On Sunday past, Blair and I played in our second round of the Clear Springs Golf Course 2 person Best Ball tournament. We anticipated a great deal of rain, but luck would have it that it by past our location and we only had a few sprinkles through the round. The course was in fantastic shape, our playing partners were great fun, and we played very well for 16 holes! Overall, it was a great round. We played much better than our final score of 3 over 75, but alas, that is golf. As Charles Dickens said: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
Continue readingBest Ball Format
First Round Of My Best Ball Tournament
The first round of the 2 day, 2 person best ball tournament is in the books. Blair and I had the second tee time and we found the conditions challenging at the beginning of the round. As the round unfolded, the temperature warmed up than the ground dried out. We had a good strategy and for the most part, it worked. We had two bad holes (doubles on both) and many good holes. As a result, we finished 30th out of 68 teams with a score of 79. We are in the third flight and three strokes out of first in our flight. We figure we left four strokes on the course, but that is the way it goes during tournaments.
Continue readingPractice Round At Clear Springs Golf Course
Preparing for a golf tournament takes effort and planning. I am registered in a 2-person best ball this weekend with my friend Blair. In preparation for this two day event, we played our practice round yesterday with the intent of learning as much about the course as possible before we tee it up on Saturday. Blair and I have played this fun course in the past, but yesterday was an eye opener as the course has changed in the past 10 years. Blair took the lead on the strategy of our round because he played Clear Springs more, hence he shared his experience for the entire round. I learned a fair bit and I think we are ready for our tee time early Saturday morning.
Continue readingThe Strategy For A Two Day Golf Tournament
Today is the first round of the 2-person SportsPal tournament at Osprey Links Golf Course. It is one of the biggest tournaments of the year and my friend Blair and I have entered. We have played in this event before and finished near the bottom of the Championship flight (and out of the prizes). This year we are hoping to improve on our standings and walk away with a bit of the prize purse.
Continue readingScramble or Best Ball Golf Tournament
On Saturday, 12 July 14, I am playing in the Medigas Celebrity Classic 2014 at Trillium Wood Golf Club. This event is very popular in my area and to make things more exciting, the celebrities are professional hockey players! One celebrity will play with each group of four, making each team a total of five players. It is going be very exciting and I am looking forward to hitting the links.
The Medigas Celebrity Classic is a non profit charitable organization. Proceeds from this annual event support children that face physical challenges. It also assists young students in the advancement of their health care studies, during their pursuit of post secondary education. Previously this annual event was operated as the Rick Meagher Charity Golf Classic and it was originally established in 1988.
After 26 years and thanks to generous donations and money raised from the annual tournament, over $1,500,000 has been raised. Helping to support the needs of children with physical challenges in the Quinte area.
The advertisement for this event states that the Best Ball tournament will have a shotgun start at 10:30 am. For all the avid golfers out there, I bet you are scratching your head at the “Best Ball” format. I have doubts about the format myself and here is why.
Scramble – Everyone lines up the putt!
The difference between a Scramble and Best Ball tournament are two of the most confused terms in golf. Most novice players have difficulty because the names do not follow any logic.
The four-man scramble features teams of four players competing against one another. In this format, each team’s players hit from the teebox, then the team members choose the best of the four shots for the next shot. All team members then play the second shot from that location, and again choose the best shot. Play continues in this manner until the hole is completed. The team then records its score and maintains that format for all 18 holes. (Golfsmith.com)
Best ball can be played using 2-, 3- or 4-person teams. Each player on the team plays his or her own golf ball throughout the round, and on each hole the low score – or “best ball” – of the group serves as the team score. For example: On the first hole, Player A gets a 5, B gets a 4, C gets a 6, D gets a 6, so the team score for that hole is 4, because the low score of the group was B’s 4. (about.com)
Given that about 180 players will be teeing off at roughly the same time, it is unlikely we are playing the Best Ball format. Although, this format would be great for me, most participates at charity events are not single digit handicappers. The Scramble format is what most players will expect. They will be out to enjoy the day and donate money to a good cause.
Regardless of the format, I am going to enjoy myself and share many laughs with the friend who invited me. It is going to be a fantastic event that supports a local charity and besides if golf is involved, how could we go wrong!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 