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Rules for WOLF
spreadicus
Posts: 626
Wolf - Great game for 5 or more golfers.
HOW TO PLAY WOLF
by Rick Bays

Like many of you, when my buddies and I are playing golf, we usually like to team up and play doubles against each other for a couple bucks. If there are five of us, the normal thing to do would be splitting up into two teams of two, and one odd man. The odd man usually gets two drives or two putts or two of each depending on his skill level. A few years ago, we learned a better way. Wolf is my favorite thing to do when there are five of us.

Wolf is a variation of doubles and skins, (and kind of like Australian doubles) combined together.

First thing to do is gather all five players together and determine a money amount per skin to be played for. We usually go for a nickel or a dime or something like that, because, basically, we are all pretty cheap, and Wolf can get very expensive. Next thing to do is determine a tee-off order for all five of you. Do this by flipping discs, drawing cards, arm-wrestling, whatever the heck you want - just do it. The order you have established for teeing off WILL NOT CHANGE. You will always tee off after the same person for every hole. Instead of changing the tee order, what you will do is rotate the honors. Player one tees off first on the first hole, then players 2 through 5 tee off in order. On the second hole, player two tees off first, then players 3, 4, 5, and 1 all tee off (in that order). On the third hold, player three tees off first, then players 4, 5, 1 and 2 all tee off (in that order). You get the idea. On the sixth hole, player one has honors again. Do not limit a game of wolf to 18 holes, pick out two extra holes and play a round of 20 holes, that way everybody gets to tee off first 4 times equally. (4 times 5 equals twenty for all you mathematicians.)

This is the game: After the first player tees off, he has two options. He calls "Wolf" or he calls "Shopping." If he is shopping, that means he is looking for a partner on this hole. He watches the second player tee. After the second player's shot comes to rest, the first player has the option of choosing that player as his doubles partner for this hole, or to continue shopping and watching the next drive. You get to watch the shot before you decide whether you want that player as your partner or not! Pretty cool! The player MUST announce whether or not he wants that shot as his partner BEFORE the next player drives (the next player should wait for him to decide). Once the first player has chosen a partner it is then the two of them playing best shot against the other three players in the group for this hole (on the next hole, the player teeing off first gets to have these choices all over again). The first player's team gets to choose the best out of their TWO drives, and take one putt each from that lie. The other teams gets to choose the best of their THREE drives and take one putt each from that lie. It is two players against three players. The advantage normally goes to the two player team because the first player has had the opportunity to hand pick one of the drives. If the first player passes on everybody's drive, he automatically gets paired up with the last player on the tee (because he needs a partner, and at this point nobody else is left).

You will definitely need somebody to keep score for this game, because the skins really start to add up. Whichever team wins a hole, all players on that team get credit for the amount of skins that were currently up for grabs.. So, if the three member team wins a hole, all three members on the team get a skin. If the three member team wins a hole, and there were 6 skins up for grabs (because of carry-over) all three players get 6 skins (which means, at the end when you tally the skins up, the other two players will owe the three players 6 skins apiece). If both teams score the same on a hole, there is no skin awarded (we usually allow the skins to carry over, so the next hole is worth two skins, and the next worth three, etc.). At the end of twenty holes, you count up how many skins each player has and then settle up the money. Any skins still left hanging after twenty holes are dropped and not awarded. The game is over after twenty holes, no sudden death (because it gives an advantage to whoever is teeing first, and not everybody will get the chance to tee off first in a sudden-death situation.)

The game is fun just like that, with playing two against three. But there is a very big rule we have not gone over yet that really brings this game alive. The Wolf. After the first player tees off he has the option of calling "Wolf" instead of "Shopping." This is where it gets really fun for those who have the intestinal fortitude. If a player calls "Wolf" that means that he is using his drive and does not want a partner. He plays the hole as a singles player. That means it is him against the other four players. He is the lone wolf. The other four players are all one team. They get to choose the best drive from all four of their drives and then they all get the chance to putt from the lie they choose. What's the really big catch? SKIN AMOUNTS DOUBLE IN A WOLF SITUATION. So, if a player calls "Wolf" and there are three skins on the line, if he wins the hole he gets credit for six skins. If he loses the hole, the other four players get credit for six skins each. If the hole ends in a tie, only the original three carry over.

The strategy for this game comes into play when trying to decide whether or not to call wolf. And it really comes into play when you are trying to decide which drive to choose as your partner if you are not calling wolf. Suggestions: obviously, try to put your drive right under the basket. If another player puts his under the basket, choose that drive as your partner. Another not-so-obvious suggestion: If you put your drive under the basket, don't automatically call wolf. Instead, decide who out of the other four players is the best putter. If nobody has put a drive under the basket like yours by the time the best putter throws his drive, then choose the best putter has your partner, even if his drive is not very good on this hole. What you have done is taken the best putter away from the other team and greatly reduced their odds of making a birdie putt to tie you on the hole.

Try it out and have fun. Go easy on the money, the skins really start to add up.

This article by Rick Bays.

_________________
"CHING!"

Posted: July-28-2006 5:58 pm