The golf games included in this article are the 'Lone Wolf', 'Skins Game', 'Best Ball' and 'Badges'.
Golf can be played with as many variations as possible. The simple format of the game, i.e. scoring holes calls for coming up with new ideas in order to make it interesting. Variations of this game can make it interesting and fun-filled.
Badges: This variation doesn't require a player to have certain skills sets. The game is known as badges because, the players are awarded badges for playing bad shots. The players who are awarded these badges have to pay a certain amount to the opponents. The player who has earned maximum number of badges, ends up losing maximum amount of money and vice versa. There are some rules being set in order to decide who has to be awarded the badge. The names of some of the commonly used badges are mentioned below.
- The Snake badge is awarded to the golfer who requires 3 putts for the last shot.
- The last golfer hitting a tree is given a Squirrel badge.
- The golfer hitting the ball in the sand trap at last is given the Crab badge.
- If the ball is hit out-of-bounds, the golfer is awarded an OB badge
- The ball which is hit into the water earns the golfer a Fish badge.
- The Angel badge is given to a golfer who swears at last.
Lone Wolf: 'Lone Wolf' is one of the interesting 4-player golf games on the course. In this game, one of the four players is designated as the 'wolf'. The wolf can choose a partner to play against the rest of the players. He can however, remain as a lone wolf if he doesn't select any of the player as his partner. The method of choosing a partner in this game is such that the wolf can see the players teeing off and make a decision whether to include them in his team. The wolf can choose the first golfer as his team-mate after watching how he tees off. Once the second golfer has finished teeing, the wolf cannot select the first golfer. Similarly, after the third golfer tees off, the wolf cannot select any of the first two players. As mentioned earlier, the wolf can decide on to play as a 'lone wolf' if he doesn't wish to play with any of them.
Best Ball: The game of 'Best Ball' is played with teams of four players competing against each other. It can also be played in teams of two. In a golf outing, many such 4-player teams play against each other. Each player in the foursome gets a chance to play his shot. The team decides which shot was the best and the next shots of all the players are played from the position where the best shot landed. The process continues till the ball reaches the hole. A low round is declared victorious in a golf outing.
The Skins Game: The 'Skins Game' is generally played with 3 - 4 players. The rules of this game states that a value is assigned to every hole. There are 18 holes that the golfers have to play for. The first 6 holes are assigned a low value while the next 6 holes have a middle value. The last 6 holes help the golfer earn the highest points. The objective of the game is to win the skin. The golfer who beats all the other members of the foursome is awarded the skin. If at least two players are tied on the first round (hole), the skin is carried to the next round. In such cases, every member from the foursome has a chance to win the 2nd hole value along with the 1st hole.
The games mentioned in this article would provide you with an interesting pastime activity. One can explore many such game ideas to make his weekend fun-filled and enjoyable.
