Flying Horseshoes Newsletter
Official publication of the Clinton County Horseshoe Club in Frankfort, Indiana
President Sam Payne * Vice President Frank Adams * Secretary-Treasurer Kenny Wolf
edited by Kenny Wolf
www.kennywolf.com/curtday.htm
Issue #3, June 2005 Special
Update from President Sam Payne
Thanks to all for coming out to pitch horseshoes this year. There has been lots of work put into getting the courts ready for the season. We are in the process of getting the sign painted and post. The paint has been purchased for the sign, sign post and the building.
There has been some who asked for a gate between courts 3 & 4. A gate has been donated to us to have installed. As soon as I can find the parts needed this gate will be installed. The holes along the drive have been filled with stone.
6 New watering cans have been purchased. With the additional cans we are asking that each court be turned and watered before and after pitching on them. This will keep our clay in good shape over the summer. Plans are to rotate through the first 12 courts.
Each week we will move down one court until we have rotated through them. For anyone interested in pitching twice a week contact either Kenny Wolf or Sam Payne. Would also like to know how many would be interested in having a tournament just for the ones who pitch here on Thursday nights. Will use handicaps and draw for teams, double elimination. Let Sam or Frank Adams know if interested. —President Sam Payne
Thanks to all for coming out to pitch horseshoes this year. There has been lots of work put into getting the courts ready for the season. We are in the process of getting the sign painted and post. The paint has been purchased for the sign, sign post and the building.
There has been some who asked for a gate between courts 3 & 4. A gate has been donated to us to have installed. As soon as I can find the parts needed this gate will be installed. The holes along the drive have been filled with stone.
6 New watering cans have been purchased. With the additional cans we are asking that each court be turned and watered before and after pitching on them. This will keep our clay in good shape over the summer. Plans are to rotate through the first 12 courts.
Each week we will move down one court until we have rotated through them. For anyone interested in pitching twice a week contact either Kenny Wolf or Sam Payne. Would also like to know how many would be interested in having a tournament just for the ones who pitch here on Thursday nights. Will use handicaps and draw for teams, double elimination. Let Sam or Frank Adams know if interested. —President Sam Payne
Report on the Kokomo Horseshoe Pitching Club —by Kenny Wolf
On Tuesday night, May 16th, I was invited to the Kokomo horseshoe
pitching club’s league night. The horseshoe distributor who
supplies me with horseshoes asked me to attend league night at Highland
Park. I will explain how they do some things in their club.
They have 18 clay courts, with lights, all in a row and fenced in by about six feet high fencing. They presently have about 14 teams of about 6 pitchers per team (70 to 80 total pitchers) and they pitch on 14 courts (using 2 courts for each team), leaving #5, #10, #15 and #18 uncovered. They play 4 games of 40 shoes per game. They use 90 points (or 75% of 120 possible high game) as their scratch score with no handicap and then they use the 90% (same as us) of difference between average and 90 points. We use 72 (80% of 90 possible high game) as our scratch score with 90% of difference between average and 72 points.
The Kokomo club has four women who pitch with the men. All scorekeeping is kept at the North end of the pits with each team supplying one of their own team members to keep score on each game. Sometimes they alternate on who they have keep score with different pitchers sitting out a game or two. If they are short a team member on a particular night, then they may allow a member of another team to sub for the missing pitcher, but not a member of the team they are pitching against on a given night.
The biggest difference between their league play and Frankfort’s league play, besides pitching 4 games of 40 shoes each game rather than 3 games of 30 shoes each game is that every pitcher pitches with his or her own horseshoes. They are able to do this by walking back and forth between the pits. To start a game, two opposing pitchers pitch their own shoes down to the opposite pit. The other two pitchers call off the score for the scorekeeper, but leave the shoes in the pit as they lay. They then pitch their own shoes back down into the other pit. After the score is called off for that lay of shoes, the pitchers at each end walk to the other pit while crossing each other in the middle. They proceed to pick up their own horseshoes from the pits into which they pitched them and the pitchers who “are up” pitch down into the other pit.
This goes on until 20 frames of 2 shoes per frame is accomplished. When I asked a pitcher about this method of playing partners, he said they had tried it the other way where each set of partners used only one pair of shoes and they decided that everyone preferred pitching their own horseshoes. This made a lot of sense to me!
I had some nice conversations with their secretary, Mr. Jerry Monticue. I think there is some potential for unsanctioned weekend tournaments between individual members of the Kokomo Horseshoe Club and Frankfort’s Club. I also think there is opportunity to pitch some team play weekend tournaments alternately hosted by Kokomo and Frankfort. Players I talked to are not all that interested in traveling to state competition in various cities, but I think we could get our own “triangle” going of Frankfort, Kokomo; and maybe even Lafayette?
After reading the “Report from Kokomo,” a different format could be tried for an extra night of pitching each week for those who would like to pitch organized horseshoes twice a week and try something a little different. —Kenny Wolf
They have 18 clay courts, with lights, all in a row and fenced in by about six feet high fencing. They presently have about 14 teams of about 6 pitchers per team (70 to 80 total pitchers) and they pitch on 14 courts (using 2 courts for each team), leaving #5, #10, #15 and #18 uncovered. They play 4 games of 40 shoes per game. They use 90 points (or 75% of 120 possible high game) as their scratch score with no handicap and then they use the 90% (same as us) of difference between average and 90 points. We use 72 (80% of 90 possible high game) as our scratch score with 90% of difference between average and 72 points.
The Kokomo club has four women who pitch with the men. All scorekeeping is kept at the North end of the pits with each team supplying one of their own team members to keep score on each game. Sometimes they alternate on who they have keep score with different pitchers sitting out a game or two. If they are short a team member on a particular night, then they may allow a member of another team to sub for the missing pitcher, but not a member of the team they are pitching against on a given night.
The biggest difference between their league play and Frankfort’s league play, besides pitching 4 games of 40 shoes each game rather than 3 games of 30 shoes each game is that every pitcher pitches with his or her own horseshoes. They are able to do this by walking back and forth between the pits. To start a game, two opposing pitchers pitch their own shoes down to the opposite pit. The other two pitchers call off the score for the scorekeeper, but leave the shoes in the pit as they lay. They then pitch their own shoes back down into the other pit. After the score is called off for that lay of shoes, the pitchers at each end walk to the other pit while crossing each other in the middle. They proceed to pick up their own horseshoes from the pits into which they pitched them and the pitchers who “are up” pitch down into the other pit.
This goes on until 20 frames of 2 shoes per frame is accomplished. When I asked a pitcher about this method of playing partners, he said they had tried it the other way where each set of partners used only one pair of shoes and they decided that everyone preferred pitching their own horseshoes. This made a lot of sense to me!
I had some nice conversations with their secretary, Mr. Jerry Monticue. I think there is some potential for unsanctioned weekend tournaments between individual members of the Kokomo Horseshoe Club and Frankfort’s Club. I also think there is opportunity to pitch some team play weekend tournaments alternately hosted by Kokomo and Frankfort. Players I talked to are not all that interested in traveling to state competition in various cities, but I think we could get our own “triangle” going of Frankfort, Kokomo; and maybe even Lafayette?
After reading the “Report from Kokomo,” a different format could be tried for an extra night of pitching each week for those who would like to pitch organized horseshoes twice a week and try something a little different. —Kenny Wolf
Ringer Percentage – Close Shoes – Points Average Relationship Chart
example: Pitcher hits 7 ringers out of 30 shoes and gets points for 1/3 of the pitcher's missed shoes. Chart shows pitcher pitched 23.33%, got 8 close shoes of 23 misses (1/3) and 21 points for the 7 ringers, plus 8 points for the 1/3 close shoes for a total of 29 points.
example: Pitcher hits 7 ringers out of 30 shoes and gets points for 1/3 of the pitcher's missed shoes. Chart shows pitcher pitched 23.33%, got 8 close shoes of 23 misses (1/3) and 21 points for the 7 ringers, plus 8 points for the 1/3 close shoes for a total of 29 points.
| R |
M |
Ringer % |
all |
3/4 |
1/2 |
1/3 |
1/4 |
RP |
all |
3/4 |
1/2 |
1/3 |
1/4 |
| 0 | 30 | 0.00% | 30 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 30 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| 1 | 29 | 3.33% | 29 | 22 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 32 | 25 | 18 | 13 | 10 |
| 2 | 28 | 6.67% | 28 | 21 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 34 | 27 | 20 | 15 | 13 |
| 3 | 27 | 10.00% | 27 | 20 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 36 | 29 | 23 | 18 | 16 |
| 4 | 26 | 13.33% | 26 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 38 | 32 | 25 | 21 | 19 |
| 5 | 25 | 16.67% | 25 | 19 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 15 | 40 | 34 | 28 | 23 | 21 |
| 6 | 24 | 20.00% | 24 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 18 | 42 | 36 | 30 | 26 | 24 |
| 7 | 23 | 23.33% | 23 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 21 | 44 | 38 | 33 | 29 | 27 |
| 8 | 22 | 26.67% | 22 | 17 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 24 | 46 | 41 | 35 | 31 | 30 |
| 9 | 21 | 30.00% | 21 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 27 | 48 | 43 | 38 | 34 | 32 |
| 10 | 20 | 33.33% | 20 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 30 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 37 | 35 |
| 11 | 19 | 36.67% | 19 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 52 | 47 | 43 | 39 | 38 |
| 12 | 18 | 40.00% | 18 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 36 | 54 | 50 | 45 | 42 | 41 |
| 13 | 17 | 43.33% | 17 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 39 | 56 | 52 | 48 | 45 | 43 |
| 14 | 16 | 46.67% | 16 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 42 | 58 | 54 | 50 | 47 | 46 |
| 15 | 15 | 50.00% | 15 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 45 | 60 | 56 | 53 | 50 | 49 |
| 16 | 14 | 53.33% | 14 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 48 | 62 | 59 | 55 | 53 | 52 |
| 17 | 13 | 56.67% | 13 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 51 | 64 | 61 | 58 | 55 | 54 |
| 18 | 12 | 60.00% | 12 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 54 | 66 | 63 | 60 | 58 | 57 |
| 19 | 11 | 63.33% | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 57 | 68 | 65 | 63 | 61 | 60 |
| 20 | 10 | 66.67% | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 60 | 70 | 68 | 65 | 63 | 63 |
| 21 | 9 | 70.00% | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 63 | 72 | 70 | 68 | 66 | 65 |
| 22 | 8 | 73.33% | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 66 | 74 | 72 | 70 | 69 | 68 |
| 23 | 7 | 76.67% | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 69 | 76 | 74 | 73 | 71 | 71 |
| 24 | 6 | 80.00% | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 72 | 78 | 77 | 75 | 74 | 74 |
| 25 | 5 | 83.33% | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 75 | 80 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 76 |
| 26 | 4 | 86.67% | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 80 | 79 | 79 |
| 27 | 3 | 90.00% | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 83 | 82 | 82 |
| 28 | 2 | 93.33% | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 84 | 86 | 86 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| 29 | 1 | 96.67% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 87 |
| 30 | 0 | 100.00% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
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