What's a reasonable better ball gross score

[AdamBC]

Played in away matches this week and last ...

... last week beaten 6 and 5 by 9 and 15 (reduced from 17 the week before) handicap players - taking their best score on each hole they were 1 over gross after 18 - my partner and I scored 34 and 35 Stableford points respectively (which we thought wasn't bad given neither of us had played the course before!) - does that sound plausible, or should I be struggling to see how their handicaps can be correct?

... today beaten 4 and 3 (dormie 6) by two 18 handicap players - taking their best score on each hole they were 1 over gross after 12 (that's when they started to fade and I won 13/14 and halved 15 which took them to 5 over gross after 15) and 8 over gross after 18 (but bear in mind 16/17/18 were after the event and not taken too seriously!) - I played to ~8 under my handicap (my partner was having an off day!) again having never played the course before - does that sound plausible, or should I be struggling to see how their handicaps can be correct?

Reflecting on both rounds, I just don't see what else I/partners could have done?

Thoughts?

Thanks ...

 

[Deleted member 1147]

All all about how well you and your partner gel...you need one to have a good hole whenever the other player has a nightmare, and sometimes you have that perfect storm where that happens all the way round and you can win easily.

In your first example you have a decent player off 9, who should in theory be able to par every hole, and not make too many disastrous mistakes, and the other guy is obviously improving if he's come down by 2 shots in a week. So I think their score, whilst very good, isn't unheard of.

 

[Orikoru]

Hard to say. In theory, within a betterball pairing each partner could par 9 holes each and blob the other 9 holes each, thus playing to a high 20s handicap individually, but as a pair playing level par gross, as long as one of them parred all the odd holes and the other one parred all the even holes.

Example, me and my betterball partner played a match a few weeks ago. Ignoring the first three holes because we started badly, we played the last 15 holes in +2 gross as a betterball pair - and we play off 18 and 19. It's luck of the draw that we managed to play our good holes alternately. I made a birdie and 6 pars, he made a birdie and 4 pars.

 

[AdamBC]

Fair comments from JamesR and Orikoru - just feeling a bit down after two thrashings in two weeks when on neither occasion I've played badly!!!

 

[rksquire]

You played to 8 under your handicap in the second match?

 

[duncan mackie]

Without any knowledge of the course and tees being played its difficult to be judgemental. If they aren't over 6600yds then the straight but short brigade are creaming it right now! Until the hole is 440+ I would currently expect 1 of the opposition to par it with the handicaps you are discussing; same hole in October I would probably bet on a 6 and 5 at best!

Right now I'm seeing better scoring than I've ever seen on courses in the area - not by everyone, but basically the courses are playing short, the rough isn't there and the greens are generally pretty good, as are fringes and surrounds.

I've had matches where my partner and I both won, and lost, the holes - and others where we dovetailed. Same scores different results.

 

[Britishshooting]

Had a inter club cup match at our course the other day which comprised of 6 teams from 6 clubs I think (I didn't partake).

The leading BB score was 41 points which is reasonable and then a pair from our club off 8 and 24 I believe came in with 50 points.

Theres a definite synergy with single cappers and high handicappers playing together at our course just recently, that combination seems to win everything just now.

 

[AmandaJR]

In terms of better ball stableford points, if the Ladies Ping 4BBB is anything to go by, you need a minimum of 45 points to even get close to qualifying for the finals. That would probably qualify for the Plate and scores above that for the Grand Final.

 

[AdamBC]

You played to 8 under your handicap in the second match?

Yes! I'm playing off 25 at the moment, but only been back playing ~6 weeks since a c. 12 month layoff with a major rotator cuff repair/frozen shoulder (I was off 24 before I had to stop having only started playing more than 6 rounds a year for 30 year the previous year - I was probably playing to c. 18, but we hadn't had any QCs due to course closures/temporary greens as a result of the wet winter which affects my course badly even though in the summer it's a course to die for!) - also last week was the first time I hit anything longer than a 6 iron - my course is fairly long and I need a 4 iron/3 wood off the tee to score and it's also not very forgiving if you miss the fairway (and my 4 iron's OK, but the 3 wood's a bit wayward still!) whereas today's fairways were probably the widest I've seen in a while which meant I could be off line and still have a shot (beyond that the rough was deadly!) - I scored 89 gross against par 72 = 17 hence the ~8 under my handicap - but that still wasn't enough (and I take the point that I didn't have a partner dovetailing - in fact he didn't come in on a single hole!) - and before you ask (as a Head Pro!) ... now I'm comfortable hitting all my clubs, the lessons are booked!

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

That's your issue, don't judge your opponents who sounded like they just had a good day, and nor should they judge you given they also may consider you a bandit if 8 under.

The issue (no offence to your playing partner) is they had a bad day and didn't come in on a single hole. Unsurprising to lose a match (and I wouldn't call 4 and 3 ridiculous) if that happens.

 

[AdamBC]

That's your issue, don't judge your opponents who sounded like they just had a good day, and nor should they judge you given they also may consider you a bandit if 8 under.

The issue (no offence to your playing partner) is they had a bad day and didn't come in on a single hole. Unsurprising to lose a match (and I wouldn't call 4 and 3 ridiculous) if that happens.

I know!!! - but 2 weeks running just got to me!!!

 

[User20204]

A few weeks back, myself and my PP were 5 under gross thru 15 holes, and that was with a bogey, I lost two balls and we are 4/10 h/cap, he had 3 birdies as did I, just so happens every time either was out a hole the other played that hole well.

I've went up .6 since in 7 rounds, tonight played well, will get cut .2, get in to find a low guy had shot 8 under gross, golf is a funny game.

 

[TheJezster]

It's match play. Doubles match play at that. Anything can happen, and often does.

You can win some matches and not play well, and likewise you can lose some matches while playing well.

It's a funny old game.

 

[ScienceBoy]

You should be looking at par to win holes or tie.

Bogey is a bit of a risk but a relief if for a half.

Don’t think of a match as a round. It rarely gives a true picture of how people score in strokeplay week in week out.

Matchplay is about who wins or loses holes, win the most and you win the match.