Blog: Bad golf habits from playing too much Stableford?

I’m very lucky as I get to play lots of golf through work, often at media days, product launches, course open days, pro-ams etc…

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We’ve also got a great team of golfers here at NCG and like to get out and play socially as often as possible.

The format is usually Stableford, fourball betterball, match play or some other form of fun social golf.

And it is exactly that – good fun, no pressure to score well on every hole and the odd blob isn’t a disaster.

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However, I fear that too much of this type of golf is not doing me or my golf development many favours.

A golfer with a 17 handicap like myself should be attempting to plot their way around the golf course, use their shots, not get too greedy and often play within themselves.

When playing Stableford, particularly in a fourball betterball scenario, it is often not in the spirit of the game to play conservatively or sensibly.

Having this attitude can be very dangerous and lead to painful consequences when actually trying to put a decent strokeplay score together.

Another bonus of being a golfing journalist is I don’t seem to struggle to replenish my supply of balls. It’s never long before a sleeve of balls comes my way in a goodie bag at a press event.

Again, this is not good for me personally as the loss of a ball on the golf course doesn’t hit me in the wallet like it may do for most club golfers.

Also, when playing fourball betterball the pressure can be taken off you by your partner finding the fairway or green which can result in reckless play. Passing the responsibility on to someone else is another danger of this format.

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An attitude where a blob on the scorecard and a lost ball is not a big deal is the completely wrong mind set.

To illustrate, I played recently at Crookhill Park in South Yorkshire with my dad who is a member.
If deep down you know there’s a chance you could lose a ball – put the driver away” I’ve not played there for a while but am familiar with the course. It’s not particularly long but there are plenty of trees and other hazards which can cause problems.

It was particularly windy day so conditions were tough.

Now if I was playing in a strokeplay competition, would I be attempting to drive a green at 320 yards away down wind? Trees on the right and I’m prone to a big block or slice?

Would I be attempting to hit the drive of my career into wind and get on the green in two on the toughest hole on the course – a long par 4 with danger in every direction?

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After losing two balls in each of the above scenarios I think I know the answers.

I never play in stokeplay events because I struggle to find the time to play in competitions at my home club. I know I need to make the effort.

My dad plays in strokeplay events all the time and even when playing in Stableford competitions or social matches, he says he always adopts the strokeplay mindset.

If I’m not able to play in strokeplay events, it’s definitely time I started to think and act as if I was.

When starting a round I should look at my ball and think “don’t lose this, keep it right throughout the round”.

And that means I can’t always take the gung-ho approach. I must recognise when to play conservatively. If it’s a tough par-4, I should make use of my shot and make sure I keep the ball in play. Getting on the green in three gives me a putt for a par and at worse I’ll make a six.

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If I were to play 18 holes with the same ball, I believe it would eradicate the blob from the scorecard. I think it would be quite hard to score more than a six on a par-4 or a five on a par-3 if I haven’t lost my ball.

Also, adopting the strokeplay mindset will inevitably lead to better Stableford scores and more success in matchplay and fourball formats.

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I often play with single-figure players where bravado plays a part. Your worth as a golfer is often assessed in the context of how far you can hit it.

Fine, if there’s little danger in trying to unleash a big drive then give it a go. If deep down you know there’s a chance you could lose a ball – put the driver away, find the fairway and at least stay in the hole until you’ve got a putter in your hand.

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It’s just a shame I didn’t have this conversation with myself 15 years ago…