Disc golf and ball golf challenge

[BrotherDave]

Two of my buddies are avid ball golfers that golf usually every weekend. They have a combined maybe 3 rounds of DG between them (zero for one guy). Another buddy and I are disc golfers primarily and mediocre at best at golf (I'm effing terrible honestly). We're constantly trying to figure out some combined score format that would kind of equal out the odds of which team would win.

The golfers shoot typically in the 80s-90s per an 18 I think. I'm happy to keep a hole under 10. I don't know about my DG buddy's BG skill but I doubt he could be worse than me. The course we'd play would most definitely be a country course that's really easy by golf standards b/c that's all we've got around here.

Disc golf-wise, I'm probably a better disc golfer than they're ball golfers. I'm probably Intermediate but if competition was my sole focus I could probably go Advanced. I'm expected to play advanced/open by area locals and I've been holding my own there lately (not the biggest tourneys though). My buddy is an honest Rec. player but not bad, can play Int. golf on a good day.

Now, I figure the golfers have the advantage b/c simply golf is harder than disc golf. And combined they're probably better ball golfers than my buddy and I are disc golfers (debatable). The longest, toughest, wooded course is probably the only thing that might help team disc golf (the ball golfers both have Eagle McMahon builds and mechanic grip strength so they might figure out distance on an open DG course).

Any thoughts? Combined score, capt. choice, mulligans, or any other handicapping feature that might level the playing field? opcorn:

 

[Dingus]

You can manipulate the rules or manipulate the scoring. If you want to manipulate the rules I would play best shot for your bad sport and worst shot for your better sport. Should even things out significantly. If you want to help out on the scoring side, play where pars give a point, birdies 2, eagles 3 and so on. Your golf buddies are probably 30 stokes better than you at ball golf, but how many pars or better are they gonna shoot in a round? A 80 player is probably getting a dozen points with this game, which you can easily put up on the disc golf side without any problems.

 

[sidewinder22]

I've always thought 18 holes ball golf about equals 27 holes disc golf deuce or die.

 

[DavidSauls]

I don't think you can come up with a formula, without knowing what everyone's average scores are in both sports.

You might try some sort of accumulated match play, which would reward holes won, but now how much they were won by. I suspect it would still favor the golfers, but at least the entire contest wouldn't be blown up by a double-digit score on a golf hole.

If you've got a really challenging disc golf course available to you, that might help too. Newer disc golfers can really get eaten up on championship-level courses.

 

[DavidSauls]

…..Or, handicap the results, in a way. Start with a random formula, such as multiplying disc golf score by 1.5. If you win, reduce that for the next match; if you lose, increase it. Eventually you'll get to something that works.

 

[wolfmandragon]

...
I would play best shot for your bad sport and worst shot for your better sport. Should even things out significantly.
...

I really don't like playing with handicaps. I feel outside of gambling, it has no place in golf.(highly subjective statement, I know)

I do like the above proposed scoring method if doubles is played. It not perfect, but it's simple.

If singles are played, I would drop Stoke Play and do Match Play for both sports. It's more fair to combined sport skill, speeds up play and usually makes for a more exciting experience.

 

[aphilso1]

On the ball golf course, the disc golfers play scramble format (commonly called best shot). Meanwhile the ball golfers each play their own ball and average their scores. You'd be amazed how much this evens out the scores when pairing a couple of hacks but giving the intermediate golfers no relief from penalty strokes, missed gimmies, etc. Both teams will probably both shoot roughly bogey golf.

On the disc golf course, the ball golfers play best shot doubles. The disc golfers play worst shot doubles. Depending on how tough the course is this also could get both teams to roughly the same score.

So, not only can you get the overall competition to be fairly equal, but playing this format should actually make each individual round competitive.

 

[slowplastic]

Depending on how terrible you are at golf, I would expect double bogeys pretty often and bogeys as "good". Whereas for non experienced disc golfers I would moreso expect bogeys to be normal and pars to be good, pars being pretty achievable for best shot doubles on "normal" recreation length courses.

I think the suggestion for best shot and worst shot for each pair depending on the sport sounds great. Keeps it simple, and you can find out afterwards if the scores should have been handicapped too. Maybe for worst shot doubles in golf, once you're on the green only one ball needs to go in...I'm not sure how worst shot doubles usually works for putting?

 

[BrotherDave]

I'm pretty stoked about double bogeys to be honest.

I think if we ever do this, we're gonna play Capt's Choice and use scores relative to par to determine the winner. If my partner and I play some good DG and get some throw-ins we might be able to make it close. I'm not sure Capt's Choice would really benefit the ball golfers as much as it potentially could us.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

I've always thought 18 holes ball golf about equals 27 holes disc golf deuce or die.

from the bg/dg courses around without any real thought just a YUP.. this actually seems to be pretty close considering tee times etc and we don't even come to contact play each other at all in most rounds.

 

[Dingus]

I'm pretty stoked about double bogeys to be honest.

I think if we ever do this, we're gonna play Capt's Choice and use scores relative to par to determine the winner. If my partner and I play some good DG and get some throw-ins we might be able to make it close. I'm not sure Capt's Choice would really benefit the ball golfers as much as it potentially could us.

If by Capt's Choice you mean scramble or simply "doubles" in disc golf parlance, I would say that you will get completely scrubbed. The potential for score variance is just so much greater in ball golf. Two crappy golfers still won't shoot under 100.

 

[aphilso1]

Agreed. I've never heard the term captain's choice before, but assuming that means scramble then it's really not going to be close. Two bogey golfers playing scramble together will likely be close to even par. You'll lose the ball golf round by 18-24 strokes.

Renegotiate! Make the golfers play their own ball and average their scores, while you guys get the benefit of scramble.

 

[BrotherDave]

I asked the golfers what they'd probably shoot playing Capt's Choice (yes, that's what we call doubles around here where both players throw and usually you take the best one but if both throws are the same/bad, the "capt." has final say on which lie to use) and one guy said par and the other said under par or par at worst. :\

Either of the golf courses we're likely to use are really open without a lot of water or ball eating rough.

 

[aphilso1]

I'm telling you Dave, make them play their own ball. You'll get absolutely crushed if both teams get to play captain's choice. But if only your team does while they have to feel the pain of every missed 3 ft putt and every penalty stroke, you should be able to hang close. You'd be amazed how well crappy golfers can score when they get two chances at every shot.

 

[etdefender19]

I remember a made-for-TV special many years ago when Greg Norman played his own ball against three single-digit handicappers (one was tennis player Ivan Lendl) playing a scramble.

The Shark still beat them pretty soundly, if memory serves. I'll see if I can find any record of it on the interwebs

 

[etdefender19]

" Greg Norman won his own Challenge when Wayne Gretzky, Ivan Lendl and Larry Bird teamed up for a double-bogey 6 on the 383-yard 12th hole Wednesday."

That's the best I could find. It was in 1990

 

[aphilso1]

I remember a made-for-TV special many years ago when Greg Norman played his own ball against three single-digit handicappers (one was tennis player Ivan Lendl) playing a scramble.

The Shark still beat them pretty soundly, if memory serves. I'll see if I can find any record of it on the interwebs

Interesting. I just looked the event up since I didn't remember this, and Norman only won by two strokes. And this is when Norman was the #1 golfer on the planet. That is the equivalent of three guys that are competitive in AM1 playing on a team and only losing to Paul McBeth by 2 strokes. It really goes to show just how much a scamble/best shot format evens the playing field against better players who are playing their own shot.

 

[ballgolfconvert]

You can manipulate the rules or manipulate the scoring. If you want to manipulate the rules I would play best shot for your bad sport and worst shot for your better sport. Should even things out significantly. If you want to help out on the scoring side, play where pars give a point, birdies 2, eagles 3 and so on. Your golf buddies are probably 30 stokes better than you at ball golf, but how many pars or better are they gonna shoot in a round? A 80 player is probably getting a dozen points with this game, which you can easily put up on the disc golf side without any problems.

I would modify this point system to give, 1 point for bogey 2 points for pars, 5 points for birdies. 0 points for bogey and -1 point for anything over bogey. . That way anything over double bogey doesn't give you non ball golfers an additional penalty.

 

[etdefender19]

Interesting. I just looked the event up since I didn't remember this, and Norman only won by two strokes. And this is when Norman was the #1 golfer on the planet. That is the equivalent of three guys that are competitive in AM1 playing on a team and only losing to Paul McBeth by 2 strokes. It really goes to show just how much a scamble/best shot format evens the playing field against better players who are playing their own shot.

Pre-pandemic I got my discs from OTB's brick and mortar shop and one day I chatted up the owner (who's the best DGer I've ever played with in person - small sample size, but still)
He and his buddy did the "Challenge McBeast" or whatever it was called where doubles teams competed against Paul's score on the same track
They shot the best of all the pairings - I think he said they were 14 down (don't remember how many holes) and it would have been a 1090 rated round - and McBeth still won by one or two.

 

[lee76007]

Usta Ball Golf Torney Player

My personnel experience was ball golfing amateur tourney player in the 80's and 90's before an Achilles Tendon reconstruction took care of that. I've now a Discoholic player since this past Sept and love it!! My game has improved rapidly where I now think I'm an Intermediate player? Your correct that ball golf is more difficult than disc golf, and I've used my ball golf experience to help me accelerate my disc golf game. In my opinion, here's what I think is fair with your friends, based on the experience that you've shared:

On the ball course your friends play straight up, playing best ball for their score each hole. You and your disc golf friend are given a handicap, 2 strokes each hole, playing a scramble. Adjustments can be made after the front 9. Any following rounds, adjustments can continue to be made.

On the Disc Course, you and your friend play best disc for a score, and straight up. Your ball golf friends give them 1 stroke each hole with a scramble. Adjustments can be made after the front 9 and etc.

Sounds like fun!