Stableford Tactics!?

[MKDave]

Hi all

I've been playing golf on and off for about 6 years. Two years ago I lost everything, could hit the ball and was out of the game for about 14 months. Right back in the swing of things now and been a member of a golf club since May. Been having a rough patch right now but My handicap is 22, average round is probably low 90's, I was shooting sub 90's but gone off the boil a bit. I have been using 'bigger clubs' in the last 2 months as I previously used a 7 iron as biggest before. I actually shot a 79 with biggest club 7 iron so I know I can play well.

I played in my first ever comp and seemed to bottle it. I did feel a bit nervous but played shocking.

I'm playing a stableford competition this Saturday and wondered what the best tactic is. Should I go for broke every hole/every shot to get as many points a possible. Or should I play sensbile and use my handicap to my advantage? Just play bogey golf and let the pars boost my score? The course I'm playing saturday I have had 7 pars in one round there and usually hit 3/4 pars on an average day.

I'm also tempted just to play round with my 7 iron to ensure no lost balls or dodgey lies. I can make most of the par 4's in regulation with two 7 irons as I hit the club 170-180. The par fives I may need the extra yardage but they deviate more than the 7.

If Stableford is better played aggresive then I smash some woods about. If sensible biding time is the answer then I'll play more selective risk.

I have played stableford loads of time but never under any sort of pressure.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Dave

 

[John_Findlay]

Avoid blobs. That's what usually costs a very good stableford score.

Score on every hole and you'll do ok. Use your shots wisely. If you par half of the holes you have shots on then you're laughing.

And get out the big stick. Forget that 7 iron nonsense. You know it makes sense cos' you're gonna have to eventually so the sooner the better.

Good luck, by the way.

 

[MKDave]

Thanks John

Seems like you believe a selective agression is the way forward.

I still can't hit a driver but my 5 wood has been going quite well.

Maybe to settle nerves on first I'll take a lesser club as the hole is only 350 Yrds long downhill.

Thanks John

 

[chrisd]

Stableford is the same as medal except you dont rack up the big numbers on a bad hole. Steady, carefull golf is always the answer unless you are playing matchplay when you may have to react to what your opponent does at stages in the game

Play steady but dont stop playing your shots, just play within yourself and GOOD LUCK


Chris

 

[USER1999]

A 7i that goes 180 yards is a thing of beauty.

Do you play at altitude?

 

[John_Findlay]

At the end of the day (oops, football speak) tactics very often go out the window with club and card in hand anyway.

If I were you I'd just play every shot as well as I could. What I mean by that is if you're standing over the ball thinking you're not sure where it's going even 15-20% of the time then you've got the wrong club in your hand. Pick a shot you KNOW you'll pull off 90% of the time, no matter whether it's a chip, a dunt down the fairway with an iron or a drive on a wide hole. Avoid trouble. In fact, don't even give yourself the chance to get in any. That way you'll relax over the shot and swing and play better. That's course management.

 

[MKDave]

A 7i that goes 180 yards is a thing of beauty.

Do you play at altitude?

Do you mean the flight of the ball or the course?

If you mean to course, then no. If you mean flight of the ball then I guess yes. It has a perfect flight as I strike it so well 99 times out of 100. Truly amazing club!

 

[funkyfred]

I'm hardly in a position to advise as I play of an h/c of 25, but you must try and score on every hole.

Us high handicappers must first try to hit the fairway with our drives, it doesn't matter what club you hit. That will determine if you can then play aggressively or not, each hole will have its defences, so you must access the situation on every shot and hole.
On four holes you are getting two shots, these are holes you might be able to attack if you in the middle of the fairway, even if you lay up on a par 4, chip on, two putt and then walk off with your 3 points.

I don’t think you can go out with a set mind one way or the other, you just have to take each shot as you see it, but keep the scoring ticking over on every hole, its the holes you scramble a single point that in the end will determine your final score.

 

[John_Findlay]

A 7i that goes 180 yards is a thing of beauty.

Funnily enough, Murph, I've got a 7 iron that does exactly the same. Some days when I hit it really well it'll go 185. Here it is.

 

[Robobum]

It has a perfect flight as I strike it so well 99 times out of 100. Truly amazing club!

Which club are you attached to Dave?? Do you do lessons??

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The best tactic I know is to get the ball in the hole as quickly as possible using whatever clubs are necessary. I wouldn't go out with any particular mindset and deal with each shot on its merits depending on the situation and conditions

 

[Deleted member 1147]

It has a perfect flight as I strike it so well 99 times out of 100. Truly amazing club!

Which club are you attached to Dave?? Do you do lessons??

I don't understand why people treat stab's as being different to medals.
Just play normal golf and try to keep in play on all holes.

Also, try using your 5 iron off the tee, most of the par 4's will then be in range

 

[MKDave]

Thanks all of you.

As for the lesson part, Thankfully NO! It's bad enough having one of me on the course let alone more.

Looks like so far I'm going to have to be tactically agressive.

 

[patricks148]

I can hit a 7 Iron 190 yard, but only with 70 mph tailwind

 

[Smiffy]

A 7i that goes 180 yards is a thing of beauty.

Do you play at altitude

My 120 yarders are quite pretty too.
Sadly, I play 200 feet below sea level.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Thanks all of you.

As for the lesson part, Thankfully NO! It's bad enough having one of me on the course let alone more.

Looks like so far I'm going to have to be tactically agressive.

What do you mean by aggressive?

Trying to carry water instead of playing round it?
Drawing & Fading into tight pins?
Lob shots to the pin rather than chip & runs?

No offence but off 22 are you capable of these sorts of things, or would you be better off just getting it round as safely as possible and limiting any damage?

I'd suggest that, as you have 22 shots you should use them.
As far as I'm concerned a stableford is just a medal but you fill in an extra box on the scorecard.

 

[MKDave]

What do you mean by aggressive?

Trying to carry water instead of playing round it?
Drawing & Fading into tight pins?
Lob shots to the pin rather than chip & runs?

No offence but off 22 are you capable of these sorts of things, or would you be better off just getting it round as safely as possible and limiting any damage?

I'd suggest that, as you have 22 shots you should use them.
As far as I'm concerned a stableford is just a medal but you fill in an extra box on the scorecard.

When I say tactical agression, I mean that personally if I'm playing defensive then off of 22 I'll just play for bogey golf or hitting green 1 over regulation. If I'm position on a hole where I know I could carry a hazard from a long distance I try to value the risk reward. Normally in a stroke play event if i think I can get over a hazard but may not be best placed on a green for a 2 putt then I might play a lay up and then hope to chip close. In stableford, as one hole doesn't ruin the round I may be more tempted to have a go at the carry and see where I end up. It may gain me 2 points on some holes but obviously I could lose points too. If I play a lay up thinking I need to up and down for a point then I'd rather take the risk over the hazard and potentially have two on the green for 1 point or a single putt for 2 points.

As for draw and Fade - I can't play them a consistant enough level to be trying these. When I play golf I normally try to attack pins left right and centre but if i'm just playing for a casual round I'll end up just playing fairways and greens and scoring fairly well.

I think my agression will be based on my early hole scores and the risk reward. If I'm scoring stableford par or better on the front nine I'll keep playing bogey golf. If I'm under stableford par I'll probably still play sensible. If I'm behind I'll need to pull something out so will look at which holes I can attack and which suit my play.

I am technically quite a solid golfer but my head gets messed up easily and I can become frustrated. I need to keep calmer on the course I think.

In essence I'll try to avoid the blob but if I feel I can make a point even if my shot doesnt pay off I'll go for it.

 

[Macster]

MKDave, off 22, you can forget about 'aggressive golf', just use your shots wisely and you can get 40pts easily.

'Aggresive golf' is dangerous for anyone, let alone a high handicapper, so if getting your HC down is a priority, then safe golf is the route.

Going hunting for a hidden pin with a 5iron in hand, off a less then perfect lie, is likely to put you behind the tree, into the bush/bunker, or any one of the other permutations, and cost you a 7 for none, leaving you frustrated and chasing again on the next hole.

Play a 6 to the front, or your trusty 7, will leave you a short chip'n run, and a possible Par, safe Bogey, for 2 or 3 pts.

Why do more than that ?

As Gil says, a Stableford is a Medal with just one more column to fill in on the scorecard.

Simples.

 

[Screwback]

Dont plan your round just play a shot at a time you cant control what might happen later in the round so concentrate solely on the shot that you are playing..

 

[muttleee]

If you can shoot 79 off 22 using nothing more than a 7 iron then you should be good for about 50 points. Should be in with a shout, I would think...