2 v. 1 - What handicaps work?

[Mark Manuel]

Playing in chilly Ohio Sat and Sun.  We could only muster up three guys with wind chills in the teens on Sat.  We played a two on one Nassau.  The two are an 8 and a 4, the one is a +1 and we played it gross.  He shot 72 and 73.  Won with the 72 and lost with the 73 as my partner and I shot 69.

It makes me wonder, is there a quick and dirty formula for figuring out what handicaps create a fair two on one match of this sort?

[JESII]

Mark,

I cannot imagine one...there is a game called "defender" that rotates every hole who is playing solo. Strokes should fall where they will and the guy on his own gets two points if he wins the hole and the two man team gets one point if they win the hole.

I'd think it impossible to accurately adjust a handicap for a two-on-one game just because people get to their handicap in so many different ways...great ball striking and poor putting - vice versa - short, long and everything in between.

[Bill_McBride]

Other than net skins, the best 3 handed game I've found is the 9 point game.  The outright winner gets 5 pts, second 3 pts, third 1 point.  With handicaps +1 to 8 you'd play this at net.  If two tie and one is third its 4-4-1.  If all tie it's 3-3-3.  Winner has most points of the 162 (18x9) available.  We usually play 25 cents a point, so the most you could conceivably lose is $18.

Bob Huntley probably has a 3 man Wolf game that he wins every time!  

[Jim_Kennedy]

Mark,
Section 9 of the USGA handicap manual will tell you how. Look at the allocation for foursomes, either stroke or match play.

Bill,
We play the same 9 point game, although we don't bother to give points when all three tie a hole. If every hole went 4-4-1 you could lose $1.50 per hole (playing terribly) for a total of $27.00, not $18.00.

We sometimes make it six points per hole at $.50 per point and the scores could be 3-3-0, 4-2-0, 4-1-1, or 0-0-0 if all tie. Same max. potential loss as the 9 pt. game($1.50/hole)  at $.25 per point  

[Bill_McBride]

Bill,
We play the same 9 point game, although we don't bother to give points when all three tie a hole. If every hole went 4-4-1 you could lose $1.50 per hole (playing terribly) for a total of $27.00, not $18.00.

Still wrong I think, you'd have to pay both the winners!

18x9 = 162 total point - your 18 = 144 x .25 = $36

Ouch!  

[JESII]

Bill,

Just to nitpick...wouldn't it be 18 less than 144...or 126 X .25...$32.50

The math on this is actually pretty funny because I got into it with someone afterwards one day...he kept score in terms of each player putting up his own 3 points (quarters, dollars, whatever...) at the start of each hole and dividing out the points after each hole...think about it...then you could only really lose two points per hole...I didn't like his math.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Bill,
The maximum points one could lose is 6 per hole. If A has 4 and B has 4, C is left with 1, giving A & B a net of 3 points each at $.25 per= $.75, or $1.50 per hole.

Yes, my math was wrong for the 6 point game. In my defense I was thinking of the total as a nine hole match, what I usually play in the evenings around here. My bad.      

[Sean_A]

Other than net skins, the best 3 handed game I've found is the 9 point game.  The outright winner gets 5 pts, second 3 pts, third 1 point.  With handicaps +1 to 8 you'd play this at net.  If two tie and one is third its 4-4-1.  If all tie it's 3-3-3.  Winner has most points of the 162 (18x9) available.  We usually play 25 cents a point, so the most you could conceivably lose is $18.

Bob Huntley probably has a 3 man Wolf game that he wins every time!  

Bill

Interesting way to do it.  Why not a 6 point game: 4 - 2 - 0?  From how you lot do sums this could make it a bit easier - Ha!  We play this or skins all the time with 3 guys, except we still do it as a Nassau (that way it really is different from skins) - £2 for the front, £2 for the back and £2 for the match - plus all the bits & bobs (birdies, sandies, barkies, greenies on 3s & 5s - or oozlas as they are called here).  

Another game I like is called - well I don't know what its called.  You need to win two holes without losing a hole to win whatever is at stake.  Often times, there is only one bit won and it can be a healthy pay out.  

Ciao

[Doug Wright]

Other than net skins, the best 3 handed game I've found is the 9 point game.  The outright winner gets 5 pts, second 3 pts, third 1 point.

Bill,

We play this one too. Funny that when I broach it with people in a 3 person match who I haven't played with they often haven't heard of this game.  

[Greg Ross]

We play a version of the 9-point game using only 3 points called "the Demoralizer." If all 3 tie, everyone gets 1 point. If 1 person wins and the other two tie for 2nd, points are 2 for the winner and .5 for the other 2. If 2 tie for best score on the hole, those 2 get 1.5 points and the 3rd gets 0 points and hence, is "Demoralized." If one person wins the hole, the winner gets 2 points, 2nd gets 1 point, 3rd gets 0 points and again, is "Demoralized." Not as complicated as it might sound. Just play well and don't get "Demoralized."

[Andrew Mitchell]

Other than net skins, the best 3 handed game I've found is the 9 point game.  The outright winner gets 5 pts, second 3 pts, third 1 point.  With handicaps +1 to 8 you'd play this at net.  If two tie and one is third its 4-4-1.  If all tie it's 3-3-3.  Winner has most points of the 162 (18x9) available.  We usually play 25 cents a point, so the most you could conceivably lose is $18.

Bob Huntley probably has a 3 man Wolf game that he wins every time!  

Bill

Interesting way to do it.  Why not a 6 point game: 4 - 2 - 0?  From how you lot do sums this could make it a bit easier - Ha!  We play this or skins all the time with 3 guys, except we still do it as a Nassau (that way it really is different from skins) - £2 for the front, £2 for the back and £2 for the match - plus all the bits & bobs (birdies, sandies, barkies, greenies on 3s & 5s - or oozlas as they are called here).  

Another game I like is called - well I don't know what its called.  You need to win two holes without losing a hole to win whatever is at stake.  Often times, there is only one bit won and it can be a healthy pay out.  

Ciao

Sean
We also play 4-2-0 (we call it a calcutta - no idea where the title comes from) when there are three of us.  I'm with you on the various side bets except for barkies - what are they?

At Buda this year we didn't have enough players to fill out the fourballs so I played match play as a single against the better ball of Sean Walsh and Brent Hutto.  Has anyone any idea of how we should have distributed the shots on handicap?

[Sean_A]

Andrew

A barkie is when you hit a tree and still get par!  Of course, many barkies are nullified because the steadfast rule is that all players in the group must hear the bark - seeing it doesn't count.  Why?  I don't know.  

If by the seaside, we also play ding-a-lings (hit the pin and get a par) and life boats (par form the water with or without the penalty stroke).  

Of course, my favourite bit & bob is the snake.  The holder of the snake at the end of the game is a big-time loser.  Usually, its 25 or 50p a snake - depends on what all the other bits & bobs are worth.  When someone three jacks they get the snake and the designated amount is added to the total.  Whoever holds the snake at the end of the game (regardless if the 18th was their only 3 jack) pays everybody else whatever the snake is worth.  It can be quite expensive for those who cannot putt well or if the greens are tough.  I like it when things get particularly nasty.  We will often hand the snake over as soon as it happens - so it can change hands more than once on a hole - and of course the amount the snake is worth is mentioned so all can hear.

Ciao  

[Bill_McBride]

Of course, my favourite bit & bob is the snake.  The holder of the snake at the end of the game is a big-time loser.  Usually, its 25 or 50p a snake - depends on what all the other bits & bobs are worth.  When someone three jacks they get the snake and the designated amount is added to the total.  Whoever holds the snake at the end of the game (regardless if the 18th was their only 3 jack) pays everybody else whatever the snake is worth.  It can be quite expensive for those who cannot putt well or if the greens are tough.  I like it when things get particularly nasty.  We will often hand the snake over as soon as it happens - so it can change hands more than once on a hole - and of course the amount the snake is worth is mentioned so all can hear.  

I actually have a scary looking rubber snake (Trevino?) that you can hang on the golf bag of the most recent 3 putter.  On the 9trh and 18th you actually throw it on the green for added pressure!   I haven't had it out for a while, but maybe it's time....

[Bob_Huntley]

Our 9 point game is as Bill describes it for 50 cents a point, using the 5-3-1 format. However, we do have an interesting wrinkle. Should a player win by two stokes or more over the other two, he collects ALL nine points.


Bob

[Bill_McBride]

Our 9 point game is as Bill describes it for 50 cents a point, using the 5-3-1 format. However, we do have an interesting wrinkle. Should a player win by two stokes or more over the other two, he collects ALL nine points.

Bob, I KNEW you'd have a wrinkle!  Does a howl accompany the awarding of all 9 points?