Types Of Golf Play

The two basic forms of playing golf are Match play and Stroke play, and at club level, Stableford is the most popular way of scoring. Rather than counting the total number of strokes taken, as in stroke play, in Stableford it involves scoring points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole. Unlike traditional scoring methods, where the aim is to have the lowest score, under Stableford rules, the objective is to have the highest score.

The Stableford system was developed by Dr. Frank Barney Gorton Stableford (1870–1959), to deter golfers from giving up on their round after just one or two bad holes and was first used at the Glamorganshire Golf Club, Penarth, Wales, in 1898.

Scoring Stableford
The number of points awarded on each hole is determined based on comparison of the number of strokes taken to a fixed score, usually par. This fixed score is then adjusted in relation to the player’s handicap. Once players have taken two strokes more than the adjusted fixed score, they may abandon the hole and move on to the next. Because of this, it is still possible to be competitive even allowing for a few bad holes. At the end of the round, the number of points scored on each hole is totalled to give a final score. The winner of a Stableford competition is the player with the highest point total.

The fixed or par score would be adjusted as per the stroke indexes (SI) of the holes, starting with the hardest hole as the lowest stroke index 1, through to the easiest, stroke index 18. For example, a 36 handicap would increase the score by 2 on all holes and a 45 handicap would increase their score by 3 on the 9 hardest holes (rated 1 to 9) and by 2 on the 9 easier holes (rated 10 to 18). If a hole is a Par 5 and rated 1, the hardest, then the 45 Handicapper would have a Par of 8 and a 36 Handicapper would have a Par of 7 on that hole. The number of points awarded per hole is as follows:

Strokes taken in relation to their adjusted fixed score ( their Par)

2 strokes over, no score recorded (Double Bogey or Wipe)  0 points

1 stroke over their par (Bogey)                                                          1 point

equal their par or fixed score (Par)                                                    2 points                      

1 stroke under their par or fixed score (Birdie)                                 3 points

2 strokes under their par or fixed score (Eagle)                                 4 points

3 strokes under their par or fixed score (Albatross)                           5 points

4 strokes under their par or fixed score (Condor)                              6 points

This points scale encourages aggressive play, since the reward for scoring under par is higher than the penalty for scoring over par. Once a player has made his shot and is one stroke over par, he may concede, pick up the ball, take a double bogey, and proceed to the next hole without penalty to speed up the pace of play.  

 

Stroke play:
Stroke play is the most common form of competition at most professional tournaments. In stroke play, every player (or team) competes all 18 holes and counts the total number of strokes and the party with the lower total nett score (gross score minus handicap) wins.

Match play:
In match play, two players (or two teams) play every hole as a separate contest against each other. The party with the lower score wins that hole, regardless of how many shots he won the hole by. If the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is “halved” (drawn). The game is won by that party that wins more holes than the other. Matchplay is a very popular form of competition at club level.

Apart from these three basic types of play, many other golf tournament formats exist, some of which are regarded “official” forms of play, such as the popular forms of team play known as Ambrose, Foursome and Four ball games.

Foursome:
A foursome (defined in Rule 22 of the “Rules of Golf”) is played between two players in partnership, playing one ball which they hit alternately. One player tees off on the odd numbered holes, the other on the even holes, regardless of who played the last putt on the first hole. The other shots are played in turns until the hole is finished. Penalty shots do not affect the order of play.

Four ball:
The same as foursomes but each player plays with his own ball and the better score of the team counts. Four-balls can be played as match play or stroke play. (Defined by rules 23). 

Par Competitions:
The scoring for par competition is made as in match play (Rule 21.3). Any hole for which a player makes no return is regarded as a loss. The winner is the player who is most successful in the aggregate of holes.

Ambrose:
In Ambrose, handicaps are used in the game, as in strokeplay. The net score is the total gross score minus the adjusted handicap. The adjusted or team handicap is calculated by dividing the total of all handicaps of a team by two times the number of players in a team, so 1/8 of the aggregate for a 4-person team.

Watch out for Twilight Games, played over the Summer and Autumn months. These nights are great fun and usually start around 4:30pm – 5pm, played on 9 holes and  followed by a delicious dinner at the clubhouse.

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