Whether you are planning a day on the links with a group of 8 friends, a fundraiser for 72, or a corporate outing or 144, The Deerfield Country Club is the largest provider of Golf outings on the West Side of Rochester.
You may select from one of our all-inclusive Golf Tournament Packages or you may customize your event by choosing among our many lunch and dinner options. No matter how you design your golf outing, our Tournament Management Services are always included at no charge, and our trained staff is always available to answer your questions, coordinate your event, and ensure a memorable day on and off the links.
Golf Packages
For those of you who want to make planning your golf outing as painless as possible, look over our Golf Tournament Packages. These package prices contain all costs including tax and service charges. To determine your cost for the event, simply multiply the price times the number of participants for the total cost.
No matter what kind of tournament or outing you are planning, The Deerfield Country Club is the ideal setting. While our outstanding food, facilities and reasonable prices make us the first choice among golfers; it is our dedication to service that truly distinguishes us in Rochester. Our staff will work with you throughout the planning process. And since we are a country club, not just a golf course, coordinating the golf and food portions of your event is never a problem.
INDEX
Organizing Your Golf Tournament
Tournament Styles/Structures
Handicapping Your Tournament
Tournament Extras
Tournament Management Services
Organizing Your Tournament
Many groups, companies, and organizations avoid golf outings because of the mistaken belief that there is too much work involved and that no help is available to organize and operate the tournament.
With the assistance of Deerfield Country Club, you can sponsor a golf outing for any group-large or small. The amount of effort required to make it successful will, obviously, depend on the size of the group. But with larger groups, the various jobs that have to be done may be spread among several individuals so that no great burden falls on any one person.
1. If you are planning to sponsor or promote a golf outing, you should talk informally to people who might be interested to determine approximately how many will play.
2. Select a suitable date, leaving some leeway to allow Deerfield Country Club to fit you into the outings that may have already been scheduled.
3. Call Deerfield Country Club at 392-8080 to see if your desired date is open. You should also give the tee times you would like and the approximate number of golfers who will play. This call should be made a minimum of 30 days in advance of your outing. Small groups may require only 20 days in advance; large groups may require 60-90 days or more.
4. Beverage service can cause some problems of which you should be aware. Many people (unless it is a very cohesive group) do not want to subsidize the liquor capacity of others, so it is generally best to let each person take care of his own beverage requirements.
At Deerfield Country Club, you can get:
regular bar service
an open bar setup
a rental golf cart to serve your golfers on the course
The type of service you want can be arranged when food service arrangements are made.
5. For large groups, you may want to have tickets printed and sold. These can be (1) a single ticket that entitles the participant to play golf and eat; (2) a two-part ticket-one for the golf and one for the food, which enables non-golfers to join the group for the meal; or (3) a three-part ticket-one part for golf, one part for food, and one part for door prizes. Deerfield Country Club can provide tickets.
6. Determine what types of prizes and/or trophies you would like. Usually, you should reward the good golfer with prizes for low gross as well as second and third low gross scores. The average golfer wants to have a chance at a prize, so you will want to use some sort of handicapping system to give him a chance. The most commonly used systems are Callaway, Peoria, and Scheid.
7. What should you charge? Obviously, each golfer pays his golf fee and will pay for his food. These are two fixed costs. The variables you can add are (1) prize money for trophies and door prizes (if any), (2) beverages, and (3) any excess you want to charge for a special fund.
Summarizing, you should charge for:
Golf Fee
Food
Beverages (if any are to be provided)
Prizes (usually $2.50-$3.50 per golfer)
Door prizes
Other costs
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Tournament Styles & Structures
There are more golf tournament formats than one would think. However, for golf tournament outings where the occasional golfer participates, it is advisable that the following formats should be considered.
Scotch
Two teams are picked to play together by the golf tournament chairman. A captain is selected by each team. Each team numbers its players from one up. Only one ball is played by each team. The No. 1 player shoots first, the No. 2 player second, etc. until every player has a shot. This keeps the entire field of both teams together and many players meet new golfers.
Scramble
A team of four players tees off with the best ball in each series of shots being selected, including the putt. All lies may be improved except in a bunker. In case a bunker lie is chosen as best ball, the shooter who placed the ball in the trap will shoot first with the usual rules being considered. The other three players will drop a ball over their left shoulder in the approximate vicinity of first player's ball position. When the best putt is selected, each player shall putt. Should the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd putter not hole out, and by force of habit, tap his next putt into the hole, the remaining putters shall not putt. In other words, if a putt is missed, mark the ball until all have putted.
Scotch/Scramble
Four Ball Stroke Play On each hole, the scores of the two partners are added and then divided by two; the result being the score of each for the hole. For instance, "A" scores 5 and "B" scores 6, making a total of 11. This is divided by two, making the score of each for the hole 51/2.
FUN TOURNAMENTS
String Tournament
Each team gets a length of string which can be used in place of a shot. As an example, if the putt stops 2" from the hole, they cut off 2" of string and put the ball in the cup. No stroke is counted. The length of string can vary, but I've seen 18" to 36" being provided. Each team must have a pair of scissors, in addition to the string. In case of a tie, the tie breaker is the team with the longest piece of string.
Pink Lady Tournament
This format is usually run in conjunction with a scramble. In addition to the scramble, each team is given a pink golf ball. A single player plays the ball on a hole then the next player plays with it on each following hole. The team keeps rotating the pink ball until it is lost or the round is completed. The team scores the number of strokes for the pink ball. The winner is the team with the most holes played with the pink ball. In case of a tie the lowest score will win.
Worst Ball Tournament
Each person plays their own ball and all scores are recorded. A separate entry is made for the highest score made by the team. These are totalled and the team with the lowest total for the highest score will win the tournament.
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Handicapping Your Golf Tournament
All golf tournaments must use a predetermined handicapping system in order to serve as an equalizer among golfers of varying abilities. For those golf tournaments which are faced with one-round handicapping or where participants have no established handicaps, we list here systems for handicapping the unhandicapped.
We urge that players having established USGA handicaps should compete in separate classes. Each of the following systems contains merit in meeting the need to equalize non-handicapped golf tournament players.
Callaway System of Handicapping
Under this system, a player's handicap is determined after each round by deducting from his gross score for the 18 holes, the scores of the worst individual holes during the first 16 holes of the round. The Callaway System is a fair system for golf days which attract novice or occasional players.
Peoria System of Handicapping
This system of handicapping is especially for earlyin-the-season golf tournaments when handicaps have not yet been established. After all players have teed off, select six holes; two par three's, two par four's, and two par five's.
As the players finish, total their scores for the six holes, multiply this total by three, and then subtract par the course. This will give the player's handicap. Suppose a player totals 30 for the six selected holes. 30 x 3 = 90. Par is 72. Thus, 90 - 72=18, or the player's handicap for that day.
Scheid System
The Scheid System is computed just like the Callaway System with "worst holes" subtracted from the total score. The score subtracted, again, are holes 1-16 only. The Scheid System is a better system than Callaway when you have players with a wider range of scores, up to 151. There are quite a few variations of the above systems. We strongly urge that you consider Callaway, Peoria, and Scheid Systems for your golf outings. We will be more than happy to help you with the Handicapping System best for your group.
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Tournament Extras
This summary is prepared as a guide to assist individuals in charge of golf outings. It may give you ideas on special events you may want to include for your group.
18 Hole Scratch Stroke Play Tournament
In a scratch stroke play tournament, no handicap is used. The lowest score wins the event. This type of tournament is usually reserved for par or near-par golfers. Competition may be on an individual basis, or you may play as two, three, or four man teams.
18 Hole Handicap Tournament
This type of event enables golfers of varying abilities to compete on an even basis. This event may utilize USGA handicaps if all participants have a current USGA handicap. The Peoria System (or Callaway System) may be used for non-handicapped players to determine winners.
18 Hole "Goofy Golf" Outing
This is a "just-for-fun" event. It may be played as a singles' event or a team event. The Peoria System (or Callaway System) may be used for non-handicapped players to determine winners. It is mostly for late in the day or weekdays.
(EXAMPLES: Using a five iron for every shot on a given hole, teeing off while standing on an old tire, using the butt end of the putter like a cue stick, or teeing off while standing with one foot in a bucket.)
Longest Drive
In this event, the first foursome that goes out is given a flag with a tag attached to it. The golfer in the first foursome who has the longest drive on the selected hole writes his name on the tag and places the flag at the spot where his ball came to rest. If following groups have an individual who has a longer drive, he writes his name on the tag under the previous name and places the flag where his ball came to rest. The last name on the tag is the winner. The last group should be instructed to bring in the flag. A special prize may be awarded for this event.
(NOTE: Deerfield Country Club has flags and tags available for this event.)
Closest to the Pin on a Par Three Hole
The first foursome that goes out is given a flag with a tag attached to it. The golfer in the first group who is closest to the pin on the selected hole writes his name on the tag and places the flag at the spot where his shot came to rest. If following groups have an individual whose tee shot comes closer to the hole, he writes his name on the tag under the previous name and places the flag where his ball came to rest. The last name on the tag is the winner. The last group should be instructed to bring in the flag. A special prize may be awarded for this event.
(NOTE: Deerfield Country Club has flags and tags available for this event.)
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Tournament Management Services
At The Deerfield Country Club, we believe in the highest level of personal service towards our golfers. We understand how much work is involved in planning, organizing, and coordinating a golf outing - no matter what the size. As such, all of our tournaments receive the following services at no additional cost.
We will complete score sheets and compute the scores of all players based on standard methods of scoring.
We will provide a registration area with the tables and chairs for you and your committee members or assistants.
We will place your hole sponsor signs on the course.
We will recommend locations and place all proximity markers on the course for any special contests you select, such as closest to the pin and longest drive. We will also retrieve them for you.
We will place names on scorecards along with any special markings such as cart assignments.
We will assist you in selecting the best golf format for your tournament.
We will coordinate both the golf and food portions of your tournament ensuring a smooth event.
We will provide you with any other assistance and advice you may require to minimize your work and ensure an enjoyable, well-coordinated event.
Please keep in mind that a number of these services require you to provide us with the necessary information 48 hours in advance of the event.
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