Rules

The Wolff Brothers Cup is a team-based disc golf competition held in Browns Valley every major anniversary year. Golf teams representing Northern California and the World square off in pair-vs.-pair team matches, all hoping to acquire valuable points for their team.

The Format

The matches are played between the Northern California Team and The World Team on arrival Thursday, with each match being worth one point. The winning side is the team that accumulates the most team points, with a draw seeing the two teams select 2 players each for a sudden death shootout.

Function

The Wolff Brothers Cup team scoring system seeks to make an easily quantifiable measurement of which team has played better over the 18 hole course.  On a grander scale, the Wolff Brothers Cup itself is a means of seeing the premier golfers in the world come together for the opportunity to face players who they may normally only face once a year in the WB Disc Golf Invitational.

The Match Types

There are two different types of play over the 18 hole course.  Foursomes for 9 holes and four disc for 9 holes. In the foursomes, two players from each team play together, alternating shots on the same disc and alternating Tee Shots. In four disc, each player plays their own disc, with a player needing to beat both players on the opposing team to win the hole.

Scoring

All matches use match play scoring, meaning the winner is whichever side wins more holes, regardless of how much each hole is won by. If over the course of one match the World Team won two holes by one stroke each, the Northern California Team won one hole by three strokes, and they tied the remaining holes, the World Team would win despite using more strokes.

How To Play Match Play

Match play in golf is a different game than what most golfers and fans are used to playing and watching in traditional stroke play. In match play, a player (or a player's team) earns points for every hole that he beats the opponent. The total number of strokes that a player scores over the course of the round does not impact the outcome of the round. Match play can be played individually or as a team.

How To Play Four Disc

Four disc is a type of match play that golfers can engage in that pits a pair of players against another twosome. It is one of the formats employed during the Wolff Brothers Cup. The concept of four disc is not complex, but there are certain strategies that can be employed to increase your sides chances of winning.

Step 1

Divide four players into two teams. Tee off in any order that is decided on beforehand. This order can change during the course of the match and be decided by such things as which team won the previous hole or which player scored best on the previous hole.  (Winner of the previous hole holds the Tee for the WB Cup 2021)

Step 2

Remember that four disc is different from a best disc event. In best disc, two partners throw and then they play their next shot from where the best of the two shots lies. In four disc, both players simply play their own disc the entire hole, trying to score as low as possible. The team with the lowest score of the four on the hole wins the hole; if there is a tie for lowest score on the hole then the hole is halved, with nobody winning it.

Step 3

Let your partner throw from the fairway first on par four holes, if you have a better shot to the green. In four disc, a hole is won when a player from one team has a lower score on the hole than either player from the opposing side. This means that on approach shots, you can let a partner with a bad lie or one who is further from the flag throw before you, allowing you to see what you need to accomplish after his or her disc lands. This is within the rules.

Step 4

Have your partner try to throw a long tee shot every time if your forte is accuracy, especially if you are ahead. In four disc, as long as one of the partners is an accurate driver off the tee, it is worth the gamble to let the other player attempt to throw the disc as far as possible once your team has the lead. This can put added pressure on the opponent as they struggle to catch up if your partner can get some of those long drives in the fairway.

Step 5

Try not to panic or press if you fall behind early. Four disc played over 9 holes will allow you many opportunities to win a hole. Avoid trying to match the other team's length off the tee if this is their strong suit and just try to keep the disc in the fairway and set yourself up for easy approach.