The rules
The Mini Singles Bracket runs inside a stroke play tournament. Nobody plays extra holes. The matches are scored from the same cards the tournament already uses, nine holes at a time.
1
Semis on the front
In each group, seeds 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 play a nine-hole match over holes 1 to 9.
2
Final and 3rd on the back
The semi winners play for the group over holes 10 to 18. The semi losers play for 3rd.
3
Winners go through
Each group winner plays in the champions’ foursome on day 2.
Why it is a side game
By the end of day 1, three golfers in every four are out of the match play. Run as the main event, most of the field would have nothing to play for on day 2. As a side game, they carry on in the stroke play.
Day 2 and seeding
The group winners play as one foursome on day 2, in the same shape: semis on the front, then the final and a 3rd-place match on the back. The winner of the final is the champion.
Day 1 seeds are set by handicap index and can be changed by the tournament director. Day 2 is seeded by the winning margin on day 1, so the golfer who won his final 5&4 is seed 1 and plays the narrowest winner. Lowest index breaks a tie.
Everyone else plays day 2 as a normal stroke play round. The four finalists keep their other side games, but they sit out the day’s stroke play bet, because they are playing a match instead.
Halved matches
A match that ends all square is handled by what it still has to decide. The same rules apply on both days.
A halved semi plays on
Both golfers carry on into the back nine, and the first hole either of them wins settles the semi. The final is then scored from the 10th, so nobody waits. Until it is settled, the other finalist’s scores are kept against both.
A halved final splits the money
1st and 2nd are added together and shared. Where one name is needed, for the trophy or the seat on day 2, it goes to the golfer who won the last hole that was not halved.
A halved 3rd-place match splits
3rd and 4th share what those places pay. Nothing depends on the order, so no tiebreak is used.
Strokes
The default is strokes off the low man. In each match the lower handicap plays off scratch and his opponent gets the difference. Full net, with each golfer on his own course handicap, is available but rarely wanted for singles. The setting is chosen once and used on both days.
The money
The two days are paid from two different pots.
Day 1: a side bet inside each group
Each golfer puts in the same entry, and the group’s pot pays its own places. At $10 each, a $40 pot pays $24, $10 and $6 by default. The tournament director can change the amounts.
Day 2: a share of the championship pool
A percentage of the main tournament pool is set aside for the champions’ foursome at tournament setup. 4th place on day 2 takes nothing.
Both prizes can go to one golfer
Winning the bracket does not stop anyone winning the 36-hole stroke play, and the other way round.
Field size and empty seats
The game needs between 9 and 16 golfers, in three or four groups. With more than four groups there are too many winners for one foursome on day 2.
With three groups, or if a winner withdraws, day 2 is a seat short. The tournament director decides at setup what happens:
Promote the best runner-up
The default. The beaten finalist with the lowest net on day 1 takes the empty seat. He still has to win two matches.
Points, then a match
All three play points over the front nine, and the two leaders play the back nine as a match.
Play short-handed
Nobody is promoted. Three play points and then a match; two play a straight nine-hole match.
Scoring it without a spreadsheet
Four brackets, twelve matches on day 1, a seeding calculation overnight and four more matches on day 2. Halved runs all of it from the tournament’s own scores. There is no second card and no bracket sheet on the clubhouse wall.
Every match live
Each group’s semis, final and 3rd-place match update as scores are posted.
Day 2 built for you
The group winners are seeded by margin and grouped together, ready for the tee sheet.
Halved matches handled
A halved semi plays on and the final is scored from the 10th, without anyone doing the arithmetic.
A knockout in every group, and one champion.
Free for the group. Halved scores every match from the stroke play cards, builds day 2 and settles both pots.
Questions people ask
How does the Mini Singles Bracket work?
On day 1 each group of four plays a knockout: semis on the front nine, then the final and a 3rd-place match on the back. On day 2 the group winners play one more bracket in a single foursome, and the winner of that final is the champion.
What happens if a semi is halved?
Both golfers carry on into the back nine, and the first hole either of them wins settles it. The final is then scored from the 10th.
What happens if the final is halved?
The money for 1st and 2nd is split. Where one name is needed, for the trophy or the day-2 seat, it goes to the golfer who won the last hole that was not halved.
How is day 2 seeded?
By winning margin on day 1, widest first. Lowest handicap index breaks a tie.
How many golfers does the Mini Singles Bracket need?
Between 9 and 16, in three or four groups. With three groups, the empty day-2 seat goes to the best runner-up by default.
Do the finalists still play the stroke play on day 2?
Their scores still count for the 36-hole championship and their other side games, but they sit out the day-2 stroke play bet because they are playing a match.
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