Golf GamesKeeper's Blog

Golf Wagering Games - Join us in the digital age.

In my previous blogs I talked about standard features of Golf League management software and how easy it is to create events and manage players and scores.  In this episode of my almost every week blog I would like to discuss wagering games.  

Wagering games in golf have been around since the sport was invented, I'm making this up but I'm sure there was an Scottish man somewhere that said: "I betcha that I can get closer to that pole than ya!" (You read that with a Scottish accent didn't you?).

Anyway, betting or wagering in golf can be as simple as "I bet you I make that putt" to a full on 2 (every combination of team of 2 from the 2 team players) teams round robin match play Nassau with auto 2 down presses.  Did you get that last one? Because when I first heard of it I had to take a minute.

Aren't you in luck (Scottish again? maybe?), Golf GamesKeeper just release it's new wager calculating platform, don't worry, it doesn't accept payment or will it ask you to take the Reds with 2 in the fourth, it is simply a way to help you help calculate all those complicated games you play.

Wager Calculating Platform? Tell me more !

In it's new release, Golf GamesKeeper now allows golfers to setup Team Round Robin (Foursome) wagering game.  Since you play a round robin (every team against every team), you cannot predict the outcome therefor you cannot collect a pot.  This allows for a fully dynamic game that can be very lucrative or very painful.

Here are the options available when setting up foursome:

You are now going "NO, THIS CAN'T BE !!! ", it is ... it is.

The team round robin is comprised of 4 games, here they are:

Team Nassau

This game is not very complicated, your team will play a Nassau (Front, Back, Total) against every other team.  Each player will be responsible to either pay every other team or collect from every other team.

When setting up team Nassau you have only 3 options

1. Stroke Play (this one is not really an option)
2. How many low scores per team per hole
3. Bet amounts, you can choose what you want each component of your Nassau.  Be careful when you setup the amounts if you have 5 teams, your exposure is 12 bets.

Team Strokes

Another fairly straight forward game, in this game your team will compare total strokes with every other team and you pay or collect based on the difference between the Totals

This game only has 2 options

1. Max net score (to limit the damage)
2. Bet amount, once again be mindful or your amounts here, I've seen this one be the kiss of death since it takes into account ALL players net scores

Team ONs

This one is simple in concept however people seem to have a hard time understanding it.  Your team get an "ON" every time all members of the team get a par or better.  When you get an "ON", every team members pays your team the ON bet.

This game only has 2 options

1. Numbers of pars or better to be ON
2. Bet amount, I could say it again and I will, be careful when setting this number, it happens more often than you think.

Team OFFs

Very similar to team ON, but different.  This time, you need to have a certain amount of pars or better as a team not to fall "OFF".  You will set a number of par per team to stay ON (not fall OFF), if you go bellow this mark, you will get an OFF and like the other games, every player on your team will pay every other team when you are OFF.  There is a twist to this one however, if you set the pars required to stay ON at 2, you can set another option to allow double OFFs if you get 0 pars.  Fun game isn't it :)

This game has 3 options

1. Number of pars to stay ON (usually 1 or 2)
2. Allow 2 OFF, you usually check this optionif you have set the first option to 2 and you want groups to penalized twice if they get 0 pars
3. Bet Amount

Now I don't have to tell you that these can will go up quickly and you should be very aware of that when you set your options.  Someone could easily walk away owing a small fortune.

Here is an example of a game I ran as an example and the results.  

See the full results here 

As you can see, the results are clear and concise and the result page provides you with all the explanation necessary to understand what you got yourself into, maybe a little late but your brother-in-law said it was a friendly game as he takes $200 off of ya.

What else you got?

What? I did not get you enough to get you going for a while? Oh, OK, I have something more for you.  The game is called "Wheels".

This game is a little more complicated to explain so please, put your phone down and read slowly.  I'm typing slower so you should be able to follow.

The basic concept is that two team of an undefined amount of players compete against each other in all possible 2 man/Single low net event and the winnings are individual.  I just re-read that and it made no sense, but it's what is happening.  

Let me explain how this would work with and example.  Team 1 has 3 players and so does team 2.  Player 1,2,3 in team 1 and player 4,5,6 in team 2.  Each team now creates all permutations of unique team they can, like this:

Team 1

1. Player 1 and 2 (Team 1-1)
2. player 1 and 3 (Team 1-2)
3. Player 2 and 3 (Team 1-3)

Team 2

1. Player 4 and 5 (Team 2-1)
2. Player 4 and 6 (Team 2-2)
3. Player 5 and 6 (Team 2-3)

Now, we play !!!

In this example, there would be 9 matches and since you play with different partners, your winnings are individual.  

Also, there is nothing that is stopping from having a team of 2, 3, or 4 competing against a team of 4, 5, or 6.  Just remember again that when you set up all your options, you have to think about your exposure.  2 guys against 6 is dangerous for the 2 guys, but then again, they may just be that good.

Here is the setup screen for this bad boy:

Your looking at this and thinking, it's not that bad only 9 matches, well, OK, maybe ... BUT, think about having teams of 5 or 6, in a team of 5, you have 10 unique teams of 2 competing against 10 unique teams of 2, that's 100 matches.  Better get your math right !!! 

Before I show some of the results, let's look over some of the settings.  All pretty standard stuff

1. Move players from the player's pool to Team 1 or Team 2
2. Team Size: Right now teams of 1 or 2 will work
3. Auto 2 Down, if this option is turned on, the system creates a bet automatically when the match is up/down 2
4. Front, Back, Total, and Press bet amounts.

Pretty simple right, and I'm sure your thinking "AUTO 2 DOWN!! REALLY", well that's more screaming than thinking but yes sir'ee, auto 2 down.

Once you have setup everything, hit the GO! button and watch the magic happen.

This creates results in a new browser window so you can run it over and over again with different teams, as you wish.

Here is a look at what the results would look like.  Please keep in mind that the results read as rows with the totals for the teams in the rows.  Meaning every thing that is positive in the row is a negative in the column.

Like I promised, nice and clean but I know you're bothered by this and you say: "How can I trust this? You keep winning!!!".  True and there is really only 1 reason for that: I chose the right events to show you :).   All kidding aside, for all the skeptic out there, these in depth reports are also provided.

So, if you want to spend your time trying to figure it out or if you feel you got cheated and think you can take a computer on with a pen and a calculator, go right ahead but make sure you've paid your bet before you start because everybody else will be gone by the time you realize that everything is OK.  Oh, and if you do find a mistake, check it again and maybe your calculator failed you.

Now, if that's not enough to impress any golfer that like to put a little money here and there, I don't know what will.

You've made it all the way here, there is only one thing to do and it is to visit Golf GamesKeeper and get started.

Until then, hit 'em straight.