Nine9 Golf

Now that spring has sprung wouldn’t you love to be able to have a quick game of golf on a bright and sunny morning?

Well it may now be possible. Not a quick on-the-run round with a mate but a proper competitive outing with plenty of needle.

Rugby has 7s and cricket Twenty20 and now golf also has a shortened version of play that has met with unanimous approval from those who have tried it.

This new adaptation of golf has been launched by the PGA of South Africa in an effort to provide a solution to almost every golfer’s lament – “I’d play more golf if only I had the time!”

Called PowerPlay Golf it is hoped it will have the same impact on the sport as the truncated versions of cricket and rugby.

In PowerPlay Golf, each green has two holes instead of one, with a black flag denoting a more difficult pin placing and a white flag the easier one.

Over nine holes, players have to make three “powerplays” where they have to go for the harder option in an effort to double up their points. Players earn extra points for birdies or better when playing to the Black flag, which is always in a difficult position on the green.

Peter McEvoy, the former Walker Cup captain and Great Britain’s most successful-ever amateur golfer, is one of the game’s co-creators and believes it has great television potential by enhancing the elements of risk and reward.

Players must take three powerplays in the first eight holes (normally when they’re receiving a handicap stroke) and they must nominate their intention to do so on the tee. They must then play for the more difficult black flag in an effort to gain an edge in points.

Scoring is in Stableford points with 1 point for a net bogey, 2 points for a net par but 6 points for a net birdie, 8 points for a net eagle and 10 points for a net albatross.

If a powerplay has not been declared the player goes for the easier white flag and scoring is as per normal.

On the 9th hole the player can take a bonus powerplay, but with an additional risk. A net birdie results in 6 points but if they fail to get a net par (2 points) they have to subtract 2 points from their score – thus bringing into play the possibility of a big swing in points on the final hole.

I played in the launch at the increasingly popular Gardener Ross course and found PowerPlay golf most enjoyable; shooting for the black flags increases the pressure and sharpens one’s concentration and it was good to play hard but still be able to get in a good day’s work.

PowerPlay Golf can obviously also be used to provide a later tee-off time in the afternoons with the bonus points system providing a greater separation of points than a normal Stableford competition does over nine holes. Interestingly at the launch the winning score was a whopping 30 points!

The PGA of South Africa (i.e. the organisation representing club pros) is marketing a PowerPlay Golf pack to clubs which includes the black and white flags and the paraphernalia to run a “quick golf” competition. Check it out on www.powerplay-golf.com or contact janyne@pgasa.com.