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Which handicaps pair up the best in competition? Why?

zbeekner4

zbeekner4

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So thinking about the Grandaddy in a few months and we want to know which handicaps pair up the best in team competitions and why? We have a team made up of single digit cappers all the way up to 20 so I want to hear what you guys would do if you were captain!

Or maybe you wouldn’t use handicaps to determine teams? Just tell me how you would pair up team THP in the grandaddy!


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i can neither confirm nor deny this is what i am thinking for december, BUT, i'm less likely to focus on handicaps, and more likely to focus on strengths.

that said, i don't understand the logic behind pairing two people together with very different games. why would you pair a bomb-and-gouge guy with a short-knocking steady eddie? both of those guys are likely to find themselves in positions and with yardages that they aren't used to seeing.
 
I tend to think it is more than just handicap. Each player, regardless of their GHIN, has something that they are better at. Ideally, if I were picking pairings for a normal competition, I would target strengths and weaknesses to make sure the gamut is covered from tee to green as best as can be.

It also can depend on the format being used. Pairing a long hitter with someone who scrambles well, or someone who is shorter but accurate with someone who has a very strong iron game.
 
McLovin said:
i can neither confirm nor deny this is what i am thinking for december, BUT, i'm less likely to focus on handicaps, and more likely to focus on strengths.

that said, i don't understand the logic behind pairing two people together with very different games. why would you pair a bomb-and-gouge guy with a short-knocking steady eddie? both of those guys are likely to find themselves in positions and with yardages that they aren't used to seeing.
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My friend and I have very similar games. Both plenty long off the tee, both miss fairways, with similar misses. A lot of times, when we play team events together, we don't compliment each others games. It feels like we both miss the green at the same time, hit a foul ball at the same time. We don't ham and egg very well together.
 
Most importantly are how personalities will mesh. If everyone gets along splendidly then that makes everything work out, but if you have someone who plays really fast (Koepka) pairing them with someone who is very analytical (Bryson) that might not be the best thing.

Then, formats comes into play in what type of games mesh together. If it is a best bell, then this is where I see putting a short and steady player with the bomb and gauger, if it is alt shot then I would want to pair like with like as they are going to be used to being in similar positions.

Also, history comes into account, the Grandaddy is a whole different beast, but when we did the Odyssey Experience I really think that the pairings of the THPers in each group played a big role in Create winning. Both teams had 2 THP event veterans on each team, and 2 rookies. In our team we had 1 vet/1 rookie per group, on Design they had 2 rookies in one group and 2 vets in the other. I think the experience helped especially the first day in keeping things on an even keel and got us a big lead that we held on the 2nd day.

This team has quite a few vets already, so not sure it will come up and the Grandaddy will be something even more amazing than the OE was.
 
radiman said:
I tend to think it is more than just handicap. Each player, regardless of their GHIN, has something that they are better at. Ideally, if I were picking pairings for a normal competition, I would target strengths and weaknesses to make sure the gamut is covered from tee to green as best as can be.

It also can depend on the format being used. Pairing a long hitter with someone who scrambles well, or someone who is shorter but accurate with someone who has a very strong iron game.
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This is what worked for us at the Bridgestone event. I struggle to find the correct fairway off the tee, but am pretty decent from 2nd shot in. So being paired with a guy like @Pete379 who bombs driver was a dream pairing for me.

I think it's about trying to pair the weakest part of the high cappers game with a low capper who excels at that weakness. You still get some pops from the high cap, but you remove the worst part of the high caps game and that player can make up ground.
 
radiman said:
I tend to think it is more than just handicap. Each player, regardless of their GHIN, has something that they are better at. Ideally, if I were picking pairings for a normal competition, I would target strengths and weaknesses to make sure the gamut is covered from tee to green as best as can be.

It also can depend on the format being used. Pairing a long hitter with someone who scrambles well, or someone who is shorter but accurate with someone who has a very strong iron game.
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I agree with this completely. I think chemistry can be a factor too, but that might be difficult with people coming together at the last minute. That makes the Grandaddy prep threads like yours and Tomcat’s so fun to follow. It starts the team building process very effectively.
 
mancest said:
Most importantly are how personalities will mesh. If everyone gets along splendidly then that makes everything work out, but if you have someone who plays really fast (Koepka) pairing them with someone who is very analytical (Bryson) that might not be the best thing.

Then, formats comes into play in what type of games mesh together. If it is a best bell, then this is where I see putting a short and steady player with the bomb and gauger, if it is alt shot then I would want to pair like with like as they are going to be used to being in similar positions.

Also, history comes into account, the Grandaddy is a whole different beast, but when we did the Odyssey Experience I really think that the pairings of the THPers in each group played a big role in Create winning. Both teams had 2 THP event veterans on each team, and 2 rookies. In our team we had 1 vet/1 rookie per group, on Design they had 2 rookies in one group and 2 vets in the other. I think the experience helped especially the first day in keeping things on an even keel and got us a big lead that we held on the 2nd day.

This team has quite a few vets already, so not sure it will come up and the Grandaddy will be something even more amazing than the OE was.
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Yeah, the grandaddy is a whole different beast, at least as far as I can tell. The competition is such a small part of the overall experience in terms of importance. That's why I like McLovin's idea of pairings based on personalities. I'll be doing what I can to bring the belt back. But, the main focus is being a good guest and representing what this forum stands for.



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My group likes to balance teams when playing for scores. Keep the handicaps fairly even, so I get paired with a low handicapper. When we play match play, the pair handicaps are matched up, so I get paired against a high handicapper and my partner is matched against someone of close or equal handicap. In strategy, I match well with a long driver, as my short game is good. Last couple of times we had alternate shot games, my partner and I did extremely well.
 
I think there's a little merit to the high/low cap pairings in certain formats, but most of all I'm a believer that you've got to pair personalities more than anything. Putting a fast player with a slow player, or putting a "rah rah" guy with a really quiet guy can sometimes cause both players to get out of sorts.
 
IMO I think you have to focus on strengths. You take handicaps into consideration, but ultimately a handicap might not give you the full picture of a players strengths. I think you pair up guys with someone who can pick them up where their games arent the strongest. As best you can try to make some "Ham & Egg" pairings.
 
Low/high and mid/mid. Two lows will get destroyed by pops if playing say two mids. If you had two low and two mid, I’d go both as a low/mid matchup and pick those groups based on strengths. A high that struggles off the tee with a low that excels off the tee will tend to perform above their handicap in either a scramble or shamble especially.
 
I have a slightly different oppinon in that a bomber and shorter guy should make a better pairing depending on the format as well a younger and a older pairing, so it balances out better.

Why have two short hitters together playing against normally longer hitters as a rule? Handicap is really a moot point for the most part.

Case in point, Vman and I were paired and we were 30-50 yards behind off most tee boxes so already in a huge hole to try and dig out of. Now we had fun as we enjoy each others company but from a competitive stand point it was obvious were we not going to contend very quickly.
 
McLovin said:
i can neither confirm nor deny this is what i am thinking for december, BUT, i'm less likely to focus on handicaps, and more likely to focus on strengths.

that said, i don't understand the logic behind pairing two people together with very different games. why would you pair a bomb-and-gouge guy with a short-knocking steady eddie? both of those guys are likely to find themselves in positions and with yardages that they aren't used to seeing.
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There is a plus and minus to what you say. On the positive side, if the bomber keeps it in play then the other should be GIR as he has the ability. On the negative, two bombers or to short knockers together stand to have a harder time if they don't have good iron games or short games. So many variables to hoping it is picked correctly.
I think the different games offset each other and it will play out well IMO. There are exceptions to every pairings.
 
If I am picking pairings:
My absolute priority is to make sure each team can get off the tee well. It doesn't matter if it is the low or high that can hit fairway bombs, but if given the choice, every team has someone that can reliably hit a long tee shot. After that, I look at the players weaknesses and find someone that doesn't have the weakness. If more than one choice, I try to group by personality. I look at the caps last. It doesn't matter what the caps are if you group two long drivers together that can't putt or two short game gurus that can't hit 200 yds. off the tee. It stinks being the low cap on a team and they all expect you to hit 300 yard bombs when that is not your game or being the high cap on the team that is a good putter paired up with a great putter and feel like you cannot contribute much to the match.

If I did look at caps exclusively, I always feel that the low-high cap is the best followed by mid-mid
 
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I like the idea of pairing personalities, as well. When you can keep your partner in the right mindset it can have a ton of benefits on their game.

The rest depends a lot on format, in a scramble setting diverse skill sets take precedence for sure. In a best ball I think similar skills can help the team focus and allows for the partner to play caddy more often.


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I like either 2 folks with similar styles or 2 folks with complimentary styles. If 2 people both hit similar distances then they will be in similar spots and that can play really well together. If 1 person has a really strong long game and the other has a really strong short game that can play well together too. Basically someone has to hit a safe tee shot and someone has to be able to get the ball in the hole. Playing 2 people that are unlikely to hit the fairway off the tee or 2 people that struggle to finish holes together is a recipe for disaster.

Also attitude can be a big thing. Debbie Downers and angry blow up guys need someone calm and positive as their partner. Have 2 people being pessimistic or 2 people blowing their top off together can cause problems as well.
 
radiman said:
My friend and I have very similar games. Both plenty long off the tee, both miss fairways, with similar misses. A lot of times, when we play team events together, we don't compliment each others games. It feels like we both miss the green at the same time, hit a foul ball at the same time. We don't ham and egg very well together.
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If 2 players are extremely similar you're likely to struggle on the same holes. For instance 2 people who hit draws are could really struggle on a dogleg right. The shape of the hole makes it narrower all the way from the tee to the green.
 
I’m not sure if this is good strategy but I tend to play my best golf when I’m playing in a group with players better than me. I think I am able to stay more engaged and focused and grind harder.

With that being said I understand everyone’s rationale behind pairing. I think that chemistry between the teammates is huge. If you like the guy you are playing with and can relax and have fun things tend to go better...assuming both are competitive and want to win.


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It depends on a whole lot more than handicap. For example, what is the game? Pairings for alternate shot are/should be different than best ball, or foursomes. How is the competition committee handling handicaps? Personality meshing has been discussed and is important. So is factoring in the course layout? Are there different tee boxes for different players, or do the seniors and women play from the same tee as everyone else? What are the strengths/weaknesses of each player? What does the course demand?
 
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