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The Sandbaggers League

Individual format

Medal (Stroke Play)

Medal play — stroke play — is the simplest format in golf: count every shot for nine holes, and the lowest total wins. Every other format on this list is a variation invented to make medal play less brutal.

How it plays

  1. 1Everyone plays their own ball from the first tee to the ninth green.
  2. 2Every stroke counts, including penalties. There are no concessions and no gimmes — hole out every putt.
  3. 3Add the nine hole scores together for a gross total.
  4. 4For net medal, subtract the strokes your handicap gives you (see scoring below) to get a net total.
  5. 5Lowest total wins. Ties are broken on the back nine, then the last hole, then a chip-off.

Scoring and handicaps

  • Gross score = every shot you took, no adjustments.
  • Net score = gross minus your course handicap for the holes played. Over nine holes that is roughly half your 18-hole handicap.
  • Strokes are allocated by stroke index: a 6 handicap over nine holes takes a shot on the six hardest-rated holes, not the first six.
  • The Sandbaggers League pays medal weeks 10 / 6 / 3 / 1 league points by finishing position.

Over nine holes

Nine-hole medal is the honest test — there is nowhere to hide and no format quirk to blame. It is also the least forgiving, which is exactly why it opens the season and decides two of the four majors.

How to actually win it

  • Play to the fat of the green. One blow-up hole costs more in medal than in any other format on this page.
  • Agree on the maximum score before you tee off. Net double bogey is the standard cap and it keeps the round moving.
  • If the group's handicaps are more than eight or ten shots apart, play Quota or Stableford instead — medal punishes the higher handicap twice.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between medal play and match play?

Medal play counts your total strokes for the whole round and the lowest total wins. Match play scores hole by hole — you win, lose or halve each hole, and the total strokes never matter. A blow-up hole costs you the whole round in medal and only one hole in match play.

How do handicaps work in a 9-hole stroke play round?

Take roughly half your 18-hole course handicap and apply those strokes to the hardest-rated holes on the nine you are playing, using the stroke index printed on the scorecard. A 12 handicap playing nine holes gets six shots, one each on stroke index 1 through 6.

Is medal play good for a group of five?

Yes — it is the only format on this page that needs no partners, no rotation and no maths. Everyone plays their own ball and the card sorts itself out, which is why it is the default when someone new joins the group.

Watch it played

We film Medal (Stroke Play) live, badly, every season

Five friends, one camera, nine holes, and a forfeit waiting for whoever finishes last. The full round card for every Medal (Stroke Play) week is on this site the day the episode drops.

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