Choosing your partners for competitions - thoughts?

[LincolnShep]

About 50/50 at our place, the monthly medal is always drawn, the monthly stableford isn't. The rest are a mixture too.

 

[IanG]

Almost all our comps are drawn. Select a 1 hr slot and the seccy pairs folk up randomly-ish within that block. i say "-ish" because players of roughly similar handicap tend to get paired up and, as many of our comps are mixed, ladies are by and large paired together with other ladies.

I like the system a lot as you meet lots of new folk and (mostly) they are a pleasure to play with.

 

[Garush34]

Mainly all drawn at my place. Pick a half hour slot that you wish to go out in and then get paired up. Mainly the same people in each time slot each week, so you get to know everyone well enough. They seem to pair up roughly based on handicap too, which I get but I would like to play with some of the lower handicaps from time to time.

For non-drawn comps, its just put your name down on BRS and get a game. Always the same groups that go out in that one, just friends playing with friends. But we have so few non-drawn that it doesn't really matter.

 

[BomberSRL]

New system at our place that allows people to put their name in with their usual playing partners, I don't really like it and try and aim to play with at least one person I haven't played with before.

I think it is a shame when you see the same names. The older lot like us younger lot putting our names down next to theirs, although they don't admit it!

 

[mikseymono]

OP here..............seem to have got you all going!

So, with us we also have may other comps as well as Seniors on Tuesdays. In one week you could have 4 comps. The main one is on Sunday....and it is this is the one I have a problem with in terms of people asking who they play with. They generally have high value prizes as well.............gps watch, golf bag etc... Of course our seccy obliges them...but they have now set a precident and everyone is now demanding more and more. It would be much fairer and just if you just picked a slot and that was it.

Don't think we have heard the last of this...

 

[Orikoru]

Most people's clubs seem to be more sophisticated than mine. Ours doesn't have any kind of online system for picking times. I haven't playing any partner comps, but just using the normal Stablefords and medals as an example, I normally just ring up / text / email our club sec and tell him I'm looking to play around 10 o'clock on the Saturday with my mate, and can he group us up with someone (if it's a three ball minimum). If two balls are allowed then I'll usually just play with my mate, but if I wasn't able to, again I'd just have to speak to the club sec and ask him if he can group me up with anyone.

The website has all the members emails and phone numbers available in the member's section - but it seems like a waste of effort really, you wouldn't send a mass email or text to everyone just to ask if anyone's free for a round would you?? I dunno why they put them up really.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'd love to see our medals and stablefords fully drawn but once the booked times 8.00-11.00 are gone, players are allowed to roll up and go out with whoever they want. I go in drawn section for convenience but it's also a great way of meeting different members

 

[SteveJay]

Ours are all drawn, though you can specify tee times within a range, but there is no guarantee of being paired with a mate, as the time slots are generally an hour or so.

As a new member without knowing anyone in the club prior to joining, I think drawn comps are great and are helping me integrate.

Even our roll ups are drawn, albeit in the bar before, taking into account any reasonable requests to play with particular people. That has helped me meet a lot of people and feel I am part of a group, which would no doubt take far longer if everyone was playing with the same partners.

 

[Hosel Fade]

Most people's clubs seem to be more sophisticated than mine. Ours doesn't have any kind of online system for picking times. I haven't playing any partner comps, but just using the normal Stablefords and medals as an example, I normally just ring up / text / email our club sec and tell him I'm looking to play around 10 o'clock on the Saturday with my mate, and can he group us up with someone (if it's a three ball minimum). If two balls are allowed then I'll usually just play with my mate, but if I wasn't able to, again I'd just have to speak to the club sec and ask him if he can group me up with anyone.

The website has all the members emails and phone numbers available in the member's section - but it seems like a waste of effort really, you wouldn't send a mass email or text to everyone just to ask if anyone's free for a round would you?? I dunno why they put them up really.

Arranging knockouts?

 

[jusme]

I think a mix keeps more people happy than one or the other. I get to play mostly on a Saturday and want to play with my friends. The previous club I was at had a good mix. 2 roll ups on a Saturday -one early in the morning, the other late morning. 1 hour blocked out on the timesheet for each roll up. The rest of the time sheet was first come first served for groups/friends that played and wanted to play together. As a newbie the roll ups were great. Now I am at a club where my friends play (friends for decades) I want to play with them.

Have the option don't force one type into something they don't want

 

[Capella]

Ours are pseudo-drawn. You put your name on the register sheet and a day before the comp you will get an SMS or email with your tee time and who you are playing with. It is not completely random, though. The office staff who normally does the tee times knows the members very well, so they will try to put slower players into the last groups that go out, put partners who they know will be travelling to the golf course together, into consecutive groups etc. They put a lot of consideration into that. They normally try not to put family members or regular playing partners in a group together. You can also put requests on the registration sheet, like "early" or "late" or the like and when possible, those wishes will be granted, but there is no guarantee. The only time wishes for who you want to play with are granted is usually, if you are bringing a guest from another club. (And I do have a feeling that there is a secret list of who absolutely not to put together into one group ... less to prevent cheating, more to prevent bad vibes, some people just don't get along).

 

[mikseymono]

Yes, this seems fair and just. Simple. This is how it should be. I wish it were the same here and fear that so early in the season they have set this precedent where peoples requests are being granted all the time. It will end up all nasty as it won't take long for another one of the friendly groups to romp home and win another prize .....and then the muttering will commence...

 

[williamalex1]

Our monthly medals and major comps are random draws , within a half hour slot.

 

[carwynedwards9]

Our weekly Saturday comps are draws which I think is the right thing to do. We have Sunday roll ups where you play with whoever you want, but these are non qualifiers

 

[jim8flog]

Our seniors section has a comp every other Monday in which we normally get 80-90 entrants. Normally everybody chooses who they play with except that if someone pulls out the organiser chooses the replacement. We have a few 'drawn partner' comps and every time we do the number of entrants drops to about 70. Never bothers me who I play with but I know several who only ever want to play with their mates.

Club comps you get to choose your own playing partners. Entry is via a written sheet because it ensures the entry fee is paid when entering, often there are additional optional fees, eg 2s, national comps, charity donation which could not be done via the computer.