From Brent Kelley,
Your Guide to Golf.
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Definition: An eclectic, or eclectic tournament, is a multi-round golf tournament that results in one 18-hole score per player.

Eclectics work this way: Participants play X number of rounds, and compare their scores on each hole per round. The lowest score made on each hole is recorded, producing an 18-hole score. Example: There are three rounds; in Round 1, the golfer makes a 6 on hole No. 1; in Round 2, a 7 on hole No. 1; in Round 3, a 4 on hole No. 1. That golfer's score for the first hole is a 4.

The lowest of each round's scores per hole are recorded on one scorecard and turned in as the final score.

An eclectic can be a stand-alone event contested over consecutive days, or it can be a tournament that runs concurrently, over longer time periods, with other, unrelated tournaments.

For example, the Duffersville Men's Golf Association announces a spring tournament schedule comprised of eight events. But along with those events, the DMGA offers golfers the option of also signing up for an eclectic, which runs throughout the spring schedule. In this case, the eclectic is comprised of eight rounds (or however many rounds are played over the course of the eight tournaments that make up the spring schedule) played over the course of many weeks.

Also Known As: Ringer tournament