Golf trip in a group of 9

[Bamberdele2.0]

Has anyone ever done one?

The obvious trip size would be 4, 8, 12 etc for obvious reasons but unfortunately we have 9.

We do enjoy a balls up pairs game on the tee but with 3 x 3 balls this goes out the window. Same as our drawn out Ryder Cup style matches. Things just seem a lot more difficult in groups of 3 balls.

Can someone convince me this will work?

 

[Orikoru]

Seems like a no-brainer. You just play three three-balls. What else are you going to do, have a subs bench?

My yearly golf trip has six players now, we just have two groups of three - but it's all individual Stableford anyway, with the two days' scores added together and a small trophy for the winner, so has that competitive element. The first year we did it there was only four people - but the only number that really doesn't work is five. Every other number can be accommodated in groups of three or four.

If you are desperate to have an even number (i.e. 8) - are there two absolute hackers attending? Perhaps you could convince them to play as a scramble pairing. Although you'd have to sneak on the course as a five-ball then so never mind.

 

[GreiginFife]

Our early summer La Manga trip last year turned out to be a group of 9. We had three rounds booked so we played Split 6 in each group.

Highest 3 from round 1 paired together, 2nd placers together and last places together on round 2 and then highest combined 3 together round 3.

Worked pretty well, kept it all competitive as no one wanted to be in the arse end group on days 2 and 3.

Everyone put a tenner in each at the start and it was overall winner takes all.

 

[D-S]

Three three balls is quite good for various games and good pace of play as long as the courses aren’t rammed. One issue maybe if you are going somewhere that needs buggies is that it is not that efficient and a little bit more expensive.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I did a trip this year in a group of 5 . A 3 and a 2 ball, not ideal. 4 or 6 would have been fine, but 5........9 is a piece of cake

 

[IanM]

Beware some venues "could" add two strangers to your group and send you out as two fourballs!

Edit: sorry, clearly this is worse with 6 than 9, but don't assume your 3 balls get left unchanged.

 

[Marshy77]

Could you have 4 pairs plus a wild card? All play in 3 balls stableford, cards in at the end but nominate a card as a wild card to double up?? (Don't know if this would work).

3 3's would be loads easier though

 

[Beedee]

I've played quite a lot in Portugal over the years in various strange combinations of numbers. From what I recall, only twice in about 20 years have we not been able to go out in sensible private groups, (3,3,3) or (3,3,4) or something like that.

As mentioned above, buggies have been the biggest problem. 9 people will have been allocated 5 buggies. When we were young and keen we had a couple of people who preferred to walk anyway. Now we're older and wiser it's €5 each to pay for the extra buggy, assuming there's one available.

 

[Bamberdele2.0]

Our early summer La Manga trip last year turned out to be a group of 9. We had three rounds booked so we played Split 6 in each group.

Highest 3 from round 1 paired together, 2nd placers together and last places together on round 2 and then highest combined 3 together round 3.

Worked pretty well, kept it all competitive as no one wanted to be in the arse end group on days 2 and 3.

Everyone put a tenner in each at the start and it was overall winner takes all.

Brilliant. Although this has just proved a curveball

I've played quite a lot in Portugal over the years in various strange combinations of numbers. From what I recall, only twice in about 20 years have we not been able to go out in sensible private groups, (3,3,3) or (3,3,4) or something like that.

As mentioned above, buggies have been the biggest problem. 9 people will have been allocated 5 buggies. When we were young and keen we had a couple of people who preferred to walk anyway. Now we're older and wiser it's €5 each to pay for the extra buggy, assuming there's one available.

We were originally allocated 6 buggies for 12 of us. I will be on the emails tomorrow in regards to buggy extra payments for 9.

Once again this forum has came up trumps with pretty much all the obstacles that I needed clarity on.

Kudos

 

[Bamberdele2.0]

Could you have 4 pairs plus a wild card? All play in 3 balls stableford, cards in at the end but nominate a card as a wild card to double up?? (Don't know if this would work).

3 3's would be loads easier though

My original thinking was to have two teams of 5 (for our Ryder cup) with the spare being a ‘bot’ which we would spin the wheel each day for the bots stableford score ranging from 28 - 38.

However I think I am going to draw 3 teams of 3 for this format. Slightly different but at least we all get to play 3 games against a human