Wolf Play Golf Match – The Complete Game Guide

  How to Play Wolf Golf?

Wolf is a social golf game, typically played in a foursome match setting. The main objective of wolf golf is similar to most other golf types – accumulating the highest number of points. Wolf is normally played with full handicaps.

Before the start of the round, an order is established as to who would be player one, player two, and so on. You can approach the process of ordering anyway you like. For instance, you can do a coin toss or play rock, paper, scissors. Or, you could order the setup based on experience, with the newest player being the first, the slightly more experienced the second and so on.

At the start of each hole, player one is designated the wolf and is the last to tee off (in some Wolf formats, the wolf may be the first to tee off). While playing, they must either choose to ‘hunt’ alone against his other three opponents or in partnership with one of them. The decision can be made at various times in the session. What decision has been made, and its timing determines the stakes involved for the hole.

Playing as a Lone Wolf

If the player decides to play lone wolf before the tee shot, then the bets on that hole are quadrupled. If they go lone wolf after their drive, but before that of the other players, the bets are tripled. Finally, if they make the choice of playing it alone after every player has played their drive, the bets are only doubled.

Playing as a Pack

If the wolf player decides to hunt in a pack, teaming up with another player, they can only choose those who have played their drive but before the next drive is taken.

To clarify with an example, suppose you are the wolf, and you have to choose a partner. You can partner with player 2 only up until the time that player 3 takes their drive. If you want to instead partner with player 3, you can only do so up until player 4 takes their drive.

Winning the Game

In wolf golf, the hole is won by the individual or team with the lowest ball score. For the next hole, the formation is rotated so that the player two gets to play first and is designated the wolf with the same option. The order gets rotated for each hole so that each player gets to play the wolf in turn.

However, in the case of holes 17 and 18, since there have been four complete rotations by then in a normal 4-player setup, it is often regarded as good sportsmanship to grant the player with the least points to be designated the wolf. Of course, who gets be on the wolf on these two holes is largely up to the players. It could well be given to the player with the highest point on the previous hole.

Award Points

As already mentioned earlier, the main objective of wolf golf is the highest accumulating points. In a conventional 4-player standard wolf game setup, the points are awarded as followed.

Lowest score on lone wolf play = 4 Points

Lowest score on play with partner = 2 Points for each partner

If the other players score lower than the wolf and his partner = 3 Points for each player except the wolf and their partner

If a player scores lower than the wolf = 1 Point for each player except the wolf

If all players tie on hole = 0 Points