Alternate Shot (with a twist) – A Short Story by Joe Mikla
Written on January 21, 2009

I wanted to introduce a new golf-round format to the Reunion Cup. Historically, we've played four-ball, scramble, and singles. At one point, we toyed with the idea of alternate shot, but had some resistance. As a compromise, we are piloting a new format in 2009 called Alternate Shot (with a twist), which will give us four rounds of golf with four unique formats. Please note that all the formats are best-ball...meaning that the best score wins each hole!

The format of Alternate Shot (with a twist) goes like this. Two players are on the same team-- let’s use Fred Ligrow & myself as the example. Fred hits his drive and then I hit my drive. For the second shot, I get to hit Fred's drive (lying in the middle fairway), while Fred get's to hit my drive (way right & behind a tree). So basically, it's alternate shot. Once we've hit our second shots, we choose the best one and play a scramble for the remainder of the hole. Mr. Mark Cavataio states, “This format has more teamwork involved, a little less pressure than four-ball, but a little more pressure then a scramble. It’s a good mix between the two. I think it sounds pretty sweet...there is a lot of strategy involved with parings and even shot choices."

I've put together a (non) fictional story about how this format could play out. The two characters are again Fred & myself...enjoy! :-)

Hole #7 - 165 Yard Par-3

To start, Fred tees off with an easy 7-iron (3/4 swing of course) and puts his drive pin-high on the green but 12 feet left of the hole. Boring! I of course (not to be outdone) take a full 7-iron to stick my shot pin-high as well...only I pulled my shot and landed it 80 yards right of the green! Now Fred gets to adventure into unknown territory, while I get to repair the ball mark on the green while sipping on a Bloody Mary (extra Tabasco)! At this point Vanneste is betting the beer-cart girl Fred puts his pitch shot closer to the hole than after I hit my 12-footer! Always the capitalist, Fred holds up his end by landing his pitch shot six feet below the hole on the green --- a very makeable putt considering we would have two attempts at it since it would be our third shot. But alas, not to let my teammate down, I carefully line up the putt and bury the 12-footer for birdie! (Yes, you read that correctly --- the guy who once four-putted a par-3 from eight feet away coolly drained a pressure birdie --- hey, it's my story!) Bring on the next challenge...

Hole #8 - 510 Yard Par-5

Keeping with the chemistry, Fred once again tees off and sends a high-arcing bomb that fades from left-to-right to maximize its post-flight roll in the fairway! (OK, I've been reading a lot of Golf Digest)! Next up, I forget the laws of the swing plane, dip my shoulder on the downswing and send a horizontally challenged pop-up so high you'd think Juan Encarnacion would come out of the bushes to snag it! To Fred's relief (since he has to
play my shot), the drive barely makes the fairway...only 400 yards to go to the green! After a short cart ride to my drive, Fred takes a full-cut with a fairway wood and sends my tee shot down to the right rough about 160 yards from the green! Couldn't keep it in the fairway Fred! And he's supposed to be a state-championship honored golf coach? ;-) Now that I have to "pick-up" my teammate (again!), I calmly pull out the 7-iron (the only "true" club in the bag) and send a beauty around the dog-leg --- thus setting up an easy pitch shot into the green itself! Now the fun begins, as with our third shot the hole
becomes a scramble! With the added pressure of Fred not being able to keep the ball straight on this hole (geeezzz!), I send a Phil Mickelson-like flop shot screaming into the air...and smack!!!...it rips out a crater in the green as the ball rolls within inches of the pin. Our opponents concede the would-be gimme putt and...ok,ok,ok... so on that hole we really used Fred's drive, my pitiful 2nd shot, his approach shot, and his putts on the green! (geeezzz! give a guy a break!)

By now, you can get a feel for how strategy can be a big part of this format -- or at least getting some great stories for the 19th hole (a.k.a. The RIV)!!!