[Our Favorite Side Games]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

That sounds like a blast, and a great game to play when handicaps vary largely in one group (I play with some low singles regularly as a 16).

It is a blast. Handicaps can vary greatly, but I think it best when the team handicaps are close or even (two 10s vs a 5 and a 15). It makes the presses and rolls more equitable if you play those. 

One thing I'll add is that If you don't play full handicap and play off the low handicap. The highest handicap gets all the strokes.

[Our Favorite Side Games]

The game that my group plays most often is a 6 pt. Scotch game. The foreome is divided into two teams. I think it works best if the highest handicap is paired with the lowest hdcp. Value of points is predetermined with a quarter a point as a conservative starting point. 

Low ball is worth 2 points, low total is 2 points, closest to the pin in regulation (proxy) is worth 1 point and a birdie is worth 1 point. No points are given for ties. Also, an option we use is called an umbrella. This happens when one team gets 6 point on a hole,  and then the points automatically double to 12 points. The team with the most total points always tees up first on a hole.

Total up the points after 18 holes. If the winning team is up by 20 points at $1 per point, each player receives $20 from the losing team.

There are many different variations.  Here's a couple.

We allow presses, but I think it's best to limit it to one press per front and back 9s per team. A press on the front 9 comes off after the 9th hole is finished. A roll (a press for one hole) can also be used. However, watch for the higher handicapped team to roll only on holes when they are getting a stroke. Even though pairing the high and low handicap on the same team helps to alleviate this problem, I'm still not a fan of "rolls". There are also rolls by the 2nd team teeing off on a hole after the first team hits their drives. And then maybe a reroll after the 1st team sees the 2nd teams drives....

It's not as complicated as this might sound.

[Our Favorite Side Games]

I haven't heard of Split Sixes, but....

An almost identical that we play is called Nines (aka 81) where a total of 9 points is always given on each hole. (5, 3, 1 or 4, 4 1 or 5, 2, 2 or 3, 3, 3)

[You Asked - What is a Golf Handicap?]

It has always bothered me that the handicap system is trying to calculate my potential instead of just giving me an average of my past scores while factoring in the slope and rating. Does the system still calculate potential in 2024? I assume so since there only using 8 scores of the last 20.

I don't understand what the point is of trying to calculate potential. Is this just a way to try to curb sandbagging? If so, it doesn't work.

Why not just calculate what I am rather than what I could be?  There is already enough art in the science of calculating slope and rating. Why bring the other art of potential into it?