Tournament Formats

[DeadMan]

I am part of a group in my men's club tasked with coming up with some interesting tournament formats to use next year. Some of our events are pretty stale. For example, we have 5 two man better ball-type events. So we're looking into different formats to use. I'm hoping you all can give me some ideas. The only real criteria is that I'd like to be able to post the scores. We already have two events where we won't be able to post scores (one is a scramble-like event, the other is a multiple tee event), so I don't really want another non-postable tournament.

Here's a sampling of events that we have, so you can get a flavor for what we do:

1. 4 Man Shamble (pick the best tee shot, everybody plays from there)
2. 2 Man Better Ball
3. Ryder Cup
4. 2 Man Better Ball - Modified Stableford
5. Skins in Group
6. Matches in Group (3 6 hole matches within your group)
7. Red, White, and Blue Event

We're sort of at a loss for other ideas beyond this type of stuff. Any ideas would be helpful!

[Club Rat]

Our opening day event is based on Basket Ball rules (We call it Final Four) - it's a points base game (stableford) with Fouls (five your benched) each team is five players, A, B, C, D, E
Payout Total points, First Half and Second Half with MVP and CTP for each player division.

Stableford with Skins
During the Masters, each player draws a PGA player and combine the scores, Skins get interesting.
Beat the Pro
Blind Partner draw
Flights

[DeadMan]

11 hours ago, Club Rat said:

Our opening day event is based on Basket Ball rules (We call it Final Four) - it's a points base game (stableford) with Fouls (five your benched) each team is five players, A, B, C, D, E
Payout Total points, First Half and Second Half with MVP and CTP for each player division.

Stableford with Skins
During the Masters, each player draws a PGA player and combine the scores, Skins get interesting.
Beat the Pro
Blind Partner draw
Flights

I don't get the first event. What are the fouls?

[Club Rat]

11 minutes ago, DeadMan said:

What are the fouls?

Sorry my description was brief last night, I was pressed for time and hurried my post.
As mentioned it is a basket ball team format with five players per team who score points making Net Par are better. (2 points-Net Par, 3 points-Net Bird, 4 points-Net Eagle or better)
When a player makes a Net Bogey, they commit a Foul on that hole. Five fouls and they are out of the game. (Benched for remainder of holes)
Players have the option to sit out any holes they choose, considered to be on the bench and score no points for their team.

All players still play every hole for Skins and for a score to post.

It's a tough format as many players will either ride the bench several holes and many foul out.
Scores are generally very close, a team can only win one payout - Overall, 1st or 2nd half.

Last year I changed the foul limit to Six fouls which everyone liked better.

I have other games I'll post later, have a Honey Do project this morning.
 

[DeadMan]

That sounds really cool. Thanks for the idea and the suggestion.

[Big C]

One of my favorite men's club events each year is the "Orange Ball" tournament. Essentially, it's a 3 best net scores out of 5 event - but with a twist. 

Each team goes out as a fivesome and is given a sleeve of orange balls to start the tournament. Every hole, one player in the group must tee off with the orange ball and his score must count. Then the two best net scores out of the remaining four players are used to make the total team score. 

The orange ball rotates each hole, so every player has it 3-4 times. For example, player 1 uses it on holes 1/6/11/16. Player 2 on 2/7/12/17 and so on.....

It's amazing how much pressure you feel when you are looking down at the orange ball knowing that if you slice it off the planet, or dump it in the water, those strokes are going directly onto your team's overall tally. The first year I played in the event I think I went triple/bogey/triple/bogey (+8 for 4 holes with the orange ball). The next year, I somehow five putted for a quadruple. I've learned to handle pressure a little better since, lol.

One last twist, every team has to return at least one orange ball to the scoring table, or they are DQ'ed. So if your group happens to lose two orange balls on the front 9, you are playing the back 9 with a bit more pressure!

[Big C]

One other format I like is our "1 Gross/2 Net" tournament. Again, teams go off in groups of 5, and 3 scores are used. As the name would suggest, one of the scores is a gross score and the other two are net. 

I like it because it encourages people to build teams that have a diverse mixture of handicaps. You just need 1-2 guys to handle the gross score each hole and then you try to rack up as many "pops" as you can. A team with handicaps of 0, 6, 18, 22, 28 (for instance) is lethal in such a format, and has a huge advantage over a group of single cappers, or a group of guys who are all 15+. 

Since the single digit golfers tend to play in groups together, this format encourages them to break it up a bit and find high handicappers that are capable of producing a couple very low net scores.

[bkuehn1952]

You could try limiting the clubs one carries to 1, 3 or 5 total.

A variation on alternate shot often called Scotch Foursomes, has 2 person teams.  Both players tee off and they select one drive.  The player whose drive was NOT selected hits the next shot and play alternates from there until the ball is holed.  If "net", the team gets 40% of their combined course handicaps.  We use a limit of 10 for any hole.

[Big C]

21 minutes ago, bkuehn1952 said:

You could try limiting the clubs one carries to 1, 3 or 5 total.

A variation on alternate shot often called Scotch Foursomes, has 2 person teams.  Both players tee off and they select one drive.  The player whose drive was NOT selected hits the next shot and play alternates from there until the ball is holed.  If "net", the team gets 40% of their combined course handicaps.  We use a limit of 10 for any hole.

Both great ideas. I love "limited club" events, and wish I had the opportunity to play in more of them. 

That said, the OP stipulated that he wasn't looking to add more non-postable rounds to their club events and both of your suggestions - while lots of fun - would be non-postable.

[Golfingdad]

I don't know what it's called, but my brothers clubs big tournament every year has a simple, and postable, format that is a teeny bit different than a normal round.  It's a 36 hole tournament with 3 man teams and it's one best ball on the odd holes and two best balls on the even holes, except for 9 and 18, where all three scores count.  Then the next day, the holes are reversed so its two best balls and the odd and one on the evens, with, again, 9 and 18 being all three scores.

They play in six-somes, (which makes the rounds long obviously, but it doesn't matter because you're basically partying with friends the entire day anyway.  You get there at sunrise and leave after dark because they have dinner and other fun golf activities after the round.)

EDIT:  One of the after round activities is a separate competition called a horse race.  That is one of the funnest golf-ish things I've ever participated in.  Every team in the flight playing on the same hole together with one ball, three person alternating shot as the format.  There were 21-22 teams the year I played in it.  At the end of each hole, high scores (at the discretion of the director) are lopped off and the rest continue until there is a winner.

[WUTiger]

Our Seniors group uses a mixed method for our regular events:

* Blind draw for teams on the first tee. We use playing cards to build foursomes (all Aces together, all Kings together, etc.)

* Modified Stableford match, with HCDP strokes; only half stroke on par 3 holes; everyone holes out.

Points Breakout
Net eagle: 4 points
Net birdie: 3 points
Net par: 2 points
Net bogie: 1 point
Net double bogie or more: everyone laughs at you in the clubhouse.

We also have skins and low putts as embedded individual games.

If you want to know the cost accounting formula on the payouts, I can put you in touch with a team member. He's both a lawyer and an accountant, and he could explain it to you. 

Edit: @Golfingdad mentioned a horserace format. This is also called a Shootout.

[DeadMan]

Awesome ideas. Keep them coming!