so how often you put money on the line when golfing? :)

[golfdad]

would love to hear some stories....

what games do people usually play?

does gambling make you play better or worse?

shhhh, what is the most you have won or lost?

[Golf'nBiker]

Every Thursday in the dog-fight. Ofcourse there are plenty of side bets, but I don't participate. A flat entry fee and skins on birdies. Its not much, but depending on how many show up to play will dictate the winnins at the end.

[lumpuckeroo]

We use to do a simple skins, $5 in the pot, $1 per hole, $2 on 9 and 18. What we figured out after a few years was not one lost money, no one won money so we just quit running the skins game.

[MiniMoe]

we gamble just about every time we tee it up. Matter of fact, I just got a call and the balls get thrown in the air at 1:00 to determine batting order for 2/4 wolf ($2 if the hole is won with par, $4 if it's won with a birdie or better).

There is a thread on gambline games where I explained the two we play the most.. wolf and umbrella....always with $1 skins on top of that. It's fun, you get to test your nerves when a putt could be worth $32.... and we get to heckle each other. Add a little beer and some music and it's a good day on the course, even if you lose 50 bucks.

A few years ago I played in a $20/$40 carry over wolf game. After 9 holes I was 3 under and was down $360. I finished the day 5 under and got to where I only owed $200. It was handicaped and the guy that won was probably a 2 handicap but got 8. Every time it was his turn to pick he went blind from the front, which doubles the bet. Last time I played with those cheaters.

[kpaulhus]

My buddy and I usually play $20 per 9. Putting money on the line usually helps us play better, but puts a lot of stress on either player when we mess up big on a hole. I like the idea of the wolf game though.

[Lefty-Golfer]

would love to hear some stories....

Missed a 14" putt that kept us out of a tie for 1st...didn't know it at the time. 1800.00 for first, 800.00 for 2nd (each per man)...not happy about it at all.

won 250.00 on a round of 50.00 Naussa with Automatics...that was fun round. lost 100 bucks on the 18th one day...was getting a shot and made site bet to win the hole out right after our drives. Missed green from 120 and villian hit a one putt par. Sigh i guess that would have to be considered a choke. mostly just 5 or 10 Naussa 1.00 /2.00 skins. a little gamble is very good for the game, large bets tend to tighen everyone up. Only make large bets during a round where close friends are not involved.

[NormH3]

never..i play to relax, not get poorer

[FHopper]

I learned years ago when I played pool the no amount of winning makes up for how bad I feel when I lose; just me.

[Scott_K]

When I play with the guys around my age, we usually play $1 skins. Bounce a tee off the driver head and whoever it points to goes first, go clockwise for the tee order, then reverse it on the back 9. Rules change round to round. Strokes given here and there, some guys can't win a hole with a bogey, etc.

When I play with my "senior tour" (guys 30 years older), we play for a whopping quarter per hole. Quarters are exchanged at each hole because they're older and they forget who owe's who what. Forget it if it's a push for like 3 holes. Those guys don't care about their game, improving, handicaps, gear, etc. It's more for the humor factor. They're just out there to be out there. For us, it keeps the group together more with the heckling. It usually makes everyone play better.

I think Lee Trevino said it best "You don't know what pressure is until you've played for $5 a hole with only $2 in your pocket."

[laconic517]

all the time when I play with the usual group of guys

We used to play 2-2-2 which was 2 dollar birdies (cant be canceled) 2 dollar skins (no carry over) 2 dollar closest to the pin (carry over, loses if 3 putt). Then a 3 dollar nassau ontop of that

Most ive taken home is about $120 just from the ingroup stuff
Most ive lost maybe $30. Its nice because there are no strokes given or anything because we all are *relatively* equal. I know personally i feel like if i mighht lose to one or 2 of them but never all 3 so I always can use some of that nassau to pay my bets off.

I dont really like winning large sums of money off friends though. Anyone who usually wins "big" buys some drinks or a pizza after the round anyway.

[Yukari]

There are regular groups that I gamble every time we play. Usually $10 skins (I play maybe 4 or 5 times per year with this group). There are other groups that I play with $1 or $5 skins (about 5 times per year). And then there are another set of groups that I play regularly (most of the time) that we bet on who buys drinks or meal after the round.

Having something on the line makes it more interesting.

[Ben]

would love to hear some stories....

Professionally I play for money everytime. My biggest payday so far is $2000. So far...

As far as games. All summer long I had four matches a week against my friendly rival. We would typically play $5 a side, $10 overall with $2 dots (sandies, birdies, closest to the pin, $5 eagles). Sometimes he'd press and we'd up the score bets to $10-$10-$20. It would range from $10-$50 a round. My biggest non-pro payoff was when I was playing in Japan. Our group played a gnarly game called Las Vegas. Money tallied up high and quick in this game. Its kinda complicated to put to writting but the jist of the game was a points system based on partner's combined score. We played 1000yen (about $10 at the time) per point. Points doubled with a birdied, which then doubled if both partners birdied and tripled for an eagle. On a driveable par I birdied, and my partner, who drove the green, made his putt for eagle. A massive amount of points went our way, and we made over $200 a piece just on that one hole!

[Chief Broom]

Bounce a tee off the driver head and whoever it points to goes first, go clockwise for the tee order, then reverse it on the back 9.

I don't understand the deal about who goes first? I play with a couple of established groups where there is a small buy in and each foursome goes through the routine of establishing tee order for the first tee (after that it goes to honors). Why do you need to do that? I don't see where it matters one way or the other. I guess it's more a tradition thing than anything else.

[whetstone]

With certain guys I gamble for small stakes. Nothing formal, sometimes we play skins, sometimes someone just calls out "5 bucks closest to the pin", or "5 says you can't sink that putt". Pressure makes me play better, so my friends are always teasing me about sandbagging them to raise the stakes.

[Where's the Cart Girl?]

The only time we ever play for money beyond the on-the-fly "closest to the pin for $5" when you're right next to the guy in the fairway or "beers on you if you miss?" deal is our annual golf trip. It's the same four guys, and we play the same teams, and no handicaps unless something really needs to be leveled out. And even then its only $10/side on combined strokes and $20 for the overall match so no one is goin home any broker than the next guy at the end of the trip.

We do the mix of stroke and match play because we're paired 1/4 and 2/3 in terms of talent and it doesn't feel right when 1/4 go 3/8 on the hole and beat our 4/4 all day in best-ball. Hence if we beat them on strokes on both sides (typical) but they win the best-ball match (typical), it's even. Just our way of doing it.

[plugged]

I almost never bet, even with buddies. If I do, its going to be no more than $2/hole, and even then its going to be a format that everyone has a chance at winning - skins, bingo-bango-bongo, wolf. Betting can be fun, but too many guys see it as a way of being hyper-competitive.

[FHopper]

What is an "egg"?

[Supermanwoot]

What is an "egg"?

egg could be a term for golf ball or something a hen lays? But I'm not sure on the context it was used that your referring to.

I don't usually bet on rounds but when we do we play $1 skins but haven't really come up with anything fun. I heard about wolf in this thread and it seems pretty sweet except you might end up getting pissed if a particular player keeps causing you to lose as your partner if the wolf sets you up with him, I guess you'd have to give a stroke in that case but I usually play with some guys who are all 15-25 HCPs so it works out.