Newby : 

A person that identifies with the game of golf and most of the important rules, has been to a driving range before and has access to a golf set with at least a putter, a few irons (preferably with different numbers), driver or something to hit off the tee with and at least 20 second-hand golf balls because not all golf players shares their golf balls. He or she will form part of the team and will play an active role in the scoring on holes and the frustration of teams. This person must be highly trainable as most of his coaching will take place on the course.

Handicap : 

That thing all golfers know about, don’t care about, have most probably lied about and, if they have an official one, moaned about. Please provide handicaps where players have an official handicap and indicate if they have no official handicap. Handicap does not refer to your inability to hit a ball with a stick down a green pasture, but refers to your ability to accurately count all the shots played to get the ball into the hole, even if you can’t believe the number of shots played.

Team :

Four glass-half-full people (all golfers believe the next round will be their best round) amalgamated together for the sole purpose of hitting a dimpled ball, preferably the same one they started with, for 18 holes guiding the ball past numerous traps including sand, water, bush and deep bush into a hole surrounded with short grass, with as few shots as possible. As every good, bad and missed shot and the score on every hole will be of great importance the team should be able to function as a well-oiled entity providing continuous support and help on dreadful shots as well as support and assistance on shocking shots.

Caddy :

It is that local person, that presumably knows the lay of the land, running up to you when you get to the clubhouse, hoping you are a single-digit handicap player, who can hit a drive 350 yards down the middle of the fairway and sink any put within 20 yards of the hole, but then discovers you should have been player ‘D’ on the scorecard because you don’t reach the ladies tees when you hit your drive straight. When you do connect the drive on the odd occasion, he picks up 10 other golf balls because nobody in their right mind goes that deep into the bush to look for a ball. As all the teams are well-oiled machines, communicating with each other, supporting and sharing their huge knowledge base when it comes to putting, reading greens, finding any ball, and hitting any iron, we will, on that day, not make use of that local talent. This is to ensure the teams work together.

Golf Cart :

As the game of golf is already strenuous and challenging enough without the additional burden of carrying your tour-level golf bag with fourteen clubs, 20 golf balls, three drinks of water, golf tees, towels, energade, energy bars, energy drinks, two beers, car keys, and a stacked wallet, the golfers will be provided with two carts per team. This will help to ensure that we finish before nightfall and that everybody is still able to walk to their respective transportation after the event.

Halfway House :

The only time the player can actually rest and recoup and not contemplate the intricacies of the game of golf and how it can be so difficult to get a small ball into a hole after watching endless TikTok and Instagram videos showing how easy the swing process from the take away to the follow through is and how to play a slight draw on all shots and floating the ball into the green with backspin to get it within putting distance. Something to eat and drink will be provided to all players to ensure they get out there on the second nine, positive and ready for their best nine ever.

Tees : 

The spot from where your best effort as a player starts for each hole and where you usually take out the club with which you think you can hit the furthest. As we have players of all ages and skill levels, all players will be using the white tees for the day. This will however exclude any female players, who will use their respective tees, as well as any players over 55, who would want to make use of the senior tees. It is going to be a long day and we do not need to make the course long as well.

Format : 

This would be the way in which the tournament will be played and the amount of support and interaction required by the players within each team. The format for the tournament will be “Medal”. This means that irrespective of your handicap, each and every shot played until the ball is in the hole will count. As this can make the day extremely long on those holes where the driver did not have the correct club from the tee, we have decided to build in a max per par. A player can only pick up the ball on double the specific hole’s par. This will mean the max count on a par 3 is a 6, the max count on a par 4 is an 8 and the max on a par 5 is a 10. This will apply to all players, and yes, this will entail large scores on holes, but it will also be fun and ensure that all players try their best on any specific hole.

Scoring(+) :

Although there are four players in each team playing together as a team, not all the scores for the specific hole will be tallied. An external party has set up a mask, that includes all 18 holes and indicates on each hole, which player’s score is to be added. This means, for example, that on hole 1, scores from Player A and Player C will be added, and on hole 2, scores from Player B and Player D, and on hole 3, scores from Player A, Player B, and Player D. This mask will be set up for all 18 holes and put in a sealed envelope that will only be opened at the end of the game. Scores will then be tallied to get a team score for the day. Because no player will know which scores will count, all players will have to concentrate on all 18 holes. Again, the fun factor kicks in, as there will be huge scores on some holes, but, these will not necessarily be applicable to the scoring. There will thus be an abundance of support and teaching opportunities within each team.

Scoring(-) :

Teams have the ability to reduce their final overall score through the following options:

• Team captains will be allocated per team and indicated on the WhatsApp group to which all players have been added. The team captain must send through a name for the team before Monday 2022/11/07 at 20:00. For doing this -2 is deducted from the team’s final score. These will be the names used on the day of the tournament.

• All players need to send a selfie photo via the WhatsApp group and a one-liner on their skill level in golf. Team captains to ensure this happens before Monday 2022/11/07 at 20:00. This is so all the participants can see and meet their fellow contenders and way up their skill levels. For doing this -1 is deducted from the team’s final score for each player that complied within the timeframe.

• All players will be handed a dedicated golf ball on the day of the tournament. This ball must be used from the first tee and played with on all the holes until it is lost. For each ball within the four-ball that can be shown after the 18 holes, a score of -2 is deducted from the team’s final score.

• As we are all avid golf players I am sure most of us will follow the Nedbank Million Dollar tournament. Each team has to select 4 players of which one must be a South African player. For each round, for each player that plays below par, a minus is added to the team and for each player per round playing above par, a plus is added. The team will also select two options for a winner, which will also mean a deduction of 2 points (-2) if any of them do end up winning. The player and winner selections will have to be sent per team on the WhatsApp group with the team name and the players and winners before Tuesday 2022/11/08 at 20:00. These scores will also be deducted or added to the team’s final score. The link to the million dollars and the opponents is https://www.nedbankgolfchallenge.com/players/2022/.

• If any additional rules are added they will be posted on the WhatsApp group.

Dreaded Drol : 

Each team will receive a specific chip that will float between the team members. On each hole, the last person to putt it more than three times is given this chip and whoever ends with the chip after 18 holes gets a shot (straf dop) to drink after the game. Three putts will happen, and most probably quite a lot…just don’t end up with the chip after hole 18.

Scramble Drive :

As we are there to enjoy the game there will be 4 scramble drives allowed on the day. All four members tee off and the team can select which ball they want to play from. Thereafter every player plays to hole out as normal. The holes that this will apply to are as follows :

• Hole 1
• Hole 6
• Hole 10
• Hole 18