Stableford is a golf format of possessions. Football is a game of possessions. A team can expect a certain number of opportunities to possess the ball and execute a given strategy. They might wish to use a possession to score quickly. Or use a possession to score while consuming clock. When a team fails to move the ball in four downs, the possession ends.
That’s what Stableford is like to play. While the physics of the swing and the ball are the same as any other golf format, Stableford’s rules transform the mental game. You view a round as a set of possessions and the goal is to collect points in each one.
Medal golf is about minimizing a score. And the score, by strict rules of golf, is unlimited. Stableford is about maximizing score. Try Stableford with a pal and enjoy the football-like scores: 18-6, 20-14, 12-30. The accumulation of points means big changes to the mental game. Downside risk never thunders out of scale. Upside risk is more likely, for mid-handicappers, more immediate and tangible.
Even if you love stroke golf, Stableford is a way to a fresh game, played with the same equipment, in the same arena, with the same skill set.