Gambling on the golf course is it a necessity?

[Mike Boatright]

This thread should have a poll.

I gamble about 25% of the time. I think more so over the past two years.

How do you add a poll?

[Fourputt]

Is it necessary?  No, but it is preferred.  I like playing in a small stakes game.  This is the only gambling I do, aside from an occasional friendly poker night with some of my buddies.  

I like wagering when I play golf because I have some control over the outcome.  The fun begins even before we get to the tee, negotiating handicap adjustments to determine who gets strokes and how many.  It may be based on USGA index, but rarely works out precisely to their formula.  Then it brings in some bantering during the round, and settling up at the end is always good for some fun.  

A small stakes game just gives the round another dimension beyond simply hitting the ball around the course.  Even when I'm not playing well, it keeps me more focused and in the game.  I may not shoot a spectacular score, but having the added incentive of winning a dollar or two (my buddy may not be on his game either) on the line can cancel out some of the sting of an otherwise mediocre round.

Edited October 13, 2015 by iacas
removed extra returns

[ghalfaire]

No of course gambling isn't necessary to enjoy golf.  But I do for stakes that won't change my financial status whether I win or lose, just bragging rights, lunch and/or a beer, or even cash money at times.  But I don't have a problem with either folks that don't gamble or folks that do.  

[Natural Patrick]

I love to play for money when I golf, however most of the people I play with do not. I have never spent a dime in a casino. I get a rush from playing for $5 a hole. Especially when I'm playing with people that are better than me.

[mvmac]

Poll added.

I voted Yes and it's like 80% true for me (not a necessity but I prefer to play for something rather than nothing, doesn't have to be money), especially when we're talking about playing your home course. For my first 10 years of playing, golf was more of a means to an end, I never played for "fun". Only after I graduated from college did I actually start enjoying the game. 

I don't "need to" gamble but I do like having something on the line. Example would be the stableford matches we play in the SoCal group outings. No one gambles but we're competing.

I also think it depends on the course/situation. When my dad and I went to play golf in Scotland we just enjoyed the rounds and the experience of playing these historic venues. 

Gambling is just how I grew up playing and I enjoy it, I hope to eventually get back to that kind of club/culture. 

[isukgolf]

Never bet on, or off the course ... I find golf far from mundane just because I do not wager while playing.

[dennyjones]

I usually bet with my friends for the lowest putts per round.   It does add some excitement when something is on the line.   We only wager the highest putts per round buys Pepsi for the others.  

[David in FL]

Yes.  

[Jeremie Boop]

I don't know why I've never been a fan of betting. Even when I played a lot of pool at the bar, people would want to bet and I always declined even bets as small as a drink. I guess it's because I didn't want the added pressure as well as I didn't like the idea that perhaps the person would get angry that they were cheated or something. I can see among friends that play together a lot having friendly wagers of some sort perhaps. At this point, with how inconsistent my game is, I have no inclination to start now.

[JP golf]

No, not required but it definitely adds a little to the game.  I always enjoy having a couple dollars on the line with a group of friends.

[RickK]

I am ok with it either way. I am assuming we are talking about one on one betting.  I do not like playing golf with guys who feel they must bet, must play for more money than they should be, and then get mad when they are losing.  

I know a few of those guys and mostly choose not to play golf with them.  But sometimes I get paired with such a person and it can be not very enjoyable.  

I play in a group where we all "pot up" $25 each and play skins and closest to the pin on all par 3s.  Regardless of whether it is $25, $50, $100...you know what you are going to lose unless you have side bets.  Have also played with guys who want to pot up $30 each and play front, back and total.  Again...you know what you are going to lose.  And, in both cases, you try to eliminate the guy I described above.  

Edited October 11, 2015 by RickK

[MrDC]

I gamble on other things, poker and craps, but not golf, I'm not good enough to bother.

The other guys in my regular group do, but I don't take part, maybe someday if I ever get better.

[mcanadiens]

I just need to find some nitwit that will let me bet against myself. 

There isn't much gambler in me. When I do, it rarely involves more that a beer after the round. 

[Braivo]

I enjoy it. I joined up with a group of guys this weekend and we played a modified Stableford system where random teams were drawn after the round. Everybody threw in $20. Just enough to make it interesting and the payout worthwhile, not too much that it was going to break the bank. It also made the after round drinks a lot more fun. 

[phan52]

At my club the first thing said on the first tee is, what is the game and what are the stakes? The games and stakes vary but there is ALWAYS a game with stakes involved. Wouldn't have it any other way.

[TomLeo]

Have any of you tried Poker Style Golf -  Where you use Chips like poker to bet on each hole?  I want to try it and wonder if it goes as well as it sounds.    

[pumaAttack]

Yes. Gambling is mandatory. Same for drinking.

Otherwise, I'd quit the game.

 

 

Why play at all if they game itself is not the main reason you play?

Couldn't you save time and money and just bet on sports at the local bar?

 

At my club the first thing said on the first tee is, what is the game and what are the stakes? The games and stakes vary but there is ALWAYS a game with stakes involved. Wouldn't have it any other way.

 

This is such a weird concept for me.  Why do you have to spice up golf?  Do you not like playing the game itself?

 

Gambling is just how I grew up playing and I enjoy it, I hope to eventually get back to that kind of club/culture. 

Do you enjoy the thrill of gambling more than golf?

Edited October 12, 2015 by pumaAttack

[bkuehn1952]

I don't mind a small wager as long as the game is set-up so I have a reasonable chance to win.  I have been invited to play "even up" with some good players and usually decline unless I can negotiate a level playing field (or better yet, one tilted in my favor).