It is always good to spice up your round of golf, especially if you play regularly with the same partners. A little challenge doesn’t hurt, especially if it can reimburse your green-fee. Here are some examples of bets and playing formulas for your next 18 hole course.
Bisque
Perfect for players who are still struggling on the same hole.
Instead of the scorecard which gives the handicap of the hole and therefore the strokes received, the player can decide on which hole he wants to assign his strokes.
A maximum of 2 strokes per hole is recommended. Of course you have to declare before the start of the hole how many hits you want. The player with the lowest net score wins the pot.
5-3-1
Perfect for threesomes.
Each point is worth 1 unit. The one with the lowest score scores 5, the 2nd score 3 and the worst 1 point. If there is a tie, nothing could be simpler, the players share the total number of points.
The quota
Perfect a group of similar indexes.
Each player takes his course handicap, and subtracts this amount to 36. This number constitutes the point quota. Example of a medium handicap group: 1 point for bogey, 2 for par, 4 for birdie and 8 for eagle. The player with a number of points above his quota wins the predetermined pot.
Strike 3
Perfect for medium or high handicaps.
In this formula after the course, the players withdraw their 3 worst holes, and we keep only the best of the 15. Not bad especially if you have struggled on 1 or more holes.
Serpent
Perfect for putting under pressure.
Each time a player makes three or more putts, a specific amount is added to the pot. The last person to make 3 putts must pay the other players for an amount equal to the pot.
A variation to make this version fairer is to charge the player who made the most 3 putts.
Let it run
Perfect for avid gamblers.
Players in the group earn points each time they do bogey or better. Example 5 points for a bogey 15 for a par 30 for a birdie and 60 for an eagle. After gaining these points the player has 2 options, keep in the bank or let them run. If he lets run and he makes a second bogey, he will not score 5 but 10. Plus the 5 points scored on the previous one, he will have scored 15 points instead of 10. On the other hand, if he makes a double, he will not score no point and lose the points scored on the previous hole.
You follow ?
One less club
Perfect for parties of 2 or more.
When a player wins the hole in match play he can decide to remove a club from his opponent’s bag! A variation is to offer 2 choices: remove a club or re-establish a club.
Trouble
Perfect for improving shot selection and course management.
Instead of scoring for a great game, players score points for their mistakes!
The player with the fewest points wins the pot!
Example score: 1 point for the bunker, 2 for the out of bounds, 3 for the 3 putts etc … You can do the opposite and add points for the best shots.
And you which variant do you like the most?