the end, it's always the same damn score. 14 over par!"£?

 

[Neil20]

I get a real buzz out of figuring things out and seeing the positive results.

Not sure what my point is but - do you enjoy medal rounds and any advice how I can learn to do so too?

Try to embrace the feeling as part of being alive (much as those who go to theme parks, bungee jumping, extreme activitys do). Think of the nerves as a good thing rather than something to be concerned about. It won't get rid of the nerves, but it may allow you to enjoy them rather than being bothered by them.

Some people pay fortunes and risk life and limb to get the same feeling that you're getting from hitting a ball with a stick... I know which one I'd rather be doing : )

 

[kid2]

I prefer Medal rounds as i seem to concentrate way more than i do playing stablefords...I suppose its a given really...
My competition scores in medals have been far better this year than in the 3 stablefords that iv played all year...

Our club has a good thing going in that if you are off 18 or above or are a senior player then you can play your sunday comp off the yellow (society) tees..But its a stable ford comp seperate of the medal with less prize vouchers.....And if your under 18 handicap then you have to play off the whites...Stroke.
If your a senior off low figures then you have a choice....I think the majority of our seniors which make up at least half of the club members would be mid handicappers at best...

But to answer your question...The best way i have found to play Medals is to forget the score...If your playing well enough then that will take care of itself...
Play for the middle of the greens and if you need a bail out area make sure that you have enough room....Sometimes its best to miss greens rather than going at the fat part only to mis hit it and end up in a bunker or long rough or something....

I think the trick with Medals for me anyway is that if i get off to a poor start then i have to stop myself keeping score in my own mind to stop me putting pressure on myself...
Sometimes also its better to play the aggressive shot rather than the safe one....Especially when your confidence is high...
Playing too conservative at times can and may well keep big no's off the card at the expense of a bogie but if your confident in that your hitting the ball well and your putting is good then that bogie could very well have been a birdie or a par saving you a stroke....


Acceptance is also another huge decision that you need to make before you tee off......Like me off 14 your a 12....There will be times when you might hit a gammy shot or you might thin or duff one......Leave it behind you and move on....The great thing about golf is that the law of averages states that you'll gain a shot or 2 back somewhere or you'll stop the slide with a few pars here and there.....
Oh and one more thing....If you do happen to be up against it handicap wise......Think of it his way....You have a buffer which i think is 2 shots...3 in my case....So if you find that your standing on the tee of 10 like me the odd time and you've dropped 2/3rd's of you handicap allowance always remember that with your buffer you actually have a playing handicap of 14 not 12 to go up another 0.1.....
If im not playing particularly well what i hate and the last thing i want is 0.1 back.....At least try break even with the course for your handicaps sake.


Sorry for the essay

 

[Oddsocks]

Ally cuts have come from medals this year so generally I must enjoy them. My aim in every medal is buffer, if after 9 I'm under hc... Great.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I like medals and really enjoy that pit of the stomach feeling when you are in contention. They can be soul destroying when you are off the boil but my usual reaction once I've played myself out of top three contention is to try and hit the buffer. Miss that and I just accept it isn't my day and try to grind a score as best I can. Above all it is about trying to get some modicum of enjoyment out of the round.

I do like the more relaxed feeling to a stableford which means I can have a blow up and still win. Not what the purists want to hear but that's the nature of the beast. Whichever format it is I like to have some nerves before I play. It's healthy for me and I want to have that on the first tee but I want to be able to control them.

 

[Crow]

I really enjoy medals, although I can't put a decent round together this year.

Another 0.1 back today courtesy of three shots going OB, the worst of them was a shank out of nowhere for my 9 iron approach to the last. C'est la vie.

 

[AmandaJR]

Interesting replies and I guess for me it is when my handicap is on the line so whether medal or Stableford I tend to feel the same way. We only have a couple of Stableford Comps a year though. Conversely though the only goal I really set and am driven by (judged by in my eyes) is my handicap so have to play them and learn how to enjoy them too. I do love matchplay of any variety and even more so when I'm the "scratch" player which is more frequent now I'm a (relatively) lower handicap.

I'm playing in my first ever county comp tomorrow which is medal play and a qualifier at John O Gaunt. Played there once and like the course (s) - not sure which we're on. So I'm intrigued to see how I feel at an away venue with playing partners I don't know and with less self-imposed expectation.

 

[Captain_Black]

I'm addicted to them.
I played my first medal ever in the Spring this year, I'm new to golf & I felt physically sick waiting on the 1st tee.
I truth, I just wasn't ready to play in a Medal, my game was utter rubbish & I knew it, the outcome was predictable, I just hacked my way around, I felt embarrassed that I was so bad & I could tell that my playing partners (who I didn't know) felt a mixture of emotions towards me.

Fast forward 6 months.
I am much more confident now, I really relish the chance to compete & am utterly determined to improve my handicap, I can't wait for the next medal round, they really make me concentrate on every shot.
Medals? I love them.