Golf Games: Flags

Here is a very fun format which can be played by any size group of golfers from small to large. The whole club could play it as a tournament format. Flags Flags is a golf game of progression. Each player in the competition has a flag they bring with themselves. Each player is allotted strokes either gross or based on handicap. On a par-72 course playing gross, all players would receive 72 strokes. If using handicaps on a par-72 course, the players would receive 72 strokes plus their handicap. So an 18 handicap on a par-72 course would receive 90 strokes. Players play the course as usual. When the reach the end of their allotted stroke amount, they take their flag and put it in the ground. Flags can have numbers or some other way of identifying the player. At the end of the tournament the player’s flag which is closest to the finish is the winner. Breaking Ties With higher handicaps is it likely that players will finish all 18 holes with strokes left. In the event that this, or a tie occurs there are a few ways to proceed. First, players may play holes beyond the original 18 until they run out of strokes. The player who makes it the farthest is the winner. The second way of breaking ties would be to count up the number of strokes left with the player having the most being the winner. For instance we will say that two players finished 18 with strokes left. One player is a five handicap and the other a 15 handicap. The five-handicap player finished the round in a total of 75, meaning he has two strokes left (72 plus his handicap equals 77, 77-75=2). The 15 handicap finished with total score of 86, meaning he has one stroke left (72 plus his handicap equals 87, 87-86=1). Therefore the five handicap is declared the winner. Optional Format To make sure that most if not all players finish and there are no players with strokes left over after 18 holes, handicaps may be cut to a particular fraction of their original value. For instance, player handicaps may be cut by ⅓, making the 15 handicap a 10.