World Series of Golf

[Blair Rodman]

In early 2006 I met a guy at my country club, Canyon Gate in Las Vegas, named Ken Maul. He knew I was a poker player and told me of a concept he and another member named John Slitz had been working on combining golf and poker, which they had named the World Series of Golf. I’ve heard a lot of far-fetched ideas as to how to package golf and gambling in a way that would appeal to gamblers and the viewing public that didn’t fly, so I was a bit skeptical.

The next time I saw Ken we played a few holes with Terry Leiweke, of the sports savvy Leiweke brothers, whom they had brought on board as the WSOG’s CEO. I also learned more of the WSOG format, which works as follows:

In the first round each player starts with a bankroll of 10,000. Playing and betting order is determined on the first tee. That order is followed throughout the round, except that the button(the player hitting and betting first) will rotate after each hole. Each player antes 100 before teeing off. The antes double every three holes throughout the round. After all players have hit there is a round of betting. Betting increments are from 100 to all in. Players may check, bet or fold. Players still in after the betting will then hit their next shots in order, after which there’s another betting round. This procedure will continue until one player wins the hole or all but one player has folded. If two or more players tie the hole, the pot is split accordingly. A winner is determined when one player has all the chips. If more than one player has chips remaining after the 18th hole there will be extra holes played, with the ante doubling each hole. If a player doesn’t have enough chips to make a full ante he’s eliminated.

I was starting to think this might be the real deal. When Ken told me that the event would be televised on NBC I was sure of it.

In February Ken invited me to Primm Valley Golf Club outside Vegas, where the event will be held, to sample the format. Each group has a croupier who keeps score and directs the action. My croupier that day was the WSOG tournament director, a well-known PGA Tour golf personality named Dan Baker, who has run several PGA events, as well as the Walker Cup and the Ryder Cup in Boston in 1999. I loved playing the format, finding it a great melding of NL poker and golf. No-limit betting strategies are as big a part of the game as golf talent, and I’ve yet to talk to anyone who has tried it and didn’t enjoy the game.

In March Ken asked me to come to Primm again, this time to croupier for other prospective entrants who were trying out the game. When I got to the course Ken introduced me to Tom Meeks, who had recently come on board as the lead rules official. Tom has recently retired from his other job. Golf enthusiasts will recognize him as the long-time USGA senior director of rules and competitions, the man who, among other things, has set up the US Open courses for many years.

The WSOG has employed Octagon, a sports and entertainment event-management company, to produce the tournament. One of their functions is to screen entrants. The focus of this screening process is two-fold: Since it’s a TV show, entrants will be evaluated according to their “good TV” qualities. Also, Octagon has a method of weeding out “sandbaggers” to a high degree. That process, combined with the fact that there are no handicap strokes should assure as fair a contest as possible in an amateur event. In the first and second rounds contestants will be grouped with players of similar skill. In the championship round the differences in skill level will be leveled out by means of tee adjustments.

The event will run May 13-16 and will be hosted by The Mirage. For the 10k entry fee players will get four nights accommodations at The Mirage, elaborate parties each night, green fees, and transportation to Primm Valley. Each contestant will be allowed an on course caddie/gambling consultant. The consultants will also get a room and invitation to the parties for themselves and a guest. There should be lots of other goodies, too.

Players who advance through the first round will be guaranteed to get at least get $10,000. For those who don’t advance on the first day a secondary event will be held the following day with the winner getting a free entry into next year’s event. The winner of the inaugural World Series of Golf will get $250,000 and an awesome championship ring.

I’ve played the format several times and find it one of the best golf-gambling games I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait for the event to start. The field will consist of golfers with handicaps in the 4-20 range. If you’ve ever been a pro you’re ineligible. If anyone’s interested in playing, or finding out more about the WSOG, email me at blairrodman@hotmail.com and I’ll do what I can to help with answering any questions and facilitating the screening process. Also, check out the WSOG website at worldseriesofgolf.com.

[grando]

I think this is an interesting concept - it'd probably be a lot better as pot-limit though, as someone can just bury their drive down the fairway and shove and everyone will fold, whereas pot odds could conceivably make it a call if he just pots

you should x-post this to sporting events

[SheetWise]

Very interesting action for players who have a strong short game.