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How to play Hot Spot

A foursome team game. On every hole one golfer is the anchor, and his score counts whatever it is. The team adds the best net of the other three.

THE SHORT ANSWER

Two scores count on every hole: the anchor’s, and the best net of the other three. The anchor rotates in an order the group sets on the first tee. The lowest team total in the field wins, and the prize splits among the winning group.

ONE HOLE · PAR 4
Alan anchors
AlanANCHOR5
Beth4
CarlBEST NET3
Dana5
Team: 5 + 3 = 8 against a par of 8Level
1
anchor a hole
2
scores count
4
golfers a team
85%
handicap allowance

The rules

Every golfer plays his own ball. Each group is a team of four, and the teams play against the rest of the field. On each hole two scores make the team score.

1
The anchor counts
One golfer anchors the hole. His score always counts, good or bad, and he can’t drop it.
2
Plus the best of three
The best net among the other three golfers is added to it. The other two scores don’t count on that hole.
3
Lowest team wins
Add the two scores on every hole. The team with the lowest total against par wins.

The organiser can set the anchor to play off net or gross. Whichever it is, the best of the other three is taken the same way.

The anchor order

The group agrees the order on the first tee, and it repeats every four holes. It doesn’t have to match the order you tee off in. Once the first score is in on the 1st, the order is locked.

1
Holes 1, 5, 9, 13, 17. Alan
2
Holes 2, 6, 10, 14, 18. Beth
3
Holes 3, 7, 11, 15. Carl
4
Holes 4, 8, 12, 16. Dana

Eighteen holes don’t divide by four, so the first two golfers anchor five holes and the last two anchor four. Groups usually put their steadiest golfers first. To even it out, the organiser can drop the anchor on the last two holes.

Holes 17 and 18

The organiser picks one of three finishes before the round.

Keep rotating
The order carries on. Golfer 1 anchors the 17th and golfer 2 the 18th, so they anchor five holes each.
Best 2
No anchor. The best two nets of the four count on both holes, and everyone anchors exactly four.
3 then 4
No anchor. The best three count on the 17th and all four on the 18th, so nobody is out of the finish.

Scoring and the money

Strokes or Stableford
Teams add their counted strokes against par, or score Stableford points on each counted ball. The organiser picks one.
Handicap
Nets use 85% of each golfer’s course handicap by default. The organiser can change it.
A blow-up hole
Every score is capped at net double bogey. An anchor who picks up takes the cap, so one bad hole can’t sink the team.
Entry and the pool
Every golfer pays the same entry into one pool for the field. Each paid place goes to a group, and the prize splits among its golfers. Tied groups split the place, with no countback.

Scoring it without a spreadsheet

Halved tracks the anchor for every group: who anchors each hole, which net counts with him, and where every team stands.

The order, set once
Drag the four names into anchor order on the 1st, and the app shows each golfer which holes are his.
The counting net, live
As scores go in, the best net of the three is marked, and it moves if a later score beats it.
On the lock screen
Your team’s score, its place in the field, and who anchors the hole you’re on.

Everyone knows whose hole it is.

Free for the field. Halved tracks every group’s anchor, picks the counting net, and pays the winning team.

Questions people ask

How does Hot Spot work?

On every hole one golfer in the foursome is the anchor, and his score always counts. The best net of the other three is added to it. The lowest team total in the field wins.

Who anchors first?

Whoever the group agrees on. The order is set on the first tee, repeats every four holes, and doesn’t have to match the order you tee off in.

What if the anchor picks up?

His score counts as net double bogey. Every score in Hot Spot is capped there.

Can the anchor’s score also be the best net?

No. The best net is taken from the other three golfers only, so two different golfers always count on an anchor hole.

Is it fair that two golfers anchor five holes?

It is the same for every group. If the organiser wants everyone on four, he can drop the anchor on the 17th and 18th and count the best two, or the best three and then all four.
IF YOU LIKE HOT SPOT
Every group’s anchor, tracked for you
Whose hole, which net counts and who wins.
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