Medal or Stableford for first comp?

[bozza]

Basiclly i want to get my first handicap and with not really knowing anyone else with an official handicap i play with i'm going to enter 3 comps at my club to get it.

I roughly play of a 23 handicap at the moment so i was wondering would it be best to maybe play in a stableford comp first as i can get away with have one or 2 nightmare holes and still score some decent points or would it best to play in a medal even though i've heard medal comps can be tougher as you have to count every shot and one bad hole can ruin a round.

 

[MarkE]

Can you enter comps without a HC at your club?
Just play 3 friendly rounds with a handicap holder to get your own HC. Then worry what comp to enter.

 

[goldenbare]

Bozza, until you have a verified handicap you will not actually be allowed to play in a competition although you are allowed to go around with players in the ccmp to put in a handicap card.
Whichever type of comp it is that the others are playing you will have to complete every hole to put the card in.
just get stuck in and have a go, your playing partners will have been there once

 

[Kellfire]

bozza, I'm submitting my handicap cards in the Saturday Stableford league. Like others have said above, I just complete holes rather than stopping when I blob.

 

[beggsy]

for your first 3 cards im afraid its medal play as you must count everyshot on each hole for them to give you a genuine handicap

 

[bozza]

Can you enter comps without a HC at your club?
Just play 3 friendly rounds with a handicap holder to get your own HC. Then worry what comp to enter.

Yeah i can play in them to get my HC but obviously i can't win anything.

Come to think of it i've just realised if i am playing for my handicap even if it was in a stableford comp i would have to putt out on evey hole wouldn't i? Whereas if i already had a handicap and i was playing in a stableford comp i could just pick up if i could no longer score on that hole?

 

[bozza]

for your first 3 cards im afraid its medal play as you must count everyshot on each hole for them to give you a genuine handicap

Yeah i completley forgot about that haha.

Had a "blonde moment" for a mintute!

 

[philly169]

I went out with a mate and his dad for a HC card, they were playing the weekday comp, so I just played my normal game and they signed it at the end.

Hoping to get into my first medal in 2 weeks.. put my cards in on tuesday so waiting for results.... nail biting!

 

[Region3]

for your first 3 cards im afraid its medal play as you must count everyshot on each hole for them to give you a genuine handicap

Yeah i completley forgot about that haha.

Had a "blonde moment" for a mintute!

It doesn't matter which comps you enter if it's for handicap.

For one, there's nothing to stop you writing down the score for every hole as if it were a medal if you're not in the comp (which you won't be because you haven't got an active handicap), but also because a card for handicap is adjusted as if stableford anyway.

I'd play in the first 3 qualifiers available to get it asap, regardless of what format they are.

 

[beggsy]

but he still has to score on every hole

 

[Region3]

You're probably right, I'd only be guessing but I don't know if the handicap sec would want to see the big scores before he rounds them down, or take the markers word for them being double or worse.

What I was trying to say is that the format of the comp played in will make no difference to the actual handicap given after the 3 cards are handed in, as the big scores on a medal card will be adjusted as if they were stableford.

 

[MashieNiblick]

This seems to be a theme at the moment. I don't think you have to record a score at every hole. I'll post this link again.

http://www.englishgolfunion.org/showpage.asp?code=0001000200090016

Or you can look here

http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk//showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/351788/an/0/page/0#351788

As I read it you can NR on a hole even in a medal comp and still submit the card for h/cap purposes.

Having said that it's always best to try to hole out if you can. Good discipline and you can track your real gross scores but if it means a lot of hacking about or searching for balls and you are holding up play you can pick up and still hand in your card for a h/c. You won't be in the comp anyway. If you were of course it would be an NR for the purposes of the comp.

 

[Imurg]

It does seem to be a bit pointless to keep writing down 10 on each hole - for example - when these are going to be rounded down anyway for handicapping.
I know you're supposed to put the ball in the hole every time for your first 3 cards but it's a bit silly taking all day to shoot 150 when marking the card when you get to 8 every time regardless of your actual score would do the job.

Not saying you're going to shoot 150 by the way - just a scenario!!

 

[bozza]

It does seem to be a bit pointless to keep writing down 10 on each hole - for example - when these are going to be rounded down anyway for handicapping.
I know you're supposed to put the ball in the hole every time for your first 3 cards but it's a bit silly taking all day to shoot 150 when marking the card when you get to 8 every time regardless of your actual score would do the job.

Not saying you're going to shoot 150 by the way - just a scenario!!

Yeah that does make alot of sense because obviously everything over triple bogey is rounded down for my h/c.

You have just cursed me now and i'm going to end up going round in 150 now! haha.

Well i've decided i'm going to go play after work tommorrow and aslong as i don't have a complete stinker i'm going to put my name down for the comp on the sunday.

 

[Ethan]

Makes no difference which one you choose. Your handicap is effectively based on stableford points scoring, so 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.