Club championships

[Orikoru]

Format needs revised surely?
For me, club championship should be matchplay.

Very few club championships seem to be matchplay though, judging by comments I've seen.

Our club has an additional knockout comp off scratch that only the top 16 from the club champs qualify for though.

 

[NearHull]

Our numbers are very much in decline and have been for a few years.

First issue is that it is played over two days. Despite a survey of active members confirming that more people failed to play because we schedule it over two days than would fail to play if we did 36 holes in a single day, the committee steadfastly refuse to revert to a single day.

The second primary factor is that our course is now so tough in summer because of the hard fairways and brutal second cut that fewer people are inclined to play 36 holes of medal golf from the back tees. In recent years the later starters have had to endure rounds of well over five hours.

I haven’t played for getting on for ten years as I do not want to give up an entire weekend to be on the golf course for ten or eleven hours. It’s just not fun.

If the club and committee could get their heads together and make a real day of it - two rounds, BBQ in the evening and so on - then I would give it another go, as I know others would.

We present the Club Champion trophy after the competition - but not the nett or runners up prizes. We also put on a ‘Happy Hour’ that starts as the first group ( from the 36 hole medal) come into the club house and it stays on until after the presentation. We get a good number of the entrants staying on.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Gross and Nett competitions run over two days of same weekend. There is a cut after first day with top 60 and ties playing 2nd day. Club Champion is the winner of the gross competition. Handicap limit for entry is HI of 28.0 and 9.0 for Juniors.

Field for 1st day will be full and you are expected to play 2nd day if you make the cut.

We have a separate and ‘prestigious’ scratch knockout competition.

 

[Hobbit]

My last club ran a handicap championship on the Saturday, open to everyone, and a 36 hole stroke play on the Sunday, open to those with a handicap of 9 or better.

The previous club I was at ran the same competition on the Saturday but the 12 lowest gross scores + ties played a second round on the Sunday - best 36 hole gross score winning. Although I preferred this format, I think it should have been the 20 lowest gross - I qualified in 12th place one year and came through the field to finish second.

 

[Slab]

Ours is 2-day event (Fri/Sat) and I'd guess including a weekday will keep a few folk from entering but everyone knows when it is, so sticking in a holiday day off is easy
Numbers are small enough to allow a 2 tee start each day with h/cap order day one and reverse leaderboard on day two
Post-golf parties both nights (no cost) with prize giving on Saturday

 

[azazel]

Our championship is normally played over four rounds, Saturday-Sunday-Saturday-Sunday. There's a cut after 36 holes, so only the top 32 make the second weekend. We've got a handicap prize for round 1, round 2 and rounds 1&2 combined, so plenty for people to play for the first weekend even if the main scratch event isn't on their radar. For rounds 3&4, there's also a combined handicap trophy to give all qualifiers something to play for.

The seniors championship is also played over the first two rounds. Our ladies championship takes place over 54 holes round our 9 hole course (the ladies' section choose to do it that way) over the same period and the junior and juvenile events are also played to a finish on the final Sunday so there is one big prizegiving at the end and all winners are recognised together.

We had 80 entries this year which seems about the same level as previous years. For me it's the best week in the club calendar and - despite everyone being far away from it - the closest you get to pretending to be on tour

 

[Deleted member 1147]

My last club ran a handicap championship on the Saturday, open to everyone, and a 36 hole stroke play on the Sunday, open to those with a handicap of 9 or better.

The previous club I was at ran the same competition on the Saturday but the 12 lowest gross scores + ties played a second round on the Sunday - best 36 hole gross score winning. Although I preferred this format, I think it should have been the 20 lowest gross - I qualified in 12th place one year and came through the field to finish second.

We ran a comp on the saturday, top 30 gross scores and x number of nett scores got into round 2 on sunday.
This year we have reverted to 36 holes, for under 9.1 index only, on the saturday.

 

[Hobbit]

We ran a comp on the saturday, top 30 gross scores and x number of nett scores got into round 2 on sunday.
This year we have reverted to 36 holes, for under 9.1 index only, on the saturday.

The problem with 36 holes in a day is it rewards those that can play 36 in a day, not necessarily the best golfers.

 

[Orikoru]

The problem with 36 holes in a day is it rewards those that can play 36 in a day, not necessarily the best golfers.

In addition - in our Club Champs last month I had a car crash round of 95 first, I very much welcomed the chance to go and sleep on it and come back tomorrow. Rather than straight into round two playing no doubt the same awful golf.

 

[SteveW86]

In addition - in our Club Champs last month I had a car crash round of 95 first, I very much welcomed the chance to go and sleep on it and come back tomorrow. Rather than straight into round two playing no doubt the same awful golf.

Ours was over 2 days last year. On the first day I shot the 2nd worse score, on the 2nd day I shot the 2nd best. Kinda glad it wasnt the other way round as that would have been awkward in the final group.

 

[Orikoru]

Ours was over 2 days last year. On the first day I shot the 2nd worse score, on the 2nd day I shot the 2nd best. Kinda glad it wasnt the other way round as that would have been awkward in the final group.

Two years running now I've had a mare in the first round and a half decent round on the second day when there's nothing to play for. Would be nice to get out of that habit next year. Especially as the worst rounds from Saturday have the earliest tee times on Sunday - you'd think that would be enough motivation for me to do better.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

The problem with 36 holes in a day is it rewards those that can play 36 in a day, not necessarily the best golfers.

and I imagine I'll be too knackered to succeed.
Also, I'm nowhere near as good as our low players. At 2.5 I'm not even in the top 25 handicaps.

 

[The Fader]

Gross and Nett competitions run over two days of same weekend. There is a cut after first day with top 60 and ties playing 2nd day. Club Champion is the winner of the gross competition. Handicap limit for entry is HI of 28.0 and 9.0 for Juniors.

Field for 1st day will be full and you are expected to play 2nd day if you make the cut.

We have a separate and ‘prestigious’ scratch knockout competition.

What a forward thinking club (not).

So, all grown ups, some of whom probably get 30+ shots can play but a junior
approaching single figures are excluded??

The mind boggles.

#whateverhappenedtogolfinclusivity

 

[Deleted member 1147]

What a forward thinking club (not).

So, all grown ups, some of whom probably get 30+ shots can play but a junior
approaching single figures are excluded??

The mind boggles.

#whateverhappenedtogolfinclusivity

Well, if they’re over 9 index they aren’t low yet. Also, adults max is 28, so not 30+.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Well, if they’re over 9 index they aren’t low yet. Also, adults max is 28, so not 30+.

…and all who enter must have 6 competition scores in the handicap record for year at the time of entry. Some juniors might not have that but if their handicap is low enough they’ll still be able to enter. Plus we know what sort of scores rapidly improving juniors can submit and the club is cognisant of that given it is the handicap comp that most members are competing for. The juniors have their own club championship gross and nett comps.

We just want the very best juniors to be able to compete for the club championship. This was put in place a year or two ago when it was clear that our top junior girl was easily good enough to win the actual club championship and we felt that the club champion should be the best golfer…and on many counts she was (and still is though she’s at college in the states she was not able to play and also can’t this year)

 

[Deleted member 1147]

…and all who enter must have 6 competition scores in the handicap record for year at the time of entry. Some juniors might not have that but if their handicap is low enough they’ll still be able to enter. Plus we know what sort of scores rapidly improving juniors can submit and the club is cognisant of that given it is the handicap comp that most members are competing for. The juniors have their own club championship gross and nett comps.

We just want the very best juniors to be able to compete for the club championship. This was put in place a year or two ago when it was clear that our top junior girl was easily good enough to win the actual club championship and we felt that the club champion should be the best golfer…and on many counts she was (and still is though she’s at college in the states she was not able to play and also can’t this year)

Well she’s a different level to most players
out there, isn’t she

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Well she’s a different level to most players
out there, isn’t she

Just a bit. As is her dedication and commitment to practice .

Currently home from the states she’s at the club every day (well that’s what it seems like) working on her game prep’ing for the AIG Women’s UK Open final qualifying at Hankley on the 7th August.

 

[KenL]

Very few club championships seem to be matchplay though, judging by comments I've seen.

Our club has an additional knockout comp off scratch that only the top 16 from the club champs qualify for though.

Perhaps a Scotland thing. All clubs I know of up here have matchplay club championships.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Perhaps a Scotland thing. All clubs I know of up here have matchplay club championships.

Winner of our Scratch matchplay comp is considered almost on a par with winner of our Club Championship medal comp.

Thing is…we choose to involve as many as possible in our club ‘championship’ event, so run our 36 hole handicap club championship alongside our actual club championship.