Setting up your own tournament? Advice

[scottymoney]

So I have been thinking about setting up my own tournament basically just for fun. Most everyone in the tournament will be friends/family. There won't be much of a prize pool or anything for this one to see what kind of turn out I get. Would just love to hear any advice/comments/ideas you may have toward running a tournament.

Here is the format I have come up with:

Bowl 3 games to set seeding.
Seeding determines partner. (ex. 8 bowlers 1&8 are now a team)

Team aspect will be 3 or 4 games of Baker's format with the winner decided by total pins.


Only thing I have thought about being a problem is sandbagging to not be "top" bowler to get a better partner. Where I think If I do have a small prize pool the top 2 seeded bowlers will win money. And then top team overall wins money.

Would love to hear ideas!

[billf]

Friends and family and you have to worry about sandbaggers?
I've never done a tournament where you bowl singles to determine your doubles partner so I really can't give any thoughts. Sounds different and bowling is always fun.

[scottymoney]

Just something that I thought about, but not too worried about it. I thinking the sand bagging thing was kind of thinking ahead if I took it farther than friends and family.

[J Anderson]

Only thing I have thought about being a problem is sandbagging to not be "top" bowler to get a better partner.

As long as the three games to determine the seeds are included in the total to win the tournament there is little incentive to sandbag.

[scottymoney]

I guess I could get averages from everyone before hand to take that part out of the equation, but at the same time I am thinking "current lane conditions". As I would have bowlers from probably 3 different houses. I know between 2 of the houses averages are about 20 pins different for the same bowler. The shots are drastically different. So I guess I need to stop thinking and go with an easier approach.

I need to stop over thinking things!

[AZBowla]

Yeah, you can drive yourself crazy overthinking things. I do it all the time. I think you've got a good idea so far, so just keep it fun and don't offer up too much money where someone's gonna get mad if they don't win. I'd also throw in some silly prizes too, like a prize for the most 10 pins left and another one for highest number of splits thrown, stuff like that. Sounds like fun, too bad you're not here in Phoenix or I'd come give ya a run for that money, lol!

[scottymoney]

Good ideas AZ!