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.
If you’re a hardcore gambler on the golf course, chances are you’re no stranger to a game of cards, either. Now, just imagine you could have the best of both worlds all in the same four-hour span?
That’s exactly what the game of golf “Poker” is, a beautiful blend of one of the best card games there is and the actually physically-taxing sport we all love to play on a regular basis.
Obviously, and this should go without saying, you will need a deck of cards in addition to your golf clubs.
Here’s how to play. (Note: Major hat tip to Twitter friends @tweeth_mitchell and @brysandel, who not only brought this game to my attention but explained it to me in great detail ((mostly tweeth on the second part)). What I’m saying is, if you play a different version of this game or have different rules, simply direct your anger at them instead of me. Kidding, sort of.)
RELATED: The Best Golf Gambling Games, explained
Number of players required: Two or three is fine but the game is at its best with four.
Best for: Groups who have someone that can take charge and keep track of a lot of things going on at once, like how much everyone is going to “ante up,” the extra money that goes into the pot throughout the round and when and how many cards to give out for each situation. All skill levels are welcome and have a very good opportunity to win in the end. No strokes or handicaps are required. People who don’t quit on a hole over one or two bad shots.
How to play: As Tweeth eloquently explained via a direct message, the group’s first move is to decide on an amount to “ante up.” Just like in Poker, get it? Stay with me now.
Let’s say that amount is $20 a guy in a foursome. The pot to start the round is now at $80, but it’s only going to grow from there. Players who three-putt on any green add $5 to the pot, allowing it to build. This means your group must putt out on every green no matter where your score is at. A three-putt for a snowman still counts as $5 to the pot, so don’t be picking that ball up and stuffing it in your pocket.
Here’s where the deck of cards comes in. Every time you one-putt, you receive a card from the deck, the caveat being it has to be for double-bogey or better. For a “zero-putt,” meaning you’ve holed a shot from off the green regardless of what club you used, you receive TWO cards from the deck. In Tweeth’s group, players who make a birdie receive one card and players who make an eagle receive two cards. Cards are also given out for sandies (up-and-down for par or better out of a bunker), greenies (closest to the hole on a par 3 and make par or better) and what they call “whammies” (closest to the hole in regulation on a par 5 and make par or better). On average, each member in the group can accumulate 5-to-6 cards on the low end and 10-to-12 on the higher end. And in case you are wondering, yes, it is very possible to receive multiple cards on the same hole. A holed out bunker shot for birdie, for example, would net you three cards (zero-putt, sandy, birdie).
At the end of the round comes the fun part – everyone flips the cards they’ve accumulated over and the best poker hand wins the entire pot. Ideally, the more cards you accumulate, the better chance you have. But the crazy thing about this game is even with only a few cards, you still have a fighting chance at scooping up the pot. In Tweeth’s group, to add suspense, they go around the table and flip over the cards one by one. Diabolical stuff.
Complex? Sure. Sound fun as hell? With the right group, absolutely.
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
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
