Nice Column by Geoff S....

[Jeff_Brauer]

in Golfdom on the virtues of the simple scorecards!  

He advises against varnished cardstock, course pics (esp with waterfountains) detailed descriptions and just about every other fancy deal ever invented  on scorecards other than the date the course was built (for historians).  

He even advocates separate cards for each tee to somewhat discourage back tee play, but mostly to leave more room for writing bigger numbers.  Geoff, are you like me and getting a stronger glasses perscription every year?

The best quote comes from DaVinci - "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Overall, I think he is right on. Who else loves simple scorecards?

What are some scorecard monstrosities you have seen?

[John Kavanaugh]

I'm a member of a private course that charges $475/year in dues but will hit a small business owner up for $250 to be one of eight to advertize on their big ugly cards...It is a source of revenue for some places.  note: Last time they asked I declined and donated a used pool table for the clubhouse...seemed a better use of funds.

[rjsimper]

I like the basic rounded rectangle, single fold design - small, fits in the back pocket, easy to write on with a pencil.

Rustic Canyon's old cards were great - so are Stone Eagle's - I am a huge fan of the textured cardstock.

I probably prefer a little more than just a white card with black yardages and numbers 1-18.

I hate the cards with the cut-out so when you fold it over you can see the front nine score through the "window"

But this is just nit-picking...and sometimes I've found the hole diagrams (or the course layout diagram) on the card to be helpful at a place I've not played before, so while anti-purist, they aren't entirely without merit.

[Chris_Clouser]

Old Town Club when I was there had the simplest score card I have seen in a long time.  It was great.

When I was a kid there was a place we played that had the club name and logo on the front of white cardstock in black ink and below was the front nine holes with yardage for the two tees and four columns to record scores in.  On the back was the second nine in a similar fashion and a line drawing of the routing just in case you weren't sure what direction the next tee was.  It might have had the year it was established on it too, but I don't remember for sure.  It was about the size of a big baseball card and fit perfectly in the back pocket.  

Very simple and to the point.  What else do you need a scorecard for anyway?  In this day and age I would really be hard pressed to see why anything else is necessary.  You want more information go to the club/course website.

Now that I think about it, just two sets of tees is quite something these days.  Unlike where I played Wednesday where they have five different colors and some of those have up to three alternate tee zones to play from.  

[Brad Tufts]

I don't complain much about this, but I don't like it when they are big.  I have a couple from Talamore in Pinehurst at home, and they seem as big as dinner plates...like 6 inches tall and 8 inches long.

As an avid collector of vintage scorecards, the best today are those that look like they did 50-75 years ago.  Rectangular, folded so the vertical dimension is longer, minimal colors (one or two), and the only bell or whistle I like is the two slits in the back portion to hold the pencil to the card.

[Bob_Huntley]

Did anyone see the old, smallest, most simple card of the Muirfield golf club that I posted sometime ago?

I defy anyone to produce anything tinier.

Bob

[Dan Kelly]

... other than the date the course was built (for historians).

Don't you want the architect's name, Jeff?

Or would that just ruin all the fun for the Pauls and MacWoods of some future century (if any)?

As for me: I like all sorts of scorecards -- from the simplest to the gaudiest. (Only requirement: fits in a wallet pocket without being folded.)

"Variety is the spice of life." -- Leonard da Vinci

 

[Rick Shefchik]

On courses I'm likely to play just once, or once in a great while -- resort, upscale public -- I appreciate scorecards with pictures that show yardages to the most pertinent fairway bunkers and water hazards.

Otherwise, small, plain, and unvarnished will do nicely.

[tonyt]

I always seem to fall for the very plain cards myself too. My vice being that when playing a course for the first time, I don't mind the cards that provide a basic routing map on there to assist with where to go in the absence of good signage, and which way a hole may turn. Didn't say I like them or prefer them, merely that I don't mind them.

[Jeff_Brauer]

... other than the date the course was built (for historians).

Don't you want the architect's name, Jeff?

Or would that just ruin all the fun for the Pauls and MacWoods of some future century (if any)?

As for me: I like all sorts of scorecards -- from the simplest to the gaudiest. (Only requirement: fits in a wallet pocket without being folded.)

"Variety is the spice of life." -- Leonard da Vinci

 

Dan, my contracts require it, although its hard to enforce. Geoff was actually advocating that each run of scorecards has a small date somewhere. That way future restorers might know that the course started at XXXX yards, and new tees were added ten years later, etc.  Seems to me the club could just keep better minutes, but its a handy idea, since most clubs kind of piece their history together.

I do think scorecards should be undersized a bit. It seems like many cards are about 1/16th of an inch wider than my pants pocket.  That, and not my being out of shape is the sole reason I take a cart - that way I can put the card on the steering wheel and not embarass myself (or invent a new dance) trying to get the damn card out of my pocket.....

[Rick Shefchik]

Jeff -- The flat spot on the handle of a three-wheeled Sun Mountain Speed Cart is designed for holding the scorecard. Give it a try!

[Dan Kelly]

I do think scorecards should be undersized a bit. It seems like many cards are about 1/16th of an inch wider than my pants pocket.  That, and not my being out of shape is the sole reason I take a cart...

In other words: If they'd just make scorecards a little smaller (or pants pockets a little bigger), rodents everywhere could breathe a sigh of relief.

[mikes1160]

Chicago Golf Club has a pure, simple, small scorecard. Pine Valley's is fairly simple as well.

[Tom_Doak]

Speaking of size, I've seen a few olden-day scorecards that folded out to exactly six inches so they could double as a "stymie gauge" to determine if balls were too close together for the stymie rule to be in play.  (If another ball was within six inches of your own, the other ball had to be marked instead of left on the green.)

[Jeff_Brauer]

I do think scorecards should be undersized a bit. It seems like many cards are about 1/16th of an inch wider than my pants pocket.  That, and not my being out of shape is the sole reason I take a cart...

In other words: If they'd just make scorecards a little smaller (or pants pockets a little bigger), rodents everywhere could breathe a sigh of relief.

Damn, I thought the great rhodent kill of 2004 was long forgotten. I still say that little squirrel was suicidal. He ran into my cart, not the other way around....my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Jim Sweeney]

PV. Shinny, NGL, Fishers, 'Nole, Camargo, and many other top notch clubs have cards that fit in the plam of one hand and linmit graphics to the club name and logo. Very classy. Go figure

[Andy Troeger]

This is all good and well for private clubs where the members play often and are familiar with the layout of the course. However for public courses, especially resort types that do not get a lot of repeat play, its really helpful to have the layout of the course on the scorecard in some form or another. Personally I wouldn't find this at all objectionable at a private club either, but I can see why its not worth the expense or aggravation. It seems like most private clubs, whether top notch or otherwise, have pretty simple scorecards. Public courses need more flair and bright colors  

[Dunlop_White]

scorecards......?

As for the format, I like writing player's names and scores all the way across the card horizontally -- like the Ocean Forest and Roaring Gap cards....this prevents having to flip it around/over every 9 holes on the steering wheel in case you ride. I also like the pencil slits in case you walk. I'm partial to the name of architect and founding date as well on the cover.
 
As for the corners, I like them square, like Ocean Forest -- has a cleaner look.  Rounded corners are inexact and never mat-up when folded.        
 
As for the size, I like it small and simple with "portrait" dimensions, not "landscape", folding on the left side.
 
As for the paper, I like very thick card stock paper (120 lb or higher), perhaps coated on the exterior only.
 
As for the ink, I like it medium charcoil in color like Yeamans.....else a very dark green.

[Bob Jenkins]

I am a member of Point Grey in Vancouver and we have a "Members Card" which is very simple, no yardages, just the hole. no and hole 'cap and plenty of room for keeping track of games and stats etc.
Also have a more elaborate card for guests etc which shows yardages from all tees, pretty colours and all that.

[Forrest Richardson]

Just what we need here — a thread on minalimist scorecards.

For the record, it is no different than minimalist design in general...sometimes it works great, but there are examples where fabricated implementation also works. I have thousands of scorecards and I would say that the more interesting to pour over years later are those with images and a touch of design. Using them, on the other hand, is mostly better when they are simple. But again, there are no rules — fortunately.

[Paul Payne]

I like Sand Hills card. Simple and has a mat finish. I too hate a glossy finish because it does not work well for pencils.

Then again, maybe it would be more correction resisitant if I wrote with a pen.

[johnk]

I agree - variety is the spice of life.  No need to homogenize.  

However, I really like the standard UK club cards - I'm looking at examples from Burnham & Berrow and Royal North Devon, but many UK clubs follow the same format, typically having:
 - Club name, logo over an old painting of the clubhouse, in landscape layout on the front
 - Boxes to enter "Competition", "Data", "Player A,B,C,D"
 - Colored column listing yardage and column for +/- or points
 - A column called "Nett" score (what is the derivation of Nett?)
 - Front 9 on top, back 9 on bottom.  
 - Some admonition in red printed on the fold:
 "SLOW PLAY IS UNACCEPTABLE"
 "DISTANCE MARKERS ARE 150YDS FROM THE CENTRE OF THE GREEN"
 - Big box for Stableford points...
 - Local rules on the back.