Medal Rounds

[Ndw7]

Hi everyone, my first post for a while as I haven't played much during our winter. Just a quick post to get a feel for peoples opinion on medal rounds.

Normally, I haven't been fussed on medal but if I get to the club and the comp is medal I'll still enter it anyway but have quite low expectations. Last weekend I played in the medal competition the day after the Neath Bell which is a big competition for low handicappers so the course was set out to be a test.

I ended up 7 over net which sounds terrible, but when I look at my card, theres two 7's and an 8 on there. One 7 on a par 3 (3 off the tee), One 7 on a par 4, and an 8 on the par 5 18th (3 off the tee). Along with that, I had six 6's on my card and from what I remember they were down to three putting. If it was a stableford round, am I right in saying 7 over net would be 29 points? If so, I'm fairly confident that if it was a stableford round, I would never have got near 29 points because I just feel that I would have just kept trying to press and kept making errors.

Does anyone else share the same opinion or have a completely different view?

I think that the medal mentality in stabelford comps would do me some good! Obviously it would be nice to leave the 7's and 8's off the card as well!

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Hi everyone, my first post for a while as I haven't played much during our winter. Just a quick post to get a feel for peoples opinion on medal rounds.

Normally, I haven't been fussed on medal but if I get to the club and the comp is medal I'll still enter it anyway but have quite low expectations. Last weekend I played in the medal competition the day after the Neath Bell which is a big competition for low handicappers so the course was set out to be a test.

I ended up 7 over net which sounds terrible, but when I look at my card, theres two 7's and an 8 on there. One 7 on a par 3 (3 off the tee), One 7 on a par 4, and an 8 on the par 5 18th (3 off the tee). Along with that, I had six 6's on my card and from what I remember they were down to three putting. If it was a stableford round, am I right in saying 7 over net would be 29 points? If so, I'm fairly confident that if it was a stableford round, I would never have got near 29 points because I just feel that I would have just kept trying to press and kept making errors.

Does anyone else share the same opinion or have a completely different view?

I think that the medal mentality in stabelford comps would do me some good! Obviously it would be nice to leave the 7's and 8's off the card as well!

There was a slightly controversial thread, a few days ago started by Cabby on this topic. The OP in that argued the point you are making; that a medal mentality helps you improve more (or at least get a lower handicap) than a stableford one.

Personally, I don't have a different mentality between the two, and if anything feel I'm more likely to score well (for handicap purposes) playing with stableford in mind rather than medal.

Although you might have ended up with fewer than 29 points had this been a stableford, had you taken on a few more risks, you might equally have made the buffer. 29 points or 25 points is still +0.1.

Also, your calc of 29 points will depend on whether you had any scores worse than nett bogey. If you did, your points score would be higher than 29.

 

[User101]

Don't get me started on stableford. If everyone played every hole like they were building an 18 hole score they will become a better player. The stableford mentality does nothing for improving a players game.

 

[Orikoru]

Medal is certainly tougher than Stableford. A nightmare hole can ruin a medal round, whereas one or even two terrible holes can be easily overcome in Stableford. The mindset is totally different as well, as I remember another topic recently where Bob was adding his thoughts about how stroke index, par and handicap should really go out of the window in medal - all you're focussing on is doing each hole in the least number of shots. There's not more thinking "I get two shots here" and so on because that's largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of a medal round.

 

[HughJars]

If it was a stableford round, am I right in saying 7 over net would be 29 points?

No, you'd have had much higher points, you had a quad on the card, there's zero on that hole, presumably you'd have got zero for a double as well, and then your triples, same thing, and depending on which holes maybe some of your doubles were zero pointers too.

This is the problem with stableford, it hides poor scores and lets player think they are doing better than they are, your medal score shows all the flaws.

 

[Orikoru]

Don't get me started on stableford. If everyone played every hole like they were building an 18 hole score they will become a better player. The stableford mentality does nothing for improving a players game.

It can act as a safety net, certainly. People have thoughts like 'I get two shots here' or 'it doesn't matter if I just blob this hole and move on', neither which are applicable in medal as every shot counts.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Medal is certainly tougher than Stableford. A nightmare hole can ruin a medal round, whereas one or even two terrible holes can be easily overcome in Stableford. The mindset is totally different as well, as I remember another topic recently where Bob was adding his thoughts about how stroke index, par and handicap should really go out of the window in medal - all you're focussing on is doing each hole in the least number of shots. There's not more thinking "I get two shots here" and so on because that's largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of a medal round.

At the start of a stableford and the start of a medal, don't you take the approach on every hole that you think will result in the lowest number of shots on that particular hole?

Surely your strategy only changes when either, a) you're scrambling to make a point on a hole in a stableford and therefore take a riskier strategy, or b) you are taking more risks to try and get into the buffer later on in the round?

My point being really that if you have a decent round, the two strategies don't actually diverge.

I think there could be a difference between higher handicappers and lower handicappers here, in that for a higher handicapper there is a realistic possibility of collecting 4 points at some point in the round via a risky strategy, which could potentially offset some of the losses that come from said risky strategy at other points in the round. If that is the point Cabby and the OP are making, I think that's valid. If playing stableford and medal has a big impact on course management early on in the round, that could be a hindrance.

 

[Orikoru]

At the start of a stableford and the start of a medal, don't you take the approach on every hole that you think will result in the lowest number of shots on that particular hole?

Surely your strategy only changes when either, a) you're scrambling to make a point on a hole in a stableford and therefore take a riskier strategy, or b) you are taking more risks to try and get into the buffer later on in the round?

I am starting to try and change my mentality to that, certainly. Especially now Stableford season is kind of done at our place and it's mainly medals now. I have in the past probably been guilty of laying up on a two-shot hole when I didn't really need to but knew I had the extra shot - it's kind of taking the easy way out instead of forcing yourself to play a better shot, maybe. The medal mentality pays no attention to how many shots you get on each hole because it's not relevant, so I've been trying to think more of getting to the green as soon as I reasonably can.

As I say, it is something that creeps into higher handicappers' thinking, particularly when they have two shot holes. I think this is the sort of thing Cabby and others are saying is unhelpful.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I am starting to try and change my mentality to that, certainly. Especially now Stableford season is kind of done at our place and it's mainly medals now. I have in the past probably been guilty of laying up on a two-shot hole when I didn't really need to but knew I had the extra shot - it's kind of taking the easy way out instead of forcing yourself to play a better shot, maybe. The medal mentality pays no attention to how many shots you get on each hole because it's not relevant, so I've been trying to think more of getting to the green as soon as I reasonably can.

As I say, it is something that creeps into higher handicappers' thinking, particularly when they have two shot holes. I think this is the sort of thing Cabby and others are saying is unhelpful.

To a degree though, it sounds to me like your actually taking a better approach to course management when laying up rather than taking on a worldy shot to try and hit the green sooner.

I thought Cabby and the OP were talking about the opposite! As in, stableford encouraging players to take on riskier strategies because of the potential they have to yield 3 or 4 points, and cover up the damage done of smashing one OOB due to that same riskier strategy.

I was busy editing my post when you replied to this, sorry! I had added something along the lines I've just put here.

 

[User101]

I also don't get the "bad hole ruins a medal score" that again to me is negative mentality. I think, right, nothing birdie birdie won't sort out. Not saying birdie birdie is going to happen, it very rarely does but that's my mindset.

 

[Jamesbrown]

Play medal with a Stableford mentality not the other way round.
After all, your handicap is based on Stableford score.

Personally, don’t get too hung up about it. Crap golf is part of our amateur game. Laugh at your abysmal shots and come back another day.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Just play golf - it doesn’t matter if it’s a medal or Stableford just hit the golf ball then walk after it and then hit it again with the main aim to get it into the hole with as little amount of shots as possible

People think too much about the game - Stableford/ Medal it’s all irrelevant at the end of the day - just play the game

 

[Ndw7]

I think thats a good point. As I play off 20 at the moment, a high risk strategy could yield 3 or maybe 4 points. Whereas if I was a good golfer off say single figures, my approach would likely be the same for medal and stableford I guess

 

[Imurg]

Just play golf - it doesn’t matter if it’s a medal or Stableford just hit the golf ball then walk after it and then hit it again with the main aim to get it into the hole with as little amount of shots as possible

People think too much about the game - Stableford/ Medal it’s all irrelevant at the end of the day - just play the game

Hammer
Nail
Boom!

 

[Deleted member 21258]

I think thats a good point. As I play off 20 at the moment, a high risk strategy could yield 3 or maybe 4 points. Whereas if I was a good golfer off say single figures, my approach would likely be the same for medal and stableford I guess

Depends on the individual I think.

My thought processes are different for medal than stableford and normally score better in medal as a result but medal is not a game that draws me in to play more of as you have to play more sensible.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Don't get me started on stableford. If everyone played every hole like they were building an 18 hole score they will become a better player. The stableford mentality does nothing for improving a players game.

Not sure how you work this out. So if I play every round with a medal mentality my driving, pitching, chipping and putting will all improve?

It's not the game that makes you a better player, it's the work you do on the practice range.

 

[User101]

Not sure how you work this out. So if I play every round with a medal mentality my driving, pitching, chipping and putting will all improve?

It's not the game that makes you a better player, it's the work you do on the practice range.

What do you play off ?

 

[Deleted member 23270]

What do you play off ?

Grass

 

[User101]

Nuff said.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Do people not see a link between those asking for advice, those trying to help and those saying it’s easy.
Those who see no difference tend to be the single figure handicappers, YOU are the better players and were others strive to be, you have the ability and consistencey.

Those asking for help and those giving constructive advice tend to be the mid to high handicappers looking for help.

It’s not easy or simple, if it was we’d all be off scratch. Some find certain aspects of the game easier than others, some make the problems bigger than they need to be.

Maybe we should remember we are not all the same, different physique, age, years playing the game etc etc.

Sometimes it would be better if we read the op’s and understood what THEY are asking rather than what WE think they are asking.

Do you often wonder why threads go off track.