As a high-handicap golfer, I find the relentless stream of medal comp after medal comp a little bit frustrating - despite having enough shots to contend if I play my very best stuff.
Many amateur golfers believe that the World Handicap System rewards high-handicappers, and in turn makes it more challenging for 'better' players to win club competitions. I don't necessarily buy into that narrative, as I would swap places with a single-figure golfer in a heartbeat, even if it meant I had 'less chance' of winning at the weekend.
Competitions can be daunting for high-handicap golfers, but over the past couple of years I have found solitude in one particular aspect of the game, team golf, and I strongly believe we should have more of it...
Why We Need More Team Golf In Club Competitions
If I am not thinking about my pace of play or other people's perceptions of my game when I am on the golf course, I am thinking about not shanking it into the weeds and crashing out of the competition.
Playing golf as a high-handicap golfer is not the cake walk that many 'better golfers' make it out to be, and despite entering a competition most weekends over the past two seasons, I am yet to win a single event.
I often feel like, even if I were to win, it would cause such a scene that it almost puts me off. I agree with the policy of some clubs about having a gross prize in each club competition, as that truly rewards the best golfers on the day, but I also shouldn't have to feel like I don't want to win.
I don't turn up expecting to challenge, as I am very much still in the early stages of my progress as a golfer, but I do at least want to enjoy myself. Individual strokeplay can be a lonely stage to perform on, but team golf provides a platform to build confidence and relationships at a golf club irrespective of ability or experience level.
It might be because the reduction in pressure and accountability allows me to relax a little more, and in turn play better golf, but more likely it's because in a team-format it's not all about me anymore. My background before playing golf was always in team-based sports, so perhaps that element of camaraderie also brings a sense of familiarity.
In some instances, I can lean on my playing partner(s) to produce the goods, but I know that I am more than capable of hitting quality golf shots at times that deliver the addictive feeling of contribution.
It's not just having a teammate that brings out the best in me, as the change in format also suits my (and many other improving golfer's) current ability level. Playing medals every week, where every shot counts, imposes a necessity to make very few mistakes... and that's currently not a realistic expectation.
When those inevitable errors come at the start of a round it can quickly derail my concentration and capacity to remain positive, which ultimately limits my enjoyment of the sport.
The team-based competitions I have experienced so far tend to be match-play, or at the very least a Stableford better ball, meaning one or two bad shots or holes doesn't have such a significant impact on the overall outcome.
The chance to stride up the fairway, discuss your next shot with your partner and build each other up is something that adds to the game, in my opinion, and completely beats the feeling of sullenly skulking around alone with my own thoughts about how difficult this game is to master.
At my home club, Sand Moor GC in Leeds, I've entered the Dunlop Salver annually with my Father-In-Law, Richard. The format for this competition is foursomes match-play, and despite exiting at the second round stage this year, I strongly believe I got more out of those matches than any other competition I have entered.
The draw for the Dunlop Salver is posted a few weeks prior to the first round, and in each match we have played over the past couple of years we have been drawn against another pair of members who we hadn't met previously.
The opportunity to spend a few hours with new people, some of which have been at the club for a lot longer than Richard and I, truly enriches our overall club experience and allows new relationships to be forged. Despite being connected by a joint-interest in the sport we all love, organic opportunities to meet other players aren't easy to come by, and this type of event bucks that trend.
The club also put on a great mix of team-style formats throughout the winter, with the 'Yellow Ball' becoming one of my new favourites after experiencing it for the first time earlier this year. This Stableford better ball competition, played in threes or fours, allows all players in the group, regardless of their ability, to contribute to a team total and have a good laugh doing it.
One player on each hole plays with the 'Yellow Ball' which in turn doubles your Stableford points for that hole. That responsibility switches between each player on your team in a cyclical fashion throughout the round, providing the jeopardy we crave but within the relatively safety of a team unit.
I personally would like to see more variety on club competition schedules. I appreciate the need for traditional formats of the game to be preserved and respected, but even a slight increase in alternate team-formats could engage many more golfers who, like me, don't feel particularly enamoured with medal-mania.
