Strokeplay or Stableford......

Listen cernunnos, I have played between 6 and 10 h/c most of my golfing life and some of the best scores I have ever made in any format would not win stableford comps. :DIm sure there are many on here of similar h/c range or better who would understand my comment. ;)
 
i can see both sides of the debate, and i like both. the first comp i won was stableford, gross 79 off 16, i know what you are going to say. previous day i shot 18 points, then worked 12 night shift, had 2 hours sleep, and dropped shot and lost ball. also depends if playing 3/4 handicap, if so it then favors lower handicaps. but as stated, bad hole pick up, so pros and cons for both, if you play either enjoy, thats the main idea, does not always work. if you dont like stableford dont play. sport is what you make it
 
However at the other end of the ability spectrum, we don't get it all our own way.

Society h'caps and stablefords are a joke, and not to be taken seriously. Our club stableford (and medal for that matter) are split into 3 divisions, which does mean that it's more evenly split.

As for me off my 26 h'cap. Last week I grossed a 109 and got 30 points. The week before I did 107 and only scored in the low 20s. So even stableford is hit and miss.

Strokeplay is my preferred option, as it's how I gauge every game I play, on gross score. Though I do enjoy match play.
 
There are bandits on both sides of the story,my -2 gross score the other week got me 40points which was lucky enough to win both the stableford and the medal but on another day at my place it would have been maybe 3 off winning either the madal or the stableford!
I play with a guy who plays off 17 whos long game is great but he is horrific around the greens,he can shoot 42 points with a scorecard which will include a string of par figures in fact last year he was level par on a run of 7 holes in the middle of the round yet finished something like nett 72 (level par) but I would hazard a guess he would have been 42 points or there abouts!
 
i can see both sides of the debate, and i like both. the first comp i won was stableford, gross 79 off 16, i know what you are going to say. previous day i shot 18 points, then worked 12 night shift, had 2 hours sleep, and dropped shot and lost ball. also depends if playing 3/4 handicap, if so it then favors lower handicaps. but as stated, bad hole pick up, so pros and cons for both, if you play either enjoy, thats the main idea, does not always work. if you dont like stableford dont play. sport is what you make it
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3/4 h/c doesnt always favour lower h/c players, dont forget that they are also on 3/4. It only gets a little fairer when there are multiple prises for h/c ranges.

Are you telling me not to play GOLF simply because I dont like the format of the game?
Are you telling me not to be sociable?
If thats the case you are right SPORT is what you make it!
 
Stableford is a comp for high handicap golfers noone playing of a decent handicap wins them unless they shoot the lights out
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That's rubbish and it's why the have different divisions.

40pts will win the majority of Div 1 stablefords and for me that's around level par gross, hardly shooting the lights out?!?!
 
Stableford is a comp for high handicap golfers noone playing of a decent handicap wins them unless they shoot the lights out
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That's rubbish and it's why the have different divisions.

40pts will win the majority of Div 1 stablefords and for me that's around level par gross, hardly shooting the lights out?!?!
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Not all stablefords are in divisions, in fact I cant remember many Ive played where this was done. Some clubs make extra effort to do this and good on them, but many just run comps for all off full h/c or 3/4, but in general the stableford is unfair to low h/c players as high h/c players are often better players than their figures show and more so these days with the method of h/c adjustment used currently. If I see a 24 h/c player taking 88 shots gross for example, I would dock them at least 2/3 the difference from their h/c making them an instant 18 or 19 h/c, but thats not how its done is it? If you can do it once you can do it again. Check results from h/c comps at any club and you will see the winners are nearly always high h/cappers. the occasions low h/c players win are few and far between and very often only when there is a limited number in the comp anyway. You get 50 players or more in a stableford, a high h/c player will win it, that you can 'almost' be sure of. ;)
 
I play off +3 the the average stableford at our course is won win 43 44 points I have to shoot what -9 to have a chance
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Off +3 I would not be bothering to enter a stableford at my club :)
 
Being a relative newcomer to the game I'm often left dissapointed due to virtually all the competitions at my club being strokeplay format.

In 2 recent winter medals I carded 38 points (with 3 blobs) and came 3rd in one yet scored a nett 73 (70 par) after having had two 8's and a 7 on par fours and coming nowhere in the other a couple of weeks later.

The "C" word, consistency is my biggest problem as in some rounds I can play in the mid teens then the next have a mare! What a great game this is.

Our first hole is a daunting par 5, fairway slopping to the right (power faders nightmare - ok slicer!) and I've ruined many medals having walked off it having scored an 8, 9 or once a 10 where as in stableford's I can forget it and carry on.

I'd be interested to hear everyone else's view.
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First of all, reading your post again it seems to me as if you have a mental block with your first hole…….I would try and get that sorted out first of all. I had that at Royal Musselburgh where I was hooking into the trees. I tried playing defensive and it made it worse, so now I just go to the first tee and blast it….sorted.

Stableford or stroke play, well it’s stroke play for me all the time and IMO stableford is more of a fun thing. I can never take it seriously for some strange reason and the true test of golf is the amount of strokes you take.
 
Thanks for the last reply Tommo21, at least I got a bit of a discussion going with my first Topic post. I do enjoy both formats but have to agree that strokeplay is a truer test.

I'm a little suprised that the lower handicap players here seem to be a bit resentful of the higher handicap players as personaly I can't wait to get my handicap down and be seen as proper golfer rather than just a hacker or bandit, so roll on the summer to allow me to get out there more often to practice some more and then blast one off the first as you suggest...... :)
 
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