Golf Games Explained is exactly what it sounds like. You want to mix it up and try something new for once? Well, someone has to do the thankless work of playing different golf formats and telling you if it’s worth it. You can thank me later.
As a competitor, nothing is more painful than not having your best stuff during a money match with the guys or gals. You feel useless. Irrelevant. A total and complete loser. OK, that may have been harsh.
But seriously, it’s depressing. In “Low Ball-High Ball,” your score will matter no matter what. So even if you don’t “have it,” you can still fight and grind for every inch as opposed to waving the white flag and just picking up, keeping the competitive juices flowing.
Here’s how to play.
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Number of players required: Four. This is a 2 vs. 2 game.
Best for: High and low handicappers. Grinders. People who don’t quit on holes regardless of how they are hitting it.
How to play: Select your two-man teams like you normally would before a 2 vs. 2 match. Playing with handicaps, as always, is encouraged. Let’s say Player A and Player B are a team and Player C and Player D are a team. There are no strokes on the first hole. Player A makes a 4, Player B a 5, Player C a 3 and Player D a 7.
In this scenario, the team of C and D would win the “low” score point, because Player C made the lowest score of the foursome with a 3, which beats Player A’s 4. But the A-B team would win the “high” point, because Player B made a 5, which beats Player D’s score of 7. The object of the game is to make the lowest low score on each hole and the lowest high score. Those are both worth one point. On the following hole, if Player A makes 4 and Player B makes 5, while Player C makes 6 and Player D makes 7, the A-B team would sweep the hole with two points.
In the event of a tie on a hole, you could split the point, giving each team a 0.5 each. Or you could carry the point over to the following hole as you would in skins. Or, the final option, is to not award any points at all.
Determining a winner is easy—the team with the most points accumlated at the end of the round wins.
Variations: There are two fun variations, or add-ons, to Low Ball-High Ball. You can make birdies worth double the points, rewarding an under par score (eagles can be worth three if you have some real ballers in the group). You can also put a third point up for grabs for the pair with the low team total. In the first scenario we mentioned, A-B going 4-5 and C-D going 3-7, A-B would take the team total point with a score of 9, beating C-D’s 10.
If you have any golf games or variations of golf games we haven’t covered and you’d like to explain, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter/X @Cpowers14.
MORE GOLF GAMES EXPLAINED
How to play ‘Wolf’: A simple guide to one of golf’s most fun strategic betting games
How to play ‘Vegas’: A basic guide to a golf betting game where every shot counts
How to play ‘Skins’: A basic guide to one of golf’s best money games
What is ‘Swat’? How to play one of golf’s most fun betting games
How to play ‘Snake’: A basic guide to golf’s most toxic putting game
How to play ‘Wad’: The golf gambling game that rewards making putts
How to play ‘5-3-1’: A guide to the perfect game for when your fourth inevitably bails
How to play ‘Umbrella’: A guide to golf’s ultimate ‘side-action’ game
How to play ‘Pinehurst’: The alternate-shot game that isn’t quite alternate shot
How to play ‘Chicago’: A fun twist on the Stableford format
How to play ‘Hammer’: The match-play game where the money can add up quickly
How to play ‘Heads-Tails’: A fun 2 v 1 or 1 v 1 game depending on a coin flip
How to play ‘Banker’: The game that requires you to carry cash, a lot of cash
How to play ‘Best to next’: The team best-ball game that’s actually a team best-ball game
How to play ‘Sixes’: The game where everybody plays on the same team (at some point)
How to play ‘St. James Roll’: The game where it pays to be the low man in the group
How to play ‘Defender’: The ultimate ‘me vs. everybody’ game
How to play ‘Rabbit’: The game where you want to be ahead of the pack
How to play ‘Bisque’: The game that lets you call your own shots, literally
How to play ’11’: A game that involves plenty of strategy
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
