The season of golf tournaments is closely at hand. Regardless of which course you play, the deluge of tournaments is about to hit your local area. They take up tee times and sometimes directly affect your ability to play at your favourite time. Well, if you are new to the golf, it is important to understand that this is all part of the golf business. Many courses/clubs make their profits during these events and therefore try to balance the number of events with the demand for member tee times. I have made my peace with this dance and actually embrace the tournaments by participating in them as much as possible. For the most part, I find them fun, entertaining, and challenging all at the same time. However, I do have a favourite and intentionally seek this format out above all others.
Over the years I have played in a multitude of golf tournaments. I enjoy the competition (regardless of the formats) because it helps my game. The sustained pressure is something that all players need to experience in order to strengthen their game. This pressure directly impacts a players ability to “close the books” on a great round without faltering down the stretch. The pressure also helps build mental toughness and facilitates performing in less than ideal conditions. Golf tournaments offer a plethora of possibilities for your game that cannot be found abundantly in normal rounds.
Knowing that tournaments help my golf game, I try to play in as many as possible to ensure I take full advantage of what tournaments have to offer. Most of the time, I play in scramble or match play events. They are great fun and enjoy the team concept because it adds an additional social aspect to playing. These formats, however, are not my favourite and although I play in those the most, I would rather play in stroke events.
I like stroke events the most because I do not have stay focused on my game for the entire round. There is no safety net like other tournament formats. Every shot has the potential to make or break my round of golf. Hence, the pressure to perform well is consistent to playing regular rounds of golf. I experience a greater amount of pressure from tournament play that is directly transferable to the rest of my golf games. I believe that stroke tournaments is a truer test of our golfing abilities and any other golf tournament format.
Unfortunately, there are very few stroke/net events hosted in my area. The primary focus is on scramble and match play events because of the popularity of these formats. These easier events (I can image the potential push back from those three words) appeal to a broader group of golfers and as such a better money making events. As the business manager of a golf course (as all GMs are) it is not surprising that virtually all golf tournaments consist of the team format. It is the nature of the industry at this time.
The reality that there are very few stroke events does not prevent me from playing in golf tournaments. The fact that I prefer another format the norm is really a preference issue and not a road block from playing in competitions. I am already looking forward to playing in some events and hopefully I will be as successful as I was last year. Here is hoping!
Do you have a favourite golf tournament format?
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
I think that there is a time and place for both stroke play and match play. I do enjoy the 1:1 nature and the strategies that come into play with match play and it definitely can add a unique dimension to the game when you haven’t played it in a while.
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Jon
Great points. I enjoy Match Play, but enjoy stroke play the most. All have positives that make golf fun.
Cheers Jim
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My favourite tournament format is definitely match play, in all its forms. Team formats similar to the Ryder Cup are much more satisfying than scrambles in my book.
For most of golf history, match play was the game of golf and stroke play is a relative newcomer. Match play requires you to make choices on strategy that you would not encounter in stroke play and balance risk/reward depending on the situation. Knowing when to be aggressive sharpens strategy and brings out creativity in shotmaking.
As Jim has stated, scrambles are more common for many reasons. I participate to support various causes. It does not get my juices flowing in the same way matches do.
On Sunday, I got a call from our former club champion. The weather had been brutal in the morning with lots of rain, wind, and cold. The radar showed that around 1pm there was going to be a short window of no rain, 6 degrees C to start, strong winds and temperatures dropping throughout the afternoon. We decided game on. We had a tremendous match which ended all square just as the wet snow started. By playing aggressively when required, I managed two birdies and had a seven over 79 under tough conditions, not bad for a 10 handicap.
Long live match play.
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Lorne
Your match sounds amazing! I wish I would have been a fly on the wall watching you two slug it out in the tough conditions. Congrats on a great match.
Cheers Jim
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Jim, stroke play gross score is my favorite for the reasons you mention. It’s also the fairest because there is no sand bagging. But alas, the scramble is the cash cow and is most popular. Most of my tournaments were canceled last season from COVID. Hoping for a better 2021.
Thanks,
Brian
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Brian,
We were lucky that some of our tournaments went as scheduled later in the year. It definitely was a tough year for tournaments and I am hoping to play in a few more this year. Unfortunately, none will be stroke play.
Cheers Jim
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We’ve got lots more opportunities down here for tournament golf if you don’t mind traveling within the state a bit. The list is long and varied. The Florida Super Senior Championship started just today in fact. It’s in Palm City on the other coast so about a 3 hour drive. It’s a multi day event. And the USGC Central Florida Challenge starts April 8th in Orlando. 2 hours away if traffic isn’t horrible. Amateurgolf. com lists at least 50 tournaments for men and women amateurs in the state. As for me, the only one’s I’ve played in were scramble’s. Benefits for one cause or another like The First Tee program or the one my clients puts on for disadvantage families every year. And pretty much every one of the hundreds of courses in the area have league golf. That’s where you’ll find some other formats most often.
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Kevin,
You definitely have a plethora of events in your area. We are not quite as lucky.
Cheers Jim
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