Fun Golf Games
Does your weekly foursome play the same game over and
over each time? And does this get a little boring to the
group? Most of the golf fund raisers today use the
Scramble, Ft. Lauderdale, Captains Choice, Best Ball
(whichever you choose to call it) format. Even though it
is a fun format and leaves you playing golf with no
pressure it can get quite old.
In organizing events for my Lady Links Golf Association
and other events I try to come up with different formats
to keep the game interesting and rewarding not only for
the BEST golfer but for the golfer that plays the
particular chosen format the best. Try some of these
different formats with your regular weekend foursome.
Stand a Side: Some also call this a Florida Scramble
or a Dropout Scramble. Members of each 4-person team in the
tournament play a scramble, but the golfer whose ball is
chosen for each shot has to stand a side and not hit the
next stroke. Usually when everyone finally gets on the
green everyone plays each putt in a scramble format.
In the Bucket: Another name for this is
the Eliminator. It’s a best ball tournament in which
every fourth hole, one player is left “in the bucket”
his or her score must count as the team score. That’s
because on each of the three preceding holes, the player
whose low-ball score counted as the team score is “elimated”
(he still plays, but his score can’t be used). After the
fourth hole, the rotation starts over again with all
players eligible.
The Train: The Train is a golf betting
game for groups that awards points for positive
accomplishments – but can wipe those points away if
something bad happens. In the Train, positive
points are awarded thusly: Par – 1 point, Birdie – 2
points, Eagle – 5 points. The object is to
accumulate the most points over the course of your
round. But, there’s a catch and it’s a big catch.
If at any point in the round you make two bogeys in a
row or one double-bogey – you lose all your points and
start over again at zero.
Whack and Hack: A format used for
4-person teams, or a betting game for several groups of
four golfers each. The four team members each play
their own ball for four individual scores. Two of
those scores are combined to make up the team score on
each hole. The two scores that are used are the
low ball and the high ball. So if the four players
score, 4,5, 6 and 7, respectively, the team score is 11
(4+7). But there’s an exception. If the low
ball for the team is a birdie or better, then the team
gets to use its two low balls on that hole.
Pinehurst System: Also known as Chapman
System is a 2-person team competition format. The
“inventor” Dick Chapman a great amateur golfer who
played in the Masters 17 consecutive years came up with
the format at The Pinehurst Resort. Both players
tee off, and then they switch balls. Player A
plays Players B’s drive, and vice-versa. Each
player hits the second shot. Then they select the
best of the second shots, and from that point until the
ball is holed they play only one ball in an alternate
shot format.
Bingo Bango Bongo: This is played with
a foursome and you accrue points. One point for longest
drive, one point for first on the green and one point
for first in the hole. The person with the most points
at the end of the round is the winner. The ladies
really like this format.
I hope you will try some of these formats to make your
weekly game more interesting.