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.
My most recent rounds start as all rounds with the boys do – what are we playing? And for how much? Standard procedure from there. Nassau, $10-10-20, mark up the card with the shots. Off we went.
I made a birdie on the first hole, giving my team the 1 up lead, so I was happy. On No. 2, we looked prime to go 2 up, when suddenly a buddy on the other team suggested some new game. Convenient.
He began explaining, and I had the natural reaction of “no, this is B.S., don’t change the game because you’re losing.” But, as he continued to explain how “Sunningdale” worked, I was intrigued. As was the rest of the group. It was a game designed for the exact situation we were in—a match that had the potential to get out of hand, quickly. Fortunately, after some negotiating, it never did.
Here’s how to play “Sunningdale.”Sunningdale golf betting game
Number of players required: Two OR four. This is a match-play game.
Best for: Groups where not everybody has an “official” handicap. People who hate sandbaggers.
How to play: It’s standard match play, whether it’s a team 2 vs. 2 best ball or 1-on-1. You can do it “Nassau” style (front, back and overall) or a simple 18-hole closeout. Here’s the catch—there are no handicaps. Yes, really.
Even if there’s a stick in the group, a few mid-to-high handicappers and that guy who doesn’t even have a handicap but can throw up an 88 on ya, your ‘caps are all irrelevant in Sunningale. You start by playing straight up, and the very first time one side goes two down, that is when they get a stroke on the next hole. So, in a team scenario, each player on the team that is 2 down would get a stroke on the very next hole.
The idea is to never let a match get completely out of hand, making it come down to the final few holes. This keeps everyone engaged and never lets you get in a hole you can’t crawl out of. The other wrinkle— should you manage to go 3 down, you would then get two strokes on the very next hole (4 down? three strokes). That should virtually guarantee a victory on the next hole, keeping the match within reach.
Variations: A very fun variation we played in our recent game was the addition of a “bank.” This is separate from the match itself, which, again, can be played as an 18-hole closeout or a Nassau for a set amount. With the bank element, the group decides on a standard “unit” size, which will come into play for the first team/side that wins a hole. Let’s say you all agree on $5 as the unit. The first team that wins a hole “banks” $5. If they go two up, they’ve banked another $5 for a total of $10.
At this point the losing side would be getting a stroke on the next hole, which they are likely to win. However, they do not “bank” $5 in this situation, and they still do not if they win the next hole to square the match. They would have to win another hole to go 1 up just to take $5 out of the bank. If they win another hole to go 2 up, the bank is reset to $0. They would have to win another hole after that to finally bank their own $5.
Considering how difficult that would be, the more likely scenario is the team who originally goes 2 up banks $10, and then even if they lose two holes and the match is squared, they could win the next hole and bank another $5 for $15. For every hole the leading team wins, they bank another unit. So while the match always stays close, the “bank” element still rewards the team that’s winning holes.
Another variation, called the “Colonel Dallmeyer Rules,” employs the handicap stroke when a team goes 3 up. Once 3 up, the losing team gets a stroke on each subsequent hole until the match is back to 1 up.
