Medal Play - How do you do yours?

[Whereditgo]

Spent a bit of time playing with SS2 last night, being a bit of a lover of stats. I have always felt, and SS2 bears this out, that I play better in strokeplay comps when they are drawn as opposed to just arranging a time for the usual fourball.

Perhaps being amongst people I know less well, never having met them before in some cases, makes the conversation slightly more formal and infrequent enabling me to concentrate more on my own game and stay in 'the zone', as opposed to the usual banter we have amongst friends?

Don't get me wrong here, I thoroughly enjoy playing golf with my mates and wouldn't want every round to be a pressure soaked event, it's great to just get out there and let rip, try the odd miracle recovery etc. But when I want to put in a decent card, which is every handicap quailifying round, I much prefer to be a quieter more focussed golfer.

How do you prefer to play strokeplay competitions, and does anyone else notice a difference to the way they score relative to the company they are in?

 

[peteward15]

When I was a young junior I played in a drawn pairs event with one of the clubs best (and fiercely competitive)golfers. It just so happened that my Dad was drawn in the same group as us.

This fella told me quite simply to ignore my Dad and focus for the round. He also told my Dad to leave me alone. At the time I was a bit scared (think I would have 12 years old) but I'll tell you something. I focused on the round and can remember that we put in a great score and I think finished second in the comp.

So in answer your question. Yes. I score better when I am in the zone and not involved in the banter.

 

[USER1999]

Why can't you have banter and play well? All you need to do is switch on when you are ready to hit your shot. It is impossible to focus for 4 1/2 hours, so why try?

 

[Oddsocks]

Banter helps my game, i find when i get to serious i beat myself up about not getting that shot right, like the odd duff chip, or the odd bunker shot that doesnt come out first attempt. If im too serious i come away from the day only thinking over the negatives.

my two best rounds this year have been with friends (2 different groups) have a laugh & giggle just playing golf and not thinking about the card.

That said one thing that blows my card to bits is having to wait on every shot because the group in front are too slow, that destroys my card.

 

[Whereditgo]

Why can't you have banter and play well? All you need to do is switch on when you are ready to hit your shot. It is impossible to focus for 4 1/2 hours, so why try?

Good point, and I don't try to remain in focus for the whole round, as you say I reckon I would be mentally exhausted way before the 18th. But there is a distinct difference in my scoring.

 

[Whereditgo]

Banter helps my game, i find when i get to serious i beat myself up about not getting that shot right, like the odd duff chip, or the odd bunker shot that doesnt come out first attempt. If im too serious i come away from the day only thinking over the negatives.

my two best rounds this year have been with friends (2 different groups) have a laugh & giggle just playing golf and not thinking about the card.

My lowest scoring rounds (85 and an 86) have both been in bounce games with mates, off the yellows mind, my best off the whites in medal play is an 89 last Saturday in a pretty strong wind with a couple of lads I don't know very well.

That said one thing that blows my card to bits is having to wait on every shot because the group in front are too slow, that destroys my card.

I guess I am in the minority with that, provided they are not losing ground too quickly on the group in front of them that doesn't get to me at all.

 

[RGDave]

I much prefer to be a quieter more focussed golfer.

How do you prefer to play strokeplay competitions,

.. and does anyone else notice a difference to the way they score relative to the company they are in?

1) are talkin' about me?
2) don't care,
3) No.

Maybe if you are not playing so well amongst mates/regular groups, you ought to rethink how you interact with the group. You can still be good company and enjoy/relax a bit whilst being serious or in the zone about your game.

 

[19th]

I think we are all different, thank God!

Slow play puts some off but others, like me, can accept what is happening up front is similar to a traffic hold up and just enjoy the craic as I would enjoy the music in the car.

What comes to mind was Faldo's ability to keep focussed for 5 hours at a time and Trevino staying focussed for the length of time it took him to hit a shot.

As said, we are all different.

 

[viscount17]

I think I'm with Trevino but I must find out how to stay focused that long.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I clealry play better when its relaxed. I played some of the most consistant golf in a long time on Friday when it was all about hit it, walk and hit it again with no real pressure on making nay kind of score. I played yesterday (granted it was stableford and not medal) but having had a good front nine and started birdie par, started to think way too much. I didn't hit the ball as well as Friday anyway but got really tight on a few of the closing holes and guess what. I wasted three shots at least and lost on countback.

I prefer drawn events as I like to play with different guys. I prefer a bit of banter, but if I'm with a golfer who likes to focus will respect that and leave him to it. To be honest in medal play it's always slightly more tense as we all know every shot counts and the cost of a real bad hole. In my mind medal play is 70% mental and only 30% about how you play. In most cases, if you can avoid a disaster hole you'll play fairly close to your handicap but its how you stop your mind wandering and worrying about what you could shoot, letting swing thoughts drift in etc that stop average rounds from becoming good ones.

 

[kid2]

I read somewhere in a magazine before that when we play we should play selfish golf....Care about nothing else other than yourself......Whatever others are struggling with on the course should in no way impact your own game......
If you can play that way with your mates then maybe you will concentrate more on the job in hand.....

Im not saying you need to completely ignore them .....Play your shot and talk about whatever you want afterwards but when you get to your ball again cease any banther and soon enough your mates will realise that your serious about your game.

 

[19th]

I read somewhere in a magazine before that when we play we should play selfish golf....Care about nothing else other than yourself......Whatever others are struggling with on the course should in no way impact your own game......
If you can play that way with your mates then maybe you will concentrate more on the job in hand.....

Im not saying you need to completely ignore them .....Play your shot and talk about whatever you want afterwards but when you get to your ball again cease any banther and soon enough your mates will realise that your serious about your game.

I think I have met you on the course - the guy that stands in the middle of the fairway waiting for the green to clear when his playing partner is searching, on his own, for his ball!

Oh yes!! He breaks the silence and becomes more friendly when he plays a wayward drive...you know the sort of thing 'Did you get a line on that?' 'Will it have cleared the rough, do you think?'

The reply...'Sorry I was picking up my tee, you are normally so down the middle!'

 

[RGDave]

I read somewhere in a magazine before that when we play we should play selfish golf....Care about nothing else other than yourself......Whatever others are struggling with on the course should in no way impact your own game......
If you can play that way with your mates then maybe you will concentrate more on the job in hand.....

Interesting.

Yesterday, my "pair" teed it up for a place in the semi-final of the club matchplay. The lads we played against were good players, fast and keen to get the job done.

I realised (once we were 3 down) that they were dictating the pace of the match so I started calming it down, taking practice swings, double-checking putts, pacing out yardages I already knew etc.etc.

Surprise, surprise, the game started to turn in our favour and in the end they made a couple of silly mistakes, I made a couple of crucial shots, and we won the match.

Although this behaviour might be out of place in a medal 4-ball, I'm a great believer in playing your game to stand any hope of doing well.

- - - -

What I notice is that small changes in pace or whatever can really throw me off. It's amazing how often I mess up a shot after helping out to find a ball for 4+ minutes.

 

[Oddsocks]

what is interesting tho is like mentioned in this thread, im happy to be slung into a group with 3 total strangers. ive always interacted well and learning about new people, their game, work etc can sometimes totally chill you away from taking the game to serious.

 

[kid2]

Im not saying you need to completely ignore them .....Play your shot and talk about whatever you want afterwards but when you get to your ball again cease any banther and soon enough your mates will realise that your serious about your game.

I think I have met you on the course - the guy that stands in the middle of the fairway waiting for the green to clear when his playing partner is searching, on his own, for his ball!

Oh yes!! He breaks the silence and becomes more friendly when he plays a wayward drive...you know the sort of thing 'Did you get a line on that?' 'Will it have cleared the rough, do you think?'

The reply...'Sorry I was picking up my tee, you are normally so down the middle!'

I think that you misread my post slightly there 19th
If my ball is on the fairway then i would gladly look for a fellow players ball.....But the rule i always play to is find your own ball 1st and then help your partner.....Not the other way round...
You play your game and let others worry about there's....
Like dave has said if your playing with someone quick but your not a very quick player yourself then bring the pace down to what your comfortable with....Otherwise your beat!

 

[FourPutt]

To be honest, I try to treat it just like any other round. I rarely give myself gimmes in practice rounds etc, so that I get used to the little 1-2 footers that can go wrong in medals.

I'm very competitive with myself anyway in practice rounds, always trying to beat my best score etc. So I go out to try and play my best and get a cut, however small, and if I come in the prizes then it's a brucie bonus!

 

[Deleted member 1740]

With my handicap now i try to play bogey golf and when i get a chance for birdies/pars i try to take them though i dont get too wound up if i dont.

If i go round 18 over i know i will get a cut. Once i'm in the teens i will try to par the higher s.i holes and still play bogey golf on the others.

Medal or Stableford this is how i try to play every week.

 

[CannyFifer]

In reply to the OP I play better when with players I dont know, especially low handicappers as I try to compete with them, never achieve it, but if they score a par I'm more likely to get a bogey. I aim for 5 a hole and hope to get a few pars to get me to 90 at the end. Rarely do it but thats the aim when playing for a handicap cut.
ps - I always help look for balls as everyone does it for me(loads of times ).

 

[HomerJSimpson]

With my handicap now i try to play bogey golf and when i get a chance for birdies/pars i try to take them though i dont get too wound up if i dont.

If i go round 18 over i know i will get a cut. Once i'm in the teens i will try to par the higher s.i holes and still play bogey golf on the others.

Medal or Stableford this is how i try to play every week.

Try an play every holes as a par 5. What you make up for on the 3's and short 4's are shots in the bank then for the longer par 4's and 5's and also gives you some freedom if you have a bad hole or et into trouble. It means you can play a safer recovery without trying the high tarrif shot.

If you need to keep a track, see how many under 5's you are. It gives you a good feeling if you know you are xx under 5's especially towards the end of a round and means you can keep swinging freely without getting overly tense and trying to play too conservatively