It finally happened: a full card without a zero. A point every hole. Sometimes more. If the achievement in Stableford has a name, I don’t know if it. And for me it came with asterisks. Asterisk number one: The course is short, thrillingly so at 4300 yards from the whites. The slope is nearly flat.…
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Sunday Pins (The Old Course)
If, as, and when you play the Old Course at St. Andrews, I highly recommend you arrange your schedule so you can visit the course Sunday, because that’s the day you can freely walk the course and there’s no play. It’s a chance to capture some unique views, including spots you’d never see as a…
The Case for Stableford, Part 17
The dirty point. It might be the most satisfying expression of how deeply Stableford can transform that most boring phase of the game: putting. The dirty point isn’t the only improvement for putting. There’s also the clarity of match-putting–where a savvy lag does you no good and you have to play for contact. But the…
The Case for Stableford, Part 16
“And then you pick up?” This is typically how it’s characterized and of course it’s technically true. When you play Stableford and you can’t score, you don’t hit the ball anymore. That would be a waste of effort. And if you don’t want to waste golf balls too, you pick it up. And technically it’s…
The Case for Stableford, Part 15
Q. So if you’re “collecting” points, what’s a good score? This is a common question. What’s a good score for the Detroit Lions? Lions fans might say any score that wins the game. The same is true for Stableford, but that of course requires a human opponent. We don’t always have one of those. Q.…
The Case for Stableford, Part 14
Imagine a golf club where everyone plays with care and zeal but the rounds take less than four hours, often way less. That would be the reality at a club that barred medal play on a typical day—reserving it only for tournament formats—and instead only allowed Stableford play for members. I have yet to hear…
The Case for Stableford, Part 13
Playing for points. Playing for cash. Playing for fun. Playing for detachment. There’s a sea of reasons why people play the game of golf. Understand that Stableford is two things at once: it is an accounting standard—a way of scoring. But it is also a mindset. Like Robert Towne said about “Chinatown”—it’s not just a…
The Case for Stableford, part 12
Addressing three typical questions on the format, from those first introduced: Yes, you can play Stableford alone—unlike match play. Yes, you can play Stableford without a handicap—though you likely won’t score as well as if you did. Yes, you can maintain an index with Stableford rounds. An improving game will show up in your numbers…
The Case for Stableford, part 11
A common objection I hear about Stableford is that it isn’t “real golf.” Maybe my skeptic means it’s unsanctioned. That’s not the case. It’s codified right there in the rules maintained by the R&A and USGA. Maybe they mean it’s different from stroke golf, and they’re right. So different I argue it’s a truly different…
The Case for Stableford, part 10
Maybe Stableford is unpopular because of the name. Names matter to my way of thinking. Perhaps it sounds too British, and it most certainly is that. But then again so is golf. Perhaps it sounds remote and complex. Or perhaps it doesn’t sound as thrilling as “medal.” Look up a list of golf formats and…