narrominded
Four-ball stroke or match
play is great. As we all know
golf is a challenging game and
individual stroke play is the
toughest tournament format.
However, having a partner
to lean on makes competitive
golf a bit less grueling. As a
former club professional who’s
work schedule allowed very few
weekends off, I never got to enjoy the fun of your typical fourball. However, my schedule now
does allow for some weekend
fun, and I’ve recently played in
my first four-ball since I was a
kid.
The USGA has recognized
the popularity of four-balls and
has created a new championship the past couple of years.
You and your partner regionally qualify for a national fourball where two rounds of stroke
play seeds you into a match play
bracket. The national championship is played on a iconic
course, and it is well on its way
to becoming a bucket list event
for the amateurs in our country.
The four-ball I recently
played is the Budweiser/Bradley Four-Ball Invitational at Oak
Knoll CC. I’m very familiar with
the event as I’ve worked at Oak
Knoll for 10 years and know the
weekend inside and out. The
field is full every year which
means 92 teams. I’d guess more
than 50% of the teams have
played multiple years which
makes flighting much easier. I
played with a good friend from
McKinney, Texas, and he can’t
wait to come in town every year
to play. The strange thing about
that is Oak Knoll is no where
near the caliber course he is a
member of, and he still loves to
come in to town and play in the
tournament.
The reason he loves it is because the Oak Knoll staff and
its members put on a great show
for the participants. Friday
through Sunday there is plenty of food and drink for every
player and a date. Every team
plays one morning round and
one afternoon round and the
flights are highly competitive.
It is certainly an event that even
poor play on the course will not
stop the fun. Players will still feel
as if they got something out of
the entry fee.
There are numerous events
available for golfers to play year
round. While the classic member/members and member/
guests fall into this format, I’m
more speaking of invitational
type tournaments. There are
generally some great prizes.
Lots of guys even plan their
time off around these tournaments as they are also great
getaways for groups of friends.
For example, in “The Bradley,”
12 teams from Alabama came
down to Hammond this year.
Most of the guys play with each
other regularly.
For me, this year was quite
surreal because as I mentioned
earlier, I’ve have been in charge
of the event 10 times. It was dif-
ficult but at the same time nice
to go out and not worry about
if every little detail or if something was not getting done. I
always had a great time when I
was working the event as I like
being in charge and making decisions. However, I must say sitting back and seeing how much
fun it is to be a participant isn’t
bad either.
My play in the event was as
if I was only there to enjoy the
weekend. The first round I was
as jittery as I’ve been in a long
time playing golf. That is a good
thing if you can settle in and
use that extra bit of adrenaline
to your advantage. However,
it worked the opposite for me,
and I didn’t play very well. I did
pretty well the second round but
it was too little way too late and
we finished as also rans.
I’m sure you have an event or
two like the one I’ve described
that you plan around every year.
If not, I would highly suggest
to find a partner who first and
foremost you enjoy playing with
and hopefully compliments
your game. I know I can’t wait
to play in the Budweiser/Bradley again next year to redeem
myself. And if I don’t, I know
I’ll have a good time none the
less.
Jake
Jake Narro, PGA professional, head golf coach at
Southeastern Louisiana University and Backspin
publisher
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