So I finally gotten around to reading the summer publication of Discgolfer (The official publication of the professional disc golf association) and the very last article caught my attention. It described this new way of scoring, deemed Even Steven, developed by Jack Gilmore & Steve Callaway (just two normal dudes). If you read the article and the description of the game, it can get a little confusing. I had to read it a couple times over to really get the game play but it actually sounds fun and challenging.
For those who haven’t had the chance to read it here is how the game is played. The game utilizes the use of mulligans (or gilly’s as they call them) and changing the par of certain holes to even out the playing field when playing against a more challenging opponent. The score is kept in relation to the par of the course. So for example, if you score a bogey on hole one (as I often do…), instead of marking a four you write down +1 on hole one. If hole two is a bird, then you would write a 0 (zero) on hole two because you are now even in relation to the par of the course. Get it? Let’s move on.
Here is the meat of it. When you go over par you accrue mulligans that you can use on the holes there after. So to continue with the example above let’s say you are 1 over after hole one. On hole two you shank the drive (like I often do…) so you can use the mulligan gained by the bogey on hole one to re-drive and get that bird to return to even. NOW, if you park hole 2 without using the mulligan and return to even, you LOSE the mulligan because you are no longer over par. Get it? That’s pretty much the gist of it. It allows less consistent players to “catch up” to better players.
Lastly, if a player keeps losing strokes and finds himself over par on a certain hole, you add one additional stroke to the par on that hole in order to facilitate a quicker comeback. Confused?! Let me explain. Let say you are 4 over par and the next hole is a par 3 then that hole alone becomes a par 4 for that player only. He can still utilize the mulligans as well. So in essence he could score a birdie on that hole and gain two strokes because it was a par 4 for him. His score would be +2.
Hopefully that makes sense. I’m always interested in playing different formats when golfing. Single play is fun but I prefer it during tournaments. If I’m just out there to practice and have fun, why not change it up? If practice is what you need then this would be a good way to do it. I’m going to give it a try one of these weekends and let you know how it goes. Just remember, please be aware of other people as this form of play WILL TAKE LONGER. Don’t be that guy holding up everyone else. Let them play through. (Hint Hint: Check out JW’s blog for more on this topic – Here)
Next time I promise to post the video. I just had to talk about this one first before I forgot about it. BTW, this could also be used for ball golf though it would REALLY slow things down.
Till next time, quiet on the tee
Mondo
