Making Golf A little More Fun | Lake of the Ozark’s Style

When writing an article on different types of golf games, the usual names pop into mind. a scramble, a shamble and best ball are games that ev- eryone knows and has played. But how about some of those off-the-wall games that very few people have ever heard of, or are just as much fun for the high handicapper? let’s take a look at some of these games and see if one or two might trip your fancy.

ANIMAL CARDS can be played by any number of players. First you have to buy the cards. There are four cards in the deck: the snake, the camel, the gorilla and the frog (some decks have a fifth card, the kangaroo). You give a value to each card and then start the game. If you go in the water you get the frog until someone else goes in the water, then he/she gets the frog. The same system applies for all of the cards. The gorilla is hitting the ball in the woods or out of bounds. The snake is a three putt and the camel is a sand bunker. If your deck has the kangaroo, that is awarded for hitting the cart trail. At the end of the game the holder of any card must pay all the other players the value of the card. The hitch is: if you are giving a card (i.e. the frog) to another player who has gone in the water after you, it must be given before that player tees off on the next hole or you are stuck with it.

ARNIE’S & SEVE’S is a wager made be- fore the round begins and is won by a player who makes par from off the fairway. The game is so named because Arnold Palmer and Seve Ballesteros made so many pars from ridiculous lies. is a side bet that runs throughout the game. A set wager is made for each Barkie. A Barkie is achieved when a player hits a tree but still manages to score par. Then everyone in the group owes him a Barkie.

BINGO BANGO BONGO is a game that gives everyone a chance. First you set the wager for each Bingo, Bango or Bongo. The Bingo is won by the first person to land on the green. This gives the person with the worst tee shot the advantage because he/she will be the first to take his/her second shot. The Bango is won by the person closest to the hole after everyone is on the green. This gives the person who missed the green on the second or third shot the advantage because he/she will probably be chipping and should get it closest to the hole. Finally, the Bongo is won by the first person to get it in the hole. Once again, the person farthest from the hole will putt first, giving him/her the advantage.

CHA CHA CHA is a game for league or tournament play. On the first hole only, the lowest score of the foursome is counted. On the next hole, the two lowest scores are counted. On the third hole, the three lowest scores are counted, then you start over on the next hole.

CRIERS AND WHINERS is a great game for high handicap- pers because it’s based on your handicap. Let’s say your handicap is 14; then rather than getting a scorecard stroke on the 14 hardest holes, you get 14 extra strokes wherever you want them as long as you don’t take two in a row. So if you hit a bad drive, rather than cry and whine you simply hit another shot and deduct it from your total handicap until you’ve used up all of your 14 shots. This way everyone gets as many extra shots as his or her handicap allows.

DEVIL BALL is played in league or tournament venues and requires a four- some. One ball is marked as the devil ball and is rotated equally in the group. There are only two scores counted per hole—the lowest score and the score of the person playing the devil ball.

WHACK AND HACK is another foursome league game where only two of the foursome’s scores are counted—the lowest and the highest. This can really make for some interesting numbers.

These are just a few of the many games out there to liven up your round. And most important, some of these games—such as ANIMAL CARDS and BINGO BANGO BONGO—tend to lighten up the round with a few laughs that can reduce the self-inflicted stress of this masochistic game we call golf.

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