Playing in golf outings

[bogeyme]

If you were to play in a golf outing, most likely a 4 "man" scrammble, which of the poll options would you prefer the tournament be set up.

Weekday Morning Tee Times
Weekday Morning Shotgun Start

Weekend Morning Tee Times
Weekend Morning Shotgun Start

Would any of the options keep you from playing?

[klaymon]

I think I like the shotgun starts. No preference for weekend/weekday other than weekday would be a day off work.

[kfowler]

Weekday shotgun. Generally less crowded. I'd rather take the day off.

[Uthinkso]

I think I like the shotgun starts. No preference for weekend/weekday other than weekday would be a day off work.

I agree, I'm saving my week off for next summer and I'm going to play golf every day.

[Dub]

Shotgun starts are my preference.

[PEZGolf]

I HATE OUTINGS AND SCRAMBLES, but if I am FORCED to play because of my employer or my business (part time, I publish a regional golf magazine), then I do not care about the time. I follow two basic rules: if you play with your boss, let him or her win!! Be liberal with the gimmees and mulligans. If you play with a customer, follow rule 1 and let him or her WIN!! Other than that, do NOT overindulge at the 19th hole, and make a fool of yourself!!

[iQuest Golfer]

Shotgun starts are my preference.

Shotguns on any day! If it's an outing a shotgun start gets it over quick.

I was out on one yesterday. Lunch, shotgun start, dinner... we started at 11:00am and were out of the parking lot at 5:50pm. One of the best organized I've been to.

[Smallville]

Weekdays for sure for tournaments. Shotgun or tee time, I've done both, seems like tee times work better for the courses though, since a shotgun start could tie up the course for four hours or so if you have 18 groups out there since you constantly have a group going to #1 or #10. I played in one scramble that had two groups on each hole, that would seem to work better for the course in that case.

I've been in one scramble on the weekend (tee time start) and there was only 5 groups so it wasn't too bad.

[Fourputt]

Weekdays for sure for tournaments. Shotgun or tee time, I've done both, seems like tee times work better for the courses though, since a shotgun start could tie up the course for four hours or so if you have 18 groups out there since you constantly have a group going to #1 or #10. I played in one scramble that had two groups on each hole, that would seem to work better for the course in that case.

Hate to pop your bubble, but 18 groups don't fill a course. On a typical par 72 course it takes 32 groups to fill the course... 2 groups on each par 4 and par 5 tee and one on each par 3. That's 128 players. Any less and you have a gap in the field, any more and you've overloaded the course. I've known a course to put 3 groups on each par 5, or 2 on each par 3 (16 more players - bringing the total to 144), but then things tend to get bogged down. 128 is the ideal full course scramble.

With that in mind, we have started some very small shotguns, with 2 groups on #1, 2 groups on #18 (both par 4 holes) and one group on #17 (par 3). That's a shotgun with just 20 golfers. By setting it that way, once the group that started on #17 has reached the fairway on #1, you can start calling casual golfers to the tee again. For any shotgun that is smaller than 128, it should be started like that with the lead group on #1 and the rest trailing along from #18 back down the line to all the course to reopen the first tee for casual play as soon as possible. As far as the poll... I don't really care. I'll play either way, and being retired the day doesn't matter to me either. When I was working I'd have taken the weekend because I never had enough vacation days to waste one on a golf scramble.

[Smallville]

Hate to pop your bubble, but 18 groups don't fill a course.

Yeah I know, that's why I said tee times would work better for courses. I also mentioned I was in a scramble that had two groups on each tee (I assume, since we didn't start on a Par 3, as per your example), and THAT would be better for the course.

A shotgun start with 18 groups would have people not in the tournament filling up spots in between the players in the tournament. Or do they not have shotgun starts with only 18 groups? I don't know, that's a serious question. In my opinion, if you don't have enough to cover the course, you should go with tee times. Maybe going off front nine and back nine if possible to keep the first group from finishing way before the last group. EDIT: Fourputt- you edited afted I posted this. Your addition (about starting on #1 and the rest on #18, #17, etc.) makes perfect sense.

[bogeyme]

Thanks everyone for your replies so far. I look forward to more. I also forgot to add an option of "Makes No Difference". I'm in this group. Either the weekend or a weekday doesn't bother me. My wife on the other hand prefers weekday so golf isn't cutting into "our" together time.

Hate to pop your bubble, but 18 groups don't fill a course. On a typical par 72 course it takes 32 groups to fill the course... 2 groups on each par 4 and par 5 tee and one on each par 3. That's 128 players. Any less and you have a gap in the field, any more and you've overloaded the course. I've known a course to put 3 groups on each par 5, or 2 on each par 3 (16 more players - bringing the total to 144), but then things tend to get bogged down. 128 is the ideal full course scramble.

I played in a scramble this year that had 144 people or more. I know there was a team of 3 and a team of 5 and then a couple teams that showed up that had previously said they wouldn't make it so it's hard telling really how many teams there were. I know it was busy and a long day.

Thanks for that tip about starting on 1, 17, and 18 for small groups. If I can even get this tournament off the ground I'm not sure how many people I will attract. I hope for 144 but I'd be happy with 100. I think 144 would be a lot for the first year. Maybe even too many for me to handle.

[case31]

I follow two basic rules: if you play with your boss, let him or her win!! Be liberal with the gimmees and mulligans. If you play with a customer, follow rule 1 and let him or her WIN!! Other than that, do NOT overindulge at the 19th hole, and make a fool of yourself!!

I love how people still think they have to let their bosses win when playing golf. One boss I had was an AVID golfer, but was horrible. Watching him swing, it seemed that his only goal was to hit a ball 700 yards. Also, he would grip the club so hard that his hands would turn red just at address!

Anyway, shortly after I was hired we played at one of the more difficult courses in town. He shot his normal 100+, while I shot mid-70s. I'm sorry, but there was no way I was going to intentionally shoot 25-30 strokes higher than my normal round. But my point is: He was so impressed with my play that he would constantly invite me to play in scrambles and tournaments held during the week. So I would essentially get paid to play golf. Then when winter hit we couldn't play golf and there was nothing to take my mind off the fact that he was an incredible d-bag...so I ended up taking another job.

[Long_Ball_Bogey]

If it's work-related, I prefer a weekday (Friday mostly) shotgun start. Mine are usually played in the afternoon so there is some pretense of getting work done prior to the golf. I know there's no way I'm going back to the office after a morning round, though! --LBB

[st0wgolf08]

Shotgun starts are no fun, when your team is playing in like a 108 player tournament. 2 groups of 3 on each hole. It also isn't fun when you have to walk out to 14 to start, which in my case was across a par 3 course smack dap in the middle of the 72 course. Took a good 20 minutes. Also had an old lady yell at me for no apparent reason.

[N.V.M.]

who wouldn't want a shotgun start? can you imagine the wait if it wasn't, unless you were drawn near the top. (the problem being you usually don't know til you get to the golf course, so you have to go early just in case you have to go first.)

[Fourputt]

Shotgun starts are no fun, when your team is playing in like a 108 player tournament. 2 groups of 3 on each hole. It also isn't fun when you have to walk out to 14 to start, which in my case was across a par 3 course smack dap in the middle of the 72 course. Took a good 20 minutes. Also had an old lady yell at me for no apparent reason.

I've never seen or been involved in a shotgun start that didn't automatically require a cart. On my home course if your group wants a shotgun, you take carts... that's just how it is. It has to be at least a half mile to the 6th tee box, which is the farthest point on the course from the clubhouse. And there are a lot of courses which are much more spread out than mine is.

[PEZGolf]

I love how people still think they have to let their bosses win when playing golf. One boss I had was an AVID golfer, but was horrible. Watching him swing, it seemed that his only goal was to hit a ball 700 yards. Also, he would grip the club so hard that his hands would turn red just at address!

In reality, I have had only two bosses who played golf. One was an outright hacker, and would pick up on half of the holes because he knew he was holding up play. Our customers appreciated that. The other played a decent game, and was a REAL golf fan--------------he served as a hole marshall at the Ryder Cup at Oak Hill in 1995. When I played with him, I played my normal game because I knew that he expected that, and wanted to see how good I could play. My other bosses were not golfers, and they let me be the "company golf ambassador". At one job, I ran a tournament where we had 40 customers show up and that way we could meet with all of them at one time, pay for their golf and meals, and score points. It was an easy sell to my boss because it meant that it minimized my time on the golf course, compared to taking 40 customers out on 40 different dates (which I would have preferred).

[st0wgolf08]

I've never seen or been involved in a shotgun start that didn't automatically require a cart. On my home course if your group wants a shotgun, you take carts... that's just how it is. It has to be at least a half mile to the 6th tee box, which is the farthest point on the course from the clubhouse. And there are a lot of courses which are much more spread out than mine is.

Well we cant drive as most of the team are sophomores, freshman. Plus we can't use a cart in a match/tourny. When teams have like 20 team tournaments they have to be shotgun, or it takes forever.