Setting up Flights

Question
Paul,

I have a league consisting of 12 teams with 2 gals on each team. We play as a team for 16 weeks. I have golfers with handicaps that range from 14 to 25. 25 being the maximum, some are even higher. We are a senior league and have a lot of fun. I want to set up 2 flights (maybe A&B). I will have 12 gals with handicaps from 14 to 22 in Flight A and 12 gals with handicaps of 25 or over in Flight B.
Now I don't understand how the gals play each other in each of the flights. Now my partner and myself both have a 14 handicap, so would we still be playing as a team or would I be playing against her? I don't understand how to figure how points are won by each team, when I might have one gal in one flight and another gal in another flight. Please help !!!

Answer
Hi Karen,

There are several ways to schedule your league and even more ways to score your events.  With 16 weeks, each team could play every other team once and then go into a "playoff" schedule for the final five weeks.  Or teams within each flight could play every other team in the flight twice and then go into a playoff schedule that would pit one flight against the other.

As far as points go the simplest way would be to play in a "match play" format where the winning team would get one point; a tie would earn 1/2 point for each team and of course, the losing team would get no points.  The teams accumulating the most points over the regular season would have a higher seeding in the playoffs.  In this format matches could end before the 18th hole is reached.

Another way to do that would be to earn one point for each hole won, 1/2 point for each hole halved.  In this format all 18 holes would be played each time because it's all about earning points for each hole won.  You could grant an extra point or so for winning the match.  For example, a match would have 20 possible points to be won.  Eighteen points if one team won every hole plus two bonus points for winning the match.  Over the season teams are accumulating points to determine the winners and/or seeding for the playoffs.

If you like the idea of having a playoff system, you might consider reducing the difference between the teams for the beginning of the playoffs.  So if one team has a 30 point lead over the second place team, you might either cut that difference in half or make the points in the playoffs worth twice as much (2 pts for winning a hole, 1 each for a tie) so that the teams behind have "some" chance to catch the leaders.

If you'd rather run the league as a stroke play competition it would be fairly easy to just keep tract of the net best ball score of each team from week to week.  The team with the lowest net best ball score over the season would be winners and/or be the highest seeds in the playoffs.

If you need more specific information on scheduling or any other part of the organization of your league, feel free to follow up with your additional questions.

Best regards,

Paul Dolman
PGA Golf Professional