Stableford or Medal?

[Parmo]

I prefer Stableford, I find it gives more enjoyment as you don't have the constant worry that one bad hole is game over or one lost ball means you might as well of stayed in bed or got dragged shopping by HID's.

Which do you peeps prefer or don't you mind?

 

[jammydodger]

Medal every time for me. Every shot counts for your final score , just as golf should be played. All 18 holes played to a finish and then tot your score up , best man wins

 

[Hendy]

Medalwhen i am playing well and stableford when am not lol

 

[Robobum]

Medal every time, stableford is not golf. It's just there to fluff a player's ego to make them come back to play next week. Can't think of another (mainstream) sport where you can ignore any scores that you don't like??

 

[USER1999]

Strokeplay.

That said, in my opinion, players with a h/cap of over 18 should be playing stableford, not medal. This would speed up the competitions.

The medals are divided into two divisions anyway, so why doesn't the higher division play stableford and the lower strokeplay?

Watching someone shoot 115 isn't fun for anyone.

 

[mono217]

Medal because it is true to the game

 

[janmolby]

I think your handicap has a lot to do with which you prefer, if like me your a high handicapper then it's got to be Stableford as more then likely you're going to have at least one bad hole per round. If you're a low to mid handicapper then I guess Medal is more challenging.

 

[freddielong]

Medal everytime for me, havn't played stableford for about three years.

 

[Hodgie]

Would previously have said stableford as it gives you a better chance of putting a whole round together scoring wise. But after playing in a few medal comps this season i now prefer this format as you have to get every shot right or fight back from a poor score. Much more fun if not frustrating.

 

[RGDave]

Not deliberately looking to set the cat amongst the birdies and eagles.......

I think Medal is by far the best way to play golf. I enjoy a stableford and the "freedom" to not have that niggle in the back of my mind that ONE shot could end my card.

Trouble with medal (at least at mine) is sooner or later (be it the next game or the one after) is that eventually someone will mess up totally and not be able to undo a moment of bad play or bad luck.

The need to play provisional balls is SO important. If there is any chance at all your ball might be lost, play another. I heard a story about the big summer medal at mine where three groups in a row (on different holes) all had players going backwards on the course to replay shots and it created mayhem. Nothing so unusual, but the hear-say is that all the "lost ball" shots were perfectly visible in the air but just disappeared in the rough, just yards off the fairway.

In my world, I'd include the option to allow all players to write a quadruple bogey with an asterix on the card to keep play going. The asterix would disqualify you from prizes, but not from an overall position. So, if you were playing to your h'cap, lose a fair ball on the 16th and didn't feel it would help the other groups around to go back and play, write down an 8* and move on.

 

[Ethan]

Don't forget that for the purposes of handicap adjustments, all rounds are stableford.

 

[USER1999]

I can see your point, as even if you are effectively opting for a stableford adjustment on h/cap, during the medal, in order to complete the round, you still need to card a score for each hole. If you N/R one hole, they N/R your whole score, and don't cut you on stableford. As a result, even though you don't need to finish the hole, you do. What's the point in taking the time to card a 10, when they will call it a 6 anyway.

 

[nulassilb]

Medal - a true test of how you can play/are playing. I nearly always do better in stablefords, however. My favourite format is matchplay as it adds so many different elements to the round.

 

[Ethan]

If you N/R one hole, they N/R your whole score, and don't cut you on stableford.

I do not think that is correct. Blank scores default to net double bogey for handicap purposes.

 

[USER1999]

I am not convinced. An N/R is an N/R. I don't ever remember seeing anyone cut after an N/R. You just get 0.1 back.

The other thing is, the 2 sweep doesn't pay out on N/Rs either, so if you have a 2, you have to play out, even if it is for a 15 on one hole, in order to get your balls.

 

[bobmac]

I treat them the same.
I know some have to pick up after a bad hole, but if you're a mid h/cap or less, treat them the same.
I wonder how many people think 'well, it's stableford, why not try the hero shot. If it doesn't come off, I only blob one hole. Then score 8, net 7
If it were medal, I think most would opt for the safe shot chipping out and settling for the 6 net 5

 

[golf_bug]

The word 'medal' used to strike the fear of god into me for teh very reasons you describe Parmo. Each shot counts, and a bad one can ruin your round.

I now prefer the medal format. It is a better reflection of the standard of your golf and how true your handicap is. We have people at our club playing off single figures, but few shoot sub-80 in the medal. When I play below my hcp in a medal I feel like I have earned my hcp cut.

Having said that, there is a time and place for Stableford. I enjoy the banter a lot more when the pressure is off.

 

[USER1999]

Stableford is for the saturday morning swindle, to decide who buys the beers with the pot money. Strokeplay is for comps.

 

[CliveW]

Matchplay for me.

 

[Twire]

I enjoy both formats, and there is a place for both. But as many have said, stroke-play is the purest format, and the format to gauge your game on.