R U a Gambler?

Got Michael Jordan syndrome?
CTP for a buck? $kin$ $.50 a hole? $1 $5 Overall $5 Mystery $kin$ $Side Bet? Wolf?
Sound Familiar?
Are you unable to play disc golf unless there is money on the line?
This is not Disc Golf Gamblers Anonymous... just an opportunity to expand upon what goes on at the disc golf course.
Have any new games? Can you explain it?
A lot of these games push you to putt harder (run putts you normally don't. Helping you to understand you abilities that you would not normally would not find out about under 'normal' conditions..)

[mark ellis]

Betting: I always bet if anyone in the group is willing. Betting creates a reason to play well and adds pressure to each shot. A casual, non-competitive round is just screwing around. It doesn't matter if your last shot or your next shot is any good. It teaches you nothing and does little to prepare you for your next tournament. I would rather practice by myself than play non-competitively. I have only shot a handful of non-competitive rounds ever. I have never gone on a course and shot a traditional, keeping-score -round by myself. If I can't find someone to play with and make up some kind of game then I will just practice by myself-usually putting practice.

The size of the bet is a function of the comfort level of the group. I personally have never placed a bet on the course where the amount was meaningful to my life (not necessarily that I won't some day, just that I haven't so far). Most of the time my bets are in the one dollar to five dollar range. When I play with folks who aren't comfortable playing for those stakes, we typically play for an imaginary one trillion dollars per stroke.

I have run into situations where I found myself in a group that was both pretty evenly matched in skills and everyone in the group loved to bet. Boy, these are fun times. One year, playing in the final round of the World Championships in the Pro Master division, it was obvious we were all out of the money in terms of cashing in the tournament. I was in a five-some of players I didn't know well (or at all) and before the round asked if we should place some side bets. Wow! Was that a like-minded group! It took us ten minutes to set up all the bets we had and two extra scorecards just to keep track of them. Even with a slew of bets probably the biggest loser lost $20-30 or so.

If a bet is placed it should be paid. Period. Even if you decide to never play with someone again, fine. Pay the bet. Even if it is a nominal one dollar payoff. Pay the bet.

Games: I love games. I make up new games regularly based on the number of players and their skills. A good game creates pressure on shots. A good game levels the playing field. This is just as important for the best player in the group as the the weakest. In a good game you have a chance to win if you play your "A" game and will lose if you play at "C".

If a good Pro is playing with Ams or beginners with no spots given then there is no pressure on the Pro. He doesn't need to play well. Even if he falls behind everyone knows he can pull it out at the end. It is basically a waste of time for the Pro. But say the game is made and two (or more) Ams play best shot from the short pads and the Pro plays singles from the longs. Now the Pro may have to play great to have a chance. But next weekend, in a tournament, that Pro will have to shoot great to win-and he needs practice under pressure situations.

I have never found a group where a fair game couldn't be made. The hardest situation is where one player is much better than the rest. Then it is difficult to gauge just how much to handicap the best player.

Games have the advantage of focusing on, and developing, any weakness in your game. Can't roll? Make up a mandatory roller game (every drive must be a roller). Can't putt? Make a double putt game (no putt counts unless you can make it twice).

Every game should be realistic. That is, it should work on a skill that will be needed sometime. We all will have to throw a roller out of the schuul. We will never have to throw a roller opposite handed, blindfolded. Games should develop real skills.

You know it is a good game when it is close at the end. Don't you love to have a 30 foot putt to win (or lose) on the last hole? Good games are more fun.

The hardest part of games is convincing some people to try them. So many golfers want to start at hole #1, play only the traditional course (no made-up holes) and play either straight best shot doubles or singles. How many times have you flipped for doubles and had the two best players draw each other? Basically the game is over before it begins ( OK, they might play terrible and you might play the best round of your life but everyone knows the odds of both those things happening are small). It would be a better, more fun and pressured experience if the teams were engineered to make the most even teams possible.

The best players need to be able to look past the short term, small payoff of beating lesser players in casual rounds. By creating games that give the lesser players a real chance, the better players have the long term advantage of improving their games for the big payoff in tournaments.

[Disc Player Sports]

Good Ideas!

[Bruce Brakel]

At my last tournament in the afternoon I was on the same card as my daughter because we had tied. Everybody on the card was within a stroke of each other. We had all sucked in the morning.

I suggested we play Lonely Birdie Lonely Bogie for funny money skins. This is the game where if you are the only person in the foursome to shoot under par on a hole, everybody pays you a skin, and if you are the only one to shoot over par on a hole, you pay everyone a skin. Kelsey was game. The other guys on the card did not want in. That was pretty disappointing.

[mark ellis]

I call this games Solo Birdies and Bogies. The great thing about this game is that it is a perfect complement to tournament play. That is, if you are in a tournament and playing in a later round where you are clearly out of cashing range, it gives you something to play for other than your handicap rating.

Here, skins doesn't work well. Since in a tourney your total score matters, there are times when for skins purposes you want to run a long risky putt but for score purposes you want to play much safer.

Another version of this game which I recently played in a tourney round was First Solo Birdie and First Solo Bogie. So the most you could win (in a 4 -some) for the Solo Birdie is $3 and the most you could lose for the Solo Bogie is $3. If you wanted a smaller bet then have the winner of the Solo Birdie collect a dollar from the loser of the Solo Bogie (unless they are the same person then the winner has to take a dollar out of his right pocket and put it in his left-since you always pay your bets).

[Bill]

5-person card at a C Tier this past Saturday, and one of the Rec players on our card hits what is only his second ace in a decade or more. After high fives all around, I reach into the bag for my wallet and give him a dollar (I know, I know, but I didn't have a 5 on me) and not a single person did likewise. Some even knew the tradition but chose to ignore it and look off into the woods... IT'S A DOLLAR, COME ON! Well karma happened and I went on to shoot my best round ever and the others ended up battling for last place as I slipped into 5th overall. Pay up- tradition, side bet, level playing field, whatever (BTW, really good ideas there Mark, ty). If you want good playing partners then BE a good playing partner.

[Eric Garlow]

I'm not familiar with this tradition?

[mark ellis]

Here in Michigan it is a tradition that you pay $5 if someone in your group hits an ace. It is also a tradition that if you hit a black ace ( ace in the wrong basket) you pay $5 to everyone who witnesses it. Some people pay $1 for a dot (drive that hits metal) but I've never been a big supporter of dots.

[Bill]

I picked up the tradition from an Ohio golfer so maybe it's a regional thing.

[Disc Player Sports]

In Florida:
We call it "Fifty One"
$5 for an Ace.
$1 for metal.

[Mike Thomas]

in Syracuse, NY we play 315 (our area code)

$3 for chains
$1 for metal (pole, basket, top)
$5 for Ace

usually we can see most of the baskets and can tell if it hit the pole or basket, quiet woods help to hear that sweet sound too

[Sean]

On the 51 club, I agree that "dotting" is suspect, but I will give a dollar for chains. We all know that a perfect shot can be undone by our imperfect targets. Nothing low pays.

[SLO]

Skins are great.
.5 .10 .50 1.00 $$$$ per hole waheva.
you can play all day and have 20-40$$ swings.
bring it.

Me and a buddy had a running tab of skins/total scores, i got in the hole over $70 then I got it all back and he owes me $22 now. lmfao.

anybody wanna gambol? Been thinking about a triathalon... Disc Golf, poker, foosball? nice