Strokeplay or Stableford......

[HomerJSimpson]

I have to say that although our monthly stablefords are split into the divisions it is normally the highest division that provides the overall winner. It is a format that gives the higher handicapper the licence to have a bad hole and still be competitive. The frustrating thing is when the higher handicappers are getting 2 shots on a par 3. How can any mid-low handicapper compete with that.

Strokeplay will reward the consistent, not necessarily the best golfer. It is a format that rewards steadiness which is why the higher guys struggle as there is always an 8 lurking in the background somewhere which makes it hard to get a good score. That said our monthly medals are also divisionalised and the divison 3 is usually won with something like a nett 65. However I don't mind that (partly because I'm in division 2) but because you know that the guy has had a good round and got the rewards for a good ball striking round.

How many times have you had the winner of the monthly stableford say "well actually it would have been even better but I had a blob".

 

[Herbie]

Thats similar to my belief Homer. An example, 24h/capper can have a couple of poor holes and a couple of holes taking 150 strokes a hole yet with the other 14 holes can win a comp, if I have even 2 complete washout holes Im scuppered completely as when I play all the holes well I still dont do any good.

 

[TonyN]

Regarding the comments about divisions and higher H/C having an advantage in Stableford, what would people think if their club ran 2 comps. Division 1+2 stroke play and division 3+4 stableford.

Would this even things out?
Would this give more players the chance to win?
Or would this just not work at all?

 

[Herbie]

Well I have played in comps that were division split and I had no problem being beaten by a small margin in my division and I have come very close to winning, also most of the scores were close to h/c. Im not sure it would work all that well in the high h/c division because the same extreme score margins would still be there. Im sure many a high h/c player has been as bewildered as anyone by some scores they have had to witness in stableford.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Mono

Another in depth analysis of a thread

 

[Imurg]

The frustrating thing is when the higher handicappers are getting 2 shots on a par 3. How can any mid-low handicapper compete with that.

The reason I've given up playing the Singles Matchplay. A few years ago I was playing a 28 'er and he was having a good day. I was only 4 over gross at the end and I still lost. At the 18th (a par 3) he had a shot. We were all square and he had the honour.
He only plays the ball to - literally - 3 inches from the hole. So he's got a gimme birdie for a nett 1.
Great I thought - Hole-in-one for a half then..........

 

[jammydodger]

Strokeplay every time for me , akthough I do play in the stablefords and any other comp thats going. It's more about how well i've played and I try not to worry about what other people have shot , I cant do anything about that.

What all us lower h/caps have to remember is that we were high h/caps once and we probably shot some crazy scores on our way down , so cut some slack to those guys and just concentrate on having a good day yourself. They arent going to win the scratch club champs or play in the inter-club scratch 4'somes so be happy to play off a low h/cap and leave it at that.

 

[thegogg]

What all us lower h/caps have to remember is that we were high h/caps once and we probably shot some crazy scores on our way down , so cut some slack to those guys and just concentrate on having a good day yourself. They arent going to win the scratch club champs or play in the inter-club scratch 4'somes so be happy to play off a low h/cap and leave it at that.

[/QUOTE]

Well said Jammydodger!

 

[Smiffy]

I played a corporate day at Foxhills one time, Stableford teams of four, best three scores to count.
Was put with three 28 handicappers, one had never played before (he had borrowed his brothers clubs for the day) and the other two had only been playing a matter of weeks. Our team came in with 43 points in total and I scored 35 of them....
I don't like Stableford

 

[SammmeBee]

Regarding the comments about divisions and higher H/C having an advantage in Stableford, what would people think if their club ran 2 comps. Division 1+2 stroke play and division 3+4 stableford.

Would this even things out?
Would this give more players the chance to win?
Or would this just not work at all?

It does 'even' things out but then the club has to find twice as many prizez and if you have a relatively small field then it makes it cost prohibitive...

In essence though Stableford was designed for large fields to make play quicker than Strokeplay as you can obviously pick up or not bother going back to play 3 off the tee..

 

[haplesshacker]

In essence though Stableford was designed for large fields to make play quicker than Strokeplay as you can obviously pick up or not bother going back to play 3 off the tee..

That's all very well, and as you know, I do understand the 'pick up' point of stableford to speed up play. However as has been bourne out on here. It seems that we gauge our golf on gross score.

How many actually do pick up when we realize that we're not going to score any points on that hole? We might be playing stableford, but we still want to know our gross score, just out of interest.

I know I picked up at Crowbourough, but in reality, when the course is slow anyway, I have been known to hole out, just to keep track of my gross score. It also gives me a good lesson in recovery. Which will be needed in the monthly medal.

 

[Herbie]

What all us lower h/caps have to remember is that we were high h/caps once and we probably shot some crazy scores on our way down , so cut some slack to those guys and just concentrate on having a good day yourself. They arent going to win the scratch club champs or play in the inter-club scratch 4'somes so be happy to play off a low h/cap and leave it at that.

Well said Jammydodger!

[/QUOTE]

I do remember being off 16, but 30 odd yrs ago things were a little different, people were encouraged to practice a lot and take lessons before ever venturing onto the course. Also H/C adjustments were far more severe than they are today. How often do you hear of someone being docked 4 or 6 strokes today following a comp result? I dont have anything against high h/c players on the whole, Im just against the minority along with the pamper h/c system of today, which can sometimes make things unfair for all. This minority I speak of are the same people who do not enter strokeplay very often which is why you dont see too many outrageous scores in that format,also in the past few clubs used stableford results for h/c adjustments and some still dont. so as not to upset people
Your support for a two tier golf system is noted.

 

[freddielong]

I think the current handicap system does need to be looked at - it is easy for people to control there handicap at the moment, by playing in certain events and not playing in competions when the weather doesn't suit for example.

 

[GB72]

I enjoy stablebford comps because I can be competitive but I also agree that it is loaded towards the higher handicapper (like me). Most of the lower handicappers that I play with are happy to pick up 2 points a hole but the 3 or 4 pointers are rare. With my higher handicap there are 2 or 3 holes that are almost guaranteed 3 pointers (I get 2 shots on one par 3 hole) and some which are realistic 4 pointers. The only thing that has stopped me getting cut recently (and I want my handicap to go down and have to negotiate a cut in social games) is the od mad moment in between. Certainly even on a bad day I put 30 points on the board and have scored 39 a couple of times recently (unfortunately in non qualifying comps). Also feel free to play shots in stableford comps whereas I always take the safe option in a medal.

I agree that stroke play is golf at is purest but my preference will remain stableford until I can secure the ever elusive consistency.

 

[Robobum]

I think the current handicap system does need to be looked at - it is easy for people to control there handicap at the moment, by playing in certain events and not playing in competions when the weather doesn't suit for example.

Nail - head - bosh!!

Nearly lost the plot with the h'cap chairman at our club at the weekend. He asked me if I fancied a game, to which I said I couldn't as I was playing in the 1st medal of the year. I asked him if he was playing in it only to get this reply "no chance, not on those greens!"

 

[USER1999]

Surely in that case though, he is not protecting himself from a cut, he is protecting himself from a certain 0.1 rise. Therefore, after a while his h/cap will be artificially low. Is that such a problem, as only he will suffer for it.

 

[Parmo]

There is a fella at our club who is hcp24 and he brings his son (when needed or decent comp day) who is something around 17 but really like 7 or 8 and bags the comp each and every week for them. There was hell to pay the other week as the commitee cut everyone in their 4 ball by a shot, the worst thing about it is they never ever come into the club house unless its prize night, I though he was going to get a bird stuck up his ass on turkey night the tension was that great!!!

The Tigers are always moaning about hcp's & comps, its the price you pay...

 

[SammmeBee]

There is a fella at our club who is hcp24 and he brings his son (when needed or decent comp day) who is something around 17 but really like 7 or 8 and bags the comp each and every week for them. There was hell to pay the other week as the commitee cut everyone in their 4 ball by a shot, the worst thing about it is they never ever come into the club house unless its prize night, I though he was going to get a bird stuck up his ass on turkey night the tension was that great!!!

The Tigers are always moaning about hcp's & comps, its the price you pay...

If they keep winning, why does their handicap not get cut by the fact of their 'good' scores?

 

[Parmo]

No idea, but the talk of the club house is they are bandits since they won the first 4 comps of the year, I a noob know nothing of such things.

 

[jammydodger]

What all us lower h/caps have to remember is that we were high h/caps once and we probably shot some crazy scores on our way down , so cut some slack to those guys and just concentrate on having a good day yourself. They arent going to win the scratch club champs or play in the inter-club scratch 4'somes so be happy to play off a low h/cap and leave it at that.

Well said Jammydodger!

I do remember being off 16, but 30 odd yrs ago things were a little different, people were encouraged to practice a lot and take lessons before ever venturing onto the course. Also H/C adjustments were far more severe than they are today. How often do you hear of someone being docked 4 or 6 strokes today following a comp result? I dont have anything against high h/c players on the whole, Im just against the minority along with the pamper h/c system of today, which can sometimes make things unfair for all. This minority I speak of are the same people who do not enter strokeplay very often which is why you dont see too many outrageous scores in that format,also in the past few clubs used stableford results for h/c adjustments and some still dont. so as not to upset people
Your support for a two tier golf system is noted.

[/QUOTE]

I see your point entirely , there are certain individuals at every club who all their interested in is maintaining an 'unreasonable' h/c so they can cherry pick the competions they enter. I dont like this as much as the next man but I have come to terms with it. I also take on board your point with regards to being left with only scratch comps to play , and I would say in reply that I didnt intend to imply that these comps are the only ones we should set our sights on. Conversly I feel that we should take part in all comps but with a mindset on stablefords that we just arent likely to win them with a nice round of 36-39 points. We should however be happy with that score and leave it at that. If that score gets us a .1 or .2 reduction then I for one consider it to have been a very good day regardless of whether the winner has posted 44 pts playing off 20 h/c.

I would say the vast majority of golfers want a fair and level playing field , and it's a pretty good system in general that can allow a scratch golfer to play against a 6, 12 or 16 h/c and if they both play well it should be an even match.

Finally , winning to me is nice but with golf there is much more to be played for , like a h/c reduction or knowing that you need to score no more than one over gross on the last 5 holes to hit the buffer (and doing it) , or the fact that you've had a great day out with good friends and not been at work stressed about hitting unrealistic targets set by morons who dont live in the real world.

Sorry to go on.....