Mid-Handicap Matchplay

sweaty sock

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Worth also noting the common misconception that Stroke indices are related to the difficulty of the hole.

The recommendation is that they are just to ensure strokes are allocated in a fair manner, i.e. not all on the last six holes for instance. Its to avoid situations where a match could be over before a large proportion of shots are recieved or vice versa...
 

Papas1982

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Well everyone I took the notes on board and went into the match in full confidence that as the better player the ball was in my court despite the shots being given.

The breakdown of the match:

1st - SI 9 - Evens (both par)
2nd - SI 17 - 1 down (topped my tee shot of all things! Recovery shot finished behind a tree!!!)
3rd - SI 15 - Halved in pars - 1 down
4th - SI 3 so first shot being given - 2 down (the dreaded top AGAIN!)
5th - SI 13 - Halved in bogies - 2 down
6th - SI 7 - par 5 so advantage me it felt - BD pulls one back! 1 down
7th - SI 1 - So here theres a brook which requires a 190 yard carry off the whites, opponent could never get over that so layed up - silly fool - I smashed it to 100 yards out, chipped just short and ppped it in for birdie - suck on that - ALL SQUARE
8th - SI 5 - Another shot giving hole, halved. Evens
9th - SI 11 - Halved in bogies.

So all square through 9 and the hardest half of the course is behind us. Our back 9 opens up a lot - Im feeling good, driver is now behaving and im putting well.

10th - SI 12 - Halved in bogies
11th - SI 8 - Halved in bogies again
12th - SI 4 - Our longest par 4, a gully on the right that swallows balls for fun. I cream one down the middle, 170 out from the green. Opponent hooks it in to trees on the right, provvy played but I did find the ball under trees and all credit to him, he got out in 1 but was easily 200 yards away from me and used his shot. He proceeded to then stick his next in the gully, hack out again and by this point hes still not near my tee shot and hes had 4! I took a smooth 8 iron to play short of the green as I needed to take no risks and just finish out - made par. BD 1 UP FOR THE FIRST TIME!
13th - SI 10 - Creamed my drive again, 80 yards to the green. Hes hacked down this one too. Long story short BD 2 UP!
14th - SI 18 - halved in double bogies... not great but no holes lost. BD 2 UP
15th - SI 2 - A tight hole but short, Im 2 up so I play hybrid off the tee... silly fool! OB right.... Lose the hole by 1 overall after a good recovery but alas BD 1 UP
16th - SI 14 - Halved in pars, I sunk a good 12 footer to half the hole and celebrated like Tiger on Masters sunday :ROFLMAO: BD 1 UP - 2 to play!
17th - SI 6 - Another shot giving hole - the final one - Annoyingly here, my second shot just caught the top of a small tree and we just lost it! All credit to him, my opponent was looking everywhere with me for it, well over 3 mins, but we couldnt find it. I recovered well to make a double but he made bogey and so we go to the last ALL SQUARE

The 18th. SI 16. Its a funny hole our 18th, its not long but plays right to left and theres a stream that runs vertically up the hole, in the summer any player with decent length can make the green in 1 with a 3 wood at most but it really is a make them or break them hole. So often Ive seen players about to shoot their lowest ever score only to have to take a drop and finish up with a triple. My opponent has the honor and I'm stood there wishing his ball into the stream.. he made it over GUTTED :ROFLMAO: So I pull driver, Its been going well today and a very soft drive will have me on the green or close by.

Didnt quite go to plan, but I made it over too. Opponent plays his second, thins it through the back and requires another chip on. I proceed to chip just to the fringe of the green but a good testing 2 putt from there. Opponent plays a decent chip but equal distance to the pin as me. So I just need to 2 putt. First putt I caught too hard, rolled downhill and left myself a testing par attempt. Opponent gives his a tiny tap and it goes to about 3 foot - his heads gone a bit though after the chip and Im still firmly focused on the next putt - sink it and I win. Well, I didnt sink it, I left it about an inch to the right but he gave me the tap in so Im in for 5.

Opponent just needs to sink a 3 footer to half the hole, hes sunk the all day, surely hes going to do the same again and take me down the first?! Nope. Bottle job. Ive never seen such a bad putt in my life.:ROFLMAO:

BD WINS THE MATCH :D:D:D:D:D

Up the forum!

Does this come in hardback or audio book?
 

Orikoru

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Worth also noting the common misconception that Stroke indices are related to the difficulty of the hole.

The recommendation is that they are just to ensure strokes are allocated in a fair manner, i.e. not all on the last six holes for instance. Its to avoid situations where a match could be over before a large proportion of shots are recieved or vice versa...
True enough, but they are still related to the difficulty of the hole. I mean stroke 1 is always one of the harder holes, if maybe not the hardest.
 

Imurg

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I think the majority of courses apply SI based on difficulty...although it shouldn't be the main criteria..
We're one that doesn't...our hardest hole is SI 7
 

Slab

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I think the majority of courses apply SI based on difficulty...although it shouldn't be the main criteria..
We're one that doesn't...our hardest hole is SI 7

IIRC there's also courses that have an SI rating for Matchplay and a different SI rating for strokeplay
 

3offTheTee

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Ill see what I can do :ROFLMAO:
Well done and thought Peter Alliss had returned to life With some of the commentary!Not sure about looking for the ball over 3 minutes on the 16th, better get yourself on The Rules Forum before the next match.
Hopefully we will have a much longer build up next time.

BTW. How many are left in The Competition? Perhaps we could arrange a Forum Meet for The Final!
 

Bdill93

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Well done and thought Peter Alliss had returned to life With some of the commentary!Not sure about looking for the ball over 3 minutes on the 16th, better get yourself on The Rules Forum before the next match.
Hopefully we will have a much longer build up next time.

BTW. How many are left in The Competition? Perhaps we could arrange a Forum Meet for The Final!

Theres a lot of guys left - it was only round 1! :ROFLMAO:

Hey - if he wants to give me more than 3 minutes, who am I to moan!
 

chellie

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Theres a lot of guys left - it was only round 1! :ROFLMAO:

Hey - if he wants to give me more than 3 minutes, who am I to moan!

Well, you wouldn't get more than the three minutes off me and I wouldn't accept it either. Lost a hole that way in a match when it was the five minute search rule. Didnt lose the match though.
 

Backsticks

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and that is how it should be done but try getting that through to some managers/committees.
Its a point I was surprised and disappointed wasnt cleared up in the move to WHS. Distorting indexes, to suit matchplay, when 99.99% of competitive amateur rounds today are not matchplay, is an anaochronism. It distorts handicaps. And last but not least from someone off 11-12....is biased against those of us in the middle ground of shots on some holes only ! It doesmt affect category one, and likely doesnt affect those on 16-18.
 
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