Tournament Chairman’s Report

The Member/Guest 2-Man Scramble tournament on June 20 was a big success. We had 120 players registered to play, including many non-member guests, and 118 who actually played. It was a nice opportunity to show off the quality of our home course and to encourage the guests to be a part of our Men’s Club. Tee times were spread over almost four hours and started very early (5:24 a.m.), so your understanding is appreciated if you didn’t get the tee time you were hoping for. We had 5 flights – first, second,d and third place (gross and net) finishers in each flight won Pro Shop scrip, so 60 players out of 118 (more than 50%) won something, along with the CTP and cash game winners. We also had a hole-in-one on #14 by Mark LaBray (congratulations, Mark!!), so a new hole-in-one contest ($10 to enter) will start for the July tournament.

Several people asked how the team index/handicap was determined for the June 2-man scramble, and here is the explanation:  

A two-person scramble team handicap is calculated using the 35/15 method. This formula gives 35% of the lower-handicapped player's course handicap and 15% of the higher-handicapped player's course handicap, and adds them together. The recommended formula calculates a Team Playing Handicap to create an even playing field based on the benefits of the scramble format.

The Formula

Team Handicap = (0.35 × Lower Handicap) + (0.15 × Higher Handicap) 

Step-by-Step Calculation

1. Find Individual Handicaps: Determine both golfers' Course Handicaps for the specific set of tees they are playing.

2. Calculate the Lower Player's Share: Multiply the lower-handicap player's handicap by 0.35 (35%).

3. Calculate the Higher Player's Share: Multiply the higher-handicap player's handicap by 0.15 (15%).

4. Add and Round: Add the two numbers together and round to the nearest whole number.

Example

Let's say Player A (the lower handicap) is a 10 and Player B (the higher handicap) is a 20:

• Player A: 10 × 0.35 = 3.5

• Player B: 20 × 0.15 = 3.0

• Team Handicap: 3.5 + 3.0 = 6.5 (rounds to 7)

The team will receive 7 strokes during the 18-hole round.

Why use this formula?

Scrambles generally yield much lower scores than traditional golf because players always take the best of two shots. To prevent teams from shooting impossibly low net scores, governing bodies (like the USGA) recommend applying a lower "allowance" rather than simply averaging the two players' handicaps.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:

July 25: Al Perez (fka Richard Pagenkopp) Memorial - Individual Ball. Back to a standard play round of individual golf. The number of flights will depend upon the number of players that sign up. Entry forms are available in this bulletin and in the Pro Shop, and remember that you can now enter/register to play online at riohondomensclub.com; click on Tournament Schedule and then click on the tournament.

August 22: Ken Landau Memorial 4-Man Shamble. A shamble is when each player in the foursome tees off, then the team selects the best drive, and each player plays his own ball from that spot to the cup. The two best balls,s gross and net, are scored.

September 26: Member Appreciation Day – shotgun start; 4-man scramble; we are planning for blind draw teams with an A, B, C & D player in each foursome. Please stand by for a separate bulletin about this great event, which will include gifts for all entrants and a lunch after the round.

As a reminder, if you plan to play in our Gross Flight Club Championship in October, you must have played in at least 3 prior tournaments this year.

Sign up early – online OR in the tournament entries box in the Pro Shop, OR by call, text, or email.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING YOUR CLUB’S TOURNAMENT!