Tournament

A beginner-friendly PinGolf tournament will take place on Saturday, July 29th 2023 during the show, and is anticipated to run from 10AM until 4PM, with a final round starting at 4:30PM and ending at about 6PM.

The tournament will be open to all ages, and will have prizes for both kids and adults.

Tournament Photos!

Format

There will be 9 “holes” of the PinGolf tournament, and each hole consists of a goal to be achieved on a pinball machine, such as reaching particular score, or activating a certain feature on a game (such as multiball mode), or activating the game’s “special”.

The number of balls played to reach the objective will be counted as “strokes”; the fewer balls used to reach the objective, the better/lower the score. A round of 9 holes should take about an hour to an hour and a half to complete.

The top players of the 9 holes of the PinGolf tournament will qualify for a round of playoffs in separate kids and open tournaments. The top 8 players in the open tournament (all players, including kids, are eligible) will compete in a round of playoffs and finals, and the top 3 kids players (ages 12 & under) will compete in a separate round of finals.

Entry & Prizes

The entry fee will be free for kids ages 12 & under, and $5 per entry for participants ages 13 & up. There will be a maximum of two entries for each player.

This will be an IFPA (International Flipper Pinball Association) event, with each player’s finishing position used for ranking within the world of competitive pinball.

Entry fees will fund the prize pool, medals, and $1 from each player will go to support the IFPA.

Prizes

The top 3 open tournament winners will each receive a medal and a portion of the cash prize pool.

The top 3 kids tournament winners will each receive a medal.

Additional prizes may become available prior to the tournament date.

Rules

Details about the games, qualifying round, playoffs, and final round are below.

Games

A list of games registered for the show will be listed on the Games page of the show’s website. Games that will be used in the tournament may be selected from that list (with the owner’s permission), or any additional games that appear at the show (again, with the owner’s permission).

The list of games selected for the tournament and the objectives for each game will be available on Saturday morning at the start of the tournament, and will be identified on each game.

Qualifying Round

• Players will be put in groups of 4, as soon as 4 players are available to start a round. Each game will count as one hole played. Each round will be 9 holes (games). When the group is done on a hole, the group will then move to the next hole.
• Each player will play for the goal/objective/score indicated on the game/hole. The number of balls played to reach the objective will be counted as “strokes”. If the player doesn’t reach the objective by the end of the game, one stroke is added to the score. For example, on a 3-ball game, the player would receive 4 strokes, or on a 5-ball game, the player would receive 6 strokes.
• For hole 1, players will play in alphabetical order by first name. For all following holes: players will play in order of the number of strokes from the previous hole, starting with the lowest starting first, and highest playing last. Players who are tied will then go in alphabetical order by first name.
• If a player earns an extra ball, playing the extra ball will not be counted as an additional stroke, but rather as a continuation of the current ball being played.
• When a player reaches the intended objective on a hole, the player must stop playing, let the current ball drain, and must plunge and drain any of the remaining balls when their turn comes up. Playing any additional balls will result in a 1 stroke penalty for each ball played. Plunging & draning balls after completing an objective is to help maintain the tournament schedule.
• When a group finishes the 9-hole course, each player should initial next to the totals. One player should turn in the scoresheet to a tournament official. Once all players have completed their 9 holes, the players who will continue to the playoffs will be announced and listed on the score board.
• If a player has two entries, once the player completes their first 9-hole round, they can report to the tournament area to wait to form another group of 4 players to start another 9-hole round. The player’s best score of their two entries (the two 9 hole rounds) will be used to qualify for the playoffs.

Game Malfunctions

• If a game malfunctions or a ball gets stuck, the player on their turn must stay at the game in case the problem resolves itself.
• One of the other players in the group must contact a tournament official to ask them to visit the game for a ruling on how to proceed in the event of a malfunction (broken part, malfunctioning flipper, game reset, etc).
• If a ball is stuck, one of the other players in the group can contact any event staff member or volunteer to assist in opening the game and removing the stuck ball. If event staff/volunteers do not have a key to open the game, contact the number on the info card on the game to report the issue to the game’s owner. The stuck ball must be placed in the shooter lane, and the player can then continue playing their ball without any penalties.

Penalty Strokes

• Triggering a game slam tilt that affects other players will result in the maximum number of strokes for the hole/game being assigned to offending player. A second offense could result in disqualification from the tournament.
• Playing another player’s ball will result in the maximum number of strokes for the hole/game being assigned to the offending player.
• Excessive abuse of a game (kicking, hitting, punching, lifting, dropping, etc) may result in disqualification of the tournament and possible ejection from the show.
• Death saves / bang backs will not be allowed, and a ball saved using those techniques must be immediately drained. If a player does this a second time, it will result in the maximum number of strokes for the hole/game being assigned to the offending player. Additional offenses may result in disqualification from the tournament.

Player Delays

• Since this is a one-day tournament, things need to keep moving without significant delays in order for there to be enough time to complete the tournament. Please stay close to other tournament players in your group and keep an eye on the score board.
• If a player notifies the other players in advance of a brief absence or bathroom break before the start of a game/hole, they will have 10 minutes to return to the game before it starts without them. This is to help keep the tournament on schedule. Repeated absences/delays must be reported to tournament officials and may result in disqualification from the tournament.
• If a player is missing without advance notice and does not appear for their turn, they have 3 minutes starting from when the ball enters the shooter lane for their turn before the ball on their turn will be plunged and drained. This is to help keep the tournament on schedule. If the missing player re-appears, they can play the remaining balls in their turn, but the balls previously plunged on their turn will count as strokes as if they were played. Repeated delays/absences must be reported to tournament officials and may result in disqualification from the tournament.
• If a player quits or is unable to continue playing in the tournament, please notify a tournament official.

Playoffs & Finals

• After completing a round of 9 holes, players with the lowest number of strokes will move onto the playoffs.
• The top 8 players in the open tournament and the top 3 kid players (ages 12 & under, who are not included in the top 8) will each compete separately in a round of playoffs in a 3-hole round. Player scores will begin at zero for the start of the playoffs.
• The results of the the kids’ round will be used to determine finishing positions 1 through 3.
• For the open playoffs, the top 2 players in each 4-player group will advance to the final round. The final round will be another 3-holes and player scores will begin at zero. The results of the the final open round will be used to determine finishing positions 1 through 3.
• As needed to determine tiebreakers (when playoff qualifying or prizes are at stake), tied players will play one additional hole.