Golf Games

MASTERS 2008

2008-04-09T10:54:00.006-05:00

Geoff Ogilvy is my pick for this years Masters Tournament. Geoff ousted Tiger recently at the CA championship, ending Tiger's winning streak. Currently, Geoff ranks 3rd in money earned on the PGA Tour. I really like this guy's game. Geoff has proven he has what it takes to win big tournaments. Even though his US Open victory in '06 was more of a Mickelson choke job, he has two WGC events under his belt.

John Daly

2008-03-12T22:58:00.002-05:00

John Daly missed his tee time this morning at Arnold Palmer's Invitational (Pro-Am round) and was disqualified for the tournament. This mishap comes shortly after Daly's coach, Butch Harmon decided to drop him as his student. Now the onslaught of negativity is pouring down from all over the sports world. Sports writers, commentators, spokespeople, and fellow golfers are all sounding off and taking shots at golf's easiest target, John Daly. Calling him an alcoholic, irresponsible, self destructive, etc...

Hey people, it's JOHN DALY!! What do you expect? Has anyone ever covered this topic before? Daly's misfortunes is what makes him one of the most popular guys on the tour. He's a guy's guy of golf. How many tee times have you ever been late for? How many beers do you drink during a round? How many times have you been spotted at your local Hooters bar?

You can save all the "he's not acting like a professional," or "he gets paid to play" or "he is being disrespectful to the game" comments. Long John does what Long John does. He drinks beer, smokes cigarettes, plays the guitar, and is treated like a god at Hooters. But you know what? He is one of the most honest and sincere players on the PGA Tour. So he has some flaws. Don't we all? He still attracts one of the biggest crowds in the game.

I am not condoning missing tee times or withdrawing from events. But, I think, everyone needs to simmer down and realize that what John is doing is what John has always done. If you liked him before, then the recent events should not sway your opinion of him. And you may find yourself rooting for this guy even more.

Bingo Bango Bongo

2008-03-11T18:04:00.005-05:00

Bingo Bango Bongo is typically played within a foursome. Although you can play with 2 or 3 people as well. Bingo Bango Bongo is a simple game that evens the playing field for all levels of golfers.

It's a point based game that scores like this:

First ball on the green (Bingo): 1 point
Closest to the pin once everyone is on the green (Bango): 1 point
First ball in the hole (Bongo): 1 point

First on, closest to the pin, and first in, determines who wins on each hole.

It's imperative the players hit their shots in "proper order." Meaning the player who is furthest away hits first.

PING G10

2008-03-01T21:58:00.003-05:00

Recently, during my travels for work, I had a chance to stop by a Golfsmith store in Indianapolis. My goal was to do some research on drivers and putters, since I am in the market for both. The driver I currently play with is the Ping Si3, which came out a few years ago. I am very pleased with its performance, and it has become my favorite driver The putter in my bag is the Dunlop Black Hole, which I have also enjoyed with reasonable success over the last couple years. I also carry a brass putter named "chippy," but that's a story for another time. My reason for changing these clubs is simple, they are both a bit worn out. Plus, who doesn't want to buy a new driver and new putter every few years? It has to help your game, right?

After a few minutes browsing around, I got down to business. I quickly found the putting section and began trying out putters. I starting testing some things, trying different styles, and comparing some prices. But my attention was soon drawn to the practice range they had set up not very far from the putting area. Customers were wailing away on golf balls, just like at the driving range. Golfsmith's mini driving range consisted of 5 or 6 tee boxes, with a couple computerized swing analyzers. Very Cool! It's not the first time I have seen these in the stores. But, the great part about it, they had all the newest drivers and irons right there for anyone to pick up and try out.

Lucky for me, they had one tee box open with the swing analyzer hooked up. Next to the tee was a box full of demo drivers and woods. Because I was in a bit of a time crunch and I am a big fan of Ping drivers, I quickly found the new PING G10. I grabbed a 10.5 degree regular flex, strapped on a golf glove, and began taking some swings.

My experience began almost exactly like it did when I first tested the Si3. I absolutely loved the feel of this club. The G10 is a 460cc, which is a little bigger than I am use to, but it felt great. I've tried some of the larger heads in the past, but many times I'd get distracted because of the odd shape or the huge size. The G10 has a very traditional look that I really like. The mental part of my game is a distraction enough, I don't need anything else to think about while I am swinging a club.

After about a dozen swings, I began to crank it up a notch. I started utilizing the swing analyzer and was tracking my shots accordingly. My shots were improving with every swing and I was becoming very comfortable with this club. Couple things I noticed on the swing analyzer: My side spin rate was not quite as high that I thought it would be. For the most part, my ball was flying fairly straight with little draw or slice. My launch angle was a little high on average, but that is probably because I was using a 10.5 degree as opposed to my 8 degree Si3. The regular flex graphite shaft was creating a little inconsistency off the face with ball direction, but with a stiff shaft, that should correct itself.

Overall, I give this club two thumbs up! I know that my bias towards Ping drivers played a part in this test, but I think you would agree that this club is one of the best. If you're in the market for a new driver, you should definitely give it a try. The price for the PING G10 is $299 just about everywhere you look. Click the link below for more information.

PING G10

As far as my putter goes, I'll have to go back to the drawing board. It's just not as fun testing out putters than it is testing out drivers!

Tiger Woods does it again

2008-02-21T17:55:00.003-05:00

Are you kidding me? Tiger Woods' performance yesterday in matchplay was just amazing. I know this shouldn't be much of a surprise, but Tiger's comeback to win his match against JB Holmes was a thing of beauty. Fortunately, I got to watch the last eight holes of this match. The crazy thing about it, is that JB had him beat. And Tiger, looked liked a caged animal without the will to continue. He was spraying his drives into the Cactus, misguiding his approach shots, and not putting all that great. But, just when I wrote it off as a loss for Tiger and a great win for JB, Tiger comes out of nowhere to finish JB off on the last hole.

It's one thing to come back from a 3 stroke deficit with five to play, but to birdie four of your last five holes to do it, is just remarkable. You know you're witnessing a true champion, and probably the greatest golfer ever, when someone can just erase the last 13 holes from memory to pour it on and comeback in this fashion. It's not like JB gave it to him. He played solid, but couldn't match the ferocity of Woods. Like JB jokingly said in a recent interview, "Tiger, yeah he's pretty good." Pretty good is right. And it will take someone's very best to even have a chance to beat this guy.

We'll see how the rest of the match play event goes. Vijay Singh looked good. And what about Justin Leonard? I just looked at the updated scores and it looks like he's moving on to the sweet sixteen. Very impressive coming from a 13 ranking. It's great to see Justin doing well.

I think this is going to be Tiger's best year as a pro. He won't win every match he plays, or will he? We'll see if anyone can contend with him this weekend. If he has a weakness, it's match play. But, does anyone have the stones to compete with him right now? Maybe Boo Weekly is the answer!!

World Golf Tour

2008-02-17T11:51:00.005-05:00

Well, any free time that I had is now taken up! I just found this website a few days ago:

http://pgacharitychallenge.worldgolftour.com/

The World Golf Tour is a new online golf game that offers the "world’s most photo-realistic online golf experience." The WGT is still in the beginning stages, but currently offers a nine hole closest-to-the-pin contest as a demo. When the site goes live sometime this year, you will be able to apply your gaming skills against real courses and golf resorts. The creators of WGT are going to build an online community where you can compete in tournaments and outings with your fellow golfing buddies or with friends online.

If the live site is anything like the demo, WGT is going to be big.

Wolf

2008-02-11T21:06:00.002-05:00

A game we play from time to time to mix it up from the typical games we play. Wolf can be a lot of fun, especially if you have a couple really confident golfers in your group. Wolf is typically played within a foursome. Before the first hole, the group decides their tee off order. We usually throw tees on the ground to determine our order of play. So the first player in the rotation tees off first on number one, followed by the second, third, and fourth golfer. This order is the same throughout the round, except you change who tees off first on the upcoming hole. So the second player in the rotation would tee off first on number two, followed by golfer three, four, and one.

The wolf is the golfer who is teeing off first on the hole. After the wolf's tee shot, he gets to watch every other players tee shot. If the wolf decides he likes another player's shot, he can declare that player as his partner. This has to be done immediately after the shot is made. If the wolf does not declare to take "player two" as his partner, he can pass and wait to see what "number 3" does. But, once he passes he can not go back. He, of course, can wait until the last player tees off and either declare him as his partner or announce that he is going alone!

If the wolf has a playing partner, then these two are playing against the other two golfers in the group. If the wolf has declared he is going alone, he must beat all three other players.

There are two ways to play from here. Some groups play a "combined total," where others play a "low ball" score. We play a "low ball" score where the lowest score from either of the two team members counts as your score. This, of course, would have to be lower than the opposing team's lowest ball score to win the hole.

If the wolf is going alone, he must have a lower ball score then all three opponents to win the hole.

There are different ways to score. We usually score using a point system, declaring the winner to whoever accumulates the most points at the end of the round. You could also just have a bet amount for each hole, and whoever wins the hole wins the bet. I think it's easier to use points, and it also lends itself to some desperation tactics towards the end of the round. Players with big deficits tend to go alone for the sake of catching up. This can create a lot of excitement.

Here is the point system we use:

Winning Team- 2 points per player
Wolf plays alone and wins- 4 points
Wolf plays alone and loses- All players other than wolf win 3 points
Ties- no points awarded

Because holes 17 and 18 are "extra holes" we usually let the player with the least amount of points become the wolf on these holes.

Variations

There is also a variation called "Lone Wolf" where the wolf can declare he is going alone before his tee shot. In this case, all point values are doubled! This can lead to a remarkable come-back, or an atomic meltdown!!

Have fun with this game. Wolf is not for the timid. It requires a little strategy and a lot of confidence.

Golf Trip finalized for the summer

2008-02-05T19:59:00.000-05:00

Our summer golf trip has been scheduled for Sunday, August 3rd to Wednesday, August 6th 2008. Jim is getting the invitation letters out this week to everyone. We anticipate another good showing from 20-24 fellow golfers. We will be playing at Hunter's Station in Tionesta, PA. This is our 12th year in row we will be visiting this great facility.

This place is one of the best when it comes to golf trips. It's not PGA Tour grade by any stretch but has so much to offer. The scenery is unbelievable, especially holes 2 through 7 located in the mountians, with spectacular views of the Allegheny River from above. The front nine is somewhat challenging, but the course offers reprieve on the back.

Having met with the owners of this course I can say that their primary objective is to make sure everyone has a great time. Avid golfers themselves, they know what a good golf outing or golf trip is all about, and they certainly know how to accomadate big groups. They want us to have fun, enjoy the game of golf, and enjoy all aspects of our golf trip.

This year some of us will be lodging in the Condos located right in the middle of the course, while others will be staying in a large cabin not too far from the main facilities. After 36 or 45 holes and who knows how many beers, it's nice having our rooms within walking distance.

We have yet to decide on the format or particular games we will be playing, but we are going to try and shorten the rounds a bit this year. We talked about a shotgun start for the early rounds, something we have not done in the past. This should save us close to an hour in playing time from the morning sessions. Then we usually play some type of scramble in the afternoon. Our goal is to get 36 in by 5:00pm. This will allow for an extra 9 or more for those who want it.

It's always a good time, and I know everyone is anxious to go already. I'll be posting some pictures from the previous years. Hopefully I can get more photos this year.

2008-02-04T23:36:00.000-05:00

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Tiger is unbelievable!

2008-02-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

Being a big fan of this game, it is just remarkable to watch Tiger win tournaments over and over again. What is impressive about his latest victory in Dubai, is that he came from behind and shot 31 on the back to do it. There are a few critics out there (Skip Bayless being one) that claim he is a front runner, and can only win when he is ahead. This outing certainly proves not only is he a frontrunner, but a strecthrunner, and a come-from-behind runner, or the greatest this game-has-ever- seen-runner.

I admit that I am not a huge Tiger fan. Basically, because I like to root for the underdog. But, I have to give this guy credit. He is definately the best I have ever seen. What is cool about watching him play, is the fact that he doesn't do it by the book. He tends to spray shots all over the course, but has the remarkable ability to recover. Could you imagine being able to make up strokes the way he does? Now that is Golf!!

2008-01-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

Ready for a new year of Golf in 2008! Just watching the year's first tournament on the golf channel. I'd love to be in Hawaii right now.

Scramble

2006-08-04T20:50:00.000-05:00

Scrambles are always a favorite among golfers. Many outings and golf trips incorporate the scramble format. It is a team game where the scoring is better and the bad shots don't linger. Many of you reading this probably know how to play a scramble format. But for those of you who do not know I will briefly explain.

How to Play- The scramble format is very simple. Everyone hits their ball. The player that makes the best shot is where everyone hits their next shot. So on and so fourth until the ball goes in the cup. Most scrambles are comprised of four players per group. There are also 2-man and 3-man scrambles. Note: You do not have to take the best shot. If the group decides to play from poor little Johnny's tee shot for sympathy that is perfectly fine.

The exact rules for a scramble can vary, but this is how we play:

When you have picked which ball to play from, you get one club length from that spot to place your ball.

When doing this, you can not place your ball any closer to the hole, improve your lie, or improve the shot in anyway. For example, if the ball the group selects to hit from is behind a tree, you can not use the "club length" rule to drop away from the tree in order to get a better angle to the green. It is up to your group to decide how strict this rule should be enforced. We have had many questionable situations in the past, but we try to stick to the fact that you can not improve the shot at any time.

Whatever the group scores for the hole is the score that is posted. The team with the lowest score at the end of the round is declared the winning team. You can also keep score using the "points system" (see green ball game post for explanation).

Variations- The cool thing about the scramble format is its versatility. You can play scramble many different ways. I am going to list some of the ways we have played a scramble.

Texas Scramble- This scramble can be played against other groups or within the same group.
The only "scrambling" that takes place is right after the tee shot. Every golfer in the group tees off and plays their second shot from the best tee shot made. After you hit your second shot you play your own ball for the rest of the hole. This is done on every hole. This game can get very interesting if you are playing this way against the other golfers in your own group.

Elimination Scramble- Everyone hits their ball from the tee and plays their next shot from the best spot. But, the player whose shot you are using can not hit his next shot and is skipped until the third shot. So any time a player's shot is selected, they are excluded from hitting the next shot, but get thrown back into the rotation after sitting out one turn. This style of play continues (even when you are putting) until the ball goes in the jar. Seems a little difficult to explain, but I think you'll find it is pretty simple. What I like is the strategy this game brings with it. You have to think a lot about the next shot. You may not always take the best drive or the best approach because you may be eliminating your best golfer from being involved in the next play.

Green Ball Game

2006-08-04T16:42:00.000-05:00

Green Ball Game- One of the best golf trip games to play. Try this game when there are two or more groups playing. The object of this game is to accumulate more points than the other teams, while coming in with at least one green ball.

How to Play- Each team is given a sleeve of three green or yellow golf balls. Players will rotate using one green ball for an entire hole. Designate the rotation before play. Usually you will have your "A" golfer hit first, then "B" golfer second, "C" golfer third, and the "D" golfer fourth.
Although you may want to strategize the rotation, so certain golfers hit the green ball on certain holes. For example, you may want to order the rotation for your long hitter to play the green ball on a certain par five.

When it is your turn to hit the green ball, you must use the green ball for every shot until the hole is finished. If you LOSE a green ball, you MUST grab another green ball and finish the hole with it. If you do not have any more green balls left, your team is automatically disqualified. Keep score as you would regularly. You guys may have other games going on at the same time (skins, par 3's, etc...).

How to Score- Our group plays this game with a points system. Anytime we play a points system we score like this: Double Eagle/Hole in One=16pts. Eagle=8pts. Birdie=4pts. Par=2pts. Bogey=1pt. Anything worse than bogey gets zero pts. You can adjust your point system to the skill level of your group.

In this game, always take the score from the green ball and the next best score. If the green ball is the best score, then you use it twice. So if the green ball comes in with Par (2 pts) and the next best score is a bogey (1pt.), your group would score 4 pts. If the green ball comes in with a triple bogey(0 pts.), and the next best score is a par(2pts.)- your group scores 2pts.

How to Win- The winning team will have at least one green ball left and the highest point total for 18 holes.

Tips and Strategy- You may want to put a time limit on searching for a lost ball. Some people do not like to give up their ball, especially if it is a green ball. We don't have a specific time limit set, but if the group behind us has been waiting for ten minutes, it's time to cut the cord and move on.

Before play starts, pick your rotation based on the strengths and weaknesses of the group. If you have a golfer who normally hits good approach shots, place him in order to hit a difficult par 3. Sometimes you can line it up so he gets a chance to hit the green ball on multiple par 3s. Your weakest golfer should hit the green ball on easier holes. This doesn't always pan out for the entire round, but you should be able to cherry pick some of the holes.

Utilize every player in the group. Many times we will send out members of the group to watch where the green ball might land. For example, on a blind tee shot, we will let the green ball player hit last. The first three players (who have already hit) will find spots down the fairway to watch where the green ball lands. This takes a little more time upfront, but eliminates searching time.

Variations- You may want to adjust a few things based on the level of play in your group. For scratch golfers, it would be more challenging to start with only one or two green balls. For the higher handicappers, you may want to start with four or five green balls. It also depends on how hard the course is. You can also change the way you score. Maybe allowing the top three scores instead of two. Or, put more pressure on the green ball player, take actual scores and do not use the points system. We usually play this game along with a skins pot and a par three pot. This keeps some excitement for the team that has lost all of their balls.

Fun Stuff- This is one of my favorite games to play on golf trips. Especially if you have a bunch hackers in the group! There is nothing like watching a grown man tremble over his green ball, when he is faced with a 180 yard par 3 over a pond. I have seen guys smoke three cigarettes on one hole just to fight off the nerves. Tension seems to constantly grow throughout the match, especially when you are down to the last green ball and there are still six holes to play! The only relief is when you finish the hole and turn over the green ball to your teammate.

I hope your group has as much fun with this game as we do. We have enjoyed playing this game for many years. It is always one of the games we play on our trips.