Help with an outing format
 

I'm organizing an outing for my company. I'm trying to design it so that it's a non-competitive outing that will welcome all levels of golfers.

We've got about 25 people from our office -- 6 decent golfers, 10 duffers and 10 'others'.

Couple of questions:

1. What is the best format for a group like this? Scramble seems obvious, but if you know something better, shoot.
2. Should we make it a 'friends and family' outing to get more people involved?
a. If I do this, how do I avoid ringers? Yes, the dolts in this office are competitive enough to try to do this to a friendly outing.
3. Threesomes or foursomes?
4. How do I mix in the 'others'?

Re: Help with an outing format
 

1. Scramble is the way to go.

2. No. (You might make an exception for a spouse who is known to be a fine player.) Customers? But that makes it a marketing event, not a company outing.

3. With this number, threesomes. Better, anyway -- it'll go faster.

4. Everyone into A, B or C groups. Either pull names out of three hats or rank each player within each group and match up -- like best A person with the worst B and C person, etcetera...

Make all players tally at least two drives. This will even things up slightly.

Re: Help with an outing format
 

One way to even out ringers is to use the move back/forward tees method.

Everyone starts at the whites. If you get a birdie then you move back to the blues. If you get a bogey you move forward to the reds. If you par you stay at whatever tees you are at. You just move forward on bogey's and back on birdies. Makes it a little tough for the ringers, because they end up playing most of the round from the blacks.


If the course has black, blue, white and red tees this works out well.

Re: Help with an outing format
 

If you want to keep it stroke play the callaway system is an option. I've played in a tourney or two where it was used but don't really know the merits of the various systems like this.

Re: Help with an outing format
 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going with threesomes and I'm mixing them up by flights. I'm giving everyone in C flight a second tee shot and everyone in B flight one second non-tee shot.

Alright, as far as skill prizes go, I've got:

Two closest to the pins
One Shortest under-par putt
One Longest Fairway Drive

I'm also thinking of doing a straightest drive, which I've only seen once -- the outing had a straight chalked line bisecting a fairway. Person closest to the line won.

Any other ideas?

And no, I'm not using longest putt. I refuse -- that's the most inane skill prize.