How do you pair off for double by flipping discs? The way I learned and have done for ten years is as follows.

Flip
Heads stay and tails move to a new circle.
Everyone keeps flipping and the groups of tails keep going to a new circle.
If at any time there is one person that flips different than the group they are in, they are an odd.
The odd people wait in a group for all of the other odds.
When you get to a group of four there is no longer any odds.
The foursome will flip into two teams
If one of the four flips differently than the other three. He/she waits for the other odd from the original foursome.
After all the odds from the groups of 3,5 or more have grouped up, they flip.
If there is a California, they will come from this group.

What is everyones thoughts on this process?

We draw minis because we want to get started before the sun sets... :)

Around here, the folks who run doubles carry a deck of cards. Pull out as many cards as there are players starting with the aces, then dueces, etc. After the shuffle everyone draws. Black ace partners up with black ace, they make a foursome with the red aces and tee off on hole one. Odd card out (if necessary) is Cali. Not only is it quick, but it sets the foursomes and holes assignments in one fell swoop.

nanook

We all flip, all heads go to a group all tails go to a group. We keep flipping like this all heads form group, all tails form group. Odd men form a group and keep flipping like this until everyone is partnered up.

Noobie question, what is a California?

A California, or 'Cali', is a one-person doubles team. I do not know the history of the term. When there is an odd number of people at a casual doubles tournament this person gets the benefit of one extra throw each hole.

In some places that one person team is called "Wild man" but Cali has become more common.

We stopped flipping discs because some players would quickly evaluate the first split and jump to what they perceived to be the strongest group. We use cards now. It works well for teams, groups and hole assignments. And for the record- in California a lone player is called the odd man.

We call it "lone wolf" around here. They get one extra throw ("best ball") per hole.

This brings up another "Cali" question...when there's an entry fee associated with a doubles mini, do you allow the "Cali" to pay double and have an extra shot on each THROW. Personally, I think it give's to much benefit to the Cali...your thoughts.....

Sometimes we flip for teams in the more informal leagues... Maybe if we just decide to play some $5 doubles out of the blue. If its an organized league, teams are picked by drawing cards 99% of the time.

I have never heard of Cali paying extra for two chances at every throw. Same entry fee as everyone else, one free mulligan per hole. Everyone wants to be Cali when the ace pool is high - two chances off the tee on every hole.

We call the lone person Clint, and Clint can pay in double for two shots from each lie... I think the only time we don't allow this is when the local pro is Clint... otherwise, it's usually pretty fair to let Clint pay double.

I am wondering why the Clint, Cali, California, or Odd man doesn't get the opportunity for the same amount of throws as the rest of the group.

LEts take a look;

par 3 a pair has a potential of 6 shots to make par, were as the odd man has only 4 shots available to make par.

par 4 a pair has a potential of 8 shots to make par, were as the odd man has only 5 shots to make par.

Seems the odd man is being unfairly punished by only being allowed one extra throw per hole. If there is an odd man, give them an equal amount of shots as the other teams. After all it was the luck of the draw.

Just my 2 cents.

As for flipping we do the heads or tails and form two circles, or draw minis from a bag. Drawing minis is actually very quick.

I am wondering why the Clint, Cali, California, or Odd man doesn't get the opportunity for the same amount of throws as the rest of the group.

LEts take a look;

par 3 a pair has a potential of 6 shots to make par, were as the odd man has only 4 shots available to make par.

par 4 a pair has a potential of 8 shots to make par, were as the odd man has only 5 shots to make par.

Seems the odd man is being unfairly punished by only being allowed one extra throw per hole. If there is an odd man, give them an equal amount of shots as the other teams. After all it was the luck of the draw.

Just my 2 cents.

As for flipping we do the heads or tails and form two circles, or draw minis from a bag. Drawing minis is actually very quick.

Look at it this way: when practicing putting how much easier is it drain the second putt after you missed the first? How many times, during a practice round, have you shanked the first drive and then parked the redo? The Cali has the advantage of having experienced both shots and that can be an advantage over one attempt per person for a pair of players. Only one extra throw per hole offsets the Cali's ability to "dial in" the shot.

nanook

I am wondering why the Clint, Cali, California, or Odd man doesn't get the opportunity for the same amount of throws as the rest of the group.

LEts take a look;

par 3 a pair has a potential of 6 shots to make par, were as the odd man has only 4 shots available to make par.

par 4 a pair has a potential of 8 shots to make par, were as the odd man has only 5 shots to make par.

Seems the odd man is being unfairly punished by only being allowed one extra throw per hole. If there is an odd man, give them an equal amount of shots as the other teams. After all it was the luck of the draw.

Just my 2 cents.

As for flipping we do the heads or tails and form two circles, or draw minis from a bag. Drawing minis is actually very quick.

Look at it this way: when practicing putting how much easier is it drain the second putt after you missed the first? How many times, during a practice round, have you shanked the first drive and then parked the redo? The Cali has the advantage of having experienced both shots and that can be an advantage over one attempt per person for a pair of players. Only one extra throw per hole offsets the Cali's ability to "dial in" the shot.

nanook



I have played a lot of doubles. I have won my fair share of doubles rounds when I had a partner. I have never won a doubles round when I was the odd man. Typically I try to steer the group towards WOLF, if there is an odd number of players.

I have seen a system for drawing for doubles were one person throws buttons (2 of each kind) into a hat. You reach in and grab a button, matching buttons are paired together. The only trick is the bottons need to be the same size but different colors. This is a very quick method as you don't need to collect minis from everyone or even have your bag of discs with you.

If I was given a choice I'd play as an odd man every time. I trust my partner will do the right thing.

The odd man should really get two tries on every throw as long as each second try is with the opposite hand...

We call it "lone wolf" around here. They get one extra throw ("best ball") per hole.



There is also the game "Wolf"--pasting instructions from another site here:

Wolf

Wolf is a bit odd to follow when you first play it. Ideally it is played with an odd number of players as a group, commonly 5. The person designated as the wolf for the hole waits for each other person to tee off. After each person drives, he can take him as his partner for that hole, or pass. The other players are then the opposing team. If he doesn't select any player, the last person to drive is his partner by default. Each person has an even number of turns to play as the wolf. Scores are kept individually. The wolf always throws last.

Each player's score is taken from his team's score.

Later in the game there is strategy involved. For example, in order to keep a contender from taking the lead, he can be selected as the partner, insuring the wolf and the contender score the same on a hole.

One variation on the rule is that the wolf may elect to play individually against the other players, as "lone" wolf.

Variations are also played with 6, 7 or more players, sometimes with more than 2 players on the wolf team.

Played the same way but with the potential "Wolf" throwing first.

The way we do it in Illiana. For best shot doubles. Everyone throws a disc in 1 of 3 piles. Pro/adv, int, and novice. we take all the pro/adv pile and 1 person takes them and turns around. Another person calls out numbers. say if there are 10 players. 1-10. lays them all down a line. Until the last disc is called. Next is novice.usually 2-3. Same person calls the numbers and numbers that are called get put down next the the pro/adv player that was called before. example
called numbers
pro/adv novice/int
4 2 partners
3 4 partners
1 3 partners
2 1 partners
and so on.
Real easy and works just fine.

If there is a cali. int player gets 2 extra throws and pro/adv only get 1 extra throw.

we call the lone person "schitzo".

some folks use a bag of numbered poker chips to determine dubs partners.

i use a bag of minis rated 1-5 to determine triples teams.

At the random doubles I run a low entry fee is charged ($2) and if there is an extra player they may play cali (one extra throw per hole) or pay another $2 and get two throws on everything. Basically the better players eat that up but still if you are not playing well there is no one else to bail you out, evens out in my opinion and one extra throw per hole is a real disadvantage IMO. We throw minis in a bag and then draw them out, I can't imagine flipping when we typically draw 30 players .....

I can't imagine flipping when we typically draw 30 players .....



there goes that memory again, sparky. last year, calvert averaged 22.1 players every tuesday vs. 27.7 for TNT at druid hill (the area's biggest weekly). :cool:

I knew I could depend on you to throw some poo, very compelling stats. :D