Golf games, explained properly

59 is an elimination game named for Al Geiberger's famous round. Players add up their strokes hole by hole, and the first player whose running total reaches or passes 59 loses; the game ends on that hole. If several players cross 59 on the same hole, the highest total loses and equal totals tie.

Also called 59, Geiberger, Fifty-nine.

Aces and Deuces is a golf betting game for three or more players in which every hole stands alone: the outright lowest score, the Ace, collects one unit from each other player, and the outright highest score, the Deuce, pays one unit to each other player. A tie for low means no Ace; a tie for high means no Deuce.

Also called Acey Deucey, Aces & Deuces.

Banker is a golf betting game for three or four players in which one player, the banker, plays a separate one-unit bet against each of the others on every hole. The player with the outright lowest score on a hole takes the bank for the next hole; a tie for low leaves the bank where it is.

Also called Banker golf game, The Bank.

A custom bet is any golf wager the players define themselves and settle themselves. Parful records that the bet exists, who is in and the agreed stake, and does not score it. It is the one game that works on every format, including a scramble, because it reads nothing from the scorecard.

Also called Custom challenge, Side bet, Generic challenge.

Dots is a golf side game that awards points, called dots, for feats during the round rather than for the score: a birdie, an eagle, a sandie (par or better after being in a bunker) and a greenie (closest to the pin on a par 3). Each feat is worth a set number of dots and the most dots wins.

Also called Dots game, Garbage, Junk.

Casual match play is a head-to-head golf match between two players scored by holes rather than strokes: the lower score wins each hole, equal scores halve it, and the match ends when one player leads by more holes than remain. In Parful it runs as a private challenge on the group scorecard, with no bracket or standings.

Also called Casual match play, Friendly match, Singles match.

A Nassau is three golf bets in one round: the front nine, the back nine and the full eighteen. Each bet is settled on its own, so a player can win the front, lose the back and still take the overall. In Parful each leg goes to the lowest total, gross or net, and a tie splits the leg.

Also called Nassau bet, 2-2-2.

A press is a new bet opened during a golf match, running from the hole where it is called to the last hole, on top of the original bet. In Parful, Presses is a two-player match play game: the main bet covers all eighteen holes, each press is an independent match to the finish, and every bet pays one unit.

Also called Press bet, Pressing in golf.

Rabbit is a golf side game in which nobody starts with the rabbit, the first outright hole winner captures it and any later outright winner steals it. Tied holes change nothing. The holder after the ninth wins the front nine; a fresh rabbit is released on the tenth and the holder after the eighteenth wins the back nine.

Also called Rabbit golf game, Catch the rabbit.

Skins is a golf betting game in which each hole is worth one skin and the skin goes to the player with the outright lowest score on that hole. When two or more players tie for low, nobody wins the skin and it carries over, so the next hole is worth two skins, until someone wins a hole outright.

Also called Skins game, Skins golf.

Snake is a golf putting side game in which any player who three-putts a green takes the snake, and it passes to the next player who three-putts. Whoever is holding the snake after the last hole pays every other player in the group one unit. Nothing else about the score matters.

Also called Snake golf game, Three-putt snake.

Vegas is a four-player golf game in two fixed pairs. On each hole a pair's two scores are joined into one two-digit team number with the lower score first, so a 4 and a 5 make 45. The difference between the two team numbers is the points won on the hole, and the differences add up across the round.

Also called Las Vegas golf game, Vegas golf.

Wolf is a four-player betting game where the tee order rotates and the player teeing off last on each hole, the Wolf, watches the other three drives and then chooses a partner or goes alone. Sides play best ball for the hole.

Also called Wolf golf game, Lone Wolf.

Aggregate Stableford is a pairs game: two teams of two in one group, everyone plays their own ball, each player earns net Stableford points, and the team score on every hole is both partners' points added together. The highest team total wins. It is not four-ball, where only the better score counts.

Also called Combined Stableford, Pairs aggregate Stableford.

An Arnie is a par or better on a par 4 or par 5 made without hitting the fairway. Arnies is the side game that counts them: one Arnie per qualifying hole, and the most Arnies at the end of the round wins. Par 3s are excluded because there is no fairway to miss.

Also called Arnie, Arnold Palmer par.

Better Ball and Aggregate, also called the Taft System, is a four-player game between two fixed pairs in which every hole carries two separate points: one for the pair with the lower better ball, one for the pair with the lower combined total. A tied category awards nothing. The pair with more points after the round wins.

Also called Taft, Taft System, Best Ball and Aggregate.

Bingo Bango Bongo is a side game with three points on every hole: Bingo for the first ball on the green, Bango for the ball closest to the hole once every ball is on, and Bongo for the first ball holed. The most points at the end wins, and playing in turn matters more than length.

Also called Bingo Bango Bongo golf, Bingle Bangle Bungle.

English, also called 6-Point or Split Sixes, is a three-player points game in which every hole is worth six points split by finishing order: 4 to the lowest score, 2 to the middle and 0 to the highest. Ties pool the points for the shared positions (3-3-0, 4-1-1 or 2-2-2), so every hole totals six.

Also called 6-Point, Split Sixes, Six Point Game.

Fairways and Greens is a side game that scores one point for every fairway hit and one point for every green in regulation, and the most points wins. Parful records the fairway on the scorecard and derives the green from the score and the putts: a green is in regulation when strokes minus putts is at least two under par.

Also called Fairways & Greens, Fairways and GIR, Greens in regulation game.

Fewest Putts is a side game in which every player records their putts on each hole and the lowest total wins. Parful ranks the players over the holes where every player in the game has a putt count recorded, so nobody falls behind because a number has not been entered yet.

Also called Putts game, Low putts.

Honest John is a side game in which every player predicts their own 18-hole total before the round and the closest prediction wins. An exact prediction beats any near-miss, over and under count the same, and a player whose round is not finished is not ranked until it is.

Also called Predict your score, Guess your score.

Joker Stableford is standard net Stableford with one twist: each player picks a secret joker hole before the round, and the Stableford points scored on that hole are doubled, or tripled or quadrupled if the group sets it that way, in the total. The highest total wins.

Also called Joker hole, Wildcard Stableford.

N.O.S.E. is a golf side game played over a full 18 holes in which only nine holes count: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 16, 17 and 18, the holes whose English names begin with N, O, S or E. Each player's scores on those nine holes are added and the lowest total wins, gross or net.

Nines is a three-player points game in which every hole is worth nine points split by finishing order: 5 to the lowest score, 3 to the middle, 1 to the highest. Ties pool the points for the shared positions (4-4-1, 5-2-2 or 3-3-3), so every hole totals exactly nine. Most points after the round wins.

Also called 5-3-1, Nine Points.

Par Is Your Partner is a side game in which every hole counts the lower of your score and par, so par is the worst you can record on any hole. The adjusted totals are compared and the lowest wins. It is a stroke-play game with a ceiling, not match play against par.

Also called Par partner, Par is my partner.

Pig, also called Three Little Pigs, is a golf side game in which every player completes a full 18 holes and then throws out their three highest hole scores. The remaining fifteen holes are added and the lowest total wins, gross or net. The discards are automatic: nobody chooses which holes to drop.

Also called Three Little Pigs.

Russian Stableford is a pairs game in which each partner's standard Stableford points on a hole are multiplied together rather than added, so 2 points and 3 points make 6, and any zero wipes out the hole. The products are summed over the round and the highest team total wins.

Also called Multiplied Stableford, Product Stableford.

T and F is a golf side game played over 18 holes in which only nine holes count: 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15, the holes whose English names begin with T or F. Each player adds their scores on those nine holes and the lowest total wins, gross or net.

Trouble is a side game that counts the bad things: one point for every three-putt, one point for every hole with a bunker shot, and one point for every penalty stroke. The fewest trouble points at the end of the round wins. Parful counts only what the group records and never guesses.

Also called Trouble points, Disaster points.

Various Pars, also called Whack and Hack, is a golf side game in which a player's best two par-3 scores, best five par-4 scores and best two par-5 scores from a full 18 holes are added to make a nine-hole total. The lowest total wins, gross or net. The nine holes are selected automatically once the card is complete.

Also called Whack and Hack.

30/40 Balls is a team game between two groups. Over 18 holes a three-player group must count exactly 30 of its scores and a four-player group exactly 40, at least one on every hole, chosen hole by hole before moving on. The lower total of counted scores relative to par wins.

Also called 40 Balls, Thirty Forty.

Amigo is a three-player game with an imaginary fourth partner, Amigo, who makes par on every hole. The round is split into three six-hole four-ball matches; in each segment a different player partners Amigo against the other two. A segment win is worth 2 points and a half 1.

Money Ball, or Yellow Ball, is a team game between two groups. On each hole one player in each group carries the money ball, and the team score is that player's score plus the best of the rest. The carrier rotates in a fixed order or is picked by a captain before the hole. Lowest total wins.

Also called Yellow Ball, Lone Ranger.

Sixes is a four-player game that splits the round into three six-hole four-ball matches. Partners rotate at holes 7 and 13 so everyone partners everyone once. Each segment is a separate match; a win is worth 2 points, a half 1, and the best record over the three segments wins.

Also called COD, Round Robin, Hollywood.

Three Ball is a match play game for three players in which each plays two separate singles matches at once, one against each of the others, using the same hole scores in both. Three matches run over the same 18 holes; a match win is worth 2 points and a half 1.

A Birdie Pool is a whole-field side pot where every entrant pays a buy-in and the pot is shared out by birdies made: each gross birdie is one share, the player with the most birdies takes the biggest slice, and a club can count an eagle as two birdies.

Also called Birdie pot, Birdies pool, Birdie sweep.

Greenies is a par-3 side pot: on each par 3 the player whose tee shot finishes closest to the hole wins a greenie, and the pot is shared out by greenies won. On Parful a greenie is a closest-to-the-pin contest with a recorded winner.

Also called Greenie, Greenies pool, Closest to the pin pool.

Sandies is a side pot for bunker saves: a player earns a sandie by being in a bunker on a hole and still scoring gross par or better. Every sandie is one share of the pot. A casual version pays any hole where the player was in the sand at all.

Also called Sandie, Sandy, Sand save pool.

Closest in two is a one-hole skill contest, played on a par 4 or par 5, where the ball lying nearest the hole after each player's second shot wins. It is closest to the pin for the approach: the distance to the hole is measured in feet and inches after two strokes and the nearest wins.

Also called Closest to the pin in two, Closest in 2, Best approach.

Closest to the pin is a one-hole skill contest, played on a par 3, where the tee shot that finishes nearest the hole wins. The distance is measured in feet and inches from the ball to the hole, the nearest measurement leads, and the leader at the end of the day takes the prize.

Also called Closest to pin, CTP, Nearest the pin.

Long drive is a one-hole skill contest, played on a par 4 or par 5, where the longest tee shot of the day wins. Drives are measured in yards from the tee, the longest measurement leads, and most clubs require the ball to finish in the fairway to count.

Also called Longest drive, Long drive contest, LD.

Longest putt is a skill contest where the longest putt holed during the round wins. It is not a proximity contest: the putt has to go in. The contest runs on every green, the length of each made putt is measured in feet and inches, and the longest measurement of the day takes the prize.

Also called Longest putt made, Longest putt contest, Long putt.

Straightest drive is a one-hole skill contest, played on a par 4 or par 5, where the tee shot finishing nearest to a line down the middle of the fairway wins. The distance from the ball to the line is measured in yards and the smallest measurement wins, whatever the length of the drive.

Also called Straight drive contest, Closest to the line, Straightest tee shot.

Game facts are what happened on a hole beyond the score: putts, fairway hit or missed, a bunker, penalty strokes, and the hole calls for first on the green, closest once all are on, first in the hole and who took the Snake. Parful captures each fact once on the group scorecard and every game reads the same record.

Also called Game facts, Game info, Putts and fairways.

On Parful a game is either a private challenge or a club pool. A private challenge is created by a member from the scorecard and visible only to the players in it. A club pool is run by a manager across the field, with a buy-in, entrant states and payout lines. Clubs can also let members start shared games.

Also called Private challenges, Club pools, Side game pools.

A wager on a Parful game attaches a value to a result the game has already decided: so much per unit, or an ante pot, in units or as a currency reference. Every person financially affected accepts the terms before the wager is live, the ledger is zero-sum, and Parful shows who owes whom without moving any money.

Also called Golf bets, Settling up, Who owes whom.

1-2-3 Waltz is a team game in which the number of counting scores rotates every hole: one ball counts on the first hole, two on the second, three on the third, then back to one. Over 18 holes the pattern repeats six times and the team with the best total wins.

Also called 1-2-3, Waltz, One Two Three.

6-6-6 is a pairs format in which the 18 holes are split into three six-hole segments, each played in a different format. The common form is scramble for holes 1 to 6, alternate shot for 7 to 12 and best ball for 13 to 18, with one team score per hole added across all three segments.

Also called Six Six Six, Three-format sixes, Triple six.

Battle Golf is a head-to-head game in which the loser of each hole loses a club from the bag for the rest of the round. In the common form the winner of the hole chooses which club the loser gives up, the putter is protected, and halved holes cost nothing. The match is decided on holes won.

Also called Club elimination, Lose a club.

Irish Four Ball is a progressive four-player team game. In the common form, holes 1 to 6 count the best score in the team, holes 7 to 11 count the best two, holes 12 to 15 the best three, and holes 16 to 18 all four. The pressure rises with every segment because fewer scores can be thrown away.

Also called Irish Fourball, Progressive best ball, Irish Rumble.

A Las Vegas scramble is a four-player scramble in which a die roll after the tee shots decides whose drive the team plays. In the common form a roll of 1 to 4 picks that player's drive, a 5 lets the team choose and a 6 forces the worst drive. From the chosen drive the hole is a normal scramble.

Also called Vegas scramble, Dice scramble.

Luck of the Draw is a four-player game in which chance, not choice, decides the pairings or the counting ball on every hole. In the common form the partners are drawn at random on each tee and play best ball for that hole; in another, the score that counts for the team is drawn after everyone has holed out.

Also called Draw partners, Random partners, Blind partners.

No Alibis is a stroke play game in which each player is given a number of mulligans in place of handicap strokes, commonly three quarters of their Course Handicap™. Any shot can be replayed, the replay must be used, and the round is scored gross. Lowest total wins.

Also called Mulligan handicap, Replay handicap.

Red, White and Blue is a stroke play game in which the tee changes with the par of the hole. In the common form par 3s are played from the forward (red) tees, par 4s from the middle (white) and par 5s from the back (blue). Everyone plays the same tee on each hole and the lowest total wins.

Also called Red White Blue, Three-tee game, Tee rotation.

A reverse scramble is a scramble played from the worst shot rather than the best. Its cousins change who hits next instead: in a Florida scramble the player whose shot is chosen sits out the next stroke, and a Miami or step-aside scramble does the same. All three change how the hole is physically played.

Also called Reverse scramble, Florida scramble, Miami scramble.

Scotch is a four-player, two-versus-two points game with six points on every hole: two for the low individual ball, two for the low team total, one for the ball closest to the pin once the approaches are in, and one for any birdie. The pair with the most points after 18 wins.

Also called 6-Point Scotch, Scotch points game.

String It Out is a stroke play game in which each player receives a length of string in place of handicap strokes, commonly one foot per stroke of Course Handicap™. A player may move the ball by hand any distance, cutting off the length used, and a ball moved into the hole counts as holed. The round is scored gross.

Also called String game, String golf.