How many points are there in Bingo Bango Bongo?

Three on every hole: Bingo for the first ball on the green, Bango for the closest once every ball is on, and Bongo for the first ball holed. Over eighteen holes that is 54 points.

Why does order of play matter so much?

Because the farthest ball plays first. The short hitter plays their approach before the long hitter and often reaches the green first, and the farthest putt is taken before the closest, so the player who was closest can lose Bongo to someone holing from farther away.

What if two balls are the same distance from the hole?

The group decides on the spot, and the scorer records one winner. Parful stores a single name for each point.

Do handicaps matter in Bingo Bango Bongo?

No. The points are for being first on, closest and first in, not for the score, which is why it works between players of very different standards.

What happens if a point was not recorded?

Nobody gets it. Parful awards only the calls the scorer recorded and never works out a winner from the scores or the putts.

Can we play Bingo Bango Bongo in a scramble?

No. The group plays one ball in a scramble, so there is nothing to call. It is available on own-ball rounds, four-ball style outings and shambles.

Golf games

Parful runs this

Bingo Bango Bongo

Also called Bingo Bango Bongo golf, Bingle Bangle Bungle.

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.

Players: 2 or more, in one group
Points per hole: Exactly 3: Bingo, Bango, Bongo
Bingo: First ball on the putting green
Bango: Closest to the hole once every ball is on the green
Bongo: First ball in the hole
Winner: Most points; ties share

How Bingo Bango Bongo works

Each hole is worth three points, one for each of three events. Bingo goes to the player whose ball is first on the putting green. Bango goes to the player whose ball is closest to the hole at the moment every ball in the group is on the green. Bongo goes to the player whose ball is first in the hole. Each point is worth one and goes to exactly one player; the score on the hole is irrelevant.

Order of play is the whole game, which is why it has to be played strictly by the rules: the ball farthest from the hole plays first, everywhere. The player who is 40 yards short after two on a par 4 plays before the player who is 20 yards short, so the short hitter often reaches the green first and takes Bingo. Once everyone is on, the farthest ball putts first and can be holed for Bongo before the closest ball has been touched. Long hitters tend to win Bango; everyone else has a real shot at the other two.

A tie for Bango, when two balls are the same distance from the hole, is settled by the group on the spot. Parful stores one winner per point.

How the points are recorded

Every point is an observed call. The scorer records who was first on, who was closest once all were on, and who was first in, one tap each. The three answers are shared hole facts for the group: a single record for each point on each hole carrying one player's name, so two people can never hold the same Bingo. Re-recording a point replaces the earlier call.

Unlike putts and fairways, these calls are not held back until scores are entered, because first on the green is decided before anyone has holed out. A point that was not recorded is simply not awarded; Parful never guesses a winner from the scores.

Try it

Can we play Bingo Bango Bongo in our format?

Derived from the same compatibility rules the scorecard uses, so it cannot drift from the product.

Own ball, individual
Available
Four-ball, best ball, counted scores
Available
Shamble, bramble, cha cha cha
Available
Scramble, foursomes, greensomes, chapman
Needs a score per player; this format keeps one per side

How Parful scores it

Start Bingo Bango Bongo from the group scorecard as a private challenge or as a club pool run by a manager. The roster is one group, because the three calls are judged by the people standing on the green. Two or more players; four is the classic.

The standings show Bingos, Bangos, Bongos and the total for each player, most first, with ties sharing a position. With a stake attached, each point of margin over each opponent is one unit: a player's units are their points multiplied by the number of players, minus the field's total. The ledger is zero-sum; Parful shows it and never moves money.

It runs on any format where every player plays their own ball to the green: own-ball rounds, four-ball style outings and shambles. It is unavailable on a scramble or an alternate-shot format, where the group plays a single ball and there is no first on, closest or first in to call.

Worked example

A worked example: four players, six holes

Ana, Ben, Cal and Dee play a fourball. The scorer records the three calls on every hole; the last four columns are the points each player took on the hole.

Hole	Bingo: first on	Bango: closest once all on	Bongo: first in	Ana	Ben	Cal	Dee
1	Ana	Ben	Ben	1	2	0	0
2	Cal	Cal	Dee	0	0	2	1
3	Ben	Ana	Ana	2	1	0	0
4	Dee	Cal	Not recorded	0	0	1	1
5	Ana	Dee	Ana	2	0	0	1
6	Ben	Ben	Ana	1	2	0	0

After six holes: Ana 6, Ben 5, Cal 3, Dee 3. Seventeen points awarded from a possible eighteen.

Hole 4 shows an unrecorded Bongo: nobody gets the point and the hole is worth two instead of three. It is not shared and not guessed.
Hole 6 shows the order of play at work. Ben was closest once everyone was on, so he putted last; Ana, farther away, holed first and took Bongo.
Settlement at one unit a point: the field total is 17 and there are four players. Ana is 6 times 4 minus 17, plus 7; Ben is 20 minus 17, plus 3; Cal and Dee are each 12 minus 17, minus 5. The four figures sum to zero.

Common variants