Odd number golf?

Question
Hi - I hope you can help - Here's our dilemma

someone has dropped out of Our society golf holiday leaving us with 15 players. so 3 four balls and one 3 ball. it is a matchplay format holiday which works for the fourballs but how can we make it work in the three ball as it will be two versus one. Is there a formula for this?
many thanks in advance

Answer
Hi Joe,

A few suggestions.

1. Each round, a player is selected to be the "lone wolf." This can be done randomly, or, if there will be enough rounds during the season, every player can take a turn. The "lone wolf" will then take on the other two in the threesome. What would be fair is for the wolf's ball to play against the average score of the other two. Or, the wolf could take on the couple's best ball, except the wolf would get more strokes than usual (roughly 30% more).
2. At the end of the round, the wolf's score is matched against one of the other 14 players (randomly chosen). This would be less exciting for the wolf than #1.
3. The wolf plays against a deck of cards. Cards are shuffled at the beginning or end of each hole and a card is drawn. The card determines the score of the card which is matched against the wolf's.
Ace - net eagle
2 or 3 - net birdie
4 - 8  - net par
9 - 10 - net bogie
J or Q - net double bogie
K - net triple bogie

I'm not certain about the fairness of the card distribution of points. I'd need to do some research.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Ken Tannar