Golf is one of the most enjoyable games on the face of this earth, but as we all know it can certainly be frustrating. Even more frustrating is looking at your scorecard at the end of the round to see all the bogeys and the final score. It’s almost like looking at your bank account after a long night out.
Regardless, your round doesn’t have to be that frustrating. Most amateur golfers think you have to keep score every time you hit the links, when in actuality that’s not always the case.
There are plenty of fun games to play within your foursome. Rather than killing yourself trying to shoot the lowest score, take a break and enjoy your round while trying to make some cash off your playing partners.
You may be aware of the standard playing formats such as scrambles, match play, and stroke play, so here are some of the more common games to play during a round of golf.
WOLF
Probably my favorite of all games to play among a foursome, wolf keeps everyone involved and is for golfers of all skill levels. However, it can seem confusing, so hang in there.
Each hole starts with one golfer in the group being designated as the “wolf, “ and rotates each hole.
The wolf tees off last after watching each golfer in the group hit their tee shot. After each individual’s tee shot, the wolf decides whether they want to team up with that golfer or see the next tee shot.
If the wolf decides to team with a golfer, it will be those two against the other two golfers in the group for that specific hole. The golfer with the lowest score on the hole wins the point for their team and the losing team gets a point taken away (Points are a dollar amount to be determined before the round).
If the wolf decides to not team up with any golfer, he or she becomes the “Lone Wolf.” The Lone Wolf plays the hole against the other three golfers in the group and hopes to have the lowest score. If the Lone Wolf wins, then he receives three points, one from each golfer. If the Lone Wolf loses, then he/she must give up three points.
The points are added up at the end of the round and decide on payouts for each golfer.
NASSAU
Nassau is one of the most popular golf games to play and are much more simple to understand.
Golfers can either play individually in the group or split into two teams. The player or team then compete against essentially three bets in one: front-nine, back-nine, and the 18 hole round.
The player or teams that win each side collects the determined prize amount. The beauty of this game is that it can be played in almost any format. Stroke play, scramble, best ball, or match play. Any of these will work in Nassau.
SKINS GAME
If you’re really looking for an intense game to cash in on, ‘skins’ is the perfect format. Golfers decide how much a skin will cost and that then compete for that amount on each hole.
Skins is similar to match play where a golfer wins a hole rather than counting the total score. Only in skins, there are no halves or ties. If golfers tie on a skins hole, the cash amount is carried over to the next hole and it’s worth double.
At the end of the round, each golfer counts up their skins and decides how much they won or lost.
BINGO, BANGO, BANGO
Bingo, Bango, Bongo is a point-based game that can be played with anywhere from two golfers and up.
There are three ways to collect points on each hole depending on whether you get Bingo, Bango, or Bongo.
• Bingo - First golfer to get their ball on the green
• Bango - Golfer to get closest to the pin once balls are on the green
• Bongo - Golfer to hole out first
Add up the amount of points for each golfer at the end of the round and collect your winnings (or losings).
SNAKE
Snake is a fun game for amateur golfers to help them avoid the dreaded three-putt. The round starts with the group deciding on an amount to bet on.
Each time a golfer three-putts, they become the new snake. After each three-putt there becomes a new snake and whoever is the snake at the end of the round has to pay the other golfers in the group the amount originally agreed upon.
What makes this game so great is that there are no “gimmies.” Golfers must putt out everything, including the short five-foot putts. It puts more pressure on the knee-knockers and helps golfers build confidence in that short range.
Playing regular rounds as an amateur golfer is always fun, but it can be even more fun when competing against friends. Use these game types in your next round to bring a competitive edge to your round.