Competition formats

[Ethan]

A recent thread mentioned the bogey format of competition, which you don't see much of these days - pity.

It reminded me of another format they used to use once a year at my ild club in NI. It was called a flag competition. The idea was you got par plus your handicap, and played out that number of shots. A flag denoted how far the best player had got and if you beat that you moved the flag.

So it means that as well as the usual idea of getting round the 18 in as few shots as possible, the secondary comp became how well you used the shots left over. The first 2 holes on that course were a shortish par 5 then a par 3. The comp usually needed the winner to complete the first, but sometimes a guy would have 3 shots left after the 18 and eagle the st, and beat a couple of guys who had 5 shots left over and bogeyed the hole.

One year, one wag had 4 or 5 shots, was making heavy work getting up the first, so when he reached the side of the second, which doubled back on the first, he just chipped sideways onto the second green and planted the flag. The scorecard didn't formally record the scores after 18, so he thought he would get away with it, but he was spotted.

I think the odd bogey comp or flag comp makes it more interesting than the usual medal or stableford all the time.

Any other formats (for proper comps)?

 

[Pants]

I quite like the one where it's a Stableford comp but you deduct the number of putts you have taken (only those from on the green counting) from your points tally e.g. 37 points less 32 putts = score of 5. Can be quite tactical i.e. do you go for the green possibly leaving yourself a potential 3 putt or lay up just short and hope to chip close and 1 putt (often the better option in any form of comp)

 

[rulefan]

A recent thread mentioned the bogey format of competition, which you don't see much of these days - pity.

It reminded me of another format they used to use once a year at my ild club in NI. It was called a flag competition. The idea was you got par plus your handicap, and played out that number of shots. A flag denoted how far the best player had got and if you beat that you moved the flag.

So it means that as well as the usual idea of getting round the 18 in as few shots as possible, the secondary comp became how well you used the shots left over. The first 2 holes on that course were a shortish par 5 then a par 3. The comp usually needed the winner to complete the first, but sometimes a guy would have 3 shots left after the 18 and eagle the st, and beat a couple of guys who had 5 shots left over and bogeyed the hole.

One year, one wag had 4 or 5 shots, was making heavy work getting up the first, so when he reached the side of the second, which doubled back on the first, he just chipped sideways onto the second green and planted the flag. The scorecard didn't formally record the scores after 18, so he thought he would get away with it, but he was spotted.

I think the odd bogey comp or flag comp makes it more interesting than the usual medal or stableford all the time.

Any other formats (for proper comps)?

We run two Flag comps each year. Ladies & Gents. Both very popular.

 

[Wayman]

Played a hard one yesterday in a open
4 man team
2 to score on par 4
3 to score on par 5
All to score on par 3

 

[KenL]

Used to have a good laugh at the "greenkeepers' revenge" at my old club.

Mad stuff like the hole half way up the hill between two tiers. My partner was on in 2 and scored a 14.

They also used to put old trailers in front of a couple of greens.

Took a while to get round. ?

 

[rulefan]

They also used to put old trailers in front of a couple of greens.

Took a while to get round. ?

Round the course or round the trailers?

 

[louise_a]

Used to have a good laugh at the "greenkeepers' revenge" at my old club.

Mad stuff like the hole half way up the hill between two tiers. My partner was on in 2 and scored a 14.

They also used to put old trailers in front of a couple of greens.

Took a while to get round. ?

I remember me, Liverbirdie and Gary playing in one of those at Bolton Old Links, it was a laugh.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Quite fancy playing our place backwards, so from 1st tee to 17th green; 18th tee to 16th green, finishing 2nd tee to 18th green. All quite realistic though two holes would require shots over a small local road, so maybe have to tweak things a little on these holes to avoid these shots. But otherwise quite feasible though thinking it through it would be a difficult track and not sure we could use if for a comp given some lines crossing and so risk to players. But it would be fun.

 

[IanM]

We have a 9 hole "the long holes " competition.

1st tee to 2nd green. Then all sorts of muxed up chaos.. lots of fun!

 

[patricks148]

We have bogey medal every wedbesday, but it appears the way we played it before was diff to how it's generally played hence the massive change in scoring. We have a couple of fun comps to one is the course backwards and another a two hole, play from the 1st tee to the 9th green and the 10th to the 18th, with any holes on the front 9 oob , by a and booze up at the night by the 9th

 

[jim8flog]

Played a hard one yesterday in a open
4 man team
2 to score on par 4
3 to score on par 5
All to score on par 3

Sim 2 a

Progressive bowmaker.

We normally play a couple each year.

 

[Canfordhacker]

Played a hard one yesterday in a open
4 man team
2 to score on par 4
3 to score on par 5
All to score on par 3

There was one of those at my club yesterday - what was your winning score?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Once played a 6 man team comp (playing in pairs with a member of another team). Two x Cat 1, two x Cat 2 and two x Cat 3 in each team. Team score was aggregate gross. ?

 

[Wayman]

There was one of those at my club yesterday - what was your winning score?

We had 114 pts
We were leading from what I’ve heard nothing confirmed yet

 

[jim8flog]

Progressive bowmaker.

We normally play a couple each year.

Sorry progressive Bowmaker is where it is 2 to score on first 6, 3 scores on second 6 and all four on last 6.

 

[rulefan]

A Bowmaker golf tournament is one that uses 4-person teams, and on each hole two or more of the team members' scores are combined to create the team's score. Scoring is typically based on Stableford points in a bowmaker.
The term "bowmaker" for this type of event is more likely to be encountered in the U.K. That name is rarely used in the United States, but the format is a familiar one. Among the similar formats are 1-2-3 Best Ball, Fourball Alliance, Arizona Shuffle and Low Ball/High Ball. All combine two or more team members' scores to form the team's score on each hole.
The thing that typically distinguishes the bowmaker tournament from those other formats is the use of Stableford points.

Example of Bowmaker Scoring
One of the most common ways of playing a bowmaker is to combine the two best scores among the four golfers on the team on each hole. The two low balls count for the team score, in other words.
If the best scores among the four team members on Hole 1 are a 3 and 5, then the team score is 8 on that hole. Simple.
Just remember that bowmakers often use Stableford scoring. If the one you're playing does that, you'll be combining Stableford points, not stroke totals, on each hole.

Variations Involve the Number of Scores Used Per Hole
In addition to the simplest versions (two-low-balls-per-hole scoring), there are multiple variations in the number of scores per hole that count and that can be used in a bowmaker.
One common variation is this:

• On Holes 1-6, only the one low score on the team counts;
• On Holes 7-12, the two best balls are combined for the team score;
• On Holes 13-18, the three low scores are combined on each hole.

Another variation is to use the one low ball on par-3 holes, two low balls on par-4 holes and three low balls on par-5 holes.

But a bowmaker always boils down to this: It's a 4-person-team event in which members of the team are playing their own golf balls throughout, and a specified number of the team members' scores count on each hole.

 

[fenwayrich]

We try to play a few events with different scoring. For example Waltz, three ball with one score to count on the 1st, 2 on the 2nd, 3 on the 3rd, and so on. Patsome, 1st 6 holes betterball, 2nd 6 greensomes, last 6 foursomes. Medalford (or Medford), medal for the front 9, stableford for the back 9, deduct back 9 from front 9, lowest score wins.

 

[FourPutt]

Played a hard one yesterday in a open
4 man team
2 to score on par 4
3 to score on par 5
All to score on par 3

We did a similar one yesterday at our Captain’s day, but it was 1 score count on Par 5s, 2 on Par 4s and 3 on Par 3s. Great fun.

 

[Orikoru]

I never understood Bogey comps and thus have never played in one. They used to do one a year at my old club. People always explain it as 'matchplay against the course' as if that makes it make sense but it didn't to me. I guess if you make a net par with your handicap you half the hole, net birdie is winning the hole etc? But I just think bogey is a stupid name for it in that case.

This is my problem with all non-standard formats really, I spend all my time double-checking I've understood it correctly, so generally I just don't bother entering.

 

[Ethan]

I never understood Bogey comps and thus have never played in one. They used to do one a year at my old club. People always explain it as 'matchplay against the course' as if that makes it make sense but it didn't to me. I guess if you make a net par with your handicap you half the hole, net birdie is winning the hole etc? But I just think bogey is a stupid name for it in that case.

This is my problem with all non-standard formats really, I spend all my time double-checking I've understood it correctly, so generally I just don't bother entering.

Play it like stableford matchplay. The course always scores 2 points.

One of the elements of the bogey/vs par format is that a bad hole is just a bad hole, a net bogey is not better than a cricket score, so it caps the effects of disaster holes compared to stableford or medial