In winter months when the course is wet the ‘Lift Clean & Place’ rule may come into play.
Once you have the ball marked, you can lift it and clean it. This can be done with a towel, and then the ball is placed back at the spot of the mark. The ball does not need to be dropped under this rule; you are able to put it exactly where you had your tee in the ground.
Stroke play is a scoring system in the sport of golf. In the regular form of stroke play, also known as medal play, the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes. In a regular stroke play competition, the winner is the player who has taken the fewest strokes over the course of the round, or rounds.
Stableford is a scoring system used in the sport of golf. Rather than counting the total number of strokes taken, as in regular stroke play, it involves scoring points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole. Unlike traditional scoring methods, where the aim is to have the lowest score, under Stableford rules, the objective is to have the highest score.
Groups of two players’ (2 person ambrose) or four players (4 person ambrose) work as a team. Each player hits off the tee, the best shot is selected and all other players pick up their ball and place it, within one handspan, alongside the best ball. Each person then hits a second shot from the same spot. The best shot is again selected. This continues until the ball is in the hole. On the putting green the best ball is marked and the other balls are played from this position.
One score is thus recorded on each hole. This is the sum of the best shots used throughout the hole.
In an ambrose format you would expect your gross score to be under or very close to the par of the course. This is because the best shot from the team is chosen for each shot. In other words your group has four chances to hit a good shot. It certainly takes the pressure off the less skilled golfers and is a good team building format.
There is often one additional requirement. During the course of the round all player’s drives must be used on a set number of occasions. Generally this is three. So if you have a beginner golfer in your group it may be prudent to use their drives early in the round so as to not put pressure on them as the rounds conclude.