How to Run a Golf Trip Draft

Draft night is the best hour of the trip if it moves and the worst if it stalls. Two captains, a pick order, a clock, and a board everyone can see. Here is the way that works.

Before anyone picks

Handicaps are entered and locked. Every player is on the board with his index next to his name. The two captains are named, and a coin flip says who picks first. Say the format for each round out loud, because captains draft differently for scrambles than for singles.

The pick order

Alternate picks, one at a time. A snake order (1-2-2-1) is the fairest with a small roster and the one we use. The captain with the second pick gets two in a row at the turn, which evens out the first pick.

The clock

Sixty seconds a pick. It sounds harsh and it is the reason the draft finishes before dinner goes cold. When the clock runs out, the next best index goes to that team.

The odd roster

Fifteen players is the most common number on earth. Put a ghost sixteenth on the board. Whoever drafts the last real player, the other team takes the ghost, so the teams stay even. Each round the ghost's match is a bye worth a half point, or a sub if you have one.

After the draft: pairings

Each captain sets an ordered list for each round. Their 1 plays your 1, their 2 plays your 2. No reveal ceremony, no lock. Pairings stay editable by either captain or the organizer until a score lands in that match, and then a change asks first. Someone always needs to swap a pairing at breakfast.

Announce these on draft night

The clinch number. The tiebreaker if the trip ends level. The bye rule. The handicap rule. Four sentences, and the rest of the weekend has no arguments about them.

AGI Golf runs draft night live: captains on the clock, everyone watching the board, and pairings set for every round in the same place.

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