Play the game of golf long enough and you will reach the point where you want to spice things up with new styles of play and twists that do not use traditional scoring. Golf is certainly fun when played the regular way yet the game becomes even more enjoyable when you and the rest of your foursome switch up the scoring style and implement variations of play.
Wolf is one such variation. This golf game requires strategy, skill and risk-taking. Let’s take a closer look at what the wolf game golf is all about and why you should try it with your golfing buddies.
How the Wolf Golf Game is Played
Wolf is a points-based game. The wolf golf game rules state between three and four golfers can play. A playing order is determined prior to the start of the round. This order is adhered to regardless of the score so be sure everyone in the group is perfectly comfortable with the order of play for your foursome.
Here’s how the game of wolf is played. Players tee off on holes in an order that rotates. Player one tees off, followed by player two. However, the player who is the wolf can elect to partner with player one for the hole before the second player hits his or her initial drive. Pairing up with the first player essentially makes the hole better ball in which player one and the wolf compete against player three and player four.
However, if the wolf chooses not to partner with player one, he or she can view player two’s tee shot and decide whether that player is worth partnering with. The wolf can also choose to partner with the third player after his or her initial tee shot. However, if the wolf chooses not to partner with any of these three players, he or she can play as the lone wolf, essentially making the competition into better ball with a setup of three versus one.
Wolf Point Structure
Each golfer serves as the wolf four times. The golfer in last place has the fewest points and is often provided with the right to act as the wolf for the last two holes. The points are determined in accordance with the progress of the match and the winners of individual holes.
Though it is possible to create your own scoring system for wolf, there is a standard scoring system available. When the wolf partners up and that team wins a hole, it gets two points. If that team loses, the opposing team receives three points. If the wolf elects to play by himself or herself and wins the hole, this lone wolf receives four points. However, if the lone wolf loses a hole, the opposing players are provided with two points each.
Keeping track of the points and all the aspects of Wolf can get confusing. Biresch created a very useful scorecard app that can help take some of the heavy lifting off your brain so you can focus on the winning!
Game Variations
There are plenty of wolf variations. Some variations are centered on the wolf playing alone as a lone wolf prior to any of the other three golfers in the foursome hitting their tee shots. However, this variation clearly puts the pressure on the lone wolf.
The golfer with the most points at the round’s end is the victor. The winner receives the pot money or a specific contribution from each player decided on prior to the round. There is also the potential for the reward to be based on the specific point difference between the victor’s point total and the losers’ points.
Summary
In short, wolf is a golf betting game played by four players. On each hole, one of the golfers, referred to as the wolf, elects to play that hole by him or herself or pairs up with a fellow golfer for two-on-two play. For the most part, those with full handicaps play a golf betting game wolf.
We would be remiss not to mention that the wolf golf game goes by other monikers in different parts of the country and the world. Synonyms for this unique golf game include Boss, Captain and Crew and Ship.
The Order of Play is Essential to Wolf
This four-player golf game will not prove fun if your foursome plays out of order. So be particularly mindful of the order in which holes are played when you and your golfing buddies head out for a game of wolf. The order of play is determined at the first tee and continues forward throughout the rest of the round. The initial golfer tees off on the first hole.
This individual is dubbed player one. The next player is player two, followed by player three and player four. The second player has the honors on the second hole, followed by player three, then player four and player one. The third hole starts with player three. Player four tees off next. Player three starts play on hole number three and is followed by player four then player one and player two. Player one follows player four on the fourth hole and so on.
The question is which golfer is selected to kick things off as player one with the initial tee shot. The order of your foursome’s play is determined by your group’s unique preferences. Regardless of which player in your foursome you determine should start the game of wolf as player one, it is important that you memorize the order and stick to it for the entirety of the game.
Furthermore, it is important to consider the golfer who tees off first is the initial wolf, so keep that squarely in mind when determining which member of your foursome starts things off.
Wolf Game Strategy
Wolf is a game of strategy as the wolf has to decide whether he or she will be completely self-reliant or pair up with another player after viewing his or her initial drive on each hole. Those who lack confidence in their golf game will prove likely to team up with a partner rather than be self-reliant.
However, those who are good at the game of golf will likely choose to go it alone and be the wolf, especially on challenging par 5 holes and par 3 holes where the initial tee shot is particularly important. The question is whether you feel as though your golf game is superior to those in your foursome.
Decide to be the lone wolf and the stakes are even higher as it is one versus three and you have the potential to win or lose big based on your individual performance.
About Those Remaining Holes…
A group of four that plays the wolf golf game will rotate tee honors, meaning each player will tee off first on four holes, amounting to 16 total holes. However, this still leaves the 17th and 18th holes. In general, those who play golf games like wolf have the player who is in last place tee off first, serving as the wolf on the remaining two holes.
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