The Introduction of Popular Golf Tournament Formats

There are many different golf tournament formats, and some of the oddest are played at company outings, golf association paydays and the like. Golf tournament can be divided into match play and stroke play, it is generally played for the lowest number of strokes by an individual, known simply as stroke play, or the lowest score on the most individual holes during a complete round by an individual or team, known as match play. You can find many more in our Tournament Formats Games Glossary in order to get in a couple more esoteric formats.

The Scramble is probably the most-common format for team tournaments. It can be played by 2-, 3- or 4-person teams, and involves choosing the one best shot following every stroke, with each team member then playing again from that one spot. Variants include the Texas Scramble, Florida Scramble and Ambrose. Click the link for a more in-depth explanation, as you can do for each term listed here. The Scramble is one of the primary forms of tournament play for golf associations, charity events and the like. A scramble is usually played with 4-person teams, but 2-person scrambles are popular, too. At a 2-person scramble, handicaps are usually applied; at a 4-person scramble, handicaps are usually not applied – unless it is an Ambrose-style scramble. In a scramble, each player tees off on each hole. The best of the tee shots is selected and all players play their second shots from that spot. The best of the second shots is determined, then all play their third shots from that spot, and so on until the ball is holed.

Best Ball is one of the most popular golf tournament formats. In a Best Ball tournament, all members of each team play their own balls on each hole. At the completion of the hole, the lowest score among all team members serves as the team score. Best Ball can also be called Four Ball, and variations include 1-2-3 Best Ball. Alternate Shot is a golf competition format in which two golfers play as a team and alternate hitting the same golf ball. It is sometimes called Foursomes. The two players on a team alternate hitting shots, playing the same ball. Odds and Evens and Scotch Foursomes are other versions of Alternate Shot.

A Stableford competition employs a points system that is set forth in the Rules of Golf under Rule 32. A Modified Stableford is a competition that employs the same principle – golfers are awarded points based on their performance on each hole, with the highest point total winning – but with a different set of points than what is described in the rulebook. Modified Stableford is better known than Stableford because a former PGA Tour event, The International, was played using Modified Stableford. A Modified Stableford competition can be played by individuals or as a team tournament. In Modified Stableford, the idea is to have the highest score – because your score on each hole is worth a certain amount of points. A birdie, for example, might be worth 2 points. The International, played on the PGA Tour every year, is a Modified Stableford. A Modified Stableford can have different point totals for different accomplishments as a tournament committee decides. It can also offer different points to different players for the same accomplishments.

“Chapman System” is the name of a 2-person team competition format named after Dick Chapman, a great amateur golfer who played The Masters 17 consecutive years. He “invented” the game at Pinehurst Resort, hence it is alternately called Chapman or Pinehurst. And, for good measure, it is less frequently referred to as American Foursomes. In the Chapman System, both players on a side tee off, then they switch balls. Player A plays Player B’s drive, and vice-versa. Each player hits his or her second shot. They then select the better of the second shots, and from that point until the ball is holed they play only one ball in an alternate shot format. When the Chapman System (a k a Pinehurst System) is the format for a tournament, it means that 2-person teams will be competing. Chapman is really a melding of several formats into one. In a Chapman event, teammates switch balls after their tee shots, select the one best ball after their second shots, and then play alternate shot until the ball is holed.

Bingo Bango Bongo is a points-based game that can be played by any number of players, from two up. In Bingo Bango Bongo, three types of achievements are rewarded with a point. The first player in a group to get his ball on the green gets a point. The player in the group whose ball is closest to the pin once all balls are on the green gets a point, and the player in the group who is first to hole out gets a point. Add up the points at the end of the game, high points wins. Bingo Bango Bongo gives weaker players a chance to earn points because what matters is being first at something. For example, all members of the group tee off on a par-4. The player who hit the worst drive (farthest from the hole) plays first, and so has the first shot at winning the bingo point. This is one of the most popular formats for golf association tournaments and league tournaments. Bingo Bango Bongo rewards players for three things on each hole: being the first player in the group to get onto the green; being closest to the hole once all group members are on the green; and being the first player in the cup.

Lone Ranger, also called Money Ball, Yellow Ball or Pink Ball, puts the onus on one player per team per hole to come through with a good score. Lone Ranger is a golf tournament format that is known by many other names, as well. On each hole, one player in each foursome is designated the “lone ranger.” That designation rotates throughout the round; for example, Player A has it on the first hole, B on the second, C on the third, D on the fourth, then back to A on the fifth and so on. In Lone Ranger, two scores per hole are added together for the team score. Here’s the catch: One of those two scores must be from the Lone Ranger. So on each hole, the team score will be the score of the player designated the Lone Ranger, plus the lowest score of the other three players on the team. Players in a group of four rotate as the “Lone Ranger;” on each hole, the score of the designated Lone Ranger is combined with the low score of the other three team members for the team score.

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