What kind of golf game can I play with 5 guys at different skill levels?

Question

The problem is there is an odd number of us and our skills range from a +14 handicapper to a yearly golfer.

I'm fine with having teams or no teams, just so everyone has fun and doesn't get too frustrated. I want it close and competitive.

Answer 1

Go on-line and checkout the Callaway scoring system... it allows for handicapping AFTER the round and is designed primarily for use in corporate golf outings where the players ability varies from scratch to beginner. It allows you to drop a certain number of holes based on your gross score, with certain limitations. I've used it in the past for company outings and it works pretty well.  It also can prevent sandbagging since lying about your handicap is of no use.

How to Use the Callaway Scoring System When Official Handicaps are Unavailable

The Callaway System (or Callaway Scoring System) is a sort of 1-day handicapping system that can be used in events where most of the golfers do not have real handicap indexes.

For example, at a company outing, most of the golfers may not carry official handicap indexes. How can they all - with widely different playing abilities - compete fairly at stroke play?



The Callaway System allows a "handicap allowance" to be determined and then applied to each golfer's score.

When the Callaway System is in use, all competitors tee off and play stroke play, scoring in the normal fashion with one exception - double par is the maximum score on any given hole (i.e., on a par 4, 8 is the maximum score).

Following the round, gross scores are tallied. Based on each golfer's gross score (using the double par maximum), each golfer tallies up a prescribed number of worst scores from their scorecard, then applies a second adjustment that may add or subtract additional strokes.

The result is a total that is something similar to a net score using real handicaps.

A couple points:

• The higher a competitor's gross score, the more holes that player will be deducting;

• Holes deducted begin with the highest score; if a player gets to deduct one hole and his highest score is an 8, then an 8 is what gets deducted;

• Scores on the 17th and 18th holes may not be deducted, even if one (or both) of them are the competitor's highest score.

• Even after high scores are added together for the allowance, the second adjustment must be made; this adjustment might add or subtract 2, 1 or 0 strokes from a player's Callaway handicap.

• Once the appropriate number of high scores has been tallied, and the second adjustment is made, the player is left with a net score.

Sounds complicated, eh? That's why the Callaway System comes complete with a handy reference chart.

The chart below should make things much easier to grasp. Look over the chart, then look below the chart for an example.

Gross (using double par max.) Handicap Deduction

  70 71 72 Scratch

73 74 75   1/2 of Worst Hole

76 77 78 79 80 Worst Hole

81 82 83 84 85 1 1/2 Worst Holes

86 87 88 89 90 2 Worst Holes

91 92 93 94 95 2 1/2 Worst Holes

96 97 98 99 100 3 Worst Holes

101 102 103 104 105 3 1/2 Worst Holes

106 107 108 109 110 4 Worst Holes

111 112 113 114 115 4 1/2 Worst Holes

116 117 118 119 120 5 Worst Holes

121 122 123 124 125 5 1/2 Worst Holes

126 127 128 129 130 6 Worst Holes

-2 -1 0 +1 +2 Handicap Adjustment

Before our examples, a couple notes about the chart: This chart applies to a par-72 course. If par is different, simply add or subtract the number of strokes - corresponding to the difference in par - from the Gross Scores. For example, if par is 71, then subtract 1 from each of the Gross Scores listed above.

Also, half scores are rounded up. If a player is deducting half of 7, then that 3.5 is rounded up to 4. And finally, the maximum a golfer can deduct under the Callaway System is 50 strokes.

OK, an example of the Callaway System in action:

Tiger shoots 64. No deductions or adjustments are made because Tiger's score is lower than the scores listed on the chart. Vijay shoots 71, which is on the chart, and the column to the right ("Handicap Deduction") shows that a player shooting 71 plays at scratch - no adjustments.

The Golf Guide, however, shoots 97. Find 97 in the chart above, and we see that its row (going across) corresponds to a handicap deduction of "3 Worst Holes." So the Golf Guide finds the three worst holes on his scorecard. The Golf Guide's three worst holes are a 9, an 8 and a 7. Total those up and we get a handicap deduction of 24.

Now we apply the second adjustment. Go back to 97 in the chart above; follow the column down to the "handicap adjustment" on the bottom line. The column for 97 corresponds to a handicap adjustment of -1. That means we're going to substract a stroke from our handicap deduction of 24. So our final, adjusted handicap allowance is 23.

And our net Callaway System score is 97 minus 23, or 74.

So using the chart is a matter of finding the gross score, looking across the row for the handicap deduction, then looking down the column for the adjustment.

Note: We're sometimes asked if the Callaway System has anything to do with the Callaway Golf Company, or was invented by Eli Callaway, the founder of Callaway Golf. The answer is now. The Callaway System was invented by Lionel Callaway, a onetime pro at Pinehurst Country Club.

Answer 2

My uncle sent me this game, and it's actually pretty fun and easy to win money with.  

Bingo Bango Bongo is a points-based game that can be played by any number of players, from two up.

In Bingo Bango Bongo, three types of achievements are rewarded with a point. The first player in a group to get his ball on the green gets a point (bingo). The player in the group whose ball is closest to the pin once all balls are on the green gets a point (bango). And the player in the group who is first to hole out gets a point (bongo).

Add up the points at the end of the game, high points wins.

Bingo Bango Bongo gives weaker players a chance to earn points because what matters is being first at something. For example, all members of the group tee off on a par-4. The player who hit the worst drive (farthest from the hole) plays first, and so has the first shot at winning the bingo point.

So, too, with closest to the pin.



The best players in the group are likely to be on the green in two (or three on a par-5), while the weakest players might be chipping. The closest-to-the-pin point is only earned once all balls are on the green, so the player who has hacked it up the fairway may be sitting just off the green and chipping - giving that player a great chance to pick up the bango point.

Because of these factors (and because the first person putting will be the one farthest from the hole), strict etiquette must be enforced. The player who is away always plays first.

For a variation, throw into the mix that any player winning all three points on a hole wins double points.

Also Known As: Bingle Bangle Bungle

Answer 3

Golf games don't work that well with 5 players so I would suggest a low net competition.  Each players gets their handicap and the best net score wins.  Just make sure the guy who only plays once a year gets enough strokes to keep him in the game.

Or take the two best players (they play scratch) and use their best ball against the best score of the the other three players who get their handicap strokes.

Answer 4

pro golf 2009, coming soon in december 2008

Answer 5

wow a +14. is he a pro?

Answer 6

I woulkd do a best ball game.  Everyone T's off then you pick the best shot.  The other 3 people pick up their ball and go to the best shot and all 4 shoot from there.  This way everyone gets to shoot and there is not as much pressure to make a great shot because you have 3 other shots to pick from for your next shot.

Repeat this 18 times and you are done!

Answer 7

That "Best Ball" others have said can be played in pairs too. Just choose the best shot and the partner drops his ball there too until they get to the green, then everyone putts out themselves.

Most courses I know have a limit of 4 to a group, so you may have to play groups of 3 and 2

Answer 8

If you have enough for two or more teams, play a scramble. Everyone, no matter the handicap, has a chance to be a hero.

However, remember that with multiple tee boxes and handicaps, you can play straight golf and still have fun.

Biggest problem is most people forget you don't all have to play from the same tee boxes.

Enjoy.

Answer 9

I'm assuming you are referring to "real" golf, not a video game. You can play what's called scramble, where each person tees off and then whoever has the best drive everyone else drops their ball their and hits again from that spot and so on. It's also called "best ball". That way the bad golfers won't get frustrated and the better golfers won't get impatient. HAVE FUN!!