The playing companion
Choose a format. Know the rules before the first tee.
Individual · total strokes
Play your own ball and hole out on every hole. Count every stroke and penalty; the lowest round total wins. In a net competition, subtract the agreed Playing Handicap.
Agree tees, gross or net scoring and a tie-break before starting.
Source: The R&A · Rule 3
Two players or two sides · holes won
The lower score wins each hole; equal scores tie the hole. A match ends when a side leads by more holes than remain. A tied round follows the agreed competition terms.
Concessions of a stroke, hole or match are allowed and cannot be withdrawn.
Source: The R&A · Rule 3
Individual or sides · points
Compare each hole with a fixed target, usually par: more than one over or no score earns 0; one over earns 1; target earns 2; one under earns 3; two under earns 4; three under earns 5; four under earns 6. Highest total wins.
Agree the target and handicap allocation; pick up when no points remain available.
Source: The R&A · Rule 21
Individual · capped strokes
The committee sets a per-hole cap, such as twice par. Count strokes and penalties up to that cap; a pickup or unfinished hole receives the cap. Lowest round total wins.
Set the cap and any handicap terms before play.
Source: The R&A · Rule 21
Individual · against a target
Compare each hole score with the fixed target: better wins the hole, equal ties it and worse loses it. Finish with the most holes won minus holes lost.
The target is normally par or bogey; confirm it and handicap allocation before play.
Source: The R&A · Rule 21
Two partners per side · one ball
Partners share one ball and alternate strokes. One tees off on odd-numbered holes and the other on even-numbered holes, regardless of who finished the previous hole. Use match-play or stroke-play scoring.
Penalty strokes do not change whose turn it is to play.
Source: The R&A · Rule 22
Two partners per side · own balls
Each partner plays a separate ball. The lower partner score on each hole is the side score. Compare side scores by holes in match play or add them for stroke play.
Agree the format and handicap terms. Identify whose score counts on each stroke-play hole.
Source: The R&A · Rule 23
Team · selected shots
Everyone tees off. Choose one team shot, then all play from that selected location. Repeat selection and play until a ball is holed; record the team score. Lowest total wins.
House rules vary: set team size, placement distance, same-lie restrictions, minimum drives and handicap method before play.
Source: PGA · Golf formats (informal format; event rules control)
Putting side game · last three-putt
In this common pot version, each three-putt adds one agreed unit to a running tally and transfers the snake to that player. Whoever holds it at the end pays the tally, split among the other players. If nobody three-putts, nobody holds the snake and nothing is owed.
Count putts from the green, not strokes with a putter from the fringe. Hole out; if several players three-putt the same hole, the last to finish takes the snake. Agree how four-putts count, pickup handling and whether you use a fixed penalty or an accumulating pot. These are house rules.
Source: Golf Digest - Snake (informal game; house rules vary)
Four players · rotating partners
Rotate the Wolf role each hole in a fixed order. In this last-to-tee version, the Wolf watches each other player drive and must choose that player immediately, before the next tees off; a rejected player cannot be recalled. Choose a partner for two against two, or reject all three and play alone against them. Everyone plays their own ball; the lowest individual score on each side decides the hole.
Agree handicaps, points per winning player, tied holes and who is Wolf on holes 17 and 18. Decide the solo win/loss multiplier and any blind-Wolf option before play; they are optional house rules. Wolf-first tee order is another common variant. A simple starting rule is one point per winner, no points for a tie, with no solo multiplier.
Source: Golf Digest - Golf games (Wolf) (informal game; house rules vary)
Two players or two pairs · three matches
Run three separate match-play contests: front nine, back nine and all eighteen. Lower scores win holes; equal scores halve them. Start the back-nine match fresh on hole 10 while continuing the overall match. For pairs, agree a team format such as better ball. Record each contest independently; a tied contest is halved.
Agree handicaps and the value of each contest. A press is an optional new match over the remaining holes of the specified contest; it runs alongside the original, which stays in force. Agree who may press, the trigger, start/end holes and any limits. Automatic two-down presses and stroke-play Nassau are variants, not assumed rules.
Source: Golf Digest - Nassau (informal game; house rules vary)
Two players or two sides · doubling game
Play a hole-by-hole match with an agreed starting value for each hole. In this automatic-doubling version, either side may call the first hammer to double that hole's value. Only the side receiving the hammer may hammer back, doubling it again; calls alternate. The winning side takes the final hole value. For example, two hammers turn one unit into four.
Agree handicaps, tied-hole carryovers or cancellation, the next-hole reset and who holds the next hammer. Set any doubling limit, birdie multiplier and whether calls during a shot are allowed. Some groups instead allow a hammer to be declined by conceding at the pre-hammer value; use that accept-or-fold variant only by prior agreement. This guide describes the on-course side game.
Source: Golf Digest - Hammer (informal game; house rules vary)
Quick guides, researched October 23–24, 2026. Official Rules and competition terms govern play. Confirm tees, handicap allowances and tie-breaks with your group or committee. These pages provide no wagering or settlement service.