Conference 7.286::golf

    Hi Al,
    
    It sounds to me like a good system of scoring to use for you all would
    be what is called the quota system. I'll give as best a description of
    the system as I can recall, from playing with this system a few times.
    
    Basically it goes like this, you get so many points per hole based on
    what you score on the hole.
    
    			 Double Bogie or higher	= 0 pts
    					  Bogie	= 1 pt
    					    Par	= 2 pts
    					 Birdie	= 4 pts
    				          Eagle	= 8 pts
    				   Double Eagle	= 16 pts (? not sure)
    
    So lets take a golfer who shoots par for his
    average of scores. This golfer would have a quota of 36. You get that
    by taking 18 holes and multiplying that by 2 pts (what a par is worth).
    Then as this golfer plays his 18 holes he would keep track of his score
    by adding his points up for each hole, based on the point system above.
    Lets say he shoots 2 birdies, 12 pars, 3 bogies and 1 other. That would
    equal a point total of:
    
    				birdies  2 x 4 =  8
    				pars    12 x 2 = 24
    				bogies   3 x 1 =  3
    				other    1 x 0 =  0
     						----
    				total points   = 35
    				       quota   = 36
    
    				difference     = -1
    
    Okay now you have a golfer that shoots on an average 12 over par. Well
    to start there is no exacting way to determine his quota knowing that
    he shoots 12 over par on the average. So we'll have to just take a guess
    at what to assign this player for a quota. Hmmm, let's see, he probably
    would get around 1 birdie, 7 pars, 7 bogies and 3 double bogies per round.
    That would equal a quota of 25. So this player has a quota of 25 when
    he goes to play. Let's say he goes out and shoots his round and gets,
    2 birdies, 6 pars, 8 bogies and 2 others. His point total would be:
    
    				birdies  2 x 4 =  8
    				pars	 6 x 2 = 12
    				bogies   8 x 1 =  8
    				others   2 x 0 =  0
                                                ----
    				point total    = 28
    				quota          = 25
    						----
    				difference     = +3
    
    In the above cases the player with the 25 quota would win the prize
    because he accumulated 3 more points (+3) than what his quota was. And
    the player with the 36 quota accumulated 1 less point than his quota
    (-1). As you can see this is one of the few times in golf where you
    would rather have a +3 score over a -1! 8^)
    
    Al, I can think of a couple of possible ways to begin to implement the
    quota system if you all decide to use it. Firstly, you could just take
    a guess at a starting quota for all your players, and then adjust the
    quota weekly from there, by averaging how many points they made each
    week over the last 4 weeks. Example, you start one player with a 16
    quota, and that week he makes 19 points. His quota for the very next
    week would be (16+19)/2 = 17.5 or 18 pt quota. The next week he gets 17
    points. His quota for the following week would be (16+19+17)/3 = 17.3
    or 17 pt quota. The next week he gets 25 points. His quota for the next
    week would be (16+19+17+25)/4 = 19.3 or 19 pt quota. Then the next week
    he acquires 19 points. For the next week you would figure his quota by
    adding the last 4 weeks point totals and dividing by 4. This would mean
    the 16 point round would in effect no longer be used in calculating his
    quota. He would now have a quota of (19+17+25+19)/4 = 20 pt quota.
    
    My other suggestion is that you simply keep all your scores over the
    next 3 weeks and figure out what each player would have made point wise
    using the quota system. At the end of 3 weeks you could determine
    everyones quota based on the average of these 3 scores. The 4th week
    you could begin to play using the quota system.
    
    You could also taylor the quota system to your own groups ideas and
    come up with a new point system to use. Hope this helps, have fun and
    keep golfing, it truly is a great game!
    
    
    					-Paul
    

    
    RE: .1
    
    Paul,
    
    Point quota tourneys are great, but they are based on people having
    handicaps... If these people in this group had handiaps then there
    would be all kinds of possibilities of ways for them to run matches.
    
    Callaway is probably the way to go... Or figure out some handicaps
    fo the players... Not really much work for a small group...
    
    Just my thoughts
    Gene

    a good rule of thumb is 36-handicap for what a persons quota
    should be.
    
    		dan
    

    re: .1
    
    	we have used this for years at my club and since the slope
    system has come out the usga handicapping manual has given this
    same system but now uses 39 points as the max for 18 holes based on
    your handicap as Gene has said....
    
    
    	A 10 handicapper would be required to get 29 points for 18 to
    be even or 14.5 for 9 holes. the USGA has found the 39 points to be
    more balanced amoung people with handicaps....don't ask where they
    get 39 it appears to be their fudge factor after doing all their
    statiostical analysis...but it does seem fairer....
    
    

    Why not use best ball teams (2 0r 4 players), vary the teams and try
    to match skill levels, e.g. one better player, one high handicapper
    (or would be if he had a handicap) and then two average skilled
    players.  Everyone hits a tee shot, select the best one and all hit
    from there, and so on until you hole out.  You can add rules, such as
    you must you at least one drive from each player, which gives some
    strategy.  To help interest the better players have a pool for 
    closest to the pin and maybe long drive.  Simple, fun and adds to
    the comraderie, by having team play.
    
    Big Mac

    hi,
    
    	I played in a tourny that was a lot of fun for all levels of
    talent. First you have to pick each team and place an A B C and D
    player on each foursome. This will allow a margin for error. Then
    	each player plays his ball tee to green. But the team score is
    	the two lowest scores added per hole. In this format every hole
    was fun, and all the players contributed.
    
    	Walta

    
    RE: .4
    
    I don't understand this NEW 39 point system...!
    
    The 36 point system is based on 2 points for a par and thus if
    you shot even par you would have 36 points... Thus if you are a
    10 handicap you would expect to average 10 bogies per round and
    would only have to make 26 points to make your quota...! If you
    are a scratch golfer with this 39 point system you would have
    to make 39 points... I don't see where that comes from... Can
    anybody shed some light on this for me?
    
    
    Thanks
    Gene

    gene,
    
    these were the same arguements we used when they introduced it at
    my club and finally the pro got pissed and pulled out the USGA
    Handicapping Manual and showed us the section on it...I did not take
    the time to read it all but as I recall it had to do with the slope
    method of figuring handicaps and statistics they had done...thus 39
    instead of 36 points....all I can say it get one of the manuals
    and enlighten us all....
    
    
    dick
    

    
    Well, I pulled out the USGA Handicap System book...
    
    I did not find a specific touney format called Point Quota...
    I did find one called Chicago System which could explain the problem ;-)
    
    
    It reads as follows (copied without permission)...
    
    CHICAGO SYSTEM
    
    	Each player is given a point-quota, based on his handicap. Points
    are scored: bogey 1, par 2, birdie 4, eagle 8. PLayer whose point total
    for 18 holes most exceeds his quota (or comes closest if none exceeds it)
    wins. Find your point-quota opposite your handicap in table.
    
    HCP   QTA   HCP   QTA   HCP   QTA   HCP   QTA   HCP   QTA 
     1     38    7     32    13    26    19    20    25    14
     2     37    8     31    14    25    20    19    26    13
     3     36    9     30    15    24    21    18    27    12
     4     35    10    29    16    23    22    17    28    11
     5     34    11    28    17    22    23    16    29    10
     6     33    12    27    18    21    24    15    30     9
    
    It sure looks like they are using 39 here. It gives no further info
    at all, so as for the reasoning behind it....??? Damned if I know or
    understand why...!!!
    
    Gene

Gene,

One possibility is that they figure that the scratch player 
doesn't score par by shooting all pars, but by shooting, on average, 4 
bogeys and 4 birdies.  Given the points allowed for each, that comes 
to 39 (when you throw in all those pars, of course).

In fact, it doesn't matter if the quota is 100--everyone gets the same 
number of points for each score. You just won't get many plus 
scores.

Tom

    
    Tom,
    
    	You are right, in that it doesn't matter what the quota is.
    
    	BTW, 4 birdies - 4 bogeys - 10 pars is 40 points... :-)
    	4 birds - 5 bogeys - 9 pars is 39 points...
    	2 birds - 1 bogey - 15 pars is 39 points...
    	And I am sure that there are many more combinations to get 39...
    
    Gene

    
    	I just realized that the examples I gave may very well equal
    	39 points, but they don't equal an even par round... So I
    	still fail to see where the 39 comes from...
    
    	Gene

	Why don't you just do something simple like HI-LOW pairings.
	Teams of two are formed each week based on the previous weeks 
	scores.  The best golfer is paired with the worst, second best 
	with second worst, etc.  Players still keep individual scores(in 
	order to determine following weeks teams), but the money is split 
	by the winning team.  Usually people will have different partners from
	week to week.  

	Brian

    Have everyone go out and play their 18 holes the best they can.
    Once everyone is finished and sitting around over a couple cold
    ones, randomly choose 9 of the holes (out of a hat or whatever)
    and use those 9 holes only to determine each persons handicap.
    Simply add the score over par for each of the 9 holes chosen
    and subtract the total of the 9 holes from the 18 hole score.
    This will give you each players score for the day.  Randomly choosing 
    the 9 holes following play will prevent players from stacking their
    handicaps during the round.  I have played in a couple of tournaments
    using this format and it seemed to work pretty well.
    We also rewarded the person who had the most pars for the round.
    
    Just a suggestion!
    
    Russ