Why do you enter competitions?

[PaulMdj]

My experience is the other way round. Non-comp rounds are the social aspect for me.

I see comps as "real" golf. And medals are the "real, real" golf. That is why I play in them.

Stablefords are a fun novelty format where you get to not count some bad shots, but this should be done only one or two times during the year.
But if you want to arrange a roll-up, or the like, that is stableford - that is entirely up to you.
More than that and it becomes too much of a distraction from what a golf score is - your total number of strokes for 18 holes.
Many golfers seem to have become obsessed with stableford format and I feel this is not good for the game.

The most enjoyable type of game for me is scratch matchplay. I'm 95% certain that I have lost more of these one-to-one games than I have won. But it is such a great challenge.

Sorry, but Stablefords are taken just as seriously as Strokeplay, it’s fine for people to prefer one or the other but to describe Stableford as a “fun novelty format” is just daft.

Invented in 1898 and used from the mid 1920’s nearly a hundred years ago makes it more than a novelty, especially when the dictionary defines Novelty as “something new or unusual”, it’s absolutely neither.

 

[Orikoru]

Sorry, but Stablefords are taken just as seriously as Strokeplay, it’s fine for people to prefer one or the other but to describe Stableford as a “fun novelty format” is just daft.

Invented in 1898 and used from the mid 1920’s nearly a hundred years ago makes it more than a novelty, especially when the dictionary defines Novelty as “something new or unusual”, it’s absolutely neither.

Personally think Stableford is vastly superior in winter golf. You're going to have bad holes due to the conditions that you can do very little about. Not really fair to ruin your day putting an 11 down when you were trying to chip out of mud or a frozen bunker. Just blob and move on.

Voyager has been a good player most of his golfing life so it makes sense he wouldn't appreciate Stableford as much. For the vast majority having to putt out for pointlessly high scores on a bad day would just ruin the game and make you not want to come back.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Sorry, but Stablefords are taken just as seriously as Strokeplay, it’s fine for people to prefer one or the other but to describe Stableford as a “fun novelty format” is just daft.

Invented in 1898 and used from the mid 1920’s nearly a hundred years ago makes it more than a novelty, especially when the dictionary defines Novelty as “something new or unusual”, it’s absolutely neither.

Stabelford is a strokeplay format.

Back in the 1970s we had one Stableford comp in the diary. And we have always had lots of comps.
It was not appreciated by many. Higher handicappers did not like the 7/8 allowance - the "losing a shot" gripe.
Lower handicappers did not like the idea of poorer players being allowed to not count some of their bad shots.
In the 1980s the president took a bold step and made President's Day a Stableford. Very slowly, through the 1990s and 2000s Stableford format became more popular.
Over the last 2 to 3 years, my club has turned many comps back to medals.
I have seen this a good thing, overall. It has returned many players back to a correct view of what one's golf score is.

If the comp I play in is a stableford, then I take my game as seriously as a medal, because it is a handicap qualifying comp.
This does not change my view that it is a fun novelty format.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Golf snobbery at it's finest . Stableford is a great format, enjoyed by many. How dare people enjoy golf, what do they think the game is about?

 

[Voyager EMH]

Personally think Stableford is vastly superior in winter golf. You're going to have bad holes due to the conditions that you can do very little about. Not really fair to ruin your day putting an 11 down when you were trying to chip out of mud or a frozen bunker. Just blob and move on.

Voyager has been a good player most of his golfing life so it makes sense he wouldn't appreciate Stableford as much. For the vast majority having to putt out for pointlessly high scores on a bad day would just ruin the game and make you not want to come back.

I agree with the winter thing. But I play social golf only in the winter and that is mostly 4-ball matchplay.

But not wanting to come back, because you must count all your shots?
Either grow up or give up.
Face your weaknesses and deal with them. This will make you a better golfer. This is an essential part of golf to me.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Golf snobbery at it's finest . Stableford is a great format, enjoyed by many. How dare people enjoy golf, what do they think the game is about?

I have always viewed myself to be the very antithesis of a golfing snob.

 

[PaulMdj]

Stabelford is a strokeplay format.

Back in the 1970s we had one Stableford comp in the diary. And we have always had lots of comps.
It was not appreciated by many. Higher handicappers did not like the 7/8 allowance - the "losing a shot" gripe.
Lower handicappers did not like the idea of poorer players being allowed to not count some of their bad shots.
In the 1980s the president took a bold step and made President's Day a Stableford. Very slowly, through the 1990s, Stableford format became more popular.
Over the last 2 to 3 years, my club has turned many comps back to medals.
I have seen this a good thing, overall. It has returned many players back to a correct view of what one's golf score is.

If the comp I play in is a stableford, then I take my game as seriously as a medal, because it is a handicap qualifying comp.
This does not change my view that it is a fun novelty format.

I know it is a strokeplay format and it allows golfers of ALL abilities to continue to enjoy their round even after a bad hole.

If any Club is turning comps back to medals I’d expect the numbers entering such comps to start dwindling over time, tbh, it smells more to me of the better players stamping their feet, and exactly as LordT describes it.

At least playing more Strokeplay means more low handicappers can stomp off after starting badly.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Perhaps because handicap calculations are based on stableford scoring.

We only have a couple of stableford comps a year. I would prefer to see all our midweek medals scored that way as it is slightly quicker.

Our weekly weekday comps were all stablefords before WHS.
Recently we made them Medals, but with max-score-per-hole 5-over gross. Obviously, this did not alter nett 2-over for score differential calculation. But it did mean players were required to putt out or accept a 9 on a par-4 for the competition.

This year, on our weekday comps, players will have a choice of two separate comps to enter.
White tee medal or yellow tee stableford.

We always have a lowest gross prize in all our handicap comps, except the seniors comps.

We do make an effort to accommodate all types of golfer. This I find very agreeable.

 

[Voyager EMH]

I know it is a strokeplay format and it allows golfers of ALL abilities to continue to enjoy their round even after a bad hole.

If any Club is turning comps back to medals I’d expect the numbers entering such comps to start dwindling over time, tbh, it smells more to me of the better players stamping their feet, and exactly as LordT describes it.

At least playing more Strokeplay means more low handicappers can stomp off after starting badly.

We have found it makes no difference to the number of entries. Players are just as keen to play for the Jubilee Cup etc whether it is medal or stableford.
"Better players stamping their feet" is usually and rightly met with the response, "Put your name forward for the committee then."
Chairman of H&C is a chap with HI well over 20.

The type of nonsense antics you describe, I too have witnessed over the years.
This has everything to do with the person's character and far less to do with handicap and format of play.

 

[PaulMdj]

We have found it makes no difference to the number of entries. Players are just as keen to play for the Jubilee Cup etc whether it is medal or stableford.
"Better players stamping their feet" is usually and rightly met with the response, "Put your name forward for the committee then."
Chairman of H&C is a chap with HI well over 20.

The type of nonsense antics you describe, I too have witnessed over the years.
This has everything to do with the person's character and far less to do with handicap and format of play.

Re the bit in bold: Yet from the evidence on this forum the guys walking off are low handicappers.

So is your Jubilee Cup a midweek comp that was Stableford and changed to Medal and next year a Strokeplay off the Whites or Stableford off the Yellows? Because if you’ve changed to Medals and now back to either Medal or Stableford it seems Medal only wasn’t as popular as you make out.

 

[wjemather]

I know it is a strokeplay format and it allows golfers of ALL abilities to continue to enjoy their round even after a bad hole.

If any Club is turning comps back to medals I’d expect the numbers entering such comps to start dwindling over time, tbh, it smells more to me of the better players stamping their feet, and exactly as LordT describes it.

At least playing more Strokeplay means more low handicappers can stomp off after starting badly.

Based on our current entry numbers, if we switched some of our Stablefords to medals, we would almost certainly see entries decrease. The only exceptions would be any trophy/board comps.

Entries for our current medals (regular stroke play & maximum score) are 5-10% lower than for Stablefords - we get a few more lower handicappers for medals but significantly fewer higher handicappers.

 

[PaulMdj]

Based on our current entry numbers, if we switched some of our Stablefords to medals, we would almost certainly see entries decrease. The only exceptions would be any trophy/board comps.

Entries for our current medals (regular stroke play & maximum score) are 5-10% lower than for Stablefords - we get a few more lower handicappers for medals but significantly fewer higher handicappers.

Board Comps we see none if any difference tbh, Midweek Comps we alternate between Stab & Stroke, far less enter the Stroke comps.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Re the bit in bold: Yet from the evidence on this forum the guys walking off are low handicappers.

So is your Jubilee Cup a midweek comp that was Stableford and changed to Medal and next year a Strokeplay off the Whites or Stableford off the Yellows? Because if you’ve changed to Medals and now back to either Medal or Stableford it seems Medal only wasn’t as popular as you make out.

All board comps are at the weekend. I think it will be about 50/50 split between stableford and medal. I could trawl through the diary and give an exact count if you like.
Professional's Day is a stableford, but not a board comp.

(EDIT: It is 6 medal against 5 stablefords for weekend mens board comps. This has been a gradual process over 3 to 4 years of switching one or two a year back to medals with no adverse consequences)

Weekly weekday comps are for pro-shop credit prizes only.

With the evidence of only my own eyes over many decades at my club, the players not completing or finishing rather early in a comp is limited to a few repeat offenders. Calling it a day after 9 holes has been generally higher handicap and/or older players. Walking in after 3 holes or fewer - I have never seen this.
The 5th green is the furthest point from the clubhouse - might make a difference!

 

[Orikoru]

I agree with the winter thing. But I play social golf only in the winter and that is mostly 4-ball matchplay.

But not wanting to come back, because you must count all your shots?
Either grow up or give up.
Face your weaknesses and deal with them. This will make you a better golfer. This is an essential part of golf to me.

You've never been a high handicapper (by the sounds of it). You have no idea how demoralising it is to chop round and write down double figures on a hole. Golf can be a very cruel mistress in that situation.

And this is not to mention the slow play aspect.

 

[Crow]

In any case, that medal thing is a fun novelty format, real golf is matchplay.

 

[clubchamp98]

In any case, that medal thing is a fun novelty format, real golf is matchplay.

Even if your giving someone 54 shots.?

 

[Billysboots]

In any case, that medal thing is a fun novelty format, real golf is matchplay.

Oooohhhhh controversial.

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

I only play the monthly medals and a couple of knockouts now. The medals because it’s when the course is set the hardest and in best condition.

I haven’t really bothered with the stablefords for a long time. I played them as medals anyway. They are great for beginners and higher handicappers, but the point of stroke play golf to me is to see how many shots it takes to get the ball in the hole. I’m just not interested in net scores or stableford points.

I like match play because it is just me against another person.

The real competition is with yourself though. Have you got the mental fortitude to try your hardest on every shot. Especially when out playing on your own for nothing!!

 

[Voyager EMH]

You've never been a high handicapper (by the sounds of it). You have no idea how demoralising it is to chop round and write down double figures on a hole. Golf can be a very cruel mistress in that situation.

And this is not to mention the slow play aspect.

I remember quite surprisingly clearly the first time I broke 100.
It took me a further 4 years to break 90 in a junior comp.
And another three years to get to single figure handicap.

Here is a score from July 2023. It gave me a score differential of 16.8 in a comp with a playing handicap of 4.
No chance to pick up. Played every hole as best I could. Very demoralising, but very pleased with the 18th.
I always feel like coming back - no matter how badly it goes.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Oooohhhhh controversial.

Original form of golf (I read a very good book a while ago about Old Tom Morris and matchplay was everything)