Vegas

Vegas is one of my favorite team games for some friendly bets. You can have large swings in a match with timely birdies. You must have a foursome, split into teams of two to play this game.

• To start, you will want to pick teams and the amount you want to wager for each point. (We will explain the scoring next so you can decide what stakes you are up for)

• All players will play stroke play and get their own score for the hole. The teammates then combine their score by putting the lower number in front of the higher. (example: you get a 4 and your teammate gets a 5, you score a 45 for that hole as a team.

• You then calculate the difference between your teams score and the other teams. (example, your team scored a 45 for the hole and the other team scored a 57, you would win 12 points for the hole). 

• Here is where the big swings can come into play, birdies or better flip the other teams score. (example, your team scores a 35 with the three being a birdie, if the other team scored a 5 and 7, there score for the hole would be a 75)

• The only time where the larger number goes in front no matter what, is if someone takes a dreaded 10 or higher. Think about it, you don't want a 410, take the 104. 

• If both teammates score double digits on a hole, bless your heart, multiply the numbers together (example, you score an 11 and your teammate scores a 12, record a 132 for the hole)

• If both teams birdie, the flip cancels out. An eagle trumps a birdie, and an albatross trumps an eagle.

• At the end of 18 holes you tally up the point totals to determine the winning margin. (We typically like to play $0.50 per point, establish the amount you are comfortable with at the beginning of the round. If per point is too unpredictable for you, you can make it a Nassau)

This game is a lot of fun on a tough course where some high numbers are more common.