Five New Pro Golf Tournament Ideas

Whether you’re a fan of the new circuit or not, one thing LIV Golf has shown this year is that there’s scope for other ideas within the professional game. The established format of 72 holes stroke play with a 36-hole cut is an excellent way to determine the best player and it will likely always be the way the four Majors are decided, although don’t forget that until 1958 the PGA Championship was match play and there are other formats out there…

In cricket, different formats of the game now comfortably co-exist with specialists in each. Golf too has specialists, those more suited to grinding out a stroke play victory, others to the sprint of a one-round match play battle. There have already been some innovative new formats introduced in recent years – GolfSixes, the European Team Championship and the Scandinavian Mixed spring to mind. What else could golf do to showcase different player skills and give spectators an alternative view of the sport? … Here are some ideas.

Take the lead from The Amateur

The Amateur Championship has a format that requires skills both in compiling a score and winning one-on-one contests. It starts with 288 players – The leading 288 available on the World Amateur Golf Ranking – Wouldn’t it be great to see a starting field of that size with the top 288 available from the Official World Golf Ranking? It would be two rounds of stroke play, over two separate courses on consecutive days, before the top-64 go on to battle it out in match play over one of those two courses…. Events have done something similar before (the Belgian Knockout for instance) but never on that sort of scale… It would be immense.

International Mixed Foursomes

A staple at golf clubs around the globe, foursomes is a great format for men and women to play together. We now have more mixed golf in the pro ranks – The Scandinavian Mixed for example, but that involves men and women competing against one another as individuals. How about more tournaments that have men and women competing in pairs, playing foursomes either stroke or match play? It could either be by country or just players who get on and have games that fit together well.

Bring Back The Old Dunhill Cup Format

It was a great format for international teams that really got you behind your home nation. Teams of three competing in individual medal matches. The winner of each of the three matches earned a point for their country – It was straight elimination until 1992 then there was a round-robin element introduced up to 2000.

It produced some great matches and allowed for some proper support. It helped that it was played in St Andrews, but it could travel around. It went out of favour because it competed with the World Cup and clashed with PGA Tour events… But just because things disappear, it doesn’t mean they wouldn’t make a popular re-appearance. Bring it back.

Year Long Knockouts

A field of 128 (maybe 64) starts the year. Matches decided either by World Ranking or random draw. The top player in each match is “home player” and has to organise a fixture at a course of their choosing (anywhere) by a certain date… Like knockout events at golf clubs. It would be a little like Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf but with a build up to a semi-final and final, perhaps played at neutral venue.

Skills Challenge Knockout

A bit like the Hero Challenge on the DP World Tour crossed with the Drive, Chip and Putt at The Masters. A knockout event that sees match ups between players who score points or wins on a series of skills challenges – Long Drive, target practice from 200 yards, how many 10 footers made from five efforts etc… Skills could be altered each round to see who is crowned the ultimate skills player.