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i was curious to hear what kind of bets you all make on the golf course. my friends and i don't really mix it up much so i was looking for new ideas. we play skins and on par 3's we'll play closest to the hole and on the green. then there are bonuses for birdies, eagles, hole in ones (never been done) and putts made that are longer than the flag stick. we also used to make it a rule that you had to pass the red tees with your tee shot or else you'd pay up. luckily, our games have progressed so this doesn't come into play anymore.

A game we do is at the beginning of each nine, everyone ante's up a fiver. You recieve one playing card. Every one putt you get another card, every three putt you put in another dollar. At the turn who ever has the best poker hand wins the pot. Play it again on the backside. There have been a couple of time where someone would draw an Ace or a facecard with their inital payment, and beat someone who has three of four cards but nothing in their hand.

My friends usually play skins but personally, I like to bet on the whole round. We're all different handicaps so we figure out a spread before our round and then figure things out at the end. I like how you can't take a hole off or plain give up on a hole because every shot matters. We usually use 1/2 strokes on a spread. For example, a spread may be 3 1/2 strokes so a person has to win by 4 strokes to win and the other has to lose by 3 strokes to win. This ensures there aren't any ties at the end of 18 holes.

My dad, brother, and I usually play Wolf. This link below is for a golf glossary and has many betting games defined.



http://golf.about.com/library/glossary/blglossary.htm

If you want to be rewarded for your play, do not play stupid number games like wolf or nine point. You can sit in the cart and win at wolf...like shootin' craps. Nassau, skins, or match play by the hole is the way to go...double on birdies with skins or match play if you wish. Establish on the first tee box whether any one has money and if skins are to carry over.

Shade

Hmmmm! A poker-run on the golf course. I just gotta try that one. Thanks for the clue.

Bob V

i've heard of that poker game but never tried it. it definitely comes up as an idea between me and my playing partners so we'll have to try it sometime. another one we do is where everytime someone hits a ball into the water, they have to pay everyone else a specified amount. sand saves also get a bonus. it definitely gets irritated when someone is getting into the sand every other hole but is making more than you when you're hitting all your greens. not that it happens very often but it's still irritating the few times it does.

I couldn't disagree more. When playing a four ball, team games are a lot of fun. Wolf simply provides a method for switching teams throughout the round. And trust me, if you make birdie on every hole, you will win a lot of money playing Wolf. It certainly isn't a crapshoot.

I agree with you wolf is a lot of fun, it makes you play hard and sometimes agressive

What a load o' ****. If you've never seen anyone sit in the cart and win at Wolf then you ain't playin' the same game. Many times I've seen the low score (total strokes) pay the most. If you want to switch teams then play three-hole robins where every two-man combination plays in nine holes. Then do it again on the back. Oh, and btw, when's the last time you made birdie on every hole?

Shade

In a standard 6-point team game (i.e., 2 points for low ball, 2 points for low total, 1 point for prox and 1 point for birdie, with everything doubled if you get all six points), the results will not always correlate with medal score results, just as match play results will not always correlate with medal score results (e.g., a big number on one hole can kill a medal round but do relatively little damage in match play). The same goes for skins. If you're playing skins, you can play like complete **** the entire round and win money by making birdie on a big carryover. Does this mean match play and skins aren't fun? No. Does it mean that Wolf isn't fun? No.

As for your suggestion to play three-hole robins, you're missing the point. Such games are still scored the same way as a game of Wolf (assuming you're playing a 6-point game or a variation thereof). You can still win money when you play like **** and vice versa. Wolf simply provides a different mechanism for mixing up teams. If you're willing to play three-hole robins, you should be willing to play Wolf.

As for making birdie on every hole, again you're missing the point. I didn't mean to imply that such a feat is possible. But generally speaking, if you make a lot of birdies, you will win money in a six-point team game. If you don't make a lot of birdies, you better hope the other guys in your foursome don't.

shaderunner,

Don't hold back....tell us how you really feel! Things gettin' tough down by the river?

Ok, ok, I'll chill....it's just that when I got up yesterday morning the van had two flats, I had to walk to the course luggin' my bag, and when I showed up these guys wanted to play wolf...then when I got back a cat had peed in the front seat. :(

Seriously, I guess I'm just a purist, ok? I like being rewarded and punished according to the quality of my play. All of my play. I don't like playing games that encourage aggressive play and at the same time forgive if you run up a big number. Match play may do this to some extent but reckless players don't win much match play. 1 up is a pretty big advantage.

I'll play skins, no carryovers, double on birdies.

My version of robins is: throw four balls in the air, closest two are paired. They play the other two for three holes, best 2 outta 3 wins. I admit it's tough to play the third hole for nuttin' if ya lost the first two, but you might allow a "press". At any rate, aggressive play not necessarily rewarded.

Generally speaking, if you make a lot of birdies, you'll win at medal play.

Shade

shaderunner,

I agree with your feelings about being rewarded or punished for your own play. I'm lucky to have two groups of guys I play with. One group is more casual, plays a lot of silly betting games, and is more inclined to "go with the flow". The other group is a considerably more serious, no gimmicks, tee it up and let's play golf, bunch of guys. To me, it's like playing poker with guys who play all the crazy "wild card" games versus guys who play stud poker. I'll play both, but the stakes are always higher when I can rely on my own golf game and a wild card can't beat my natural full house.

Sorry to hear about the van.....there goes the neighborhood!

Fair enough. I like to play both match and medal as well. But there's something about a big carryover in a game of skins or multiple presses in a game of Wolf that really gets my blood flowing. That to me is when gambling on golf gets really fun. It doesn't always reward the guy who plays the best that day, but it rewards the guy who can produce a big shot when it really counts.