The Games We Play

[Mark Ellis]

While Singles and Best Shot Doubles are the most common games we play, they are not the ONLY games we play. This thread allows the posting and discussion of different games and the reason they were chosen. Maybe we can all be inspired to try something new.

Yesterday I arrived at Kensington Metropark ( Milford, Michigan) with two buddies. Our group had two experienced Pros and One Am 3 (who although inconsistent has Pro level power). We started on the back 9 holes which are long, tight and difficult. We played non-carry over skins and gave the Amateur one soft mulligan per hole.

For three person groups skins is a good format. Typically skins has carry overs, so if no one hits a skin (playing singles and earning the sole lowest score on a hole) until the 18th hole, that skin is worth 18 (so if a skin is worth $1 then the winner would collect $18 from each of his competitors). Skins is a fun gambling format but it is too dependent on luck. A player could play terribly all day, with his opponents tying on every hole, then get lucky on one shot and win big. Non-carry over skins is a much better, skill based format. So a skin is always worth one betting unit, there are no carry overs so ties do not build up. In our game betting was not the focus so we set the bet at 1 trillion dollars per skin.

A soft mulligan is one extra throw per hole (sometimes called playing California or Cali) but the player can choose either the original throw or the mulligan to play from. A hard mulligan requires the player to use the second shot, even if it is worse. Mulligans do not carry over (if not used on a hole it expires) unless they are specified to do so.

After 9 holes our Amateur was feeling ill and left the group. Later he texted me about his 104 degree temperature and projectile vomiting. Somehow I just knew you wanted to hear about that. Maybe that would explain why he won no skins even with a stack of mulligans.

With our Amateur gone, now leaving two fairly evenly matched Pros we went to the front 18 (yes, the math is correct, Kensington has 27 holes) and made a new game. The course has long and short cement tee pads and we played for score (not skins) with these rules. Both players drive from the shorts and the longs on every hole and can choose which drive to play from (so sort of like one person best shot) with one limitation: the drive from the short pad could only be a roller or an overhead.

The snows had just melted in the last few days and we had no practice with rollers for the past couple months so I created the game to work the rust off the roller. I knew my opponent threw a good overhead so I included that option for his benefit. I only throw overheads as get out of trouble shots because I don't trust that shot with my aged rotator cuff.

[Chuck Kennedy]

We had our annual Mulligan Stew tourney last Sunday (122 played). The format is everyone gets an optional one mulligan on each hole on any shot but they have to use the mulligan (hard mulligan). In the final score, ties are broken based on total mulligans used. Within our fivesome of Masters, we played skins where a player won the skin if their score including mulligans was better meaning that a 2 with no mulligan beat a player with 2 using a mulligan. It was $1 a skin per hole but no carryover. Over 27 holes, 16 skins were won and most were based on the mulligan factor versus a clean win with a better score. With five players, it's normally tough to win a skin with standard scoring. So we all thought this looks like a good way to play skins in future rec rounds when 5 or 6 players are in the group.

There's an interesting strategy that arises for the player with almost the last shot, let's say going for birdie and not having used a mulligan yet. If one other player is sitting by the basket in 2 with no mulligan used, the putting player has a free shot at a win if he makes the putt. However, if he misses he can choose to drop-in and push the hole with the guy lying 2. Or, he can go for the mulligan putt and win the hole with 2 + mulligan. But if he misses, he then hands the skin to the player lying 2 with the drop-in 3 with no mulligan.

[Jesse B 707]

i'll play skins now and again and its super fun, its a rush to pull off the clutch shot when there is a big pot built up in skins.
Other than that i really like to throw MTA now and again if i have the right disc

[Frank Delicious]

With our Amateur gone, now leaving two fairly evenly matched Pros we went to the front 18 (yes, the math is correct, Kensington has 27 holes) and made a new game. The course has long and short cement tee pads and we played for score (not skins) with these rules. Both players drive from the shorts and the longs on every hole and can choose which drive to play from (so sort of like one person best shot) with one limitation: the drive from the short pad could only be a roller or an overhead.

The snows had just melted in the last few days and we had no practice with rollers for the past couple months so I created the game to work the rust off the roller. I knew my opponent threw a good overhead so I included that option for his benefit. I only throw overheads as get out of trouble shots because I don't trust that shot with my aged rotator cuff.

I've been playing some rounds lately where I alternate every shot between backhand and forehand because I feel I have started to limit myself to less shots. I want to make myself throw shots I normally wouldn't and having to backhand/flick certain holes really makes me throw shots I normally don't.

[AciDBatH666]

Me and some buddies sometimes play Basket to Basket backwards. One of our courses is in a whole park that's got trees all over, but there's different routes all over the place. Backwards basket to basket on a course that's not heavily wooded works great sometimes. You see lines you've never seen before.
In one of our smaller 9 hole courses it works nicely.

[masterbeato]

my favorite games of all time to play!

Alternate Shot:
Also called Foursomes, is a competition format in which 2-person teams alternate throwing the same marked lie. The first player tees off, the second player throws the second shot, the first player throws the third shot, and so on until the hole is completed. Tee shots are alternated so that the same player doesn't throw every drive.

Alternate Shot can be played as stroke play or match play.

4-Disc Match Play:
teams of 2 - the picked teams play each hole as if it is played singles, but each team uses the best score on each hole. one player gets a 3 on a hole, and the other player from that same team scores a 2 on that hole, then the team scores a 2.

[Timko]

Those 2 formats, combined with Best Shot, make a great 6-6-6 rotation during a doubles event. I've never been a big fan of tough shot (strict or loose).

[Mark Ellis]

I've been playing some rounds lately where I alternate every shot between backhand and forehand because I feel I have started to limit myself to less shots. I want to make myself throw shots I normally wouldn't and having to backhand/flick certain holes really makes me throw shots I normally don't.

One version of that basic idea is a game called FOREHAND MANIA. In this game each player drives twice on each hole, once forehand and the other must be a different style of their choosing (so backhand, overhead or roller). For the purpose of this explanation, let's label the drives FOREHAND and OTHER. It is a non-carry over skins match. The player chooses which drive to use but cannot use the same type of drive (FOREHAND or OTHER) on 3 holes in a row.

This game creates a strong incentive to not use the same type of drive on two holes in a row. If you do, then you are stuck with just one drive on the next hole, often while your opponent who has two drives to choose from. So you not only get practice on forehands but practice under pressure to perform.

Keeping track of the drive rule is difficult at first. So before the first drive (on the every hole after the first hole), the player announces their position (I'm sitting on 1 FOREHAND or I'm on a Mandatory OTHER, etc.)

Obviously, this is a game to force a player to work on a particular driving style and the format works just as well in ROLLER MANIA or OVERHEAD MANIA.

One other thing I have done when playing against a much weaker player is to allow them to dictate whether I take my second shots on each hole either forehand or backhand.

[Timko]

Oh, I do remember a game that I played with my friend Kevin and Matt in Iowa City. Kevin was a mid level pro player, and Matt and I were upcoming advanced players. So we played a stroke play money round with a twist. The round was divided into 6 3-hole sets. During each set, Matt and I were required to throw one "abnormal" tee shot. Sidearm, off arm, overhand, roller, etc. Kevin was required to throw 2 of his 3 tee shots like this. Best score at the end wins.

It allows you to continue to practice while being competitive with different skilled players.

[FierceTable]

I have no idea what this game is called or even how the scoring works exactly (so speak up if you have information on it), but it's an interesting game for when you have an odd number of players in a larger group. The order off the tee is based on a rotation. The first player to throw on each hole is the captain for that hole. After each person throws the captain must decide if he will take the most recent thrower as his teammate for that hole. If no choice is made, the last player to throw is his partner. The hole is then played out as a captain's choice with the captain and his one teammate (or no teammate if he chooses himself) versus the rest of the group. On a given hole, each member of the winning team gets one point for a win. The exception to this is if the captain chooses himself and he wins the hole he is awarded two points (essentially getting a point for himself and a point for the teammate he could have had).

This game works best when everyone is relatively the same skill, though it's not required as if one player gets too far ahead the group can choose to never be with them and force that player to fall back a little as usually a group of enough bad players can play a hole well enough in a captain's choice format to beat the better player who is without help (to a point of course). This is particularly great if some players are going to have to leave at different times as having someone leave doesn't ruin any teams that are created in other games. Additionally, you don't have to play a complete round of golf as it's just a relative score from player to player. Finally, there are some unique nuances to the game...if you think the first player has gotten off a particularly good drive or it is a blind tee shot you can reduce the amount of time they have to make their decision by getting up and quickly throwing the next tee shot.

[AciDBatH666]

That's Wolf.
You Howl if you think you can beat the other players on your card.
And basically it turns into the leader of the hole picking his partner. So with 5 ppl, It turns into a 2 vs 3.

[rodman20]

Kan Jam or Bocce.

[nohr]

Game name: Driver

Game Rules: Person with the best drive on a hole gets a point for the best drive. Everyone else steps up and tries to make the putt from that drive. If you make the putt you get a point. If your 4th shot isn't in the basket then you lose a point and give up on the hole (there are some par 4 holes out there so substitute 5th shot for 4th if that is the case). If the driver parks a hole and makes the duece putt everyone gets 1 point (driver ends up getting 2 points 1 for driving and 1 for putting). If you are lucky enough to get an ace then the ace thrower gets 3 points and everyone else gets 1 point.

Winning the game: Most points wins

Extra Info: Order is determined by driving points not putting points. If you have the best drive but end up bogeying the hole (we call it a wash b/c you get no points from that hole). You still have to step up and drive first on the next hole.

I have been playing this with a group of guys and it really speeds up the game. In the snow it made losing discs really hard. There is nothing better than 5 people all at once going to get their discs. Often times when I lose discs it is b/c of waiting 5-10 mins helping someone else find a disc. This eliminates that problem.

[Jaysus]

Battle golf!!!

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10077

[Parks]

Disc golf played like Hunter S. Thompson's shotgun golf:

Its just normal golf, but your opponent can try to shoot your drive off line with a shotgun.

A disc is much larger than a golf ball, so maybe use a .22 or something instead :D