Formats and Rules

As the weather starts to Improve, the nights begin to get lighter for longer and this year’s green jacket has been won.  It can only mean one thing; golf season is once again upon us.

Time to dust off the clubs, get those emergency lessons booked and look ahead to the first competitions of the year.  With this in mind, now seem like the ideal time to have a quick refresh of the rules and the different formats we play here at Marston Lakes.  

Golf can seem a little confusing, mainly because we don't always compete in the same way each week.  While the goal is always to get the ball in the hole, how you count the score changes completely depending on the format.

Stroke Play - 

This is the most common format and the one players would be most familiar with watching the PGA or DP World Tours on TV.  For this format, every shot counts.  If you hit the ball 80 times from the first tee to the final putt on the 18th, hour gross score will be 80.  You then deduct your handicap and this gives your net score.  The player who completes the round in the lowest number of shots is the winner.  Generally, there will be a gross winner and a net winner for each stroke play competition.

This is a high-pressure format, where one bad hole where you find the water a couple of time or get stuck in a bunker, could completely derail your entire round.

Stableford - 

 This is always an extremely popular format, where the focus shifts away from the total number of shots and onto a points systems based on your performance on each hole.  With this format the player earns points based on how many shots they take relative to the par of each hole.  The players with the highest points total at the end of the round is the winner.  The points look like this -

2 shots under par (eagle)            4 points.

1 shot under par (birdie)              3 points.

Even par                                              2 points.

1 shot over par (bogey)                 1 point.

2 or more over par                          0 points. 

Players get shots on the holes which correspond with their handicap. For example, an 18-handicap player will receive 1 shot per hole for a full 18-hole competition. This means they can take one shot off their gross score on each hole. For example, if they a par 4 in 5 shots, they take one shot off meaning their net score is a 4 (par) therefore they get 2 points for that hole.  Player with a handicap higher than 18 will get 2 shots on the more difficult holes. For example, a 20-handicap golf gets one shot on every hole and an additional shot on the 2 most difficult holes these holes have a stroke index of 1 & 2 on the scorecard.

Most players generally prefer the Stableford format, a bad hole, or even bad couple of holes doesn't necessarily ruin your entire round.  There is a little more margin for error.

 Bogey - 

A bogey competition is pretty similar to a Stableford.  The main difference is instead of scoring points; players earn a +1 for every hole they score a birdie or better on. A zero if they par a hole or -1 for a bogey or worse. The winner is the player with the most positive (+1) holes.  Although this format is similar to a Stableford competition, there is much less margin for error and finishing in positive figures is difficult.

Match play -

In this format, instead of playing against the par of the course and counting total number of shots, you are competing directly against an opponent to see who can win individual holes.  On each hole, whoever gets the ball in the hole in the fewest shots wins that hole. For example, if you have a 4 and your opponent gets a 5, you go "1 up."  If you both get the same score, the hole is "halved" and the score doesn't change.  The game ends as soon as one player is up by more holes than there are left to play.  The biggest winning margin you can have in a match play game is 10&8.  This means one player has had a better score on all 10 holes then their opponent and there is only 8 holes left to play.

With regards to handicaps, the player with the lower handicap "gives" the shots and the number of shots received is the difference between the two handicaps.  So, if for example player one has a 10 handicap and player 2 has a 20 handicap, player 2 will receive 10 shots across the match.  Then similar to Stableford, these shots are taken off the holes 1-10 on the courses stroke index.

Match play can be highly strategic and psychological.  You are playing to person, not the course.  Do you want to play aggressive and attack the pin or do you play conservative and hit the safe shot, possible allowing your opponent to attack?  Also remember to use your shot holes wisely.

Texas Scramble - 

This format is generally used for annual club days such as Committee Day and Captains Day each year.  This format is incredible beginner friendly and allows for players from all sections to play together as a team.  Teams playing this format often post extremely low, birdie filled scores.  A team usually consists of 4 players and every player will hit a tee shot on each hole.  The team then decides which is the best to take and then everyone in the teams plays from this spot.  This is then repeated until the ball finishes in the hole.  The team with the lowest score wins.

One element to bear in mind however is most Texas Scramble competitions will require each play to use 4 drives each.  So, picking wisely is key. Sometimes the best drive isn't always the one which is chosen.  Generally, handicaps of the 4 players in each team are added together and 10% is used as the playing handicap for the team.  This is deducted at the end of the round, like in stroke play.

Texas Scrambles are fun and relaxed, and usually means players get to play with a mix of members, from all the sections of the golf club, which is a great way to create connections throughout the club.

 Another area to revisit ready for the start of the season is what do the different colour markers mean out on the course and how they can affect you round.

Red stakes (lateral hazards) -

Red markers usually run alongside the hole, like a lake running down the left side of a fairway or a ditch.  If your ball crosses into a red hazard you have 3 options. 

1 - play as it lies: If you can find your ball and decide to hit it, you are allowed to play it with no penalty. Just remember not to ground your club beforehand.

2 - go backwards: go back to where you hit your previous shot and hit it again, adding a one stroke penalty to your score.

3 - lateral relief: this is generally the most common option.  Find the exact spot the ball crossed the hazard line and drop a ball within 2 club lengths, no closer to the hole, and add a 1 stroke penalty. 

Yellow stakes (frontal hazards) - 

Yellow markers usually cross directly inform of you on a hole, like a lake in front of a green, which a player must go over.  If your ball enters a yellow hazard, you only have 2 options.

1 - same as red hazards: if you find your ball and want to try and play it, you can do so with no penalty. 

2 - back on the line relief: find the exact spot where the ball crossed the hazard line.  Imagine a straight line, connecting the flag and the point of entry.  You can walk back along that line as far back as you want and drop the ball to hit your next shot, adding a 1 shot penalty to your score.

The big difference between red and yellow hazards is you cannot take 2 club length relief from a yellow hazard.  Only red hazards gives a player the option of "lateral relief."

White stakes (out of bounds) - 

White stakes signify danger on a golf course.  These mean out of bounds, generally placed round the edge of the course or in arrears deemed too dangerous for a player to play from.  Unlike red or yellow hazards, you cannot play a ball which is past white stakes, it is completely dead.  If your ball goes past these white stakes and goes out of bounds, a player must go back to the same spot where the initial shot was played, take a penalty shot and hit another from there.  So basically, if you hit your tee shot out of bounds, you are then playing your third shot from the same spot.

At Marston Lakes Golf Club, not only do we have white stakes around the perimeter of the course, but we also have internal out of bounds all along the left-hand side of the 5th/14th.  Meaning if your ball goes past these and onto the 9th, this is classed as being out of bounds and the penalty described above must be applied.  It is not out of bounds coming back down the 9th/18th.  This is due to safety concerns as players on the 5^th/14^th can’t see who is coming down the 9^th/18^th.