The Wolf in my opinion is one of the most fun golf betting games out there. And an absolute must-play if on a golf vacation or getaway. Let’s get into how you play the wolf betting game.
How It’s Played
Before you get started the first thing you need to do is choose a driving order. In the game of wolf there are no honours. You will create an order to tee off and rotate that order on each hole. If you tee off first on hole #1 you will then tee off second on hole #2 and third on the hole #3.
In short you should be teeing off one position later each hole until you tee off last. Once you tee off last you will be the first to hit on the next hole.
An example of the teeing order can bee seen below, you will find that after four holes the rotation should be back where it started.
EX: Hole 1: A,B,C,D Hole 2: D,A,B,C Hole 3: C, D, A, B Hole 4: B, C, D, A, Hole 5: A,B,C,D
One thing you must remember is that the wolf tees off first. Whoever is supposed to tee off first is the wolf for that hole.
Rules Of Play
Now here is how you play…The wolf tees of first as he or she would on any other hole. The wolf then watches the other players take their drives. If they want a golfer as a partner they must call out before their prospective teammates ball hits the ground.
If they call out a teammate you then play the hole 2 vs 2. The teams are the wolf and his partner versus the other two golfers. The winner of the hole is the team who has the golfer with the lowest score also known as “better ball score”.
If the wolf watches each drive and decides not to call a teammate then it is 1 vs 3. If any of the others golfers score better than the wolf they all win and the wolf loses.
The wolf can also choose to go solo before any driver hits their shots, this increases the odds of the betting which we will get into shortly.
How To Score The Wolf Golf Betting Game
First off you must determine how much you want to bet. The wolf is based on a point system so you must decide how much you want each point to be worth. For our example we will use a $1 per point system.
As we stated earlier the winner of each hole is determined by which team had the member with the lowest score on the hole.
If it is a 2 vs 2 golf hole then each member of the losing team gives each member of the winning $1. That means each golfer on the losing team is down $2 and each winning player is up $2.
If it is a 1 vs 3 hole then the stakes are doubled. Say the wolf loses he pays each member of the winning team $2. If the wolf wins he gets paid $2 from each member of the losing team.
And if the wolf decides to go solo before watching any of the drives the stakes are tripled. This means the wolf must pay $3 to each member if he loses and will receive $3 from each player if he wins.
Holes 17 And 18 In The Wolf
Since the rotation repeats every four holes you will find that with two holes left each golf has been the wolf an equal amount of times.
For this reason on hole 17 and 18 you typically let the role of the wolf go to the golfer that is in last place.
What Happens If You Tie A Hole Playing Wolf
Tying a hole in the wolf betting game has no affect on the game. No money exchanges hands and the money does not carry over to the next hole.
Though the rotation still changes after a tied hole.
Betting Tips When Playing Wolf
Now that you know how to play the game it’s important you figure out how to bet affectively. As well as some strategies you can use to be successful.
Know Your Fellow Golfers
One of the most important aspects of bedding affectively when playing the game of war is knowing your fellow golfers. Understanding what their misses look like, what areas of the game they succeeded in, and which holds the typically play well are all incredibly valuable piece of information
When choosing partners you want to understand as much about your potential teammates as possible. This is why it is important to pay close attention to your fellow golfers game. So you can make the best choice when it is your turn to be the wolf.
Know Your Holes
Another major factor when bedding in the wolf is playing close attention to the holes. Are you playing a difficult part three that requires a baby fade you love to hit with your
Keep in mind what holes your playing before making any decision regarding your partners or going solo.
Watch The Scoreboard
Our final betting tip is to watch the scoreboard. What are you trying to break even or you’re the kind of golfer that cares a lot about winning this is an important factor. Keeping a close eye on the scoreboard is going to allow you to understand what moves you need to make in order to make up ground.
If there is a large gap between you and the other golfers that likely means you’re going to have to go solo to catch up. Little pieces of information like this can be helpful when determining who to choose as your partner as well as if you should go with a partner at all.
How Do You Play Wolf With Three Golfers
Playing wolf with three golfers is quite similar to the standard game. The largest difference being the changing of who is the wolf on each hole.
Instead of the rotation, three-man wolf works by using driving distance to select the wolf on the first hole. Afterwards whoever had the lowest net score on the previous hole is the wolf on the next hole.
The wolf must ante two points while the other two golfers ante one. The winner of the hole is determined by the wolfs net score doubled versus the two other golfers score added together.
EX: Wolf: 5 strokes Player 1: 4 strokes Player 2: 7 strokes
Total Score wolf:10 golfers:11
Winner: wolf
Does The Wolf Go First Or Last?
The wolf always tees off first. This is so he or she are able to take their shot into consideration before determining if they want to partner up with the other golfers.
Other Golf Betting Games
Have you enjoyed the wolf betting game but want to check out some other golf betting games. Check out our guide to match play golf.
