Stableford scoring is a joke!

[matt71]

Hi everyone,

just played this this am and had a pretty rubbish round of golf, but after adding up my stroke play score thought I would see how many stableford points I would of got!

Was expecting mid 20's if I was lucky , Anyway it works out that I would of scored 35 points which is very good but only because I did very well on the harder holes!

feel it's a bit of mockery to my round as I had some really bad holes scoring 7 but because I don't get extra shots on them did not really have an impact on my stableford score ! I can only assume that either the stroke index for my course is wrong or perhaps I may subconsciously put more effort in on the tougher holes!

Just curious if other forums members feel the same or experienced something similar?



Taaaaaa

 

[BTatHome]

Generally the difference would be your handicap, a low handicapper scoring badly will also score badly in Stableford. A high handicapper scoring badly can make up most of the lost points at a bad hole with a par at the next.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

In tend to find that my stableford score usually reflects a medal round fairly accurately, unless of course you have a couple of disaster holes which dont get as harshly penalIsed in stableford

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Can't have been too bad a round if the worst you were scoring was 7's - based on your handicap, the worst a 7 can be is net double bogey (assuming not a par 3). So score of 99 if par 72?

Are you maybe being a bit hard on yourself? Or is your handicap a bit too high?

Anyway, look at it as a positive - a round you're not happy with, and still in the buffer and depending on CSS close to a cut, something that should be well within your grasp.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Also, stroke index isn't really a difficulty rating. It's a way of evenly distributing shots for the purpose of Matchplay to roughly the middle of each set of 9.

Difficulty will have some influence, but within the parameters mentioned above.

 

[rosecott]

I can only assume that either the stroke index for my course is wrong or perhaps I may subconsciously put more effort in on the tougher holes!

Here we go again with the misconception that the Stroke Index is directly related to however difficult or otherwise it is to play the hole to its par.

And, of course, if it was a qualifier, any handicap effect would be based on your stableford score.

 

[matt71]

Cheers for the replies, hopefully my handicap is wrong and when the medals start I can get it reduced I was really embarrassed by some of my play today but take the encouragement that I can do well when I put my mind to it

I also see what you mean about the stroke index not necessary meaning the hardest holes, never really thought of it that way before

 

[Canary_Yellow]

For handicap purposes, stableford is all that matters. You can get cut with a terrible medal score, so long as the score is down to blow ups on a couple of holes rather than leaking shots all over the place.

 

[Imurg]

Here we go again with the misconception that the Stroke Index is directly related to however difficult or otherwise it is to play the hole to its par.

And, of course, if it was a qualifier, any handicap effect would be based on your stableford score.

Trouble is, Rosie, it's not really a misconception as we've seen.
There are many, many clubs where difficulty is the prime criteria for allocating Stroke Index.
Rightly or wrongly, as I've said before, I suspect there are relatively few that don't use difficulty first.

 

[CMAC]

Here we go again with the misconception that the Stroke Index is directly related to however difficult or otherwise it is to play the hole to its par.

And, of course, if it was a qualifier, any handicap effect would be based on your stableford score.

I've always thought it was or very close, i.e stroke index 1 and 2 were the 'harder' holes. I've never come across a 1 ,2 3, that has been easy, likewise the 18 is usually a short par 3

Can you enlighten us

 

[Imurg]

http://www.englandgolf.org/page.aspx?sitesectionid=337

taken from EnglandGolf but they quote from CONGU

 

[BTatHome]

And from that text above

Clubs and members alike should be aware that Stroke Index is not determined on hole difficulty but on ensuring an equal distribution of strokes is given/received in a match play competition.

 

[Foxholer]

I've always thought it was or very close, i.e stroke index 1 and 2 were the 'harder' holes. I've never come across a 1 ,2 3, that has been easy, likewise the 18 is usually a short par 3

Can you enlighten us

There is a guide as to how to spread the holes where players of reasonably close handicaps get shots - avoiding 1,9,10 and 18 for example. The idea is to avoid big, but explainable, difference in scores at 'key' points in a match - after a few holes or a few holes from the end.

Of course, any manipulation of the 'natural' course attributes also distorts the scoring, so there are almost as many negatives as positives about the guidance!

Basing it on difficulty to par is as good a method as any imo. Though if the first or last 3 holes are all either 'easy' or 'difficult' I might be inclined to adjust.

As for the OP. Seems you had a 'Wild Willie' round! From the way you are surprised, probably a little untypical.

@CMAC. I know a course quite well that matched SIs to Difficulty (based on over 18 months of competitions) - and that also fitted in with the guidance. SI 17 and 18 are both Par 5s. The Par 3s are 14, 8, 7, 9! SIs 1, 2 and 3 are indeed tough - long par 4s

 

[rosecott]

Trouble is, Rosie, it's not really a misconception as we've seen.
There are many, many clubs where difficulty is the prime criteria for allocating Stroke Index.
Rightly or wrongly, as I've said before, I suspect there are relatively few that don't use difficulty first.

It's quite possible that, due to my advanced age, I have played a wider variety of courses than you. My experience is that most courses do not use difficulty as the first factor in setting SIs. There is no doubt that most clubs try to factor it into the process but not to the exclusion of all the other factors which need to be taken into account.

 

[fundy]

Trouble is, Rosie, it's not really a misconception as we've seen.
There are many, many clubs where difficulty is the prime criteria for allocating Stroke Index.
Rightly or wrongly, as I've said before, I suspect there are relatively few that don't use difficulty first.

It's quite possible that, due to my advanced age, I have played a wider variety of courses than you. My experience is that most courses do not use difficulty as the first factor in setting SIs. There is no doubt that most clubs try to factor it into the process but not to the exclusion of all the other factors which need to be taken into account.

I may be wrong but I expect Rosecott may be correct for more established members type clubs whilst Imurg may be right for the newer more proprietary type clubs.

One thing is for sure, the vast majority of golfers think SI = difficulty and there are plenty of courses that are set up pretty much solely that way

 

[kozmos]

Our stroke index changes like the wind.

 

[Andy808]

Our stroke index changes like the wind.

Wish ours would change. Played a matchplay game today giving the guy seven shots with 5 on the front nine and 2 on the last two holes of the round. Still won though so it's not all bad.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

That's strange - I always thought it was even one way, odd the other. Do not all clubs apply that?

 

[kozmos]

Wish ours would change. Played a matchplay game today giving the guy seven shots with 5 on the front nine and 2 on the last two holes of the round. Still won though so it's not all bad.

well done buddy!! Our 12th a 179yard par 3 SI17 was by far the hardest hole on the course toda, with the wind in my mushoff the left. Still managed to get up n down so all good. TBF my chipping was on point today, bit peeed off tho as I left my 60 wedge on the practice area after my round and by th time I had got home 15 minutes later rang the club and it was gone ... Guess I don't need an excuse to replace it with an sm5 now

 

[williamalex1]

That's strange - I always thought it was even one way, odd the other. Do not all clubs apply that?

I thought the same until I played at Shotts GC. where hole 4 is stroke index 2 the only even SI on the front 9 , and hole 11 is stroke index 1 the only odd SI on the back 9.