• 01-18-2010
    edgey
    Which is the purist form of golf, Matchplay or Medal?
    Hi

    If my memory serves me correctly i am sure that Golf in its original form was always played in a matchplay format. In this way the state of the course (which was little more than a goat track) was irrelevant. You were of course playing the man and since course conditions were the same for both it was a true test. I am certain that strokeplay (Medal) format was introduced by the Yanks at some point in the not too distant past.

    I find medal play golf a long boring slog much prefering the cut and thrust of "mano a mano" matchplay. For me Matchplay is the purist form of Golf and something i play 2 or 3 times per week in the summer. In all fairness matchplay remains the main type of golf played in the UK both in club comps and casual play. I only play strokeplay in the Monthly Medal.

    So what is your favourite format, and why?

    Obviously i have made it a poll

    Edgey
  • 01-18-2010
    Mizuno>Ping
    Strokeplay. Isn't the point of golf to get the ball in the hole with the least number of strokes ?

    However, I love matchplay more than stroke play, as it gives a greater opportunity for comebacks to happen, and I also find it less stressful.

    Stroke play is great if you want to compete with consistency.

    As long as I'm on the golf course, I'm happy.
  • 01-18-2010
    Mizuno>Ping
    Edgey, have you tried the latest PING hybrids ? They're just so easy to hit, not to mention long.
  • 01-18-2010
    Kiwi Player
    Matchplay is great, no doubt about it, but in some ways it is also a cop out. If you screw up a hole you can just concede the hole and move on to the next. In strokeplay you have to FINISH UP AND GET THE BALL IN THE HOLE regardless of how badly you have butchered the hole.

    I enjoy both but if I ask whether I get more satisfaction winning a match versus another golfer or shooting a low score versus the course I would probably feel more satisfied beating the course.

    I have won matches where we both played like shite and there wasn't much satisfaction in winning a match when you have played lousy golf and shot a high score.
  • 01-18-2010
    edgey
    [QUOTE=Mizuno>Ping]Edgey, have you tried the latest PING hybrids ? They're just so easy to hit, not to mention long.[/QUOTE]

    Dont be silly, hybrids are for slack jawed f@ggots. Not like me :rolleyes:

    Edgey
  • 01-18-2010
    noshuz
    It sure seems like I have a much better chance at a victory with FD if we play match play doesn't it?
  • 01-18-2010
    Not a hacker
    Althugh I also enjoy strokeplay in the medal format where every shot counts, and can appreciate Kiwi's point, I still think matchplay is the ultimate form of the game. One of the beauties of matchplay is that you can have a bad hole and not let it ruin your whole day. Nothing's worse than playing stroke play off a lowcap and getting some stinker bounces early on crap courses and having the rest of the day to stew on the condition of the course as you kiss your chances goodbye. In matchplay, you just shrug it off and try to get it back on the next hole. The only thing that goes slightly against matchplay IMO is that if you are in a mismatch you may not get to play the full 18 holes. Winning (or getting smacked) 6&5 and walking off after 13 holes (I've been there) takes a bit away from the round, especially on a good course you haven't played before.
  • 01-18-2010
    oldplayer
    Kiwi's arguement is well made and holds true. I would concur that matchplay is the purist form in terms of competition against an opponent. Stokeplay is the truer test of your perfomance over the 18 holes. I like both, they are quite different in stategy of course and that is what makes the comparison interesting.
    What I don't like is all the lamearse stableford and par we are forced to play in club comps.

    Even with an early win/loss NAH we normally would play our matches out back to the clubhouse. Unless you were playing 6 or 7 and it was all over.
  • 01-18-2010
    lorenzoinoc
    Matchplay is fun, but it's kind of like having 17 do-overs. Which is extremely woman-like and epitimizes the the concept of Mulligans, which I despise.

    Strokeplay is the only men's format.
  • 01-18-2010
    noshuz
    I had to vote for "other" mainly because like I said before, I haven't played any matchplay. But I've played Strokeplay and it's all fun but my vote goes to Foreplay. I'm actually surprised that no one voted for it as it's by far the best play and the only other "play" I can think of other than "gunplay" which I have no interest in.....
  • 01-18-2010
    Kiwi Player
    [QUOTE=oldplayer]Kiwi's arguement is well made and holds true. I would concur that matchplay is the purist form in terms of competition against an opponent. Stokeplay is the truer test of your perfomance over the 18 holes. I like both, they are quite different in stategy of course and that is what makes the comparison interesting.
    [B]What I don't like is all the lamearse stableford and par we are forced to play in club comps[/B].

    Even with an early win/loss NAH we normally would play our matches out back to the clubhouse. Unless you were playing 6 or 7 and it was all over.[/QUOTE]

    I would estimate 70% or more of the club comps I play in are stableford and the main reason is speed of play. In true strokeplay/net competitions you have to count EVERY shot whereas in stableford you can just pick up once you are so many shots over or have lost a ball etc. In club play where you have a lot of wild hackers this can make a huge difference in speed of play. The fields in net competitions almost always end up backed up and slow due to hackers searching for balls, having to go back and hit another, skulling shots out of one bunker into another etc.
  • 01-18-2010
    No_Idea
    Bogey play [IMG]http://forums.golfreview.com/images/smilies/idea.gif[/IMG]
  • 01-18-2010
    famousdavis
    [QUOTE=noshuz]It sure seems like I have a much better chance at a victory with FD if we play match play doesn't it?[/QUOTE]

    Of course. If you really do average 85 on a par 72 course you're more likely to have a couple of blow up holes that result in a double or triple. That's 5 strokes right there. In matchplay it's just 2 holes down. Either way you have no chance.
  • 01-18-2010
    Not a hacker
    [QUOTE=oldplayer]Kiwi's arguement is well made and holds true. I would concur that matchplay is the purist form in terms of competition against an opponent. Stokeplay is the truer test of your perfomance over the 18 holes. I like both, they are quite different in stategy of course and that is what makes the comparison interesting.
    What I don't like is all the lamearse stableford and par we are forced to play in club comps.

    Even with an early win/loss NAH we normally would play our matches out back to the clubhouse. Unless you were playing 6 or 7 and it was all over.[/QUOTE]
    In our Pennants, there are cold beers awaiting so nobody bothers finishing the full 18.

    Agree with your and Kiwi's comments re: stableford. That is a foprm of play that was no doubt invented by a hacker. It's also a great vehicle for burgulars/sandbaggers when it is played in a better ball format (wihtout a word of a lie, the cheats at our course once had 52 points in the better ball, but the best single score between them was 37). If we played single stroke every week, there would be alot of whinging from the hackers, but it would certainly prevent the cheats from winning every week. If I was on the match committee, I would play single competitions 3 out of 4 weeks.
  • 01-19-2010
    Horseballs
    I like matchplay, even though it inherently favors choppers when playing a handicapped match. 2 years ago I lost to a guy I had to give 25 strokes. I shot under my cap and really couldn't have played much better. The other guy shot some horrible number over his cap yet beat me 2 and 1.
    In my regular group, we always play stroke play with skins. We also post all our scores which is tough to do when you're conceding holes in matchplay. Putt it out b!tches!