I was lucky to be there last week and I noticed something that I'd not picked up when watching on TV.  I've never played this format I think because I feel I'd be getting less golf for my time and money.  However as events showed last week it's a much faster game to play and should be encouraged because it's also a fun format.

What I noticed that I'd failed to pickup before, with TV cutting back and forth between various matches, is that it's really 3 games at once.  To illustrate, last Saturday afternoon I followed Donald/Garcia and Toms/Mickleson over holes 11 to 15 (due to bottlenecks I didn't see 14 up close).  Because of the numbers we had to choose which bits of the holes we could position ourselves to see. This sequence has pars of 4,3,4,3,4, and what became apparent to me was on all those holes there was a contest between Sergio and Phil to hit the shot onto the green.  Luke and Davis were having a driving and putting contest against each other and the other two were trading iron shots.  It was fascinating stuff, we saw the approach shots and (from memory) the only time Phil was inside Sergio was on 12 - Luke had 3 makeable birdie putts (and made 2?).

Foursomes has the score match of partners going on  then two more contests where very specific skills are tested mano a mano.  Maybe I'm dim not to have picked this up before but it's left me aching to give it a go.  

I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who was there, what else surprised them and also from those who have played this format if they found it a particularly testing format.

Funny you should mention that, Tony - I just got picked to play for Dunbar in our opening match in the East Lothian Winter League (which was today against Royal Musselburgh), and much to my surprise I discovered on the first tee that all of the matches are at foursomes, which I'd never played before! I was particularly pleased to have a crack at foursomes in a team format so soon after watching the Ryder Cup on TV...

I have to say, it was a *lot* of fun. I think my span of concentration is only just about good enough for half a round's worth of shots anyway, but it really gets you hooked up with your partner in a way that better-ball doesn't, particularly in a match which means something. I made a couple of long-ish putts early on, which helped a lot; I think if you hit a bad shot or putt early on and then that part of your game gets frozen out for a while (e.g. in my match today I didn't hit a full-length approach shot into a green until the 7th hole), it can be really difficult to get back into the swing of it. I'd imagine it can also be really deflating if one of you is constantly putting your partner into trouble. But on the flip side, if you do something well, you really feel like you've done something for your partner and not just yourself - and when you both get in a good groove (which happened to us today), you can keep each other going more than you can when you're just fighting for yourself.

There's a fair amount of foursomes golf over here in the UK, actually, so I'm sure there are others with much more experience than I have, but I'm really keen to get out there and play in the league again!

Cheers,
Darren

Tony,

Started last year. Twice a year, three freinds & I have a two day throw down 36 a day grudge match. Lots of woofin, some wagering and much fun.  What made it so much more interesting is when we started playing the second 18 each day as foursomes and we have had a ball. It's just a ton of fun w/ the strategy & the comraderie it breeds.

I play in a flighted foursomes tournament each year at Diablo CC in the Bay Area. Great fun..

At my former club, we played a  Chapman format for the couples championship and played a select drive-alternate shot format for 9 holes of 27 in our version of the Ryder Cup.

Tony,
I enjoy it, well suited to my lazy side. First time for me was in a tournament with the Pro I eventually took over from at Hotchkiss. He was in his late 60s at the time and his words to me on the first tee were: "Jimmie, get ready to hit from places on this course that you've never been before". This was at Wyantenuck CC in Great Barrington, Ma., and he was right, although we did beat it back and forth for a one over day, and I can't say that I've ever had more fun since.

I get out a couple of evenings with some of the players here and I can usually persuade them to play foursomes once in awhile. It's like pulling teeth to get them to do it but they always seem to enjoy it.

Too bad that public golf courses in the U.S. don't offer four for two green fees at particular times of the day to promote this format. It could add a few dollars to the coffers and bring a few more people onto the course.

I just remembered...Played Pacific Dunes once and it was foursomes.  First round at the resort and the first tee time of the day....Pinehurst format so not as pure as it should have been...note: Not gonna explain format...look it up.

Are some courses better "tests" for foursomes? Has this been a design consideration on some courses? Should this be a major factor for routing plans?

For example, if all the par 3s (or par 5s) fall on the odd or even holes exclusively, wouldnt this 'unbalance' a match, where one team with a single player being a 'tiger of the tee' or expert iron player having a clear advantage before even teeing off?

Are some courses better "tests" for foursomes? Has this been a design consideration on some courses? Should this be a major factor for routing plans?

For example, if all the par 3s (or par 5s) fall on the odd or even holes exclusively, wouldnt this 'unbalance' a match, where one team with a single player being a 'tiger of the tee' or expert iron player having a clear advantage before even teeing off?

I can't imagine that foursomes play is a design concern for anyone nowadays, and I'd rather doubt that it was in the past. But it is very interesting to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each player in a foursomes pair and then match them to the golf course before you begin play - in many cases it won't matter, but take my round at Dunbar yesterday. I teed off on the even holes, and here are the full shots I had to play on the front nine:

1: second shot - par 5 (fairway wood)
2: drive - par 5 (then pitch from just short of the green)
3: (none - par 3)
4: drive - par 4
5: (none - par 3)
6: drive - par 4
7: approach - par 4
8: drive - par 4
9: second shot - par 5 (fairway wood)

So on the front nine, I hit only one normal iron shot to approach a green - which as it happened suited us very well, because my partner's iron game was better than mine and I managed to both drive and putt competently. (I had more of the approaches on the back nine, although the distribution was more even.)

Cheers,
Darren

Cuscowilla foursomes group...We played out of one set of hickories as each group teed off at once.  The best part was when we had to let a group go through and one of the guys took this pic..

There is a lot of foursomes played in UK.  I have recently played 36 holes foursomes matches at Royal Portrush, Royal Co Down and am due to play the same at Muirfield this week. It is quick but puts quite a strain on your game - the key is to try to play your own game rather than changing to suit your partner. There is an all Ireland foursomes scratch inter club competition played annually (called the Barton Shield) which almost every club in Ireland enters.  There are also several other similar competitions for different handicap levels.
One other interesting facet here which should make all GCAers sit up and take notice is that there is a lot of mixed foursomes played all over the UK - this frequently puts quite a strain on some marriages as many husbands and wives play together and of course it leads to many (often true) jokes and stories.  It is definitely worth trying
Johnny Browne

I have played it several times and I love it. I also think it produced one of the great rounds in junior golf history. In 1991, I played for Ohio in the Tri-State matches against Indiana and Kentucky at Firestone North. In the morning 70 was low for the best ball. In the afternoon, Matt Beckett and Kevin Lynch from Ohio shot a 67 from the back tees, for two 16-year old kids, I don't know how you could expect a finer round of golf in foursomes, nobody could believe the score. The wind was up and the golf course playing long and tough. These two shoot a 67 that was just beyond description. They shot 72 in the best ball, I believe.

Dan,
Generally felt the stronger player should play the par 3s
Johnny