Medal & Stapleford Comps

[alan32195]

Hi, I would like to see how other Golf Clubs organise their weekly and monthly Medal & Stapleford competitions

I am currently a member of a golf club and like to partake in the monthly stapleford and medal comps. To enter you book your tee time as normal, with your normal 3/4 ball, and on the day you advise the Pro in the club shop you wish to participate in whatever competition it is that day and have a member of your normal 3/4 ball mark your card.

I feel this is quite a lazy way of organising a competition, they do have other comps that are arranged by drawing your name from a hat and putting you with other members, which I feel is the way to do it as you get to meet other people but with the medals and staplefords they don’t organise it this way.

My group are an honest bunch so if we hit 25 points we card 25 points but it gets me thinking that there could be a few herberts that give each other extra points just to take home the prize money... (I am hoping this isn't the case)

Also, if you haven’t got a game a competition is a great way to get a round in. On one instance I called the club shop to advise I didn’t have anyone to play a round with (boo hoo) but would still like to play in the comp that day to which he advised the best thing to do was wait on the tee and ask any 3 balls if I could join their group!! I decided to play another course as I didn’t feel comfortable doing as such.

Is this a normal way of arranging club comps?

 

[USER1999]

We play in 3s, and book a tee time. Comps are not drawn. You play with who you want. I am not in favour of drawn comps, (although others on here are). I like to play when I want to, not when I get drawn, and with guys I am comfortable with.

I think you will find what your club does is fairly standard.

If you want to play with some different people, try putting your name down on your own, and see who joins you.

 

[funkyfred]

All our competitions are drawn and we play in three's, and the tee is booked for the duration. Late entrance's are allowed but they have to join in at the end.

Personally I prefer the drawn comps as you get to play with different people each week and it is a good way to meet other members.

 

[alan32195]

As you say you play when you want to, with the drawn comps you can put your name down around a specific time you wish to play and they do their best to get you out around that time.

With the Stapleford & Medal comps there isn't even a sheet to put your name down to give you the opportunity to play with someone else, you just wait on the tee and see if you can join another group.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

We have a sheet that goes up on the noticeboard about a month prior to the event. You put your name name down, you can't request a time but you can play either Staurday or Sunday and can ask for "very early" or "late" if you're bothered when you go out and the organisers try to accomodate. About 10 days before the event, the start sheet goes up with the groups, which are always 3 balls. Most people normally ask to go out at about the same time so the 1st 4 or 5 groups are probably made up of the same people but you're not always with the same partners. I always go out very early so am normally in the 1st 3 groups and I normally know my 2 partners since we're always there at the same time.

The only time this is different is the club championship whihc you go out in handicap order on the 1st day (lowest 1st) and on the second day the better you play on Saturday, the later you go out on Sunday.

I like this system, I joined the club on my own, don't have a regular 4-ball for the weekends and have got to know a lot of people.

 

[Marko77]

All our medals, stablefords and cups are drawn where you select your preferred timeslot on the sheet which is available 2 weeks before the comp. The draw is made on the Thursday prior and does allow late entries where slots are available.

Our summer league allows you to arrange your own games although there are a few times designated for people to pitch up and a quick draw to take place.

Clubs looking to attract new members really do need to assess the way they make competitions available to members who may not know alot of people. I was on the verge of moving clubs a few seasons ago but didn't in the end, mainly because of this issue as the club I was going to join was basically an organise your own game place.

 

[MizunoGreyhound]

We don`t have start times and our medal and stableford comps are set dates (weather permitting). You can turn up as a 3 pre-organised, or make up outside the pro shop. Works pretty well for us.

 

[alan32195]

Just realised I have been referring to Stableford as Stapleford. Keep getting the name of my club and the scoring format mixed up.. DOH!!!

 

[BretbyBlue]

Hello guys (and Girls)

A good discussion. I personally like drawn competitions but fully respect players who like to play in their own gorups, with their own mates etc.

What I think is a good idea for all clubs, is for the standard weekly competitions, such as a stableford, or even a Monthly Medal, then members can partner who they like etc. However, when it comes to a Trophy/Cup competition, where there may be a presentation made at the end of the season, then I think drawn partners should me implemented (maybe over 1/2 hour or 1 hour slots, to suit peoples preference to what time they play).

My reson, is that I play every Saturday in our competitions. Even on the "bigger" competitions, it always feels the same, no different from last week's competition. There is no attempt to make it appear we are playing for something a bit different or special. Why not have drawn partners, why not put the White Tees as far back as possible. Put a few (not all) pins in tricky positions. Lets try and make it feel something more worthy to win.

I feel most clubs are guilty of this one.

 

[User 105]

Our Monthly comps are all drawn but you can put a preference of Early (Before 8am), Mid (8am-10am) and Late (after 10am).

Our monthly 4BBB comps, usually on a Sunday, you can put you're name into time slots so you can choose who you want to play with.

Seems to be a good balance.

 

[HughJars]

Hello guys (and Girls)

A good discussion. I personally like drawn competitions but fully respect players who like to play in their own gorups, with their own mates etc.

Sorry, unlike you I don't respect that at all.

If you want to play with your mates then do so any time you want to. But if you want to play in competitive days, then expect to play and mix with other members.

 

[Parmo]

We have comps on every sat & sun + bank holiday Mondays and a qual mid week stableford, its not drawn.

I dropped out of my usual four ball because the times where getting silly in winter, something like 1215 and it was just too late. Now in season I book a preferred time with other club members and though this season I am more confident than last its not as good as being with people you feel comfortable with.

 

[Parmo]

Hello guys (and Girls)

A good discussion. I personally like drawn competitions but fully respect players who like to play in their own gorups, with their own mates etc.

Sorry, unlike you I don't respect that at all.

If you want to play with your mates then do so any time you want to. But if you want to play in competitive days, then expect to play and mix with other members.

Don't like the sound of the attitude. Some people play once/twice a week and want to play competitive golf with their friends, why should they be stopped in doing so and not enjoying the game just because people don't have a reg fourball. The other point is that if its drawn you then have to go out of your way to find out what time they have booked you in for, seems long winded to me.

 

[DCB]

For our monthly medals the start sheet is put up 12 days before the event. We go out in threes and can put our names up anywhere we want to, with whoever we want to.

Our Championship Qualifying and the three Big comps, Spring, Summer and Autumn Meetings are drawn from a series of timeslots. Draw for them usually takes place the Thursday night before the comp.

Midweek medals and any other event are usually on the board 132 days before and again, we can play wherever we can get a start time, with whoever we want to.

Worked well all the time I've been there.

Last season, I probably only played a couple of comps with my "regular" partners. Mostly a bit of mix and match so we get to play with a good number of members.

I suppose a lot depends on what time of day you like to play.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Don't like the sound of the attitude. Some people play once/twice a week and want to play competitive golf with their friends, why should they be stopped in doing so and not enjoying the game just because people don't have a reg fourball. The other point is that if its drawn you then have to go out of your way to find out what time they have booked you in for, seems long winded to me.

I can see both sides of this even though I lean towards a drawn competition because I'm one who doesn't have a regular 4-ball. If the comps weren't drawn and everyone already had a regular 4-ball it could be pretty difficult to get a game in a comp. None of my mates are in to golf as much as me(or should I say, none of them are so insanely addicted) so if it wasn't for this system I wouldn't have found it so easy to play as much, especially in the winter when getting my mates on the golf course is about as easy as setting fire to water.

I guess the other side is that if I had found a regular 4-ball I wouldn't know so many people at the club. I can appreciate the wanting to play with your mates bit but it can't do too much for the social side of the club if you always play with the same people, go in the bar and have a pint with the same people then go home.

Not saying either way is right or wrong, I guess each just suits different people.

 

[HughJars]

Don't like the sound of the attitude.

Maybe you don't, but due to travelling about, I am now on my 6th golf club, and it is by a long way the best club I have been a member of (although the worst course), and the reason (the main one anyway)?

There are no cliques, new members are welcomed, and everyone gets mixed up in comps. So that attitude works believe me.

Some people play once/twice a week and want to play competitive golf with their friends, why should they be stopped in doing so and not enjoying the game just because people don't have a reg fourball.

1. To prevent cliques (see above)

2. Fairness. Basically what the OP is worried about.

3. Ensuring no 'friends rules'. I've often seen a regular fourball had their noses put out of joint becasue they've been playing a version of their own rules in comps, often innocently enough, but it's amazing how a regular group over time have mistaken a rule and its stuck becasue they never play with anyone different who will pull them up on it.

The other point is that if its drawn you then have to go out of your way to find out what time they have booked you in for, seems long winded to me.

Who are 'they'?

Our start sheet is put in the pros shop, either look it up next time you play, or phone him, hardly going out of your way surely?

All other comps are by ballot. Turn up on the thursday night, and when your name comes out of the hat, you put your name on the start sheet.

Simple system, ensures fairness in getting a share of the good stating times, ensures a variety of playing partners, helps develop a proper club feel, and gives the club some bar revenue boost on an extra night.

If you don't make the Thursday draw, simply call the pro Friday morning and get a spare time.

It is easily the best system I have ever seen for club competitions.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

All our medal and stablefords have a drawn section from 8.00 until 9.45 where you enter in the pro shop and get give a time and partners accordingly (although you can ask for early late on a VERY infrequent basis). After that the women have the tee booked and then you can roll up and go out in a three or four ball with the same groups if you wanted. We have a very large greedy that go out as a roll up about 11 but they do their own draw depending on numbers so regulars are mixed up every week.

If you want to meet other members especially as a newbie then the booked times give you the biggest opportunity. Personally I'm against the same regular 4 going out every competition as familiarity will breed indifference. I've seen it happen where they will let the odd infringment go as "it doesn't matter" or "it ok he's my mate".

There was a single figure guy at one club who would always go out with 2 very senior guys in every comp. He'd hit it miles but spray it. By the time the oldies had caught him up he'd always have found the ball and it would always be playable, Strangely he was never out of the buffer, would always have a two for the two pot, and would often win or come second every few months. Draw your own conclusions.

Personally I'd like to see the comps booked in batches so that those wanting a social game with a regular group on a weekend can still play without entering the comp and then having another batch of drawn times, a free slot and another set of times. Seems the best way of accomodating everyone but can't see i happening anytime soon

 

[Imurg]

As a 5-day member, our comps are Roll-ups - we book a time, turn up, pay the entrance fee and get entered on the list. It works for us.
Weekend comps are mostly drawn but they have some roll-ups too.
I don't mind either way.

One thing against drawn comps - at my last club (all drawn) I often went out with people who I didn't really get on with. Now I'm a fairly personable guy, I get on with most people but you can't get on with everyone. Why should I have to spend 4 hours or more in the company of someone I really don't like (and maybe vice versa!).

 

[JT77]

I like the idea of playing comps with friends for to get a friendly match going. But I also like the drawn comps, especially for medals. Even if it is only one a month, I think drawn comps are valuable too, you get to play with new folk, you can maybe learn something new or pass on some good info that someone didnt know, like rules info or that.

 

[Golfmmad]

My club has drawn comps and I think it works very well. It makes for a very friendly atmosphere and the banter is not to be missed! I agree not everyone can get on all the time, but in my experience there's never a problem. There is one guy who can be very slow which can be annoying. I usually get round it by geeing him up and making a joke of it - we are all grown ups after all and should be able to deal with it.

If ever I was to change clubs, it would have to be one with drawn comps. As has already been mentioned, there would always be cliques which I can't abide.

I'm very much a member that likes playing in as many comps as I reasonably can, enjoy clubhouse facilities, get involved in the social side and support the club and Pro whenever I can. To me this can only be best achieved in a friendly club, from which drawn comps can certainly help make it possible.

Golfmmad.