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- Wolf
Wolf: the golf game's rules
Each hole one player is the Wolf, and after watching the tee shots picks a partner for that hole, or takes on everyone else alone. It suits a foursome that wants new teams on every hole and a decision on every tee.
Free for a single round. Players never sign up.
The rules. Pick a partner, or go it alone.
The Wolf rotates in a fixed order, so in a foursome each player is the Wolf on four of the first sixteen holes. On his hole the Wolf watches the others drive one by one and has to claim a partner right after that player's tee shot, before the next one hits. Pass on someone and he's gone.
Pass on everyone and the Wolf is a Lone Wolf: one against the rest, for double. Declare it before anyone tees off and he's a Blind Wolf, for more again.
- Set the order and the point. Flip a tee for the order: first is the Wolf on 1, second on 2, and round again. Agree what a point is worth.
- On each tee the Wolf watches the drives. Usually the Wolf hits first, then claims a partner straight after one of the others' tee shots, or passes.
- Or goes alone. After passing on everyone he's a Lone Wolf. Called before any tee shot, a Blind Wolf.
- Play the hole. Each side's lowest score is its score. Lower wins the hole; equal is a halve.
- Score the points. Every winner takes a point from every loser, doubled for a Lone Wolf and tripled for a Blind one. Halved holes pay nothing.
- On 17 and 18 (in a foursome, after four full turns) the player furthest behind is the Wolf, to give him a chance to catch up.
One turn of the Wolf, four holes.
Dale, Tom, Ray and Mike play Wolf, gross, at $1 a point, in that order. Each player on the winning side takes a point from each player on the losing side: two-on-two that's 2 points a winner, a Lone Wolf who wins takes 2 × 3 = 6, and a Blind Wolf who loses pays 3 to each of three.
| Hole | Wolf's call | Dale | Tom | Ray | Mike |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 par 4 | Dale takes Ray | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| 2 par 4 | Tom, Lone ×2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 3 par 4 | Ray takes Mike | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 par 5 | Mike, Blind ×3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Hole | Result | Dale | Tom | Ray | Mike |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolf side, 4 v 5 | +2 | −2 | +2 | −2 |
| 2 | Lone Wolf, 3 v 4 | −2 | +6 | −2 | −2 |
| 3 | Halved, 4 v 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Blind Wolf loses, 5 v 4 | +3 | +3 | +3 | −9 |
| Total | +3 | +7 | +3 | −13 |
Every hole adds to zero, so the totals do: 3 + 7 + 3 − 13 = 0. Mike's Blind Wolf on the 4th cost him 9 points in one hole, more than the other three holes put together.
There's no one points table.
Wolf has as many house rules as any game on the tee. The rotation and the pick are the same everywhere; the points, the multipliers and the last holes are not.
Handicaps. Off the low man, hole by hole.
Played net, each player's score on a hole is net of his strokes there, and the side's lowest net ball counts. Because the sides change on every hole, most groups play off the low man: the lowest handicap in the group plays at scratch and the others get the difference, on the hardest holes by stroke index.
Ray off 6 and Mike off 15 in the same group: Ray gets nothing, Mike gets 9, one on each of stroke index 1 to 9. Some groups give everyone their full handicap instead; the gaps between players are the same, but the strokes land on different holes.
Settling the money. Points times the stake.
At $1 a point the four holes above come to: Mike −$13, Dale +$3, Tom +$7, Ray +$3. Mike pays Tom $7, Dale $3 and Ray $3.
Over eighteen holes the swings add up fast, especially with Blind Wolves. A Blind Wolf who loses in a foursome pays three points to each of three players: 9 points on one hole. Pick the point value with that in mind; $1 is common, and 25¢ is a gentle start.
In Live Links Golf. Scored off the card. The Wolf's call is one tap.
The one thing anyone enters is the call: on each tee the scorer taps the Wolf's partner, Lone Wolf or Blind Wolf on the scoring card. Everything else, who won the hole and every point, comes from the scores. Nobody pays in: the money moves player to player.
Wolf, asked on the first tee.
What is a Lone Wolf in golf?
A Wolf who passes on every partner and plays the hole alone against everyone else. The points are usually doubled, win or lose.
What is a Blind Wolf?
A Wolf who declares he's going alone before anyone tees off, without seeing a single drive. It usually pays triple.
When does the Wolf have to pick a partner?
Straight after that player's tee shot, before the next player hits. Once he lets a drive go by, he can't go back for that player.
Who is the Wolf on 17 and 18?
In a foursome the rotation covers sixteen holes four times. Most groups give the last two holes to the player furthest behind; others just keep rotating.
What happens on a tied hole?
Usually nothing: a halved hole pays no points. Some groups carry the points onto the next hole.