GAME CHANGERS – 10 GAMES TO CHANGE YOUR WAY

You think I wrote the title wrong. I didn’t. Golfers are ALWAYS looking for ways to make the game more fun, in more diverse playing formats. Every other year I like to write a story on “Golf Games” with new games and formats I’ve picked up from all my Journalism Journeys. (By “golf games” think “Wolf” and “Bingo, Bango, Bongo,” etc.) The 2016 article was extremely popular because MOST golfers love to have fun. The column didn’t win the Oscar for Best Script (Thanks a lot “Manchester By the Sea”), but it very well might have revolutionized YOUR game. So… as the new Snickers commercial says, “Here’s how to make (golf) better.” (Or is it butter? Hmmm.) 2018 Edition

ONE PLAYER 18-HOLE GAME

BALANCE – Start With “A Balance” of 100 Points. Subtract a point per stroke you record on each hole. (I.E. – Shoot a 6 on Hole 1, your remaining budget is now 94 Points.) However many Points you have left at the end of the round, spend that amount and NO MORE in the Pro Shop/19^th Hole. In Other Words: You reward yourself more for playing better. Shoot a 70 and you spend $30 in the pro shop on a T-shirt OR sleeve of ProV1’s. (NOTE: Junior Golfers can play this game WITH their parents and have their parents pay them in $ however many points they have left after 18 holes. A BRILLIANT strategy for work on their hole-by-hole game focus. You can start with 90 Points instead of 100, too if you’re cheap (I mean, frugal).

TWO PLAYER 18-HOLE GAMES

FIFTEEN – Basic as basic gets. Can obviously be played with more than two players, but works great with two. Each player gets to toss out their three worst holes and then compare scores. Winner wins something.

TWO-STEP – (This is not a game to be played on a day the course is BUSY or people might shoot you.) After LITERALLY every single shot you hit, your playing partner gets to pick your ball up and take two steps in any direction IN BOUNDS then place your ball GENTLY at their feet. (Even if it’s in a bunker. Must be visible AND playable.) You are NOT SAFE until your ball is in the hole. Total up your scores. Winner scores lower. OBVIOUSLY. (Option: Some players allow up to six “SAFE” calls per player per round, where the other player can not touch your ball.)

BANNED IT – Simply put, the player who wins the hole gets to take a club out of their opponents bag or take back one of their clubs. It can literally be ANY club, including putter and driver.

THREE PLAYER 18-HOLE GAMES

5-3-1 – Arguably the best format for three player matches, NINE Points are available on each hole. (Determine $ Amounts Per Point) The player with the lowest score on a hole gets 5 points (2^nd lowest gets 3 points, 3^rd lowest gets 1 point). If two or more players tie, you split the points between the ties. If two people tie for best, they’d combine the points for first and second 5+3 and split it to 4/4. If two people tie for last, they’d combine the points 3+1 and split it 2/2 with the winning player getting their 5 points. Add up all the points at the end, and pay the player(s) the agreed upon amount per point.

“THREE STRIKES” AND YOU’RE STILL IN – Three Strikes can be played with any number of players, but is most fun with three or more, and most fun when everyone has to play EVERY SINGLE STROKE. Each player gets 18 shots that they can rehit during a round. You can use them any time you want, but at the end of the round, however many “Rehits” you have left you get to take a stroke off your score. This is a strategy game that makes you really have to think about whether or not to use a mulligan. Don’t take any rehits and subtract 18 at the end if you want. Hmmm…

FOUR PLAYER 18-HOLE GAMES

LOTTERY – This works best with players that count EVERY SINGLE stroke (Or play to a MAX 8 on Every Hole…even Par 3’s). I’ve seen it played with 16 people! The more the more better! Players agree to put $1 in the “Collection Pot” as a Penalty for the following: 3-Putts, Lost Balls, Hitting Ball into the Water, Sand Shots That Don’t Get Out of the Bunker, Recording an “8” or Higher on Any Hole, Missing a 3-Foot Or Less Putt, Hitting a House, Cell Phone Rings, Not Hitting Past the Red Tees, etc. (Add your own if you’d like.) After the round, put all the players names in a hat and have the Cart Girl, Waitress or someone draw a name from the hat. That player gets to keep all the money. Like winning the lottery.

YARDAGE – I LOVE THIS GAME FOR THE RULES! Each hole is worth in pennies the total number of yards being played. If you think you’re better than you probably are and play the tips (at 675 yards = $6.75), and someone else in your group plays the Red Tees (at 375 yards = $3.75), whoever scores the lowest on the hole gets all the money for that hole. You gamble more by playing different tees within your group or by playing too far back from what you should. WARNING: A LOT of money can change hands in this game. If you think about it… if you play a 7,000 yard course and LOSE EVERY HOLE, you stand to lose $70. So… you either better win a hole or two (play the right tees) or not care about money in the least. Either way, for players who like a lot of stake in a game, this is a great one for you!

TEAM GAMES

LAS VEGAS – Four Players. Two players to a team. Each golfer plays his own ball and the teammates scores are combined (not added together, combined). So if two players on TEAM A get a 4 and a 5, their score would be 45. If TEAM B had two players get a 5 and a 7 their score for that hole would be 57. TEAM A would have a 12-point advantage on that hole. Keep track of points for the whole round, then one team pays the other team a certain amount per point. (Option: You can make the rule that if both players on a team get WORSE THAN PAR, their number would be the HIGHEST possible combination… so a team scoring a 4 and a 6 would get a 64.)

WORST BALL – Four Players. Two players to a team. Two players on Team A tee off first. After they tee off, the two players on Team B decide whether Team A has to play the worst shot or the best shot. If they pick “Worst Shot” then Team A can make Team B play their worst shot AT ANY POINT in that same hole. If they pick “Best Shot” then Team A’s player who hit the worst shot has to finish the hole on their own. Teams switch positions each successive hole.

Perhaps you’ve heard of (and/or tried) some of these. But I’m guessing you haven’t heard of (and/or tried) all of them. When you get in the mood for a little game action some round sometime in the future, look up this story at www.teetimespress.com (bookmark it) and have a little extra fun!