Medal Rounds

[Deleted member 23270]

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.

I think you are probably right, Phil's post #12 pretty much covers it though.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

I think you are probably right, Phil's post #12 pretty much covers it though.

No it doesn’t mate, that’s my point, with no disrespect to Phil, he’s a Cat 1 Golfer, when he hits it 99% of the time he’s got a good idea where it’s going, he’s at the level very few will achieve on here and will undoubtebly have a different mind set to others, the op may only get the consistencey 50% of the time and may benefit from more focussed advice.

I see Golf as a journey and there are many routes to what we desire out the game.

Yes the ultimate aim is to get it into the hole in the fewest strokes, but it really isn’t that simple to all.

 

[Orikoru]

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.

I'm sure your idea of a bad hole is not the same as mine. :rofl: One of the chaps I played with on the weekend got a 10 and a 9. They really did ruin his medal score.

 

[Orikoru]

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.

Yeah I know what you mean, I guess it can go either way - I'm struggling to put what I mean into words. On a personal level, given that my short term goal is to get from 21 where I am now down to 18 or lower, I'm just trying to get out of the comfort blanket of thinking 'I have two shots' on a hole, particularly in a medal where the individual holes that you get two shots on don't necessarily matter, since all that happens is your handicap comes off your gross score.

 

[User101]

I'm sure your idea of a bad hole is not the same as mine. :rofl: One of the chaps I played with on the weekend got a 10 and a 9. They really did ruin his medal score.

PP on mine last week had a 10 on the 4th, he finished bang on the case.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

I'm sure your idea of a bad hole is not the same as mine. :rofl: One of the chaps I played with on the weekend got a 10 and a 9. They really did ruin his medal score.

Agreed, how many times have you gone birdie, birdie following a double or triple bogey?

 

[User101]

No it doesn’t mate, that’s my point,l.

Haha...:rofl: brilliant.

 

[Orikoru]

Agreed, how many times have you gone birdie, birdie following a double or triple bogey?

Never. I can only remember one occasion ever that I even got two birdies in one round.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Haha...:rofl: brilliant.

Pulling out 7 words really doesn’t help you.

What handicap is your pp that had a 10?

 

[Deleted member 1147]

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!

I agree, if you start playing all of your stablefords like they are medals you may well improve your game. This is why lower handicappers see both formats as being pretty much the same thing. As we don;t have enough shots available to throw away holes.

You need to ask yourself why you were 3 off the tee: bad swing or bad choice? Why did you 3 putt so often: finishing on the high side of the hole, poor wedge play, etc etc?
We all make bad swings and end up with occasional penalty shots. But you can choose not to cut corners, or take on pins. You can try to leave your approach shots on the best side (doesn't always happen, no matter how hard you try of course).

Can you choose to play with different people, someone you can watch and learn from?
I like to play with slightly older golfers (in their 50's), who have been very good but aren't quite at their best anymore (one who was off +4 but can't it it far enough anymore, and one who was off scratch but has lost his chipping). They play often play more sensibly than me, choose better options, don't just smack driver and are excellent at getting a ball around the course without too much bother. You may find out that what they do rubs off on you a little.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

I agree, if you start playing all of your stablefords like they are medals you may well improve your game. This is why lower handicappers see both formats as being pretty much the same thing. As we don;t have enough shots available to throw away holes.

You need to ask yourself why you were 3 off the tee: bad swing or bad choice? Why did you 3 putt so often: finishing on the high side of the hole, poor wedge play, etc etc?
We all make bad swings and end up with occasional penalty shots. But you can choose not to cut corners, or take on pins. You can try to leave your approach shots on the best side (doesn't always happen, no matter how hard you try of course).

Can you choose to play with different people, someone you can watch and learn from?
I like to play with slightly older golfers (in their 50's), who have been very good but aren't quite at their best anymore (one who was off +4 but can't it it far enough anymore, and one who was off scratch but has lost his chipping). They play often play more sensibly than me, choose better options, don't just smack driver and are excellent at getting a ball around the course without too much bother. You may find out that what they do rubs off on you a little.

Great post, you win the internet today

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Great post, you win the internet today

Thanks, I'll take my prize in installments if that's ok :thup:

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Should be thinking only about the shot in hand and not about what point's are up for grabs or if it's gonna affect your medal score/hcp. Take care of that and the score sorts itself to the best you can achieve on the day. Don't differentiate. It damned difficult to do consistently and EVERYONE could be better at it.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Thanks, I'll take my prize in installments if that's ok :thup:

Got 3 Dunlop Loco’s, send us your address and I’ll post them seperately incase one goes missing

 

[Lwatson-jones]

I don't play either format with any specific mentality.

When I reach the tee, my only aim is to play as few shots as possible into the hole.

In medal competitions I play until its holed, and very much the same in a Stableford comp, its not often I pick up as that will ruin my stats :whoo:

When playing with the wife and boys, or any other social game, I only ever put the gross scores onto the card, and then mess about with points etc, in the clubhouse with a beverage.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

I'm sure your idea of a bad hole is not the same as mine. :rofl: One of the chaps I played with on the weekend got a 10 and a 9. They really did ruin his medal score.

But did it?? It would ruin a scratch golfers card but not that of a 54 handicapper. That is why we have handicaps, a 'bad hole' is relative.

 

[Orikoru]

But did it?? It would ruin a scratch golfers card but not that of a 54 handicapper. That is why we have handicaps, a 'bad hole' is relative.

He was 20 handicap. I don't know any 54 handicappers, lol. He lost half of his handicap on two holes, he would have had to play the other 16 holes in around 10 over par to make up for that, which would have been exceptional. So I'd say yes, those two holes did ruin his card.

He obviously felt that way too, since he walked off after the 12th!

 

[Deleted member 23270]

He was 20 handicap. I don't know any 54 handicappers, lol. He lost half of his handicap on two holes, he would have had to play the other 16 holes in around 10 over par to make up for that, which would have been exceptional. So I'd say yes, those two holes did ruin his card.

He obviously felt that way too, since he walked off after the 12th!

As a Cat 4 golfer he also had a 4 stroke buffer zone so if the CSS didn't move he actually had 14 shots left on his handicap to avoid going up 0.1 If he made a couple of pars on the back 9 he has increased this to at least 16 shots so I would stick to my point that he didn't necessarily ruin his card. Guess he did by walking off though!

 

[r0wly86]

What you are talking about is essentially just course management, and how that varies depending on the scoring format.

I understand why some people have different mindsets, because in stableford you have an actual point score after each hole so it's easier to visualise where your aggressive course management may get you i.e. if I take my 3 iron off the fairway then I could be on the green and looking at 4 points. That is easier to visualise than a total round score which essentially is what medal is, although some do play medals like stablefords.

But if one style of course management consistently scores better that's the one you should use all the time regardless of playing format. LiverpoolPhil is spot on at no matter what else is going on all you should be focussed on is getting the ball in the hole in the fewest strokes possible, so all that matters is the shot you are taking at the time.

Fewest strokes doesn't mean going for glory though, it's the fewest strokes YOU will take to get the ball in the hole. So the course management is nothing more than a risk analysis of each shot. So you should be thinking on the tee, what are the chances of hitting it well with a driver, what advantages does hitting a driver over an iron give you i.e. much easier approach or possibly hitting a par 5 in 2, what happens if I hit a bad drive, will you be OOB or relatively safe just not in a great position.

Your brain is doing these all subconsciously anyway just focus on it. e.g. 2 scenarios

you are driving pretty average hitting about 50% well 50% to the right, it's a short par 4 320 yards. OOB down the right.

The risk reward just doesn't add up, you have a 50% of being 3 off the tee and the outcome is not that much better than hitting a hybrid and being 30 yards further away. So course management says you should take the hybrid.

2. You are hitting your driver well 70% of the time with 30% with a slight pull. It's a long par 4 415 yards, down the left is another fairway with no trouble. So now you would want to hit the driver as the reward is worth the potential risk of playing off of an adjacent fairway.

As I understand it people on here are saying that in Stableford they would take the driver on the first option because they are chasing points and a hybrid in a medal in order to avoid a card destroyer. Whereas when you look at the stats whichever format you are playing hybrid is the better option .

This risk/reward analysis should be used for every shot, even up to do I go for the hole and risk knocking it a couple feet past of should I lag this putt.

From what I have seen a lot of high handicappers make big scores trying to make a shot they have a 1/20 chance of doing

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Oh were golf so easy that I can just ignore what I actually shoot on a hole. Finished strokeplay comp on Sunday blob, blob, blob. Not great - but rather hides my scores of 6, 8 and 9 against pars of 4,4 5