Mixing Stableford with Matchplay

[JustOne]

Is it possible to play a matchplay whilst looking after your stableford/strokeplay score?

I find it hard to focus as I want to play well enough for a decent score but not too conservative that I simply throw away a match eg: I'm in a bunker for 2 and need to hole it for a half.... I try, it's a good bold effort, just misses the cup but it runs downhill and goes off the green, I chip back on to 7 feet after already losing the hole...and miss the putt - double bogey.

After missing the hole with the bunker shot do you simply pick up and whizz off to the next hole?

I think I'd be an excellent matchplayer if I could just get my strokeplay score out of my head.

 

[John_Findlay]

It's a difficult one to focus on right enough.

I used to suffer badly from the same thing. Always had an eye on my strokeplay score. Have gradually learned to just focus on the format in hand though. Find I enjoy my golf better that way.

Doesn't matter whether you win a fiver with an 8 at the last or a 3. And 36 points is 36 points in spite of those 9s at the 2nd and the 3rd.

 

[JustOne]

Have gradually learned to just focus on the format in hand though.

How? just through playing?

 

[jammydodger]

You've just got to ignore your score for the day. It really doesnt matter what you shoot as long as you know in your head that you've played well. I like matchplay cos you can get away from putting a score down on a card and get a lot more agressive , thats the way it is designed to be played

 

[John_Findlay]

Sort of. Just put the strokeplay score out of your head.

I actually found that playing Texas Scramble a few times helped with that. You don't have an individual score to aim for. You're just helping your team with the odd good shot. Treat stableford and matchplay rounds with the same attitude to that.

 

[Robobum]

I find it hard to focus as I want to play well enough for a decent score but not too conservative that I simply throw away a match eg: I'm in a bunker for 2 and need to hole it for a half.... I try, it's a good bold effort, just misses the cup but it runs downhill and goes off the green, ......

No need to beat yourself up, as your oppo is in for 3 and you have already taken 3. Just pick your ball up, award yourself a 4 and stride to the next tee

 

[painterboy]

They are two different animals.
The rules are different for a start.
Especially if your playing with a partner,and he has secured the half and your left with a fast downhill-er for a win.You must go for it and not worry about the one back.
If you want to,give yourself two putts for your Stableford score.
If your out of the hole you really should pick up through.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I never really focus on the matchplay side to be honest and thats my problem. I'm way too conservative for the cut and thrust of a match and tend to worry more about my individual score. I'm the sort of guy that'll get his 36 points and realise he's been done 3&2

We have a summer knockout and in the last two years I've really been in the box seat coming down the last three or four and then lose a hole and think thats ok I'm still a couple up. It's still good I'm still one up. It's still good he can't keep winning holes. Thanks for the game and well played as he shakes my hand.

 

[Taggart]

Always matchplay for me.

 

[JustOne]

Sort of. Just put the strokeplay score out of your head.

I actually found that playing Texas Scramble a few times helped with that. You don't have an individual score to aim for. You're just helping your team with the odd good shot. Treat stableford and matchplay rounds with the same attitude to that.

I wouldn't mind a Texas scramble, only ever played one and it was great fun.

My mate played a matchplay comp the other week (he's off 5) and he lost down the last hole. After we totted up his score it was 12 over!!!! and he lost - if he just played a normal game and shot his h/cap he'd have thrashed the guy.

I'm not sure I like matchplay at all. One of these days I'm going to be playing with enough confidence again to not worry about my score. Right now I'm trying to focus shot for shot but find it quite tricky to whack putts at the hole on purpose although I don't seem to have a problem persuading myself to go for every par5 in two, come what may.

 

[rgs]

Focus on the competition you are playing in.
In matchplay if yo lose the hole just march to the next tee determine to win the hole back--it does not matter if you shoot a 7 to your opponents 8 you still win the hole.

So forget your medal/stableford score just concentrate on the game in hand.

 

[Leftie]

Have a word with Smiffy.

He's lost many a hole to a 7

I love matchplay. In all other forms of golf it's you against the course/card and they never make a mistake, or you are playing the rest of the field. Matchplay is the only form where you are actually playing only your opponent. You can influence your opponent's play by what you do, and it doesn't matter what you score on a hole - as long as it is at least equal to or better than his.

Forget about your score during the game and enjoy the match.

Reflect on it afterwards (not during) and you may be surprised at what you shot.

Anytime you want to take me on ......

 

[Fyldewhite]

We play in fourballs which is pretty unusual for most clubs but the best thing about it is playing a 4BBB every single week. We all concentrate on the medal/stableford competition for sure but even if we are all having a poor or average day (which, let's face it is more often than not) the back 9 becomes a pure matchplay affair. Winning the fiver and bragging rights makes the last few holes "all to play for" and the banter in the bar later great fun (if you win )

 

[Herbie]

Is it possible to play a matchplay whilst looking after your stableford/strokeplay score?

I find it hard to focus as I want to play well enough for a decent score but not too conservative that I simply throw away a match eg: I'm in a bunker for 2 and need to hole it for a half.... I try, it's a good bold effort, just misses the cup but it runs downhill and goes off the green, I chip back on to 7 feet after already losing the hole...and miss the putt - double bogey.

After missing the hole with the bunker shot do you simply pick up and whizz off to the next hole?

I think I'd be an excellent matchplayer if I could just get my strokeplay score out of my head.

In answer to the first part...why would you want to?
In answer to the rest...
If you are in match play and you are given the hole how can you possibly record a stableford score for that hole? Unless of course, you annoy the hell out of your opponant/s by insisting on playing every hole out that may carry a possible stableford score. I understand what you are getting at though and the only thing you can do is train your own mind to know the difference. Try looking at match play as a bonus in your golfing callendar where many of the golf pressures you feel in other types of play have gone and all you have to do is beat your opponant by number of holes. Know that you can have a crap hole and that it won't have an effect on the match.
The bunker issue you mention, ask yourself what you would want your opponants to do in the same situation. What you mentioned would be like trying to start a car knowing it has no petrol, no matter how many times you turn the key, you are still going nowhere.

 

[JustOne]

In answer to the rest...
If you are in match play and you are given the hole how can you possibly record a stableford score for that hole? Unless of course, you annoy the hell out of your opponant/s by insisting on playing every hole out that may carry a possible stableford score. I understand what you are getting at though and the only thing you can do is train your own mind to know the difference. Try looking at match play as a bonus in your golfing callendar where many of the golf pressures you feel in other types of play have gone and all you have to do is beat your opponant by number of holes. Know that you can have a crap hole and that it won't have an effect on the match.
The bunker issue you mention, ask yourself what you would want your opponants to do in the same situation. What you mentioned would be like trying to start a car knowing it has no petrol, no matter how many times you turn the key, you are still going nowhere.

I think I can sum it up by saying that I want to play the course, playing half of it and beating the guy standing next to me isn't much fun - even worse if you have a partner who plays well too...eg: you find the green with a gorgeous 5-iron setting up a nice birdie chance from 20ft then he holes out from the sand - hole finished f### your birdie, hole won, pick up and walk to the next.

I'd say that this feeling is definately exagerated when green fees, partners and different courses are taken into consideration. If I'm paying £30 then I want to play the course, I couldn't care less about winning a fiver! If I've never seen the course before then I want to play it and put in my best score, not just pick up 'cos my partner hit a tee shot to 2 feet, or chipped in for a par
Obviously I'm happy for all my partners when they are playing well, but I feel it's at my expense. If I made 10 birdies the other day and Murph didn't hardly get a putt he would have been disappointed I'm sure with me keep saying "Pick yours up mate I've won the hole already".
Watching him roll in his birdie putt on the 17th when I was stone dead gave me a right buzz for him, as did his holed out bunkershot when I knew I was probably going to win the hole already. I do get a genuine buzz watching other people play well and if I play well I feel like I'm robbing them of that opportunity.(Murph's bunkershot was probably the best I've ever actually witnessed!)

I'm playing against PING in a month, I'm looking forward to it because I already made up my mind that I'm not going to see or appreciate the course, I'm going there for a matchplay, when the hole is done, it's done. I know it doesn't matter if I shoot 74 or 84 as long as we win, in fact I'm going to try not to count! I think maybe it has something to do with playing fellow forumers, people who haven't seen me put in a top draw performance yet, I've barely done it for a year+ anyway what with one thing or another. I feel pretty comfortable with Smiffy, Murphthemog, Craphacker, Leftie, HTL and a few others now so the better rounds are also coming, slowly. It's wanting to put in a 70 or 69 that's killing me!!!

Hopefully I'll make 10 birdies and Smiffy won't need to poo himself standing over a 2 footer

(alternatively he can make a handful and we can do lots of hugging, high 5's and other macho stuff!)

Right, I'm getting off the psycho couch now..........

 

[CrapHacker]

Deep man......







Like Pacific, dude.

 

[jammydodger]

Why not try playing a combined stableford every now and then. Just tot up both your scores against both of your oppos. You can see some big swings pointswise in that format so it usually goes to the last hole too

 

[Smiffy]

Why not try playing a combined stableford every now and then. Just tot up both your scores against both of your oppos. You can see some big swings pointswise in that format so it usually goes to the last hole too

I did suggest this for Sundays game but it was "pooh pooh'd"....

I personally love matchplay. Had we played Stableford on Sunday, I would have been walking down the 18th fairway with 26 points under my belt, out of it (finished on 29 'cos I get a shot on the last )
As it was, with the match all square, I still had something to play for.
I guess the only other way really is to play a medal?
Certainly don't like Texas Scramble.

 

[jammydodger]

You might have been out of it if playing individual Smiffy but if you added your score to James' so it was a team stableford then it may have been closer than you think

 

[Smiffy]

You might have been out of it if playing individual Smiffy but if you added your score to James' so it was a team stableford then it may have been closer than you think

I wasn't playing with James!
And if Murph and James had added their scores together we would have needed a miracle