A shotgun start is a golf tournament format in which all groups of players tee off simultaneously from different holes. [1] Each hole on a course will be the starting hole for one or more foursomes. Group 1 would start from hole 1, group 2 from hole 2, etc. Each group starts play at the same time. A shotgun start allows a tournament to end at the same time it takes the slowest foursome to finish a full round or 18 holes of golf. If there are more than 18 teams involved, some double up at the 4 and 5 par holes as A & B teams
The December 2004 issue of Golf Digest reported that in May 1956, Jim Russell, the head pro at Walla Walla Country Club in Walla Walla, Washington, fired a shotgun to sound the start of play. [1] [2] This is purportedly the first time a tournament used such a starting format. Today, a central siren, loudspeaker or horn is used so that golfers all over the course can hear the signal to start, or a specific time is designated.
This starting format is popular for charity events, as everyone starts and finishes at the same time. This allows for a post-event meal where the prizes can be awarded. It can also be used for large group and corporate tournaments as well as events where the participants arrive at the venue together on a bus.
Most golf courses have strict rules and policies when booking this type of tournament (as the number of players involved essentially closes the course to other golfers), which may include one or more of the following:
Because of weather issues, the European Tour of professional golf has used the format three times to play ahead of the weather; the final round of the 1994 Czech Open, the final two rounds of the 2015 Portugal Masters and the final round of 2018 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship all used shotgun starts in order to beat the weather. The lead group teed off at the first hole, with groups going by order, with the first golfers on the 18th, then the second group on the 17th, and so forth. There were two groups at some holes, with six of the 18 holes featuring two groups. In those cases, the second group teed off five minutes after the first group. [3]
Disc golf, formerly known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which is a thermoplastic polymer resin used in a wide variety of applications. Discs are also made using a variety of other plastic types that are heated and molded into individual discs. The sport is usually played on a course with 9 or 18 holes (baskets). Players complete a hole by throwing a disc from a tee pad or area toward a target, known as a basket, throwing again from where the previous throw landed, until the basket is reached. The baskets are formed by wire with hanging chains above the basket, designed to catch the incoming discs, which then fall into the basket. Usually, the number of throws a player uses to reach each basket is tallied, and players seek to complete each hole in the lowest number of total throws. Par is the number of strokes an expert player is expected to make for a given hole or a group of holes.
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named after the English businessman Samuel Ryder who donated the trophy. The event is jointly administered by the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe, the latter a joint venture of the PGA European Tour (60%), the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland (20%), and the PGAs of Europe (20%).
The Masters Tournament is one of the four men's major golf championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the first major golf tournament of the year. Unlike the other major tournaments, the Masters is always held at the same location: Augusta National Golf Club, a private course in the city of Augusta, Georgia.
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". The cup holds a flagstick, known as a "pin". A standard round of golf consists of 18 holes, and as such most courses contain 18 distinct holes; however, there are many 9-hole courses and some that have holes with shared fairways or greens. There are also courses with a non-standard number of holes, such as 12 or 14.
The following is a glossary of the terminology currently used in the sport of golf. Where words in a sentence are also defined elsewhere in this article, they appear in italics. Old names for clubs can be found at Obsolete golf clubs.
Hazeltine National Golf Club is a golf club located in Chaska, Minnesota, a suburb southwest of Minneapolis, United States. It is a private club and therefore closed to guests not accompanied by a member. The golf course was designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1962.
The QBE Shootout is a team golf event that takes place on the PGA Tour as an unofficial money event. It was originally played during the off-season, but now it is played during the wrap-around season's December break.
The Desert Classic is a professional golf tournament in southern California on the PGA Tour. Played in mid-winter in the Coachella Valley, it is part of the tour's early season "West Coast Swing."
The Kemper Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1968 to 2006.
Golf etiquette refers to a set of rules and practices designed to make the game of golf safer and more enjoyable for golfers and to minimize possible damage to golf equipment and courses. Although many of these practices are not part of the formal rules of golf, golfers are customarily expected to observe them. The R&A rule book states that "[t]he overriding principle is that consideration should be shown to others on the course at all times."
The 37th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 19–21, 2008, in the United States at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Team USA won 161⁄2 - 111⁄2 to end the streak of three successive victories for Europe. This was USA's largest margin of victory since 1981 and the first time since 1979 that the Americans had held the lead after every session of play. The team captains were Paul Azinger for the US and Nick Faldo for Europe.
The Illinois Women's Open is a three-day, 54-hole state championship of golf administered by the Chicagoland Golf Publishing Company of Naperville, Illinois, and the non-profit Chicago Friends of Golf.
Golf equipment encompasses the various items that are used to play the sport of golf. Types of equipment include the golf ball, golf clubs, and devices that aid in the sport.
Foursomes, also known as alternate shot, is a pairs playing format in the sport of golf.
Variations of golf include methods of scoring, starting procedures, playing formats, golf games, and activities based on or similar to the sport of golf which involve golf-like skills or goals.
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit a ball into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
TPC Southwind is a private golf club in Shelby County, Tennessee, southern United States, located within the gated community of Southwind in Southeast Memphis.
Centennial Park Golf Centre is a 27-hole executive length golf course located in Southern Ontario on the border of Etobicoke and Mississauga. The facility also features a driving range, putting green, chipping green and an 18-hole mini-golf course. The golf course is privately owned but is open to the public. They operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Their hours of operation are generally within 30 mins of sunrise and sunset, weather permitting. Although weather dictates the season, the course ,generally, opens around the beginning of April and closes the beginning of December.
The London Professional Foursomes Tournament was a professional golf tournament played annually from 1907 to 1911. In 1909 the southern section of the PGA took over the organisation of the event which was called the Southern Professional Foursomes Tournament. The winners received the "Dewar Shields" donated by Sir Thomas Dewar.
Governors Island Golf Course was a military course on Governors Island in New York Harbor, New York City, approximately 800 yards (732 m) from the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The golf course offered one of the most unique golf experiences in New York City due to its views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan skylines, with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop. It was considered the only golf course in Manhattan as Governors Island is technically part of the borough.