Mag feature - what quirky competitions does you club have?

[elliottH]

Hi all, Michael Weston is looking for some input for an upcoming feature on quirky competitions...

We're interested to hear about the most quirky competitions you play at your club, or others you know of.

For example, at Formby, we hear members play a competition called 'Round The Tree', whereby they tee off from the 1st, down to the par-5 3rd, around an old tree and back to the 1st green!

Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

On New Years we have an annual Cross Country

The Pro sets out a course using various tees and greens

This year it was 6 Holes

8th Green to the 7th Green

7th Fairway to the 5th green

5th Fairway to the 6th Green

5th Fairway to the 4th Green

3rd Tee to the 1st Green

1st Fairway to the 9th Green

Involves going over lots of trees etc

 

[Deleted member 16999]

The only odd one at our place is played by our Juniors for fun once a year.

Tee off on 1st and hole out on 6th green, a distance of 1320yds, all uphill. Then return to Clubhouse Teeing off on 7th and hole out on 18th a distance of 1232yds.


Lowest shots wins.

 

[Deleted member 25172]

Quirky, but think most (?) clubs do it. Greenkeepers revenge where holes are placed on slopes of greens, surrounded by obstacles that you need to navigate through, holes placed on the lip of a bunker etc etc

 

[Orikoru]

Hardly unusual but the only one I've seen at my clubs so far is a three club challenge. Not three clubs + putter either, it was three clubs total.

 

[GB72]

At Stapleford Park they used to play one 'no flag' competition every year where, obviously , there was no flag in any of the holes. Apparently the scores used to be pretty good as everyone would aim safely for the middle of the green rather than feel obliged to take on a shot at a difficult pin position.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I played in a 'flag' competition at a previous club. Everyone is issued a small flag on a stick that you write your name on. You take the par of the course and add your shots, so for example par 72 and getting 8 shots. Add them together, wherever your 80th shot finishes you place your flag in the ground. The person that gets furthest round the course wins.

 

[fundy]

I played in a 'flag' competition at a previous club. Everyone is issued a small flag on a stick that you write your name on. You take the par of the course and add your shots, so for example par 72 and getting 8 shots. Add them together, wherever your 80th shot finishes you place your flag in the ground. The person that gets furthest round the course wins.

If youve still got shots to go after the 18th do you go back down the first?

 

[fundy]

Cross country, greenkeepers revenge, only other one i can think of is the string comp where you get a foot of string per shot of your handicap which you can use at any time to move you ball. Ie you putt up to 6 inches, you give up 6 inches of string to save holing out, or if youre in a bush you could use a few feet to get out of the bush.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

A previous club, Alnmouth Village GC, did a reverse competition. They basically move the teeing areas to other parts of the course and you play each hole from a different direction, different order as well. Brilliant comp, I suggested keeping the course that way for part of the year but failed in my attempt.

 

[jim8flog]

I played in a 'flag' competition at a previous club. Everyone is issued a small flag on a stick that you write your name on. You take the par of the course and add your shots, so for example par 72 and getting 8 shots. Add them together, wherever your 80th shot finishes you place your flag in the ground. The person that gets furthest round the course wins.

These days there would be a lot of golfers left with a lot of flags in their hand at the end of the round then.

 

[patricks148]

Nairn has a couple, one is 9 holes on New years day, and you play backwards, from the 18th green, cut up 15 to 13th green them from 13 to 12 green then back fron 13th tee to the 3rd green, finnishing on the practice putting green, the other is from the bothy roof to the 18th green, not using the front 9 just as one hole

 

[jim8flog]

Nothing particularly quirky other than 6 holes of night golf played over 1,2, 15 16 17 and 18 (I believe), played sometime after sunset using balls with glow in the dark tubes inside them.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

If youve still got shots to go after the 18th do you go back down the first?

Yes indeed, furthest round the course wins.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

These days there would be a lot of golfers left with a lot of flags in their hand at the end of the round then.

No you carry on going until all your shots are used up.

 

[fundy]

Yes indeed, furthest round the course wins.

hmmm, i guess if youre still in play coming up 18 you have to decide whether you think you can win and its worth going back down the first or if the 19th is calling

 

[Neilds]

Saw one, possibly at Tidworth, which involved non golfing partners or mates. The golfer played all shots until the ball was on the green and then the non golfer did all the putting

 

[AliMc]

hmmm, i guess if youre still in play coming up 18 you have to decide whether you think you can win and its worth going back down the first or if the 19th is calling

Exactly the case, we had one a few years ago where the flag was on the green at the par 3 third right in front of the clubhouse and with only 4 shots in hand as we completed the 18th and the first and second both par 5's the 19th was the best option !

 

[backwoodsman]

We have a competition called "Knightmare Pairs" - a Stableford competition which is holes 1-6 played as Greensomes, holes 7-12 played as Foursomes, and holes 13-18 played as Betterball. Played from the Mens white tees but scored according to the card for the Ladies red tees. Handicaps calculated according to format for each of the three sections .

Common belief is that the winners are the first team who can correctly work out their score...

 

[HeftyHacker]

Not a club but when in a fourball we play a group stage and final.

A 5 hole match against each of the other players in the fourball, the winner of the match gets two points, drawn is 1, loser 0.

After 15 holes the points are totalled and the top two play a 3 hole match to finish the 18 and determine the champion.

The other two do the same to determine 3rd place.

In the event of a 3 or 4 way draw after 15 holes, it becomes a sudden death match on each hole, with the loser of the hole dropping out of the running. This bit is complicated and needs refining tbh but we've never had it go beyond one sudden death hole yet thankfully.

Shots are given as in normal matchplay.

Its a great format, introduced to me by my boss and his pals last year for the Wispa Cup and Pink Jacket.