Match Play scoring v Normal (stroke) play

[TheJezster]

I have a question for the more experienced of you out there please.

I'm now into my 4th month as a golf club member, having played a few rounds last year since August. I think I have been getting progressively better, although as yet my handicap hasnt changed (which Im not actually bothered about). It is 26.3, started on 26.

Over the weekend I played on Saturday and Sunday, and I felt I played really well too. Saturday was a 4 ball friendly with friends, I shot a 93 for my 2nd best round at my club (previous was 92) for a net 67 (par 68) and then on Sunday I had the first "summer 4ball" match, which was against the captain and his son...

I played really really well, I was 6 over for the front 9 and we won 4 & 3. The captain was teasing me about my handicap, saying it should be lower (it really was teasing and just part of the banter, there was no maliciousness in it) and when we won I was 11 over par after 15 holes. We played the remaining 3 holes and I ended up with 86 (18 over) but it got me to thinking. In match play, there are obviously a few gimme's, so how much would this detract from my score? Was it a genuine 86 or do I have to wait until I can say I've broken 90 for a while?

There were a couple of putt's where I didnt have to hole out that I can remember, either because my partner had first or they didnt put for the half. Where possible I still putted out if we had time anyway and marked it against my card to see how I was scoring and putting, but i thought I would check what the general feeling was.

 

[chrisd]

Good scoring Jez!

To my mind, I would feel that I've broken 90 if you were sure that you would have made the gimmees. This will settle you down and there will be better scores to come in the future. Obviously if you want an official score under 90 then you need to do it in a strokeplay round with a card ... but the main thing is that you know it's in there



Chris

 

[Oddsocks]

For me a personal best is one where ive putted out. Our weekly swindle is for cash so there is no gimmies, everything has to be sunk, ive seen silly putts missed from within 6 inches so to me nothing is given.

At the same time dont let this demoralise you in any way, if they were gimme's or not you are still making progress, especially when you can stiff the captain with that score.

The good thing with match play is you can have a disaster of an hole, shoot a 10 or 12 on a par 3, yet only drop 1 to a birdie or a win. this releives so much pressure when compared for to stroke play. the ammount of times ive had great rounds but a disaster on the 2nd or 1st has meant ive worked all round to stay within buffer.... pi**es me right awf!

 

[TheJezster]

Thanks guys. Obviously to bring my handicap down I'll have to replicate that in one of the comps, which might be hard over the next few weeks as I'll be playing the match play rounds!

This coming weekend I have the Captains prize match play on Saturday and my 2nd round of the summer 4ball on sunday!

Week after its bank holiday so may not be able to play... weekend after is club champ's which I cant enter so will be 13th June at the earliest before I can enter a comp round!

The captain plays off 6, so was giving me 15 shots (20 difference in handicap and we state it's 3/4 of that) so the way I was playing he had to really shoot well.

I followed him in for a birdie on one of the par 4 holes to half the hole and he couldnt believe it. Also scored 4 or 5 pars and nothing else worse than a double bogey, hence the good score.