Leagues and tournaments

Make a list of your favorite 4-5 local public courses. Google "(ABC) Men's Golf Club" for each one of them. Odds are that at least a couple will have active men's clubs that host monthly tournaments. Poke around the website, email the membership director, and try to get a sense for which clubs have the most active participation. Make your decision from there.

I am lucky - being from Southern California, there are literally 4 clubs within 5 miles of my house that have pblic clubs with 100+ members. There are also several traveling clubs that play all over the area. But with a little bit of research, you'll probably be able to find a good club at a course you enjoy playing in your local area also.

Following up on my post above, I just did a quick google search for Tacoma golf. The first two courses that popped up were Allenmore and Meadow Park Golf courses. Both appear to have active men's clubs (linked below)

http://allenmoremc.com/

http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/golf-mens-club/

@Duff McGee

There are usually many amateur tournaments everywhere in the US.

Most are affiliates of the local golf organization (check who maintains Ghin in your area)

Golf channel has a national tour, maybe in your area?

Search for "amateur golf events" in your area.

They are usually blighted with gross and net divisions.

Club Rat

Leagues are usually organized with a set numbers of teams.

They have a schedule which allows people flexibility to play at given weeks.

Some participate each week while others use a rotation.

Most leagues are team events.

Mens Games are usually individual events.

Club Rat

Basically Duff, find a course you like to play in your area. Most likely they have a men's club. Ask the pro about it or ask someone at the desk about it. Check the bulletin board at the club. Most likely they have information posted there. Give the club president or secretary a call, maybe ask if you can play a round with the group before joining. I'm sure you'll be welcomed.

There will be an annual fee to join. You'll get discounted green fees at that course and usually discounts in the pro shop for stuff like golf balls, clubs, and whatever the pro shop sells.

The Ladies Club at my course has weekly competitions and plays on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. Most of the time it is medal play. Sometimes it is even holes. Sometimes it is odd holes. Sometimes you throw out your worst hole. In all events you enter your full score for your HC purpose per the rules. We play by the Rules of Golf except where modified by local rules (i.e. drop zones, unmarked lateral hazards, etc.)

I think it depends on the area/course. Club Rat gave a few variations, but the leagues in my area typically play different formats each week. For my Wednesday Men's League, everyone pays $15/week into the prize fund. Here is our schedule: Wednesday, June 17 Stableford Points Wednesday, June 24 2-Player Best Ball Wednesday, July 1 Low Gross/Low Net Wednesday, July 8 JJ’s Proxy Day Wednesday, July 15 Mystery Holes Wednesday, July 22 Low Gross/Low Net Wednesday, July 29 4-Player Bestball Wednesday, August 5 Low Gross/Low Net Wednesday, August 12 2-Player Best Ball Wednesday, August 19 Club Championship (Stroke-Play) Wednesday, August 26 Club Championship (Stroke-Play) Wednesday, Sept 2 Club Mixer Shamble Wednesday, Sept 9 Skins Wednesday, Sept 16 Proxy Day Wednesday, Sept 23 1 Player Scramble I know that at least one league I looked at keeps track of how much you win (in pro shop credit) each week and awards POY to the guy who wins the most.

Most clubs will allow you to sign up a single. The tourament director will then slot you into a group that is in need of another player or two. This is where it helps to have a club with a robust membership. In a club of 200, there is no problem breaking in a single, but it might be trickier in a smaller club.

Perfect. I live in Puyallup, WA and we have a few courses around. I like playing High Cedars in Orting but their men's club seems kind of rinky dink

Don't mistake a "best ball" with a scramble.  A "best ball", unless someone is using the term incorrectly, involves each player playing their own ball into the hole.  Then the team looks at each score and records the best score or "best ball."  You play all the shots but sometimes your score won't be the one used.  At the end of the day, you may have shot an "85" and 6 of your individual hole scores were used.  "Best ball" can be either gross (no handicap strokes) or net (best ball after subtracting handicap strokes).