Posted on behalf of Mr Bailey.
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Dear Swashbucklers,
Following the snowed-off attempt at a golf day in January I am now organising “Take 2” and have booked some tee times from midday at Surrey National on Saturday 6 April 2013.
I will provide prizes for nearest pins etc and best (and worst) scores, probably in a bogey competition.
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Simon will be collecting numbers and needs a yes/no/maybe to firm up numbers so please get in touch with him.
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Hew:
I saw the Charity Day Rules that they have setup for Thursday’s event at Surrey National. Googled for some more to serve as food for thought. The Bloodsome Scramble sounds a bit too painful.
Society games
Stringball
Instead of handicap strokes, each player is allocated one foot of string for every shot of his/her handicap. Each player can move the ball by measuring the distance moved and cutting that amount from the ball. You can use the string to remove your ball from hazards, get it out of a difficult lie or to hole out. If you like you can offer the option to gain one foot of string for each birdie scored. Remember to take your scissors!
Pink Ball
In teams of three or four, each player plays there own ball and one plays the pink ball. The pink ball score plus the best of the other three counted for each hole. The lowest aggregate score and the lowest pink score take the money. Mind you if you lose the pink ball, you’re out!
Texas Scramble
Players play in groups of three of four. All drive and then select the best shot and mark it. Everyone then hits the next shot form this point. Repeat procedure with each shot until you hole out. This event is played off handicap and if you do not have special tables, add all the teams member’s handicaps together and divide by ten. Deduct the handicap from the final total.
Bloodsome Scramble
As per Texas scramble but the worst shot is selected. Beware, as everyone has to hole out for a hole to be completed! Best played over nine holes or you’ll never finish in daylight.
Bisque
Players can nominate to take their handicap strokes at any time. Strokes must be nominated before playing the hole. Can be used to liven up matchplay, strokeplay or stableford events.
Bingo, Bango, Bunco
Also known as Bingo, Bango, Bongo. A great format when the company is of mixed ability because final scores don’t count. Instead points are awarded for firsts: first player to reach the green, player closest to the hole, first player to putt out – and any others you’d like to include. Great fun and a brilliant way of including everyone in the day.
Side Bets
As well as your main event have a few side bets to keep interest up. Decide your own value for units and don’t get carried away. It’s meant to be fun not financially life threatening!
Oozles & Foozles
At a par 3 the player on the green nearest the flag after one shot has to hole out in two putts or better for an oozle and a unit. If the player fails to do this it is a foozle and is a loss of a unit. If no-one hits the green then the oozles can accumulate on subsequent par 3s. One-off oozles can also be played for gorillas who drive par 4s.
Gritty Pars
Getting a par after being in the sand at any point on the hole.
Ferrets
Holing out from off the green without using your putter. Golden ferrets are for holing out from a bunker and count double.
Birdies & Eagles
No prizes for guessing this – just put a premium on this depending on handicaps and the course’s difficulty.
Dr Doolittle
Dr Doolittle comprises various accumulators, such as Snakes for three-putting. Each time someone three-putts, this adds 1 unit to the value of the snake. The last person to three-putt is deemed to be holding the snake and pays out the total value to all others in the group. You can combine this with other accumulators for various misdemeanors using the same principle: Camels for going in a bunker, Fish for hitting into water, Bears for hitting trees, Rabbits for going in the gorse or bushes and Grouse for landing in the heather. Keep the monetary value of each unit low as they will mount up quite quickly!!
Flaps
When playing from off the green, a player shouts ‘Flap’ between hitting the ball and its first bounce. The player then has to hole out with the next shot to gain a unit. Failure to do so loses a unit. If a player calls a flap, opponents may shot ‘double’ before the ball makes its first bounce to double the win or loss.
Portuguese Caddy
Each player is allowed to move the ball without penalty by kicking it. Specify a number of Portuguese Caddies allowed per person per round.
Gotchas!
Each person has one opportunity to shot ‘Gotcha’ during an opponent’s swing during a round. Sometimes the anticipation is enough to put someone off.
Mulligans
Ever wanted to play a shot again? Give each person a mulligan and you disregard a bad shot and play it again. Named after a member at Winged Foot who always hit a second ball off the first tee and counted it as his first.
No Alibis
Extreme mulligan golf where your handicap converts into the number of mulligans you receive. So if you have a 6 handicap you get 6 mulligans during the round to replay any shot. However you must use your opening tee shot and you cannot replay a shot twice. Everyone then plays off scratch and the lowest score on each hole wins.
Metoo
A metoo is where you are allowed to swap your shot for someone else’s in your group at any hole, be it a drive, iron shot or putt. Move your ball to where the other shot finished and you both play the next shot from there. You may use your metoo to join someone in holing out. Agree the number of metoos among you depending on your handicap.
Dunce
Whoever has the worst score on each hole has to wear a designated hat for the following hole. The sillier the headgear the better.
Buckshot
Similar to Dunce, whoever hits the widest tee shot on each hole has to get the silly hat on. Have a Buckshot of the round too – you will have the funniest after round chat ever debating this one!
Adolf
Penalty for failing to get out of a bunker.
Seve
Scoring a par without hitting the fairway or green in regulation and having only one putt on the green.
Gruesomes can cause a stir.
Definition: Gruesomes is a 2-person team game that is more common as a betting game but is also sometimes used as a golf tournament format.
In Gruesomes, both members of a team – let’s call them Team A – tee off. Then the members of the opposing side (Team B) select which drive Team A has to play. When Team B’s golfers tee off, Team A selects which drive they have to play. Needless to say, when you’re choosing which of two drives your opponents have to play, you’re going to make them play the worse – or most gruesome – of the two drives.