Fun Formats

[scarpfish]

Heres a format I came up with thats sort of a variation of skins, combined with a little poker betting. Good for a foursome.

Every player starts off the round with a set number of "chips". On each hole there will be an "ante" which gets progressively higher as you go along. Holes 1-3 (10 chips each), Holes 4-6 (15 chips each), etc. You could use actual poker chips, but its best to just keep track of things on a clipboard.

Players who get the best score for that hole take the pot. If some, but not all of the players tie (which happens on most every hole) then they split the pot to the nearest whole point, and any residual carries over (if you have a pot of 40 points and three tie for the best score, they get 13 each, and you carry over the 1). If ALL players tie, the entire amount carries over.

For added variation, in addition to betting on single holes, you can make antes for multiple hole groups, or even an entire nine. You can even make an "ace fund" ante.

Towards the end, a losing player may not have enough to cover a hole ante, in which case they are "all in". In that case, everyone antes into a main pot equivalent to the short players stack, and the remaining players ante the difference between that and the assigned hole ante into a "side pot" which only they can win. Should an "all in" player not win a share of the pot, they are eliminated.

You can declare the winner to have the biggest stack after a set number of holes, or you can play "last man standing" where you continue indefinitely, raising the antes as you go, until only one player remains.

[Schoen-hopper]

That's a pretty cool game. I like the poker theme.

It sounds like if you wanted to play just skins with a twist, you could play that all players have to tie for a skin to push. If not, the skin gets split by whomever tied for the best score on the hole. In this way, the player who played the best round is most likely to win the most skins. Closer to stroke play, but not the same. I like it. Only problem is (if you have 6 players) you have fractions in halfs, thirds, fourths, and fifths. The common denomenator is 60, so you may eventually have to record your score in 60ths!

[gippy]

Any one ever play worst disc doubles? Careful who you choose as your P cuz it gets mean. We do a poker hand at some of our events. You start with 2 cards and can get up to 7 you get one card for every birdie you get. At the end of the round your group gets called to the table and someone deals your cards 4 people at a time til the whole field has had a hand best hand takes whatever the pot is. We do like a $2-$5 buy in.

[Schoen-hopper]

I think we'll play "governator" tomorrow.

Conservative California singles by division. One mulligan per hole, but if you use it, you have to play from it.

Short tees, short pins, Herman Hill, 10am.

[Bangrrr]

Double birdie doubles is always fun, ya gots ta thank Smitty for that one though.

[Schoen-hopper]

Herman Hill all shorts is probably easy enough for double birdie. Not on all short anymore. I still haven't got the chance to play that one.

[Schoen-hopper]

I think we'll play "governator" tomorrow.

Conservative California singles by division. One mulligan per hole, but if you use it, you have to play from it.

Short tees, short pins, Herman Hill, 10am.

We played this one and it was good. For a short course, I thought this was a lot better than regular cali.

I had another idea while we were playing today. You could play that when you use your mulligan, you put a dot next to your score for the hole. When the round is finished, you count up the dots and the player with the fewest gets a stroke subtracted (not going to say stroke off) from their score.

Maybe their could be other ways you could get bonuses or penalties. Longest putt, biggest birdie streak, who knows what else. You could even use a point system and it wouldn't have to be limited to playing cali.

[scarpfish]

Here's another one you can try if you're absolutely bored. I call it tree golf or the Lorax format. Requires a tape measure of at least 35 feet.

You play singles/doubles as usual. The twist is every time your disc comes in contact with a "tree", either in the air, or on the ground, before coming to rest, you are assessed a tally. Note that a "tree" includes more than actual trees, but also shrubs, utility poles, fences, park monuments, pretty much anything that isn't part of the ground. Rocks and tall grass do not count.

When you/your team have acquired four tallies (you can go three as well for extra difficulty), after holing out on the hole you got number four, you must then make a "penalty putt" into the same basket from a defined distance. If you hit the putt, no penalty is assessed, but if you miss, you get one stroke added to your score. When you've gotten your eighth tally, you do this again, and yet again on tally #12.

The 13th time you hit a tree, its "unlucky 13" and you have to either make the penalty putt from a longer/doubled distance, or have to make it twice. After 13 the count starts all over again.

You can preassign penalty putt distances, or for extra fun, make the penalty distance variable by rolling dice, or drawing from a deck of cards at each occurrence. Hence, why you need the tape measure.

For example: For dice, simply place a disc on the ground upside down and roll the dice on top of it.
2 Dice: Roll and add 8 to the sum (distance will end up between 10-20 feet), or 13 (15-25 feet) for more difficulty.
3 Dice: Add 7 or 12 to the sum (10-30 feet).

Deck of cards: Access a distance for each suit.
Hearts: 10 feet, Diamonds: 15 feet, Clubs: 20 feet, Spades: 25 feet
Any Joker: 30 feet, add an additional 5 feet for drawing a face card, subtract 5 for drawing an ace.

Tree hits do not result in a tally if the shot was made from inside the putting circle (10 m, unless you wish to shrink it), or if the shot on which it occurred lands OB (of course, you still assess the OB penalty). Also any shot from outside the putting circle that either is made or hits metal results in a "free pass" in which you avoid a tally on your next tree hit. You can only hold one free pass at any one time.

If it is in question whether a disc hit a tree, the thrower gets the benefit of the doubt, although its a good idea to send someone out to watch the flight.

[Schoen-hopper]

Hehe, the tree game. Why do they call it LORAX?

I normally hit 4 or less tree per round. Maybe if I was playing some crazy course like the canyon I'd hit a lot more. Sounds like it could be fun, but it might need to be harder. With the free passes and short putts, it might not change the score much.

[Bangrrr]

HA!!!!!!!!! There are some holes at the Canyon where you will hit at least 4 holes on your tee shot on that hole!!!!!!!!!!!

[scarpfish]

Hehe, the tree game. Why do they call it LORAX?

Old Dr. Seuss book. "I Am The Lorax, I Speak for the Trees!" Sometimes when I've had a disc sever a small twig off a tree, I think of that.

I normally hit 4 or less tree per round. Maybe if I was playing some crazy course like the canyon I'd hit a lot more. Sounds like it could be fun, but it might need to be harder.

I admit it would work a lot better on a tighter technical course, and if you have a bunch of sharpshooters, you might want to make the player take the penalty putt after two hits, or even one. You could dramatically increase the putting distances as well. Of course, you'll need a longer tape measure.

The two times I've actually played it, I was out with novices, and some of us had ten hits before completing the front nine. And this was at Carey, which is pretty open (and sadly is now even more so between the ice storm damage and several evergreens on the front nine being removed).

[Schoen-hopper]

"Dr. Suess is Dead" by Acid Bath

That has got to be the crazy-heaviest metal song I've ever listened to.

[Schoen-hopper]

Any new crazy formats being tried out over the winter? Still haven't tried 5 disc battle.

[ronconversjr]

A format that we used to play on the short course in Ponca was the "leg". Each hole had a mando. Odd and even holes alternated (left and right mandos). Brings new meaning to" tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree"! It was a lot of fun.

[Schoen-hopper]

http://www.milehighdiscgolf.org/2009/rodnoc.php

Check the video out!