Every golf club, public or private holds golf tournaments all year long. Playing in a golf competition is a great way to meet new people, experience a new golf course and hone your skills as a golfer. Many tournament formats are team centered. The participants are placed in teams of 4 players each (usually rated by handicap with an A, B, C and D player in each group to make the teams equal in skill.)

Being a part of a team means that each player is working as part of a whole group with the A player as team captain. It is her job to direct the team and strategize play. In team format, players can share information and ask advice from their fellow team members as to club choice, reading greens, etc. It can be a lot of fun and a great learning experience, especially for beginning players. The one thing to remember is that the team Captain is in charge.

I was playing in a team tournament the other day. The game was “One Ball Net” which means the team takes one score for the hole, based on the handicaps of each of the players. High handicappers (the C and D players) might get two strokes on a hole, while the low handicappers (A and B players) get one stroke, or no strokes at all. After play on each hole it is the Captain who chooses the best score for the team and if play is slow, she might tell a player whose score is too high, to pick up her ball even before she putts, just to keep the game moving. For a beginning player this can be a bit disconcerting, especially if she is trying to use the score towards her handicap. But it is the rule. When the team captain says “Pick Up, You Pick Up.”