Here is another update from the board, the format having been discussed in the board meeting on the drive back from Cleobury Mortimer, and the drafting ratified at the Presidents.
We hope that you all agree that adding another team element to the calendar, with high stakes for the OoM leaders, will make our season closing event just as exciting as the Fed Ex playoffs, or the Solheim Cup.
Please provide any comments to your favourite board member…
The Spoonholder’s Showdown
The Salver will become the Showdown in 2015 and each year thereafter – subsequent boards retain the right to vary the format of the Showdown
- The Spoonholder will arrange a venue, and work with the President to recruit attendees for the November event
- The Showdown will be a team event
- The team Captains will be the two highest placed in the WHV Order of Merit and must be qualified members of the tour who enter the showdown. Ideally this will be #1 and #2 on tour after the Jug
- As part of the event preparations, the two captains will choose their teams in turn, with the highest placed OoM player getting first pick. This may be concluded before the event, allowing the teams to select Cobalt or Navy shirts, or other items of clothing to denote their loyalties
- If the total number of showdown players is divisible by 4, there will be that number of pairs matches
- If there is an uneven number of entrants, then one match will be a threeball, with a ghost player playing to a perfect 18 handicap
- If the number of players is divisible by 2, then the team captains will play each other in 18 hole full handicap matchplay, with the other matches being pairs
- The event itself will follow this format for pairs matches – pairs to be selected by the captains and announced in Presidents Classic ‘big reveal’ style;
- The first six holes will be a mutliball scramble – full joint handicaps to determine shot holes, with lowest net score winning the hole. Each player shall register a minimum of two drives.
- The second six holes will be fourball betterball – full handicap, with lowest net score winning the hole
- The final six holes will be foursomes – full joint handicaps to determine shot holes, lowest net score winning the hole. Pairs will alternate the tee shot on each hole.
- Each match is worth one full showdown point.
- Matches can be halved after 18 holes
- If the overall Showdown is halved at the conclusion of matches, the captains shall play sudden death matchplay down the 19th, with a full gallery of their teams as caddies and acolytes until a winner emerges
- The ranking points available shall be the equivalent of a minor – entrants x 2 for winner and proportional for places
- The Winning Captain will receive 50% of the RPs available for the event, and the Spoonholders Salver
- His winning team members will receive an equal amount of 30% of the RPs for the event
- The losing team will divide the remaining 20% of the RPs equally
- For example 10 entrants
- Minor winner 20 points, runner up 15 points, 3rd 11 points, 4th 8 points, 5th 6 points, & 6th through 10th 5 points each
- A total of 85 RPs
- The Showdown winning Captain would get 42 RPs, his team members get 6 RPs each
- The losing team gets 4 RPs each
- Simple Donking
- There will be a Dog and a Shark to determine the winter destinations of these assets – there will be no financial reward for these spot prizes
- Remuneration – the prize pot for the event shall be calculated using the financial model – i.e. 50% of the entrance fees. All of this money shall be awarded to the Captain of the winning team, and as with the winner of the Tour De France, he is expected, but not obliged, to distribute the prize fund amongst his team mates, and not pay himself (he should, of course, be looking at untold riches for winning the WHV OoM). It is within the Captains rights to withhold payment to any member of the team he may judge to be cheeky, naughty, hopeless, or downright disruptive – the Wiggins Froome factor – and inform the society of this decision.
- Of course, all payments to team members will be recorded to the Donk, and only actually paid to society members attending the end of season social and AGM
