Do you bet?

[jmkenn0]

Whatever makes you uncomfortable.... yeah at this point if I'm not playing for something, my mind just wonders and I start thinking about all the other stuff I should be doing besides playing golf.

[Tko22]

 

He found out after the round that one of the earlier groups had a guy who made birdie getting two strokes. Net zero. No skin. But the Ace guy still had to buy a couple hundred bucks worth of drinks. Hardly fair.

 

Our Friday group has an “ace” rule.

 

A couple of weeks ago, the group had 14 guys, and I aced a par 3, and a couple others had a 2/net 1, but the ace wins the skin. I won $60, and the bar tab ran $150.

 

This past weekend I played with a much larger group at a different course, and I missed an ace by a half ball roll. Whew! No skin for the that birdie, but no bar tab past the $20 skin I did win.

[gretch]

Here is a fantastic pressure format I and a couple of buddies like to play in our weekly money game:

 

Its pretty simple, builds up and can get dangerous. Due to the carryover multipliers you really need to be playing your opponent(s) scratch as after a few presses, and a few carryovers a net birdie or eagle can hurt too much to be deserved.

 

it is a hole by hole skins game that starts on hole #1 at a number you are comfortable with. $5 or $2 per hole is where we usually start. Doesn't sound like much, but..............then carry-overs, double for birdies, quad for eagles, and that multiplier applies to the carryover amount.

 

Press whenever p****d, and a auto press happens whenever 2 or more guys birdie.

 

After a few or more presses, and a handful of carryovers, it can get into pucker up territory. Any of you more serious players/gamblers should try these rules out. I think you will like them.

 

/ we also allow a aloha bet on 18 which I know many guys hate the concept of. Winning or losing all day long and then washing it out on one hole. But we figure if you are willing to double or nothing what you are down on the last hole, you deserve the opportunity, and if the leader(s) can't hold you off, or hurt you they don't deserve it in the first place.

[puttingmatt]

Yes usually dollar greenies on par 3's , payable for birdie only, carryovers to the next par 3.

[dpb5031]

The first private club I belonged to had a "men's club" competition every Saturday. Full handicaps were used and there were players from maybe 4-5 up to near 30, typically 25+ guys each week. Half the pot went to a "points game" and the other half to net skins. The low 'caps never had a chance when there were always a handful of people getting two strokes on some holes.

 

The hardest Par 3 on the course played up like a 40-foot hill and you had to clear a bunker in front then there was OB about 15 yards over the green. Tough hole. It was I think the #6 stroke hole.

 

One Saturday a guy in the group right ahead of me got a Hole-in-One on that hole. Plus he was getting a stroke. Net Zero.

 

He found out after the round that one of the earlier groups had a guy who made birdie getting two strokes. Net zero. No skin. But the Ace guy still had to buy a couple hundred bucks worth of drinks. Hardly fair.

 

Bad formula. Scats pot should be 1/2 shot handicapped. 1/2 shot on 100% of your stroke holes v. course rating

[manku]

I used to play, for small stakes (don't think more than $20 was ever exchanged)...then I realized that it was ruining my day for stakes that were meaningless (there would invariably be some rules snafu during the round leading to a silly argument). Just wasn't worth it, IMHO.

 

I have a friend who plays match and stroke simultaneously...I tried to explain to him how that makes no sense, but he won't listen.

[Hateto3Putt]

 

I have a friend who plays match and stroke simultaneously...I tried to explain to him how that makes no sense, but he won't listen.

 

During every league round (and most weekend) I've got Nassau's going with several different competitors. Due to the number of players I'm not in the same group with several of them. Also, we normally play stroke adjusted Nassau type hi/lo cart v cart bets.

 

Some individual bets are stroke, some are match, the cards tell the tale.

 

Skin games and greenies all in play.

 

Low scores win.

 

Everything gets holed. The math is simple. Why does that make no sense?

[manku]

 

I have a friend who plays match and stroke simultaneously...I tried to explain to him how that makes no sense, but he won't listen.

 

During every league round (and most weekend) I've got Nassau's going with several different competitors. Due to the number of players I'm not in the same group with several of them. Also, we normally play stroke adjusted Nassau type hi/lo cart v cart bets.

 

Some individual bets are stroke, some are match, the cards tell the tale.

 

Skin games and greenies all in play.

 

Low scores win.

 

Everything gets holed. The math is simple. Why does that make no sense?

 

Because you play the hole differently if it's match vs stroke. In match you'll take risks you might otherwise not and, if you don't pull it off, shoot a big number. Or if you're opponent is OB off the tee, you might play for a safe bogey.

 

Match play the only thing that matters is whether you beat your opponent in the hole. Doesn't matter if it's an eagle or snowman.

 

There are also different rules for a different game!

 

Sounds to me like you are playing stroke play and just matching scorecards for gambling purposes. Nothing wrong with it (probably fun!) But it's not match play. Especially if you're not in the same group!

[chauchilam]

I couldn't agree more!

[A.Princey]

I try not to for strokes because of two reasons.

 

1.) Either the people I'm playing with are poor players and want to give me too many strokes.

 

2.) I'm playing straight up with people of similar skill who bet all the time and don't find it as stressful as I do.

 

It's much harder to play well for me when the stakes are higher than normal. I start playing my opponent and forget about my game. I hate it. Closest to the pin, least putts, and chip in's are all way more low key.

[Hawkeye77]

You didn't join kentuckyderbywrx. ;-)

[Newby]

Make a guess. I bet you're wrong.

[puttnforthe8]

Standard game is $10 6 point scotch with press available after winning 2 holes in a row.

[rzitup]

This thread was enlightening, I would have always guessed a majority of people like to gamble on golf, when it actually seems to be the opposite.

I'm 49 years old, started playing golf when i was 7. For the past 20 years I have averaged 120 rounds/year, and would guess a total of maybe 20 of those rounds I wasnt playing for something. The thought of going out and playing, and not playing for something, does nothing for me. I'm not sure I even like golf as much as I like the pressure of having something on the line.

 

 

[SNIPERBBB]

It's such a touchy thing gambling. For one you have to find people that you can gamble with that isn't going to take people that take it personally when you beat them.

 

There's a core of guys at our course that play in our weekend money game, usually have 12-24 players. We have a team stableford for $5 a side, $10 for total, and a $1 closest to pin on par 3s per player so the most you're out is 24 plus the round cost. Pick teams, take the best 3 of 4/5 scores. No negative points, so bogey is the most that will count. No strokes involved as the teams are generally pretty balanced.

[damnisuck]

Myself and my closest golf buddy play handicapped stableford. He hits it much further than me and is a few strokes better on average. Stableford helps keep it fair for the occasional blowup hole. We don't play high stakes though.

[digger91]

My buddy and I always have a standing game of match play for $20. 5 front, 5 back and 10 for the total. We always play together and depending on the rest of the group we may have that game rolling and another one as well. For me it’s just something to keep me grinding and even though it’s only $20 it does help with knowing when to push it or lay back in other competitions I play in as well.

[Mookieb10]

I’d like to gamble more than I do. I mostly play alone. Sometimes I’ll get my buddy tipped enough to play for something real. Like next ski trip or next golf trip... but most od the time it’s 10 a side 20 a match.

[MUNIGRIT]

Absolutley. If no betting it is just practice to me. Usually have multiple bets going and we use handicaps. Nassau against each guy, lefty/righty, greenies, skins is the normal game.

[puttnforthe8]

It is a majority.....I am not going to go back through all 4 pages.....but a sample of this page (those responding yes/no, not other blabber) indicates the majority gamble in some form.

 

We have 60-70 weekly on our little tour events and there are maybe a dozen that aren't gambling a side game with every single person playing skins. If you totaled the side betting, there likely is $20k-30k being wagered.

[rzitup]

Go back through the thread, it's a minority! I live in a world where everything has a bet on it, so i am sure my perspective is skewed. Although it also surprises me how many people play alone, or get randomly partnered.

[puttnforthe8]

Sorry Bro - you can tally all 4 pages if you want....I went to page 1 and that was huge majority saying yes that they gamble at some level; page 4 is about 50/50. You have to take out the comments that don't answer the question.

 

The guy should have just done a poll!! :)

[charli]

Every time I play I ask if we're playing for anything. I have found when playing for nothing I don’t enjoy it as much. It’s usually a 10-10-20 20-20-40. Just something to keep you interested

[dubbelbogey]

This thread just starkly highlights how there are strongly different camps in golf - and those camps rarely cross paths.

I walk on as a single or twosome to be paired with strangers at least 90% of the rounds I play. In the 25-ish years I've been playing, I have never once been asked to bet by a stranger. Among those rounds where I do play with my golf buddies, I can count on one hand the number of times even small stakes money has been brought up. Betting is just not part of my golf life.

Clearly, there are folks (especially here on WRX), where that sort of experience is totally out of the norm. I suspect there is a strong correlation between prevalence of betting to various demographic factors. Public v. private courses. Geographical region e.g. places where golf is relatively new vs long established courses in older communities. Young players v. players who've been at it for several decades. Etc...

[dlygrisse]

My normal foursome.

1. Greenies and sandies on all games

2. One guy doesn’t like to gamble much so we have a .25 cent 6/6/6 game for low ball low total. This rarely amounts to more than a couple of bucks either way

3. The other 3 of have a game of 9’s going, starting at .50 cents with a press on the back.

4. The 3 of us also have individual games going, match play with multiple presses per man, 4 max to keep it under control.

everthing is handicapped.

all games have carry overs,

rarely do we have a stroke play bet

generally you never win or lose more than $25 when all is said and done.

lots of arguement over score keeping. ?but that’s 1/2 the fun.

[SNIPERBBB]

It'd be very odd to wager when playing with complete strangers inside a foursome. Maybe for greenies. Especially if you're using strokes. Too much trust you have to be able to extend as to the honesty of their caps and ability/willingness to pay.

[TunaTuna]

I only play for enough that won't have moose and Rocco chasing me down for my check book.

[Carl Spackler3]

This amused me. My buddy insists ( truly insists against my opinion) on gambling every round, we both keep accurate handicaps so I give him his due strokes., this has been going on for years. He has never won a dollar in years. Last round he won $1 over me, goes online on our Instagram group about how he took money off me ???

[deadsolid...shank]

The best kind of playing partner, pays out like a slot machine.

Now that he’s won a dollar and his confidence is high, it’s time to raise the stakes!

[Ackerly123]

no