Off the Stake or Stick?

[ghalfaire]

Never heard either of those terms but let me take a WAG.

In golf terms, a "stick" is a skilled player. Perhaps the expression "play off the stick," is a reference to handicapping a match where strokes are given in relation to the best player.

I have never heard  the term but I would think this is correct; e.g. the low handicap player plays scratch and everyone else has their handicap minus the low handicap player's handicap.  This is the common way of handicapping a match play game.

[RayG]

I have never heard  the term but I would think this is correct; e.g. the low handicap player plays scratch and everyone else has their handicap minus the low handicap player's handicap.  This is the common way of handicapping a match play game.

I used to play this way with my buddies, but I was just giving away strokes. Just lowering mine to scratch and giving him 8 instead of 16 meant I wasn't getting ANY help on any holes. He would get help on the toughest holes anyway, while I was playing straight up when I would normally get a stroke. We then switched to full caps for the round, with a stroke or two adjustment based on previous matches before our numbers were adjusted. It generally worked out better- meaning I would still win more often than not. And THAT is the most important thing.

[Rulesman]

The expression in the UK is "off the stick end". ie no handicaps

[NCGolfer]

My boss is a brit and uses terms like this quite often...with a thick accent.  Sometimes I feel like I need Chevy Chase's translator device in European Vacation and then I'm like Rusty... "Dad, he's speaking english!"

 

[chilepepper]

I've played off the tree and off the cart path on occasion. Off the cart path can result in great distance gains

[shanksalot]

We always used we play even up. Meaning no strokes given we all play scratch.

[Rulesman]

"Off the stick" or "off the stick end" is widely used in the UK to mean disregarding handicaps (generally in match play).