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GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
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 When it comes to a bet, if your nickname is ATM, it’s probably not a good sign. Just ask Craig Hill. When Hill started making bets for fun on the golf course years ago, his buddies had the last laugh. “But I got better,” says Hill, general manager at Shandin Hills Golf Club in San Bernardino. Good thing Hill’s got a solid sense of humor. Some days he wins; other days he’s not so lucky. Hill is one of millions of golfers who lighten the mood on the course with a friendly side game or bet—or two. “It’s a way to keep things interesting,” says Hill. “It keeps you talking to competitors, keeps the game lively.” The key is to know your competitors, to not take yourself or the game too seriously and to keep the wagering low. You can be the weakest player or the highest handicap in your group—some are games of chance; others give players an opportunity to redeem themselves round after round. Following are 10 golf games that Southland golfers like to wager to keep things interesting out on the course. 1. Skins Perhaps the most common betting game, Skins is so popular that many tournaments are fashioned after it, including the annual PGA Skins Game every Thanksgiving. Here’s how it works: Each hole is assigned a point value. Typically the first six holes have the lowest value, and points increase on the second and third sets of holes. If a player beats his or her opponents, the golfer wins the value of the “skin” for that hole. If there’s a tie, the skin carries over to the next hole. The golfer with the highest score wins—and can win big. You need three or more players. The beauty of this game is that, regardless of the number of mistakes you make, you only need enough good shots for a birdie or an eagle to win. 2. Bingo, Bango, Bongo This three-part game is great for every player—from beginner to advanced. Be the first in your group of two to four to get your ball on the green (bingo). Be the first to get your ball closest to the pin once all balls are on the green (bango). Be the first to hole out (bongo). Each win earns a point, and whoever has the most points at the end of the game is the winner. 3. Nassau Another three-bets-in-one game, the Nassau is one of golf’s classic betting games. Money is wagered on the best match play score in the front nine, back nine and total 18 holes. The $2 Nassau is the most popular. “Things can get out of hand quickly,” says Hill. “You can be two behind your competitor—bet doubles plus have the original bet going. You could get up to $10 a hole plus your original bet.” Comedic legend Bob Hope shared a love of golf with President Gerald Ford—and played Nassau with him often. In Bob Hope’s “Bob Hope’s Confessions of a Hooker” (1987), Hope jokes about “peeling off the bills” to pay Nassau bets. The game was invented at Nassau Country Club in Long Island, New York, in the early 1900s. 4. The Snake The Snake is a common putting game for two to four players, ideal for every level of golfer. It’s considered more of a side bet than an actual game. The first in the group to three-putt gets the “snake” until someone else three-putts. The next three putter then gets the snake. This continues until the end of the round. The player who finishes with the snake pays the agreed-upon wager to the other players. 5. Three Club Monte In Three Club Monte, players choose just three clubs to use with their putters during a round. Whoever tallies the best score wins. “The game goes by quicker since you have less time to decide which club to play with,” says Michael Kim, general manager of the Cresta Verde Golf Club in Corona, California. 6. Ka-Ching A favorite with seniors at Seven Hills Golf Course in Hemet, Ka-Ching is played with 10 metal coins with color icons. Each coin holds a point value—hit a ball out of bounds (-2), get a birdie (+2), sink your ball (-1)—and the winner is the player with the highest point total at the end of a round. Players keep the coin until another player has the same offense—or great play. “At the end of the day, players sit around, have a beer and tally up,” says Seven Hills general manager Frank Bruno. “It looks like a fun game to break things up.” 7. Arnies Surely Arnold Palmer has had his fair share of bad shots. In fact, this betting game is named after the golfing great. First, a bet is determined. An Arnie goes to the golfer who makes par on a hole without getting his ball into the fairway. After the round, tally the Arnies and settle up. Arnies are eligible only on par-4 and par-5 holes, not on par-3s. 8. Acey Ducey Also called Aces and Deuces, Acey Ducey is a simple game for four golfers. On each holes there’s a winner, two losers and one big loser. The player with the lowest score wins the betting amount from the second- and third-place losers; the high scorer pays the winner three times that amount. 9. Barkies You can’t get much lighter than a Barkies side bet. All you have to do is hit a tree with your ball. Oh, yeah, and make par. A double barkie is hitting two trees on the same hole. This game is also known as Woodies. 10. Wolf Another classic betting game, Wolf is a great choice for foursomes. Players rotate as the “Wolf.” On each hole, the player, or “Wolf,” chooses to play against all three opponents, or chooses a partner to play with against the other two in the group. If the Wolf goes it alone, they can win or lose big. At The Links at Summerly in Lake Elsinore, it’s the game of choice for many. “It takes a lot of courage to go it alone,” says The Links general manager Stan Gonzales, who plays Wolf with his men’s club. “Handicap plays a big part of the game.” Everyone knows golf is a mental game. So how difficult is it to get inside your opponent’s head and throw him off his game? Not very, say the pros. A simple movement, a subtle gesture or the right comment can do the trick. Tad Juday, general manager at Colton Golf Club, regularly relies on his old standard. “I like tearing off my glove during my opponent’s backswing; I’m known for it,” says Juday, who insists the move is all in good fun. “It’s very effective, and it’s easy to deny I’m doing it on purpose.” Another move is the Tiger fist pump. “It gets the opponent mad,” says Juday. “People don’t like when you emulate Tiger.” Comments, of course, usually work. Nelson Rodriguez, general manager at Indian Hills Golf Club in Riverside, suggests a subtle reminder to your opponent if he is having a good score halfway through your round. “It’s always a curse,” says Rodriguez. “You start scoring bogeys after that.” Asking a question, any question, is a great distraction as well. “Ask if he inhales or exhales with contact,” says Rodriguez. “Anything that gets you thinking about anything you’re trying to do with the golf ball will mess you up.” If you’re on the putting green, you can distract with shadows by grabbing the flag to break your opponent’s concentration, says Rodriguez. But if you really want to throw off your fellow player, the answer is simple. “Just hit the ball down the middle a really long way,” says Juday. “It always throws off your opponents, no matter who they are.” |
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