TWGL Games

There are many ways for teams and individuals to compete for the daily pot. The common types are described below, but of course for each basic type there are a variety of tweaks. Unless otherwise indicated, it may be assumed that net score per hole, relative to par, is used as the basis. Also, for most competitions, the host must determine whether prizes will awarded beyond the 1st place winners.

Individual Play

  • Individual Score To Beat: The simplest choice - just use each player's STB (equivalent to net score), and high score (STB - actual score) wins. This is especially appropriate when there is a prime number of players (eg 5,7,11,13) and therefore equal-sized teams cannot be formed.

  • Other Individual Scoring: There are a number of ways to assign a score directly to a player other than #strokes, Stableford being the classic example. As with STB, each player's score is computed independently of the other players' performance.

  • Dots: As an individual add-on game, you earn or lose points, based on specific events during your round. To earn a point: To lose a point:

  • 12-point: This is another individual competition that works with any number of players. Per hole, compare all players' net scores. If N players tie for low score, each of them gets 12/N points (truncated). Thus, in general, 12 points are up for grabs each hole. The problem with this is that results cannot be computed on-the-fly if there is more than one group playing.

  • Number of Players Beat: Somewhat like 12-point: for each hole, each player receives points equal to the number of players he beat on that hole - so 2nd, 3rd place is good for something, unlike 12-point. But again, calls for heavy-duty post-round computation.

  • N-way match play: A team earns points as if it played every other team in match play, but doubled to avoid half-points. E.g. if there are 4 teams, then there are 6 matches going on at once: AB,AC,AD,BC,BD,CD. For each match, each hole, the winning team gets two points, or, in the case of a tie, both teams get one point. Thus the number of points up for grabs each hole = N*(N-1), where N = number of teams. Heavy-duty post-round computation required.

  • Three-man 6-point: This game makes sense only for a threesome. Unlike other "point" games coming in 2nd does you some good. Six points are up for grabs each hole. There are only four possible outcomes:
    1. Three-way tie: each player gets 2 points.
    2. Two-way tie for 1st: the two winners each get 3 points.
    3. One winner, and tie for 2nd: point payout is 4-1-1.
    4. Players finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd: point payout is 4-2-0.
    Plus a variation: if you win the hole by two strokes or more, you get all six points.

  • Round Robin: One way to form teams even with a prime number of players is round robin. Players are sorted into some cyclical order (e.g. by handicap, or alphabetically), and each pair of adjacent players forms a team. E.g. for seven players, there would be seven teams: 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-1. Combined STB is then used as the team score. Note that each player belongs to two teams. For a large number of players (e.g. 13) you could also form 3-man teams this way.

  • Best N-of-M: For a team with M members, use the N best scores per hole. Typical use might be best 2-of-3. Best 1-of-2 is of course just the well-known "better ball" rule.

  • Variable Best N-of-M: Like the previous, except that N varies systematically. The common example here is 1-2-3: using best 1,2,3 scores on successive holes.

  • Best/Worst: A nice variation is to use scores other than the best. Two typical examples are low/high for two-man teams, and low/middle/high for three-man teams.

  • A/B: In this type of game, scores are used based on the players' identity, not on which score is best. The simplest case is just to take the scores of a designated A player and B player in succession (or A-B-C, for three man teams). The team usually gets to decide (in advance) who is A or B. A variant is to use combined score as well, e.g. A-B-AB in a 3-hole cycle.

  • Constrained Choice: As a variant of A/B, each team member must contribute a certain number of scores, but the team can decide right after each hole which player to use. E.g. for a 2-man team, you must use 9 scores from each player, or for a 3-man team, 6 from each. As a further variation, the constraint can apply to subsets of the 18 holes. E.g. for each 9 holes, you must use 3 A-scores, 3 Bs and 3 Cs.

    Another twist is to require some combined scores. E.g. for a two-man team, you need 6 A scores, 6 B scores, and 6 AB scores. When mixing single and combined scores, you have to use score relative to par as a basis, not simple net score, or otherwise, you'd always pick a combined score for par 3s.

    Yet another possibility: for 2-man teams, use one score per hole, to be chosen immediately after the hole is played, but no more than two in a row from either player (Two-and-Thru). For 3-man teams, use 2 out of 3, and the unused player must be used next hole (3rd man In). In either of these formats, if all team players score better than net par, you take their combined score (total scoring relative to par, of course) and no constraints on next hole.

  • Team Match: This works best for a foursome - just take the high and low handicap player vs. the two middle players. Add the handicaps for each team and use the difference. E.g. if the handicaps are 5,11,14,22, then the "middle" team (combined handicap 25 = 11+14) gives two strokes to the "extreme" team (27 = 5+22). Thus most holes are played straight up. Of course team total is used per hole (not best ball). Note that in this competition, you do not use per-hole individual handicap.

  • High-Low: Another foursome game. There are two two-man teams, and two points available per hole. One point for the lowest low score, another for the better high score. Ties can count as zero, or be carried over.

  • 6-6-6: Again, a foursome-type game, using team total per hole. First 6 holes is cart vs. cart, next 6 drivers vs. riders, 3rd 6 holes, the other way. Typically, each player puts $6 in the pot, and each 6-hole match is therefore worth $8.

  • Skins: This works best with a single group (threesome or foursome). Each hole is worth a certain amount of money and you must win the hole outright (no ties). E.g. with a $20 pot, you might have holes #1-16 worth $1, and #17-18 worth $2. If a hole is tied, the money carries over to the next. A problem with this format is figuring out a good tie-breaker for the 18th hole. One simple solution: prize pot reverts to the most recent winner.

  • Bet on Par: The idea here is that each team bets per hole whether it can get a combined score of net par or better. Minimum bet is one point. The team then gets two chances to "raise the stakes" by one point: Thus, the maximum bet per hole is three points. Note that no team member may putt before all members are on the green - as soon as a member makes a stroke on the green, the current bet is frozen.

    Group Play / Scrambles

  • Classic: Use best shot for each stroke. Often requires at least three tee shots for each team member. Everyone may use same tee, or seniors/women may use appropriate tee.

  • Semi: Scramble only the first N shots, where N = par - 3. Eg on a par 4, you would scramble only the tee shot. Thereafter, each player plays his own ball and use the best as the team score.

  • Adjustable: Start at the shortest tees. Birdie or better, move back one tee, bogey or worse, move up one tee, three pars in a row, move up one. Variation: Par, always stay where you are (no matter how many pars in a row). But ... each team gets three free advances: on three holes of their choice, they get to move up one tee from where they otherwise would have been.
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