Shoreline Seniors Golf Club
Stroke Play Tournament Formats
(Prizes are normally awarded to one-third of players in each handicap
division)
Section 9 (Handicap
Competitions) of The USGA Handicap System specifies competitions and handicap
allowances that are aimed at producing fair and equitable competition. The
formats for stroke play are set forth in Section 9-b
and relate to 18-hole competitions.
A. GAMES FOR SINGLE PLAYERS (1 SCORE CARD PER PLAYER)
Individual Stroke Play (Low Net):
The winners are
competitors who play the round (or rounds in the case of 36- or 54-hole
competitions)
in
the fewest net strokes with each player receiving full course handicaps.
Modified Stableford Competition (No Minus):
The scoring in club Stableford competitions awards point in relation to net par
with full course handicaps; Net Point Par:
The scoring in Net Point Par competitions awards point in relation to net par
with full course handicaps;
B. GAMES FOR TWOSOMES (1 SCORE CARD FOR TWO PLAYERS AS A TEAM
) Better Ball Twosome: Two members play as
partners, each playing their own ball, with the lower of the partners' scores
as the score for each hole. Total Score of Partners Stroke Play (Aggregate Twosome):
Two players form a team, and each plays their own ball, with the combined total of the
partners' scores as the score for the team. Partners receive full combined
course handicap.
C. GAMES FOR FOURSOMES (1 SCORE CARD FOR FOUR PLAYERS AS A TEAM) Best-Ball-of-Four Stroke Play (Best Ball Foursome):
Four players
play as a side, with each playing their own ball, and the lowest net score of
the side as the score for the hole.
Two-Best-Balls-of-Four
Stroke Play (Best Two Balls Foursome):
Four players each play their own ball, and
the sum of the two best net score on each hole is the score for the hole. D. ALTERNATE SHOT GAMES (ONE SCORE
CARD FOR TWO PLAYERS AS A TEAM Foursome Stroke Play (Alternate Shot/Alternate Chapman or Pinehurst Stroke Play (Alternate Shot Play After
Selected Second Shots):
Two players play as partners, with each
partner playing from the teeing ground and playing the partner�s ball for the
second shot. After the second shot, partners select the ball with which they
want to score and play that ball alternately to complete the hole. The player
with the lower course handicap is allowed 60 percent of course handicap and the
player with the higher course handicap is allowed 40 percent of course
handicap, with .4 rounded down and .5 rounded up. (This
completes USGA-recognized formats).
The club also plays several formats which are not USGA-recognized and/or do not relate to an 18-hole round.
Among these are the following: Best Three Balls Foursome (Low net total for three lowest net scores per hole
for four players) Scramble Foursome (Each player
hits a tee shot; all players play a stroke from a selected tee shot location,
but each player must contribute (and team must record) a minimum of three such
tee shots; all players hit consecutive shots from selected best location until
holing out; play from locations through the green shall be under mark, lift,
clean and place local rule within two club-lengths not nearer the hole; low
gross score for team's play is recorded; course handicaps are not used,
although special additional rules may be used to allow for deductions of a
percentage of total course handicaps of players in a net scramble foursome
format. Better
Nine of 18 (Low net for lower net
score for either front or back nine play; this format has a minor inequity in
that odd-numbered course handicaps receive an extra stroke on the back nine) Nine
Best of 18(Low net total for lowest net scores on nine of eighteen
hole played; this format is unrelated to the 18-hole basis on which handicaps
are computed; it also suffers from the very high likelihood that par-five holes
will not figure in the lowest nine net scores) Other Formats:
(prizes
to all participants instead of one-third); Peer (low net with flights based on
age);
Eclectic (36 holes; total low net
for each of 18 holes as better low net score per hole on each of two rounds, a
format which also is unrelated to the 18-hole basis on which handicaps are
computed); Red Tees (all players play a low net stroke play round from the red
tees and use respective course handicaps for such tees); Red-White-Blue (play
from different sets of tees, with net scores based on handicap stroke
allocations for the white tees or any other temporary rating that would be
approved by the NCGA) most recent update: December 18,
2020
gross strokes less handicap per hole as allocated on the score card;
and winners being who
scores the highest number of points in accordance with the following:
Par, bogie, or anything higher: 0 points
Birdie (1 under par): 2 points
Eagle (2 under par): 5 points
Double Eagle (3 under par): 8 points!
gross strokes less handicap per hole as allocated on the score card;
and winners being who
scores the highest number of points in accordance with the following:
bogie: 1 point
par: 2 points
Birdie (1 under par): 3 points
Eagle (2 under par): 4 points
Double Eagle (3 under par): 5 points