Your usual golf games with your buddies

PA-PLAYA · 2016-09-03T16:27:31+00:00

We usually base the format depending on how many players we have. If it's just our regular foursome, we typically play 2-man best-ball. In fact - that's the...

Typhoon

With us it's just meet at noon, lets see who is here and decide who goes with who. Can't remember the last time I played for anything.

I'll probably make a thread on this but I'm so non competitive now that yesterday I shot 6 under par 29 on the front 9 and didn't bother going out for another 9.

PA-PLAYA

Release

You run into all kinds. Your story isn't unfamiliar to most people.

I ran a weekend league for a good group of about 12-16 guys a couple seasons ago. All were nice guys, but it became a headache trying to get people to keep me informed about their availability. I had to be a dick one Saturday because one guy in the group didn't contact me by the deadline to let me know he was available, so I left him off the roster and located a replacement. Saturday rolls around and sure enough - the guy pulls in 2 minutes before our first starting time for the group and asks, "who am I playing with?"

I told him he would have to find another group who had an opening that day because we had 16 players and didn't have room. He got pissy with me about it. I just reminded him that he'd done this several times over the season already but we worked it out because we had room during those instances, even though in doing so it suddenly changed both the teams and the format at the last second. I told him we couldn't make it work this time, and also reminded him to let me know his availability before the stated Wednesday evening deadline.

He wasn't the only one who made a habit of not keeping me posted, there were a couple others.

Then occasionally you'd hear guys bellyache about having to play with so-and-so, or wanted to play with so-and-so. One weekend it got to the point where I just picked three guys, told the rest of the group to make their own teams and matches, no group thing today. Then more whining.

And honestly, these guys were good people... they never complained about winning or losing, never complained about handicaps, etc. but they just made the process unenjoyable because some of them would either not keep me posted about availability or ask why they happened to get paired up with so-and-so for two consecutive rounds.

Sometimes stuff happens. Sometimes there's no way to avoid putting two guys in the same group back-to-back days because of an honest attempt to keep the teams balanced and competitive based on handicaps.

At the end of the season we had our season-ending tournament, and I thanked them for participating. But I also told them that I no longer wanted to be part of a big group. So three guys from the league decided to join me and we formed our own weekend foursome. They're reliable, we keep each other posted about certain dates we're out of town or unavailable, and we all enjoy each other's company and enjoy fair and competitive matches.

This has been my first season not running a group, and I must say that it has been wonderful not having to deal with it.

Release

PA-PLAYA
I had to be a dick one Saturday because.......

No you weren't ; he was the one needing to apologize . Was his fault which he was de-list from the tournament by not responding to the broadcasting.

One other matter which puzzled me. The reason for anyone to join a group , may that be a private club or a 20 golfers weekly get together, logically would be to socializing with the others ? Why would anyone joining a group then demand to "only" be group with a few other golfers at all times ? They could have their own weekly 4-somes
and be merry about it.

I once joined a Japanese engineering golf group, and it had the usual issues associated with human being but what I liked about it was the group stick to the U.S.G.A. rules without exception and there could be no special favors for tournament grouping. The only exception is the two player best ball event which we could pick our own partner.
Review was done after each tournament and adjust each of the handicap index according to the results from the tournament. The posted GHIN index was for reference only. So the peer evaluation ranked higher than the GHIN index.
No one really complained about the "in club" index adjustment and no one complained about tournament grouping. If most the members followed the rules then harmony ( at least on the surface ) was easily achieved.

Had joined at one time another golf club with about 120 members, this club assess special ruling over the USGA rules and will modify the rules at the annual meeting to suit the members wish. They will reduce the club index of a member's index whom won the monthly tournament by 1-2 depending on the numbers of participation. So if a 15 index holder won a July tournament with more than 60% of the membership participation then for the August tournament he will play with a 15-2=13 index. The reason was argued to increase the chance for every member to win a monthly tournament at some point of time.

I heard they have less than 50 members now.

Golfers like to complain and find excuses for their golf game...... I reckon the rules of golf had evolved through the years of bickering, arguing and fighting and withstood the test of time should be kept well. It's not like a light switch which could be switched back and forth at will.

Most rules will not be fair to everyone at every incident. But we like to complain............. and want change or even revolution.

Sneakylong

I play in a Senior Men's Quota game ($5.00) 3 times a week. We play quota with a couple of greenies and skins also. With the disparity in handicaps we ran into trouble with skins and giving strokes. Finally gave up realizing it's impossible to make it fair. So we just have two skins and greenies with rotating holes, no strokes but a tie goes to the lowest quota guy.

The thinking was the higher quota guys have a better shot at a greenie, so it evens out. Because not everyone keeps a handicap we adjust quota this way. Minus 2 to plus 2 your quota stays the same. Minus 3 or worse you go down 1. Plus 3 you go up 1. Plus 4 and 5 you go up 2. Plus 3 and over you go up 3 quota points.

We have a minimum quota of 14 (~ 22 handicap) so you can never fall below 14. One mid 80's guy is grandfathered in at 13. We payout anywhere from 2 to 5 places depending on how many players.

Example: 7 players pays 2 spots $14.00 for first and $9.00 for second. Skins and greenies are always $3.00. 11 players would pay 3 spots. $19.00, $15.00 and $9.00. 15 guys would pay 4 spots $22.00, $18.00, $14.00 and 9.00, 20 guys pays 5 spots $26.00, $22.00, $18.00, $13.00, $9.00 etc..

The goal was to deemphasize the money and payout as many as practicable. Keeps the squabbling down to a minimum. We have 22 cappers down to 1 cappers. Had a 67 year old who shot his age recently. Also, had a 72 year old do the same.

We play off of different tees to accommodate each players level. Whites are ~ 6400, Golds ~ 6000, Silvers ~ 5600 and Reds ~ 5200. It's all about the camaraderie anyway.

PA-PLAYA

It's been a nice change of pace this season. There are some weekends when I really don't want to play, so I just let my buddy know and they find a fourth. Compared to the last couple of seasons when I felt obligated to be there both days on the weekends whether I truly wanted to play or not because I was running a 12-man show.

Granted, my situation is one that a lot of guys would kill for, being able to play whenever I want basically. I generally play 3-4 times per week, but I usually won't play more than that... not only because my plantar fasciitis can't take that level of stress, but also because I find it much too easy to get into bad swing habits and scoring funks if I play several days in a row. I tend to play my best golf if I truly want to be out there playing.

The nice thing about the guys I play with - we have a good time. We play some music, have a few drinks. We still respect those playing around us, we'd never want to be a distraction with loud music, etc. But the laid back experience is one that I've come to enjoy. It's a competitive group, decent players, the right level of seriousness.

We understand that we're not nearly as good as we'd like to think we are some days, so that generally fits right in with a lot of other guys at my club. We generally don't have much issue finding a game. And I'm very thankful for that. I know some guys like playing alone by themselves, but not me... I prefer the company of good friends.

Life's too short!

hobbit

We usually have three groups of four and play the same game each week. Two best balls from each group, handicaps based off of the low man. We have been trying out counting three balls per group though to make it more eventful. We don't do 3 balls all of the time as sometimes someone cannot make it, leaving us with a three-some in the mix.

It still amazes me the people that do not understand playing off of the low man. Maybe its because I'm used to it, but I find a lot of people that have never done it and think I'm trying to pull one over on them when I suggest it.

We play skins as well, handicapped but no strokes on par 3s. But on birdies we do award naturals over net - making it better for the low cappers who can sometimes suffer in a team game (another reason we've started counting 3 balls).

Another group I'll sometimes play with add a 'whipsaw'. A pot for anyone that beats their handicap.

We need to get RangerX to explain the Louisville bets and the things I cannot keep track of. 'The Game' involves best balls, greenies, snakes, and more. I just ask them what I owe when its all over.

PA-PLAYA

hobbit

The deal with playing off the low man... we've done it that way numerous times, and although the reality is that everything is still equal, every once in a while you'll come across someone claiming that taking away their full allotment of strokes adds more pressure and causes them to struggle on those holes that they'd otherwise get strokes on. I always found that argument amusing, because obviously the low man deals with the same situation. In fact, I would argue that if the low man in the group is a 5, he's probably the player who is at the biggest disadvantage because he's obviously playing to scratch and the (assumed) toughest 5 holes on the course without any strokes. So although I don't agree with the argument being made in principle, that argument can nevertheless go both ways. Sometimes when we deal with that situation it's just easier to give everybody their full handicaps and play without the drama and bellyaching.

The guys I play with most of the time are right around the same level as me, give or take a stroke. And if there's only a stroke or two difference between the combined team handicaps - we just assume we're playing straight-up. But once we start seeing a difference of 3 shots or more between teams, we'll just play off the low man and apply the difference accordingly.

That's the beauty of playing with guys who are each competing basically at the same skill level... even when we play in handicapped pro-ams and the like, we're not worried about low-net. We're going for low-gross. We're not having to worry about getting jobbed because another team brought in a ringer who always seems to play 5-6 shots better than his purported handicap.

I don't care who you are or how steady your game is, but if you're a 1-handicap and you're having to spot another guy 10 shots - you gotta play your ass off to win. I stopped playing handicapped events several years ago... last handicapped event I played I was a 3-handicap, I shot level par, and ended up finishing tied for 4th. That is a level of frustration that I want no part of any longer.

Edited to say: I still do play one handicapped event, although it is flighted by divisions. It's our Member-Guest. But even then - we're talking about maybe 1 shot being applied to a player for a 9-hole match. Very rarely does it exceed that, at least in the top division.

darpar

A game we play if we only have a threesome is "Nine's".
If a guy wins a hole he get's 5pts.,the other two either get 2pts. each if they tie or
3pts. and 1pt.if they don't tie each other....basically any combination that adds up to 9.
All tie a hole,each player gets 3pts.
We'll play front,back and total for a few bucks....fun game that you can be down in a few
holes and still come back and win the total.

mulegolf

The most popular game here is left, right or left, right, center. It constantly mixes partners by pairing up those who's drives are to the left against those who find their drives as the two farthest to the right. You each play your own ball and then add up the team scores for each hole. If the two players that were to the left (on a par four) get a par and a bogie their score is 9. If the players who had their drives to the right both par the hole their score is 8. Both players on the winning team get a (+) on that hole and the losing team gets a (-) on the hole. It's easy to score because the total number of minuses and the pluses should be equal after the round. Before the first tee off you need to decide what you are playing for. If you decide that each mark is worth $1 the two winners each made a dollar on each hole and the two losers have lost a buck each. If you want to hold down the money changing hands just wait 'til after the round and total the +'s and the -'s (again they will be an equal total) hand have the golfers with a minus for a total contribute $1 for each minus into a pot and the golfers with a + total then take out a buck for each plus. It's not impossible for it to end up with one person to owe considerably more that the other three. As for the right, left, center variation mentioned? That is used if your course allows five somes. Then the teams are split up much the same way except the golfer who's tee shot ends up in the center (relative to the others tee shots) ends up playing alone for that hole and his/her score for that hole is determined by doubling their score for the hole. A par (on a par four) would give them eight for a total. As far as +'s and -'s,
the solo golfer stands to now make 4 +'s if they are the winner and each of the four others golfers get a minus. There are always 4 marks per hole now. If one of the 2 person teams wins the hole, then they each get 2 +'s, the other 2 person team gets one minus each and the solo player gets 2 minuses. If you happen to win 2-3 holes while being the center (and solo) golfer you can rack up the pluses pretty quickly.
As far a "Vegas" is concerned we sometimes play that as a foursome playing left, right also. I'm not big on playing "Vegas" though because as mentioned above, it can get expensive for you if you are having a bad day.

hobbit

PA-PLAYA Yes, I'm amused by the argument as well. The low 'capper has the same pressure but it seems some to not understand that - only worried about themselves and not considering others. They seem to be in disbelief that it makes no difference and saves time.

We have a wide range of handicaps in our group but it doesn't usually matter because we play most every weekend and know everyone is legit. I get loads of shit for winning skins, but they do not doubt my handicap at all. Its just fun to give me shit.

I've always been a believer that handicaps are for betting, not competitions. If I win B flight thats great, but I'm not about to tell anyone I won a tournament (especially given I've never won a flight anyway 😄 ).

blader

foursomes?

5 pt game, $1 per point
its a 2 man best ball, 5 pt per hole

team with highest points always tees off first

one point for close up
two points for low net
two points for low combined net

accelerators:

a birdie doubles the points earned

sweeping all 5 pts on a whole earns you double points

so a birdie with a sweep will be a $20 swing

But here's where it gets fun:
Trailing team can double the bet on the tee box at any time, sorta like a press. that bet remains doubled from there forward (converts game to 10 points on all holes thereafter). And if the leading team becomes the trailer they can double again (converts to a 20 points game). And then it can happen again (40 points game)....and so on....

Most I ever was in for was an 80 pt hole that doubled on a birdie and swept the points->for $320 on one hole!

You have to have a really bad day to be out that much money after 18. Usually, a bad day scenario is ~$40.

Some guys ask and receive a $100 governor at the outset. That's reserved only for the really nice guys. Nobody wants them to get in trouble back home. The assholes on the other hand...

The adrenaline junkies usually have the game doubled twice before the turn.

Most of the time its pretty much the same foursome just passing around the same wad of cash all season long.

Whatev.

PA-PLAYA

blader

One of my weekend regulars and I entertained the thought of tracking our losses/earnings against one another over a season. We tracked it for a few months before we eventually lost interest in keeping up with it. I think I was up on him 4 bucks.

The most I've ever won in a match was $180... the thing about it is that the match started as a mere $10 nassau. We had like 8 presses going, and also another side-match thrown in for the back nine. We needed 3 scorecards to keep track of everything going on.

The most I've lost in a single match was $90, last fall. Played with two club pros and my buddy says, "sure - we'll take you on - pros versus shmoes." We played Vegas... could've been worse, would've been worse had I not birdied three of the final four holes to help minimize the damage.

I'd enjoy playing for more money, but I also recognize the level of seriousness preferred from the guys I play with. Once we start getting north of $20 bucks, the niceties have a peculiar way of quickly evaporating with a couple of them. It's just not worth someone's feelings getting hurt, even though like you say - the difference at the end of the season might be a few bucks total gained or lost.

sdandrea1

Here in VA, I am in a weekly modifed Stabelford (quota). Bogeys are 1 point, pars are 2 points and birdies are 3 points. We play closest to the pin on the pars 3s, with the last group picking up the markers. Everybody is in for $5.

In FL, my Tues and Thurs Leagues rotate between quota and low net - both are handicapped using the GHIN system. The Wed group has a different game every week and there are too many to list. The fee is $5 and the winnings are pro-shop credit.

Rickochet

My favorite game for our usual foursome is called "Wolf." Some call it "Captain." If we have more than one foursome we also have a $3 group skins game.

Dufferman

Golf buddies? What are those? Almost all the guys I know that play golf don't have the time or money to play. The dudes at the course everyday who play in groups play far too often and at times I'm not able to play. So, it is mostly single rounds for me..........

At least I'm playing golf!