How is it for you - Stableford or Medal?

[stevek1969]

The odd stableford for me, you can rack up a big score on 1 hole and its no big loss ,but rack up a big score on 1 hole then your humped and up 0.1, at least with stableford you try to keep your card going especially if its early in the round.

 

[Golfmmad]

Following on from the recent Mental problems post, which gives you most pressure?
It used to be Medal for me, but I'm not so sure anymore.
I just feel with medal you play each hole in the fewest shots possible, end of. Whereas in stableford, it's always, how many shots have I got here, then feel more pressure to score well to get more points. If on a 2 shot hole, or even a one shot for lower handicappers, the opportunity of more points is lost, it can affect you mentally and therefore lose concentration for the next shot/hole etc. Do you see where I'm coming from?
It's just so straightforward with medal and easier to concentrate on your golf.

So for me, it's medal every time

Golfmmad.

 

[Herbie]

I never feel pressure in stableford, but then again I rarely give my all to stableford comps anyway, but thats another story that has been done to death in here already.

The only pressure I feel in stroke play medals, is when I have some bad luck or I make a cock up, then I put myself under pressure for a few holes trying to make up the lost strokes. Then on occasions I have battled away, recovered well and still posted a good score, someone always seems to shoot a nett 65-69

 

[Ethan]

The odd stableford for me, you can rack up a big score on 1 hole and its no big loss ,but rack up a big score on 1 hole then your humped and up 0.1, at least with stableford you try to keep your card going especially if its early in the round.

Not necessarily so. You may be humped for the medal, but 0.1 may or may not happen, as the card is marked as stableford for handicap purposes. See several other recent threads on the subject.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

No pressure either way. If I play well I get cut if not I get 0.1 back. I want to win everytime I tee the ball up and if I can't I want to shoot as low as I can go but I've realised that even if I'm chopping it round (and I have been lately) there is something about still trying to grind a smidgeon of respectability out of a round. I've had a medal card with 7, 8's and 9's and still tried my hardest to grind out a nett score in the 70's

Maybe its just me but I'd rather that than give up and just become a bloke hitting a ball round a field. It has to mean something. Its the same thought process with stableford. If I can't win then I want to beat 36 and then its about getting as close as I can. Even on a really bad day its still about beating 30 as an absolute minimum

 

[Leftie]

I think that the answer lies in your post.

When playing stableford, forget about whether you get a shot or two on the hole. Play it as a medal then if you do really have a bad hole then you have the mental satisfaction that it doesn't matter too much and you will do better on the next hole.

The other way of thinking about it is to, in your mind, play a "bogie" competition. i.e. forget Stableford, forget strokeplay. Just play matchplay against the course as you would against any other opponent using your full handicap. This way might help you to play more sensible golf, not take on high risk shots. All you have to do is then aim to get a nett par on each hole to get 36 points. You can afford to lay up, or miss the green and chip and no worse than 2 putt. The odd gross par/birdie will see you in contention for the prizes.

Needless to say, I don't mind playing any of the formats. I'm just rubbish at all of them.

 

[birdieman]

For me it genuinely makes no difference at all if its medal or stableford. When I go out to play competitively the only thing on my mind is getting a handicap cut. The only exception in the year to this would be club championships if I'm in contention (which isn't often!).
Winning a competition is so rare that I don't even think about it, my focus is on getting cut. This is realistic as I can get cut every 3rd or 4th game, I only win a comp every other year.

In that regard all medal scores are adjusted via stableford scoring system anyway so if I do have a mare and take a 9 or 10 I know it's going to get rounded down to a nett double bogey anyway. In this way both systems work out the same with regard to handicap.

I can understand for those whose aim is to win the comp then stableford offers less pressure as you can write off big scores.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I prefer medals as I feel I'm under more pressure. I always feel that in a stableford it doesn't matter if it all goes wrong. As such I think it does go wrong. In medals I know I have to be on the ball all the way round and keep pushing.

 

[AuburnWarrior]

Medal for me but I have no idea why I prefer it!!! I think it stems from when I first started playing and I had no idea what the Stableford system was. Whenever I play now I always think in terms of one over, two over rather than 5 points, ten points, etc.
I agree with the card wrecker scenario though, take a nine playing medal and your in all sorts of trouble. Take a nine playing stableford and you can scrap that hole and start again on the next. Maybe that's why I like medal - it's a challenge on EVERY hole to make sure you don't mess up...
Oh I don't know - I'm all confused now...

 

[Imurg]

To me there is no difference. I'm always trying to score the best I can on each hole. If I get a shot in stableford then so be it. Having said that, there are some holes I get shots on that I par more often than not so I kind of look a these holes as adding to the score.

 

[freddielong]

I havn't played stableford for a few years so would have to say medal

 

[Screwback]

For me a games a game and if you worry about the format whats the point in playing.

Get out there shoot a great score and enjoy it!

 

[MarkE]

Medal for me. I think I go out with the wrong attitude in stableford, thinking it dos'nt matter if I mess one up. I'm just in the wrong mindset from the off. In medal, I know i've got to concentrate for every shot.

 

[RGDave]

I used to like both. However, recently I have got very frustrated playing stablefords because when it all goes wrong off the tee, I get greedy and compound my problems.

Put it this way. I get no shots on par 5s. On Sunday, I hit a fairly decent drive down the right that kicked into the trees. The only choices were to a) chip sideways or b) take on a tricky shot through/under some branches and bump it up the fairway 80 yards or so. My theory about taking on the tricky shot was that from 260 (chipping sideways) (or so) I'd need to take two to get to the green. If I could get the 80 yards, I'd be in range and would be guaranteed 6 for 1 point. As it was, it caught a branch, I had to go sideways then and made an 8 (playing 4 from where a good drive usually ends up).

In Medal, I'd have gone sideways and accepted a 7.....

This type of thing happened 3 times in that game.....

Stableford makes me reckless. Medal makes me steady.

 

[Region3]

Sounds like you know what the solution is Dave

 

[Golfmmad]

Thanks for all replies and tips guys.

Just to round it off, I do enjoy playing both but prefer the simplicity of medal play.

Golfmmad.

 

[nulassilb]

My golf tends to involve one blow up hole per round. When I have a bad hole it ruins my medal score - but is recoverable during a stableford. Thus - I used to look forward to stablefords...I felt I was in with a chance. But the real test of golf is that steady grind over 18 holes where technique allows you to stay in the game and to avoid the blow ups. When I get into that fighting frame of mind I really enjoy medals...and have even started to enjoy them.

 

[RGDave]

Sounds like you know what the solution is Dave

Yes, well it's obvious I need to take my medicine at the first opportunity.

However, check out these scores. These are all stablefords (taken off the website) and just look at how 6,10 and 17 are killing me. These are the holes where I try to be the most conservative.....look at 17!! w.t.h.?...the hole is totally unplayable....

Most holes on my course average about 0.8-1.2 over par. This par 3 averages 4.85....that's almost 2 over par over the whole field. I despair.

 

[rgs]

Try to play my best whatever the competition.

Play well and score well--handicap cut.

Play badly and score badly---0.1 back.

 

[WeekendGolfers]

Like most of us here I like to try to win each time I play. I definitely prefer to play under Medal conditions, I play off a lower handicap than most of the players in my club and it just gets too hard to win against the higher handicaps.

If they shot a 10 in stableford, they get nil points but they can still make a par or birdie and get 4-5 points back on another hole, which happens way too much!

If they do it in a medal, they carry the score for the whole round. Means I can at least compete then