We have already talked about unconventional game formulas for two players in which strategy and skill are rewarded, and the score has a secondary importance (you can find them here); we continue our search for alternative ways to compete on the golf course, when playing a “match” with three or four friends.
Golf, formulas
The “4-2-0”, also known as “Split Sixies”, is a formula that allows you to play a three-way match play. On each hole there are 6 points up for grabs: whoever wins the hole gets 4, 2 for the second best score and zero for the third; if one player wins the hole and the other two tie, the points are divided 4-1-1, and if two tie the best score and one loses the hole, the points are awarded 3-3-0. As in traditional match play, the absolute score has little importance, but the strategy becomes more complicated because you have to take into account the game of both opponents.
“The Defender” is a variation of “4-2-0”, perfect for playing in threes, especially between golfers of the same level. At the beginning of the game, a rotation is established: player A defends hole 1, B defends hole 2, C defends hole 3, and then the round begins again. If the defender of his hole scores the lowest, he earns 3 points; if he is beaten by one of the other two players, he scores zero, and his opponents win one point each; if both other players beat the defender, they earn 2 points each and the defender is left with zero.
“Daytona” is a formula to be played by four, two against two. The pair’s scores (gross or net, depending on the players’ skills) are aggregated, so if both score a 5, the combined score will be 55. When the results are different, if one of the two has scored par or less, the lower score will be the first digit of the score and the higher score the second; if both have played over par, the order is reversed and the higher result will be the first digit. So if on a Par 4 a pair scores a par and a triple bogey, and the opponents score a bogey and a double bogey, their respective scores will be 47 and 65: the difference is 18 points for the first pair. It is a formula in which the scores vary enormously from one hole to the next, with continuous reversals of the front: keeping score may seem a bit complicated, but it is a very fun way to play two against two.
The “Multiplier” is a variation of the Daytona in which the scores of the pair are multiplied between them, so at a Par 4 a birdie and a bogey will score 15, two pars will score 16: one point for the first pair.
The “MeToo” is played by everyone against everyone. Each player’s handicap shots are replaced by the possibility of remedying a “blow” by replacing it with that of another player in the group: whether it is a drive that ends up in the water, a shot to the green that falls into a bunker or a completely missed long-distance putt, you simply take your ball and place it where that of a playing partner landed, and both take the next shot from that point.
Purists may turn up their noses at certain formulas that are a little too extravagant, but after many years spent on the course with friends taking golf too seriously, I assure you that playing, from time to time, in a different way and not having to think about that final number makes us laugh and have fun, without taking anything away from the beauty of this game.