Organizing a Family Golf Tournament

A golf tournament is a fun activity at a family reunion or other event where relatives gather. The challenge is to make it work when Uncle Gus has a handicap of 14 and Cousin Millie last played 14 years ago.

Here are tips to insure the tournament runs smoothly and is enjoyable for everyone:

*Pick a course where the high handicappers can have fun and not go broke (and waste time) chasing balls in the woods or water. Check to see if there is an executive (par 3) course or a tournament putting course in your area. These are especially good options if youngsters or beginners will be involved.

It's getting tougher and tougher to get large groups on a course, so you will want to plan early in the year and try to give the club an estimate of the number of players you expect. Some courses require a deposit, peak time is the hardest to get on, and sometimes it just depends on who you know.

*Pick your format. Consider making it a nine-hole tournament. Younger players, as well as some older ones, may not have the stamina to trek through 18, even with a cart. To even the field, think about asking players to come to the course with only two clubs and a putter. Or select a game like Scramble that depends on team effort and strategy.

*Organize the teams. Mix up the families, putting various ages and skill levels together. Or put all the young cousins on one team, the aunts on another, and so forth. Get creative.

Think about 3-person teams. Then you can involve non-golfers by inviting them along to drive the carts.

If there are any dead-serious golfers in the family, you may have to take them aside beforehand and explain the goal is to have fun, not to win the trophy, whatever it takes. If the game has complicated rules, be sure each team has a member who knows the rules and how to keep score.

*Day of the tournament: Call all the players together for a rules chat. This doesn't need to be too serious-just be sure everyone understands the game and has a general idea of the rules and course etiquette.

What happens if you have a tie? Well it happens a lot. Most courses won't allow you to have a play-off hole, so come up with another strategy before the tournament begins. Depending on how busy it is, you could have a chip-off on the practice green (each team selects one player to participate), or look for a tie-breaker in the scores, such as most birdies or most pars.

*Prizes. The prizes and how many places are awarded will depend on your budget and the size of the outing. But as a general rule, the more prizes the better. Money prizes work, but so do inexpensive golf items, silly awards (think silver plate platters from the thrift store) or prizes that reflect your family values.

Have several special surprise awards such as "best effort," "best dressed golfer," "best shot after losing three balls in the water," so that more people can win awards and receive recognition.

A good time to hand out awards is at a potluck or barbecue when those who weren't at the tournament can also be present. That gives your great-aunt an opportunity to join in the cheers and hugs.

A final tip: Bring along a digital camera. Be sure to take team photos. And if you're real lucky, you just may get a shot of Uncle Gus when he makes that hole-in-one.