Albatross
3 underThe rarest score in golf, and it rewrites the board on its own.
20
Scoring & Rules
Holes36
ScoringGross Stableford
HandicapsNone
Contest holes17
Individual gross Modified Stableford across 36 holes — Scarecrow on Saturday, Gamble Sands on Sunday. No handicaps, no teams, no money. Highest total wins the Fore the Boy Trophy.
Modified Stableford
High score winsResultPoints
Eagle
2 underWorth two birdies. The drivable par 4s are where this comes from.
8
Birdie
1 underDouble the value of par. Chasing these is the whole point of the format.
4
Par
EvenSteady golf, steadily rewarded.
2
Bogey
1 overStill on the board. One bogey is not a disaster here.
1
Double or worse
2+ overNothing. Pick it up and walk to the next tee.
0
Points, not strokes — the higher your total, the better you are doing. Take on the drivable par 4s when you need a comeback; a blow-up hole costs you the same zero either way.
Closest to the pin
+1 ptEvery par 3
Must be on the green
Off the green does not count, however good it looks. If your ball is on the putting surface when the group walks up, you are in.
Measured to the inch for tiesLong drive
+1 ptEvery par 5
Must be in the fairway
The winner is the shortest approach left to the flag, not the longest ball. Placement beats raw distance, and a 300-yard drive in the sage beats nothing at all.
Measured to the yard for tiesNo carry-over
Win a contest hole and take +1 Stableford point, credited to that hole. If nobody qualifies — nobody on the green, nobody in the fairway — the point is simply lost. It does not roll forward to the next one, and there is no pot behind it.
Contest Holes
17 · +1 pt eachScarecrow9 holes
Closest2Par 3 · 153 yds
Long drive3Par 5 · 506 yds
Closest4Par 3 · 184 yds
Long drive6Par 5 · 566 yds
Closest9Par 3 · 148 yds
Closest11Par 3 · 126 yds
Long drive12Par 5 · 461 yds
Long drive15Par 5 · 502 yds
Closest16Par 3 · 156 yds
Gamble Sands8 holes
Long drive3Par 5 · 519 yds
Closest4Par 3 · 161 yds
Closest6Par 3 · 216 yds
Long drive7Par 5 · 456 yds
Closest10Par 3 · 132 yds
Long drive13Par 5 · 538 yds
Closest16Par 3 · 193 yds
Long drive18Par 5 · 514 yds
Every par 3 and every par 5 on both scored courses. Quicksands is not part of the tournament, so nothing there counts.
Tie-break — Countback
Gamble Sands only- 1Back nineHoles 10–18
- 2Last sixHoles 13–18
- 3Last threeHoles 16–18
- 4The 18thOne hole
- 5Co-championsStill level — the trophy is shared
Countback compares points, not strokes, and higher wins at each step. Contest bonuses count toward the hole they were won on, so a long-drive point on Gamble Sands 13 lands inside the last six.
Cart Snake
Side gameA 2v2 side game. Your cart is your team — you share the snake and everything that comes with it.
The flip
A tee flip on the first tee decides which cart starts with the snake. Sunday starts over: new flip, maybe new carts.
Passing it on
Your cart is rid of the snake the moment someone in the other cart three-putts. Your partner can't take it off you — it only ever crosses between carts. Which is exactly why you should be down there reading their putt with them.
Two three-putts on the same green
The shorter one takes it, measured from where the first putt started. Three-putting from forty feet is bad luck. Three-putting from six deserves some punishment.
What the snake gets you
Gimmes are at the snake holder's discretion. Every gimme on the course goes through whichever cart is holding it.
What the snake costs you
Whenever drinks appear, the cart holding the snake is buying. Drink cart, the turn, the snack barn, the last one of the night. Hold it at the wrong moment and it gets expensive.
No bearing on the trophy. This one's settled in cash and dignity.
The Desert Rule
Lost ball or OB — one stroke, drop at the point of entry
- Applies to anything that disappears into the desert
- No re-teeing, no snake hunting
- Drop within two club lengths of where it went in
- Keep play moving and stay safe
Rattlesnakes & rangefinders
Free relief from anything dangerous
- Free drop from unplayable or dangerous terrain
- One club length of relief, no closer to the hole
- Safety first — no heroic shots from bad lies
- Common sense, every time
Max score — double bogey
Pick up and move on
- Double bogey is worth zero points anyway
- Pick up the moment you get there
- No need to grind out that triple
- Pace of play is the whole reason
Gimmes
At the snake holder's discretion
- No automatic gimmes
- The cart holding the snake decides
- Longer gimmes will be considered for the birthday legend
These rules exist to keep us playing fast, staying safe, and having maximum fun. When in doubt, choose the option that keeps the group together and the beers cold.
Play fastStay safeHave funCelebrate P Triggs
The Fore the Boy Trophy
Thirty-six holes of gross Modified Stableford across Scarecrow and Gamble Sands. Highest total wins. The winner walks home with the inaugural FTB trophy and a year of bragging rights.