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Why medals are not a good idea for club competitions!
- Thread starter delc
- Start date
richart
Major Champion
I don't understand why you hit the ball 13 times on one hole in a stableford, and 11 on another. Surely you should be picking up once you can not score ?
We were able to catch the group ahead within two holes simply because every group ahead of them were also playing medal play! It's one of the slowest forms of golf because every lost ball is searched for, and even cricket score holes are completed!I'm now officially confused by this thread (not surprisingly).
What you appear to be saying is that medals are no good for club golf because your FC lost a bit of time on the 2nd hole but you caught the group in front by the 4th?
Which begs the question, what exactly is wrong with medals in club golf
JustOne
Ryder Cup Winner
I don't understand why you hit the ball 13 times on one hole in a stableford, and 11 on another. Surely you should be picking up once you can not score ?
Agreed. Not knowing the rules of golf (stableford in this case) is what slows up play.
Not knowing that you can NR one hole and not the entire round would also help in a lot of cases....and make more scores count in the clubhouse.
chrisd
Major Champion
We were able to catch the group ahead within two holes simply because every group ahead of them were also playing medal play! It's one of the slowest forms of golf because every lost ball is searched for, and even cricket score holes are completed!
The question I asked but wasn't answered was, would you make every comp Stableford ?
So, your club honours board is then littered with 25 handicappers who shot a 12 and a 15 on two holes but parred a couple of holes where they get 2 shots, and walk away with a trophy that in strokeplay they wouldn't get near winning, to the detriment of the low single figure guy who's played out of his skin
palindromicbob
Tour Winner
What if clubs expanded the entry costs and the prize table.
Run a comp where standard entry is medal. Additional entry cost allows you into stableford pot. The reason for this being additional rather than choosing one or the other is to keep the medal and full stroke return as primary goal. Anyone entering both has a chance to win both but an NR puts you out of the stroke comp but you can still play to win the stableford prize keep a target for the rest of the round and keep up pace of play if one really bad hole gets in the way. Might also help to ensure less NR'd cards.
Run a comp where standard entry is medal. Additional entry cost allows you into stableford pot. The reason for this being additional rather than choosing one or the other is to keep the medal and full stroke return as primary goal. Anyone entering both has a chance to win both but an NR puts you out of the stroke comp but you can still play to win the stableford prize keep a target for the rest of the round and keep up pace of play if one really bad hole gets in the way. Might also help to ensure less NR'd cards.
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HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
It's not the format that's slow, its the players. Honestly Del, all you seem to want to do is water down golf, taking away the difficult elements or bits that don't suit you so you and your chums can whizz round and under handicap without ever having to do anything remotely difficult or skilful. I wonder why you bother, I really do.We were able to catch the group ahead within two holes simply because every group ahead of them were also playing medal play! It's one of the slowest forms of golf because every lost ball is searched for, and even cricket score holes are completed!
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
The problem with that is that delc is not alone in his desire to play stableford rather than medal and would complain about having to pay extra for the stableford pot.
Typically medal competition rounds at our club take at least 4 1/2 hours, sometimes 5 hours, whereas Stablefords take less than 4 hours. The difference is probably due to players going back to play another ball if the original is lost, and players running up cricket scores on a hole, when in Stablefords they can just pick up, once they can't score.
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
But if everone's playing at more or less the same place then its no big deal is it?
Medal is always going to take longer as its "ball in the hole" every time but the option to pick up (NR) is there on any hole at any time. OK, you're out of the comp but you're still playing for your handicap. If you've hit a 13 on one hole then you're out of the comp as well so play for the handicap....
Can't see the problem.
And the fact you caught up the gap within a couple of holes shows that a big number does not really impact on pace that much.
Medal is always going to take longer as its "ball in the hole" every time but the option to pick up (NR) is there on any hole at any time. OK, you're out of the comp but you're still playing for your handicap. If you've hit a 13 on one hole then you're out of the comp as well so play for the handicap....
Can't see the problem.
And the fact you caught up the gap within a couple of holes shows that a big number does not really impact on pace that much.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Just for balance, if a low single figure guy plays out of his skin he'll more than likely win any comp
A low single figure guy going round in +3 or +4 gross in a stableford comp is not playing out of his skin, he's nobbing it round to handicap and if he cant up his game for the comp he doesn't deserve the win
Yes yes we all know Mr Cat1 is still the better golfer blah blah and should pick up 98% of comp wins... sometimes though he's just not good enough for the format of comp he entered
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
If it's taking over an hour longer to play a medal than a stableford, your members need to take a damn good look at themselves.If you play provisionals, you shouldn't have to go back to the tee, I can count on one hand the number of times someone in my group has had to go back, if its happening a lot your members need educating.Also, if people are racking up cricket scores then they may as well pick up as they aren't going to win. This also comes down to education as many people don't realise you can still play for handicap if you pick up.As I said, its not the format, its the players. At RAGC, apart from the club champs, comps of any format took about 4 hours.
1) Our Course Manager (Head Green Keeper) does not believe in watering the greens beyond just enough to keep them alive. He believes that you get a better root structure if the grass has go deep to search for water. Also wet greens are more prone to diseases.
2) My FC normally has a pretty good short game. A week before when the greens were softer, his 3rd, 4th and 7th shots would have probably stopped close to the hole instead of running into trouble.
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
If your PP has a good short game, he would have adjusted for the greens. But then why look within when you can blame the course?
Tiger man
Challenge Tour Pro
Enjoyed reading the thread, you can always rely on Delc to wip up a frenzy on here
The course had speeded up a lot in the course of a week. I sort of managed to cope because I played the day before, but maybe my FC hadn't. I am not blaming the course, which is in lovely condition, but it is what it is.
Region3
Ryder Cup Winner
Maybe medal competitions should be limited only to those who are equipped to play them? 
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
God bless you when the greens are actually baked rather than just dry as they are now.
That line above about the 3rd 4th and 7th is gold.
I notice at our club that there is a reluctance amongst higher handicappers (20+) to enter the medals we do run, so maybe there is some self selection to the benefit of the low handicappers? Stablefords are much more popular.Maybe medal competitions should be limited only to those who are equipped to play them?
Region3
Ryder Cup Winner
I like stablefords too. I had 41pts in one last year and finished 10th. Shot the same score in a medal next comp and finished 3rd.
