Tournament shootout format ideas

[GranEnemigo]

We have an annual 2-day member/member tournament with the following format:
1. We create flights of 6 teams based on combined index (with caps) of the 2-men teams.
2. Each team plays 5 nine hole fourball matches (85% handicap allowance), with the flight winners advancing to a shootout.  
3. In the shootout round, all teams play sudden death alternate shot, with no strokes. This is a one-hole playoff, with teams going from different boxes based on flight (black for A/B flight, blue for C/D, etc.).

 

This is one of the signature events of the season, and everyone has an absolute blast - until the shootout. For the past 7 years, the winners of the A flight have won the tournament 6 times, with B flight winner in the other. I should not complain too much, since we won it in 2021, but we want to improve the shootout to give every team a reasonable chance of winning. 

 

Basically, we think that this shootout format drastically favors the better players. The shootout hole itself is likely part of the problem. It is a par 4, roughly 425 from the back tees and 380 from the front. It's a prevailing downwind hole, with a speed slope at around 160 from the front of the green. Most of the A flight guys are roasting a driver down there, leaving the second guy a flip wedge, whereas the higher handicap players get stuck at the top of the hill, with 160-170 left in. We considered using a different hole, but this backs up the the clubhouse patio/outdoor bar and has a natural amphitheater around the green. Certainly the pressure is an issue (I've seen competent players with mid-single digit handicaps completely melt down when 150+ other members are watching). The A/B players have more experience playing under pressure, whether it is club championship matches, inter-club tournaments, etc.

 

We're tossing around a few ideas to make the shootout more fun and equitable, but I'd be interested to hear any ideas/feedback from people on this forum. We've come up with the following potential alternatives:
1. 3-hole fourball aggregate, with 85% handicaps. This would be the most fair, but likely too time-consuming. This could potentially only work if we reduced to 5 teams per flight/4 matches, with the shootout basically taking the place of the final match.
2. Convert the shootout hole to a modified par 3 from the fairway, where we dramatically change the distances based on flight: 215 yards for the A/B flights, 165 for C/D, 130 for E/F. The thinking here is that a 215 yard shot for a +1 index is about as difficult as a 130 yard shot for an 18 index. (These numbers are approximate - ideally we'd like to dial-in a distance for each group so that they have the same expected GIR percentage/dispersion.) 
3. Modified alternate shot, where the mid-flighted players get a scramble shot off the tee (both players hit then pick the better drive) and bottom-flighted get a scramble drive and approach shot.

[jvincent]

Our member guest has a similar format to what you describe.

 

We do a closest to the pin shootout from a "par 3" distance to determine the overall winner.  All flights go from the same spot, around 110 yards. It's surprising how often the lower flighted guys win.

 

I think if you went with 15 yard gaps between flights you'd be good.

[sui generis]

Just be sure the scratch guys win. Set it up so the rabbits dream that they have a chance. Any other plan will bring misery down on your head. 😉

[dmecca2]

Shootout teams need strokes. It's unreasonable to think they can compete with the A&B groups without getting shots. I've been a part of these styles and in every one that I've played in, pretty much every flight below the top 3 get shots, with the bottom couple flights sometimes receiving 2 shots depending on the hole handicap.

[bluedot]

It seems odd at best to have a flighted net event, and then play the shootout without strokes.  With all due respect, that doesn’t make sense.  I’m also not sure how a one hole shootout works in terms of breaking ties.

 

Our M-M and Member -Guest, we also play 5 nine hole matches, flighted by handicap, and all net.  The 8 flight winners and the two top 2nd place teams are all in the 10 team shootout, which is true alternate shot with stroke allocations.  The shootout is 4 holes; 4 teams  are eliminated on the first hole, then 2 more teams go out on the 2nd and 3rd holes, leaving two teams playing sudden death on the 4th hole, plus any necessary playoff holes.  
 

So on the first hole if there are 2 net birdies, 5 net pars, and 3 net bogeys, the three net bogeys are out.  The 5 net pars then have a chip off, and the worst chip of the 5 is eliminated.  The remaining 6 teams then go to the 2nd shootout hole, where 2 more teams will be eliminated by the same process.  It is NOT aggregate score; if one of the teams that birdied the first hole makes one of the two worst scores on the second hole, or loses the chip off, they’re out.  
 

All of this, including the chip,off, is alternate shot; if my partner tapped in our last putt and we’re now in the chip off, I have to hit the chip, and if we stay in, he’s got to hit the tee shot on the next hole.

 

I don’t think there’s anything special or unique about “our” format; it’s pretty standard.  But it works, we get a huge crowd watching, and higher handicap teams often win.