The Clash of COLORS

This event was supposed to be the Chubby Classic, but I decided to try something a little different, something that I have been thinking about for a while. I call it The Clash of COLORS.

I should also tell you that originally, this blog was a lot longer...

The USGA and PGA promote a concept called "Tee It Forward," which encourages golfers to play from the tee that best fits their game. The idea isn't to make golf easier — it's to create fairer competition.

Honestly, I don't know that I totally buy into this idea, but I guess there are different tee boxes on every course and Course Handicaps for a reason. And we've all seen golfers whose game isn't good enough to play from the tips, but still do it anyway.

Our handicap system has always done a great job balancing players of different abilities, but I've started wondering if the golf course itself can do some of that balancing too.

Think about a typical 380-yard par 4.

• Adam averages a 290-yard drive, leaving about 90 yards into the green.

• Joe averages about 212 yards, leaving roughly 168 yards. Even after a good drive, he's hitting a hybrid or fairway wood while Adam is hitting a wedge.

  
  

For Adam to face that same 168-yard approach, the hole would have to measure about 458 yards.

The handicap system can give Joe strokes, but it can't shorten the hole. That's what "Tee It Forward" is trying to accomplish — and it also changes the handicap math.

• When everyone plays the White tees, Adam gives Joe 20 strokes.

• When Adam plays the Blue tees, and Joe plays the Gold tees, the Course Handicap System naturally adjusts the difference to 13 strokes because Joe is already getting an advantage by playing a shorter course.

  
  

Would you want Joe to play from the Blues and give him 29 strokes? No one wants to see that.

So, my question is simple: can golfers play the tees that best fit their games to reduce the need for large handicap differences and create better competition?

That's what we're going to find out.

How were the tees chosen?

I looked at three things:

• Driving Distance

• Handicap Index

• Average Score

  
  

No single stat determined a player's tee — I tried to assign each golfer to the tee that best matches his overall game.

Is every assignment perfect? Probably not. That's why this is an experiment. If it works, great. If it doesn't, we'll learn something and keep looking for ways to make Broken Joe Golf even better. Either way, let's have some fun and enjoy the Clash of COLORS!

The Details

The Clash of COLORS will be played at Westover Municipal Golf Club, 181 South St, Granby, MA 01033. I think riding is $63, and walking is $41, but what do I know?

It has been a long time since BJG has been back to Westover, and, like you, I am not thrilled with a 10:30 start.  But the members did ask to play here, and this was the perfect golf course to try the Play It Forward model.

The Clash of COLORS is worth 240 Points, with 30 Points for 1^st Place and 2 Points for Last Place.  Of course, with Dustin, James, and Joe V out, the extra points should be GOOD.

With the help of AI, here are the tee boxes and Course Handicaps you'll play from for this round.

Westover Golf Club – Clash of Colors

Groups and Tee Times

Group One – 10:30

Cart 1:  Adam (Blue) & Rob  (White)

Cart 2:  Iron Mike (Blue) & Magic Mike (Blue)

Group Two – 10:40

Cart 3:  JT (White) & Rey (White)

Cart 4:  Joe A (White) & Stephen (White)

Group Three – 10:50

Cart 5:  Joe T (Gold) & Joe (Gold)

Cart 6:  Matt (Gold) & EJ (Gold)

Longest Drive / Closest to the Pin:

Longest Drive – Par 4, 6^th Hole. 

Closest to the Pin – Par 3, 13^th Hole. 

DROP ZONES:

Hole 4, Par 3 – Water in front of Tee Box (One in Water, Move to BJG Drop Zone)

Hole 8, Par 3 – Water in front of Green (Two in Water, Move to BJG Drop Zone)

Hole 10, Par 3 - Water in front of Tee Box (One in Water, Move to BJG Drop Zone - White Circle)

Weather:  Partly Sunny. High around 87F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.

Ok, no more surprise events, at least not during the regular season.  We have TWO events left after this one.  Valhalla Match Play at Wykoff and BJG Championship, which is scheduled to be a double round at Airways.  I tried to move the BJG Championship to Franconia, but they are hosting a VGA event.  I also learned that Franconia (like Westover, St. Anne's, and Cedar Knob) has a strong Sunday morning league, and the first tee time after them is around 10 am.

Good luck, and I will see you on Sunday.

Respectfully,

Broken Joe

Commissioner