To keep that peak motivation during the weekend round, numerous duffers like to play golf games with -- gulp -- money. The threat of digging into your pocket and handing your leering competitor that precious five bucks is an image that can spark a late rally on the back nine.
The staff @ the New Chicago Golf Club enjoys several choice games to hold everyone's attention through the long round. Some are individual bets, some are team bets, and others are incentive bets to help you win (or lose) some additional booty on single shots. However, these represent only a fraction of the games being played around the world.
If you care to, leave us a comment on your favorite game and how it's played. Maybe even how much you like to play for.
Of course, we only play for live bait.
Nassau
This very common game can be played by individuals or teams.
The format is match play, in which one point is available on each of the eighteen holes. By beating your opponent's stroke score on a hole, you win one point. If the scores tie for a hole, this results in a "push," or no points won or lost.
In Nassau, a betting amount is agreed upon at the start. The contest then involves three different bets over the 18 holes. One bet for the front nine, one bet for the back nine, and one bet for the total of the back nine and front nine combined. For ex ample, the bet is two minnows. This means six minnows are wagered over the front, back and total.
To add interest to the game, presses are encouraged. A press occurs when a competitor falls two points down. At this point he may press (or start a new bet) from that point. In the example the press bet would be for two minnows. If the player who presses then beats his opponent over the remaining holes on that nine, he wins the press bet. Press bets can be re-pressed if the player falls two more points behind. Some high rollers allow presses any time one competitor is behind in any bet. And, thereby, one can lose lots of minnows on a bad day.
As with any golf game, players of greatly different abilities can compete. Handicaps are used to determine how many strokes one player must give another.
Nassau can be varied in many ways such as partners; low ball, low total; low-ball, high ball; etc.
Skins
The most popular side game is rather easy. A value is given the "skin" at the start of the match. To win a skin, a player must score better than everyone else in the group on one hole, without any ties. Any two or more players tying, results in a push or no skins won on that hole. Birdies that win holes, always pay double the skin amount.
Carryover skins are often played. In this format (as seen in the yearly Skins Game on television), anytime a hole is pushed with tying scores, the value for that skin is carried to the next hole. So if the first hole is a push, the second hole is worth two skins to the winner. The skins continue to add up for every hole that is pushed.
Wolf
Wolf is a great game for at least four players and is even better when you have to squeeze in a fivesome. It is also called "Pig" or "Captain" in various parts of the golf world. Here's how it works: Determine the order of play on the first tee (tossing a tee and reading it like "Spin the Bottle" works). The "Wolf" is the player on the first tee who can pick his partner for that hole. First, the "Wolf" drives. Should he feel real good about his shot, he may then choose to play the hole against the other competitors as the "Lone Wolf". Or, as is usually the case, he observes the second player's shot. He may then pick that player or await the outcome of the third player's shot, but he must pick his partner before the next player hits. If, after all players have teed off, the "Wolf" elects to play without a partner, the value of the hole is doubled. Any opponent tying or beating the "Wolf's" score, wins the hole for the "Flock". If the "Wolf" and his partner beat the second team, they win the value of the hole. If the "Wolf" and his partner tie the other team, the value of the hole carries to the next hole. On the second hole, the player who hit second on #1 becomes the "Wolf", and the order of play continues in that fashion through the round. It should be noted that the "Wolf", when going alone immediately after his shot, doubles the bet but avoids having to pay ties. A variation on this game allows a player picked as partner to reject the "Wolf's" bid and take over as "Wolf" for double the bet. Be careful of going "Lone Wolf" when there are carryovers. You can lose a whole bucket of shrimp if you get too greedy!
Jack's Junk
Jack's Junk, named after my great, late golfing buddy Jack Lierly, is really a compilation of several of the games with which you are probably familiar. First, the terms and the points:
Skin (+1): the lowest score (usually a gross score, but it can be net) on a hole.
Greenie(+1): The ball closest to the hole on Par 3's.
Birdies(+1): You know what a birdie is.
Eagles (+2 or +3): What the heck is an eagle? Snakes(-1): 3-putts.
Putzorama(-4): a 4-putt or worse. What can be worse than a 4-putt?
Bullet(+1): A made first putt (must be on the green...fringe doesn't count) from outside the length of the flagstick.
BaBoomba!(+8): A combination of bullet, birdie and skin.
To score this, just keep "pips" for each player on every hole. Then total the "pips" at the end of the round. Everyone pays the player with the most points; everyone else pays the player with the second highest total; The low guy pays everybody and sometimes has to borrow a few shiners to make good on his fishing trip.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is a game best played between two twosomes. Scoring is achieved with the number of the low ball in front of the number of the higher score. If the first twosome scores 4 and 6, their score for the hole is 46. If the second twosome scores a 4 and a 5, their score for that hole is 45, and they have won the hole by 1 point. In contrast, with scores of 45 and 56, the winning twosome scores 11 points.
The game is wicked because if the winning group scores a birdie, then all points won are doubled. With an eagle, all points are tripled. A set amount is determined for the value of each point before the round begins. Watch out for those 10s, they can really cost you some nightcrawlers.
British Stableford
This version of Stableford is better for mid and high handicappers. It involves awarding points for each score on a hole. Totals are: 1 point for a bogey, 2 points for a par, 3 points for a birdie, and 4 points for an eagle.
The game can be played with handicaps and the player with the most points wins.
Bingo-Bango-Bongo
This game awards points for three different actions per hole. The first person in the group to hit his/her ball on the green wins 1 point. The person who is closest to the hole after everyone is on the green wins 1 point. And the person who is first to putt his/her ball into the cup wins 1 point.
Snakes
When this bet is included, anytime a player three putts (or worse) a green, he must pay everyone else one bet.
A variation of "Snakes" goes like this: Each snake is given a value (1 shad). The first player in the round to 3-putt then owes every other player in the group one shad; but the great thing about it is that he doesn't have to pay...yet. The second player to "snake" the hole then assumes the first player's debt and owes another shad (now at two shad); The third player to take three putts on a hole would owe every other player three shad. Play continues in this fashion through the entire round, with the last player to 3-putt owing ALL the shad netted to each player. The continuous putting rule should be discussed before the round starts. (In stroke play, it is the player's option to "putt out" after he has stroked his first putt on the green. In match play, the player "away" always has the honor of playing first.) This game can get rough, especially with some creative thinking on the last few holes.
Greenies
Greenies are played only on Par 3 holes. Each player hits a tee shot. The player whose ball is closest to the hole and on the putting suface wins the greenie bet. Another version of the game (often called "Proxies") requires that the closest player must then at least two putt for par to collect on the greenie. In "Proxies", any Par 3 not won previously continues up for grabs. So it is possible to win all the "Proxies" with a great shot on the last Par 3.
Moles
When moles are in effect, any player that fails to get out of a bunker in one shot must pay the other players one bet. If the player then fails to get out of the bunker on the second shot, he must pay the other players two bets, and so on.
Animals
This game will keep you hitting it straight. For each type of errant shot, there is an animal: a camel is any shot hit into a sand trap; a snake is any three-putted green; a gorilla is any shot hit out-of-bounds; a frog is any shot hit into a water hazard; a tree frog is a shot that hits any part of a tree.
A value is given each animal. Throughout the round, the animals collected by each player are added up. Then the final holes become very tense. In animals, the last player to collect an animal on the 18-hole round must then pay the other players the difference between his animal total and each competitor's animal total, or his total if the competitor has more animals. Three-putting the last hole can get very expensive.
Murphys
When a player is off the putting surface and must hit a chip/pitch shot, he calls a "Murphy". The player must then get up and down from that spot -- meaning he must hit the shot and then one-putt. Succeeding means winning one bet from all other players.
Failing to get up and down means paying one bet to all other players. The bet amountmust be determined before the round begins.
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