Beginner's Guide Beginner's Guide Learn to Play video Beginner's Guide to Golf To some taking up golf seems like a daunting task. The quirky characteristics and lingo that go alongside the game itself can often seem a little over-whelming at the beginning. But fear not, it’s not rocket science. Below is a list of phrases that will ensure you sound like you know what you’re talking about when you step on the course. Albatross: This is also known as a double eagle and means that the player has a score of three under par on an individual hole. Back Nine: This refers to the last nine holes of an 18-hole course. Birdie: This is when you score one under par on an individual hole. Bo Derek: This is a score of ten on any given hole. The term originates from the movie 10, in which Bo Derek was the object of Dudley Moore's desire. Bogey: a score of one over par on any individual hole. Caddie: This is a person whose job it is to carry a player’s golf bag. Caddies for professional players will also assist with club selection and strategy. Drive: This is the stroke used on the first shot of the hole.

It is more often than not played with a ‘driver’ and is taken from a ball sitting on a tee. The driver is designed to hit the ball further than any other club. Divot: This is the chunk of turf taken up by a golf shot. Eagle: This is a score of two under par on an individual hole. Fairway: This is the neat area that runs from the tee box to the putting green. Four Ball: This is a match between two teams of two players. Each person plays a ball. Foursomes: This is a match between two teams of two players. The players on each team play alternate shots of the same ball. The Green: This is the final part of the hole, where the flag and the hole are located. Golf Tee: This is a little piece of equipment that raises the golf ball off the ground on the tee box. Green Fee: This is the fee charged by golf clubs for non-members to play on its course. Handicap: This is a number that represents a golfer’s ability. A golfer with a handicap of 5 is better than a golfer with a handicap of 22.

A hole in one: This means that a golfer gets his ball from the tee box into the hole with just one stroke of the ball. Par: This is the expected number of strokes it should take a professional golfer to complete the hole. The higher the par, the more difficult the hole. Rough: The areas on a golf course outside the fairways. Characteristically they have longer grass that is unkempt looking. By using Golf Ireland’s website, you agree we can set and use cookies. Please, take a moment to read information about our cookies . accept golf dictionary golf dictionary [ fast play ] Here is a dictionary of golf terms. Some you know, some you may not know. If there is one you'd like to add, please e-mail me with the term and definition. K A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 404 (pronounced four-o-four) - derived from the internet, it refers to a ball that can't be found, as in: "404 site not found". A - A golfer who sprays a lot.

Aggregate - Refers to a score made over more than one round of play, or by 2 or more players playing as partners. Aiming Fluid - Alcoholic beverage consumed while playing. Air Ball - Also known as an "air shot", "blow dry", "drive by shooting", "whiff", "air swing", It is a stroke that misses the ball entirely. to alice/alice/to alliss: He aliced the putt. "To alice a putt" means leaving it short. You can also call someone an Alice when his or her putt is short. Albatross - British term for a "Double Eagle" - the score for a hole made in 3 strokes under par. Alternate ball - Format in which players alternate hitting each other's ball on each stroke until the hole is finished. For example, after teeing off, player 1 hits player 2's ball and vice versa. Ambulance - Beverage cart. Usage: "This six-pack is dead, Moe. Call an ambulance for the back nine." AMF Ball - A famous brand of golf balls designed for playing over water hazards.

(Adios, my friend!), or Adios, M*(&*$(@($ F@)(#*@#) Angel Raper - A shot hit so high that it could rape an angel. Archie - A ball that ends up in a bunker. Army Golf - Also known as military golf, or marine corps golf, it describes a style of play which favors an indirect route to the green, e.g. left, right, left, right. Auditor B Back Stalls - The back tees. Also know as the color of the furthest tees, blues, blacks, tartans, blue plates, tiger tees and tips. Backpacking - When a player spends a lot of time in the rough, he or she is said to be backpacking. Bacon Strip - A thin, narrow divot strip. Ball-Hawker - A person who is always looking for lost balls. Ball hawkers keep score in a different way. For example, "Rich is a champion ball-hawker. Today he lost 5 balls but found 8, for a net score of 3." Banana Ball - A shot that curves to the right in the shape of a banana. An extreme slice. Bank Shot - Borrowed from pool.

A shot that bounces off some mound, elevations, tree, or structure and returns to the fairway or green. Barber - a golfer who uses questionable math to shave a strokes off his score. (Also see equalizer, fudge factor) Barbra Streisand - A shot that, like the actress, isn't pretty but still works. Barkie - When the ball hits any part of a tree and you still complete the hole with a par. Also known as a woodie. Barrel - the hole, especially when the putt goes in. (Also known as can, cup, jar, tin) Be the club, be the club, be the club! ï¿½ Golfers sometimes shout this after hitting the ball. An incantation to the golf gods that they hope the distance of the shot will be correct. Beach - bunker or sand trap. A popular destination for weekend golfers. Also known as Kitty Litter. Beach Party - A social event taking place when two or more players meet at the same beach. Beagle - a score of double par, often committed with the help of the big dog. Beaver Pelt - a type of divot.

Unlike the thin and narrow bacon strip, the beaver pelt is wide, thick and heavy. The best beaver pelts are harvested with a sand wedge when the fairway is wet. Belly Snap - When a player with a paunch gets it all into the shot. Before attempting to combine the belly snap with a two-cheeker, it is advisable to consult your swing doctor. Ben Affleck - A guy at the club who looks like a player, dresses like a player and talks like a player, but can't play a lick. Best Ball - AKA Better Ball. A match in which one player plays against the better of two balls or the best ball of three players. Also the better score of two partners in a four-ball or best-ball match. Beta-Blocker - Double Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks. Big Dog - The driver. As in: "Come on Rich, not that seven wood again! Why don't you let the big dog eat once in a while?" (also see Chief, lumber) Bikini Wax - famous expression once used by commentator Gary McCord, to describe the green-mowing technique used at the Augusta National. BIP - Acronym for "Ball in Pocket".

BIP generally occurs before reaching the green and results in an X on the scorecard. BIPmobile - Personal transportation for one or more BIPSIC players. BIPSIC - Acronym for "Ball in Pocket, Sulking in Cart". A state of angry depression commonly experienced after hitting back-to-back out-of-bounds or triple chili-dipping. Do not try humor with a BIPSIC person. Only time can heal BIPSIC. Birdie Boy - the person who had a birdie on the previous hole and now has the honors on the tee. Calling someone a Birdie Boy is intended to put subtle pressure on him and hopefully provoke a FUAB. Birdie - One stroke under par for a hole. Also possibly derived from the term "It flew like a bird" to indicate a good shot. Bird's Nest - A lie in which the ball is cupped in deep grass. Blast - A shot that takes a large amount of sand with it when hitting out of a sand trap. An explosion shot. An aggressive shot. A powerful drive. Bleeding (to be) - when a player suffers a series of bad strokes or holes.

(See also, emergency room, hospital zone,) Blind Bogey -A type of competition in which each player tries to come the closest to a score that has been drawn out of a hat. Blowfish - A golfer who chokes or bears a striking resemblance to Mrs. Doubtfire. Bo Derek - 1) A term used to describe a perfect shot or 2) A score of 10 on a hole. In this case, far from perfect. Bogey Competition - A form of stroke play in which players play against a fixed score at each hole. Scored as in match play with the winner being the most holes. Bogeyman - a relative of Old Man Par, but not as elusive. Boss Of The Moss ï¿½ A very good putter. Bowling - to mark an X on the scorecard. Brag Tags - plastic tag indicating that you have left your personal divot on an expensive track. Break some eggs - an invisible film covering the hole and preventing perfectly struck putt from going in. Chainsaw City - a place somewhere in the middle of the jungle or woods. Chainsaw Lie - the type of lie you get in Chainsaw City.

Character Builder - the dreaded six-footer. Eminently makeable, yet oh so missable. Chariot - golf cart. Charity Ball - a quasi-mulligan. For example, "Todd was so upset after blow drying his first two shots that the other players gave him a charity ball." Chart The Course - Pace each hole so that you know how far you are from the green. Checkered Flag - To pick up when you're out of a hole. Usage: "I'm lying 7, Ed. Gimme the checkered flag." Cheeks (hitting with both) - putting the fatty tissues surrounding the gluteus maximus to the maximum use in the golf swing. A two-cheeker is a long, solid drive. Cheerleader - An overdressed, label-conscious golfer. For example, "David is a real cheerleader. He's way over the legal logo limit." (see also, golf princess) Chief (the) - the driver. Chili-Dip - Hitting the ground before the ball. The word refers to scooping up chili dip with a piece of taco. Chili-dipping is not good for your golf health.

The USGA recommends that fat shots make up less than 20% of you golf diet. Chiquita - slice named for its resemblance to the shape of the tropical fruit. (See also, banana ball) Choke - A term used to indicate a collapse under pressure. Also, to grip down farther on the club handle. Chuck Wagon - the beverage cart. (See also, gut truck) Chunky Tuna - a chunked shot that ends up in a water hazard. CIA - Hitting the wrong club due to incorrect yardage. Clear-Cutting - illegal and morally repugnant practice of whacking the tall grass, weeds, and branches surrounding your ball in the rough. Best done with a wedge. Clinton - a fearsome slicer. Dawn Patrol - Golfers who tee off early in the morning to avoid the heavy traffic. The first golfers off. Also known as Dew Sweepers. Daytona - A game for 4 players divided into 2 sides.

The scores of a side for each hole are combined to form a number of points; if one player has a score of par or better then the lower score of the team is placed first - if the scores on a par 3 are 3 and 4 then the team score is 34. But if the best score for the hole is over par then the higher must be placed first - if scores on a par 3 are 4 and 5, the team score is 54. The side with the lower number of points for the round wins. Dead Cat - a sizeable divot, somewhat wider than a bacon strip but not as large as a beaver pelt. Dew Sweepers - The first groups of golfers on the course in the morning. Dialing 8 - to hit the ball a long distance, referring to the necessity of dialing an 8 in many hotels in order to make a long distance call. As in: "Wiggo was dialing 8 all day, but he ran out of change at the 13th and made a local call into the lake." Diet Coke - Light beer. Dimplehead - a golfer who will do anything to fulfill his passion for the game.

Among other things, a dimplehead plays in the rain and in frigid weather, buys game improvement gizmos from catalogs and TV infomercials, collects and displays logo balls and goes to Myrtle Beach at least once a year. Direct Deposit - a pitch or chip that goes in the hole. Dog Balls - a drive that takes off like a fighter jet. Fan - To miss the ball completely Fast Foot - A player who makes frequent use of the foot wedge. As in: "Bill is the fastest foot east of the Mississippi." Fescue - Grass of the genus Festuca, widely used on for rough on golf courses> FISA - Acronym for F*%$#! I'm Still Away. Fishing Rod - a ball retriever. Flag Competition - A stroke play game in which each player has a flag. When the player has played the number of strokes equal to the par of the course plus his handicap, he places a flag in the course at that point. The winner is the player who goes farthest around the course with the allotted number of strokes. Flier - When you hit a flier, your ball travels much farther than expected. It often happens when you hit a shot from wet grass or light rough.

Foot Mashie - Action of kicking the ball out of trouble towards a better lie. Foot Wedge - The modern version of the Foot Mashie. Best club in the bag to speed up play. Foozle - An old fashioned term for a poorly struck shot in which the ball trickles only a few miserable yards. Fountain Ball - Another colorful term for a vertical drive. French Kiss - a score of 88. Also called double dog balls or a double snowman. Frosty - The Snowman. A score of 8. FUAB - F*^$ up after birdie. Should explain it all. Fudge Factor - The difference between the number of strokes actually taken on the course and that which is recorded on the scorecard. As in: "Not counting the fudge factor, Rich scored a 115." Full House - A game in which a player is set a points target calculated by deducting his handicap from 36. The winner is the one who surpasses his target by the most points. Scoring is 8 points for an eagle, 4 for a birdie, 2 for a par and 1 for bogey. Fungo G Geronimo!

- A childish but amusing thing to yell when your opponent's skyball is about to splash into a water hazard. Giraffe's Ass - A bad shot. High and stinky Golden Ferret - a chip in from the sand. Golf Bandits / Golf Banditry - Amateurs who keep their handicaps high in order to win a match. They rip off their friends and fellow competitors by playing golf off a hokey handicap, i.e. a handicap higher they know to be too high. Also known as a sandbagger. Golf Lawyer - A golfer who makes pettifogging use of the rules. Golf Widow - A woman whose husband - or boyfriend - neglects her for golf. Read the great poem "The Golf Widda" and more golf poetry. Gonzo - a familiar way of indicating that a ball has gone into the jungle or out of bounds. Goose-Neck - Having the neck of a club curved so that the heel is slightly offset from the line of the shaft. Gopher-Killer - A drive that flies about six inches above the ground. Gorse - She is in gorse headquarters.

Gorse is the yellow-flowered Ulex europaeus, a spiny evergreen shrub common to links courses. Grasscutter - Another member of the ground hugging family of golf shots. Grave Digger - A player who inflates his handicap to win bets. Formerly: Sandbagger. Ground Breaking Ceremony - When a player chunks his drive on the first tee. Gust of Gravity - The sudden effect of one of nature's fundamental forces on a golf shot. As in: "Bill's approach had almost cleared the pond when her ball was brought down by a sudden gust of gravity." Gut Truck - a blind shot. Heliputter - A low-flying type of aircraft sometimes seen hovering above the green after a short-tempered player misses a putt. Dangerous and disgraceful. Herding - When the entire foursome walks to each ball, perhaps to give advice or lend support. Extremely annoying when you're in the foursome behind them. Hit a three-pointer - To three-putt. Usage: "I was two under until I hit a three-pointer at 15." Hitler - a ball that never made it out of the bumker. Hoffa - A ball that is never seen again.

Hog's Back - A ridge of ground or a hole having a ridge on a fairway. Hollywood Handicap - an artificailly low handicap obtained by returning only your best scores. Looks nice on paper but can get costly. Also known as a reverse sandbagger. Hospital Zone - the place to go to fix your swing, or the practice area. Also called Murderer's Row, rockpile. Hubble - a drive that goes so high it can see the stars. Hustler - A golfer with greater ability who purposely maintains a higher handicap in order to win more bets. J Jail - (to be in or to get out of) - to be in the woods or to get out of the woods or any hard place. Janet Jackson - A golfer whose fly is open. Johnny Cochran - to face a shot with such a terrible lie that only Johnny Cochran can save you. Jungle - a player who spends a lot of time in the sand. Lawyer (golf) - a person intent on ruining everyone else's day by insisting on a strict respect of the rules. As in: "Rob is just a golf lawyer.

He wanted to give Ken a two-stroke penalty for failing to report my foot mashie." Lay Up - To play a shorter shot than normally might be attempted. Would be done to achieve a good lie short of a hazard rather than trying to hit the green in one less shot. Leaking Oil - Automotive expression indicating that a player's game is steadily deteriorating. Legs - what a player wants the golf ball to get as it's traveling toward the hole. Lettuce - the tall rough. Lieberman - A partner who doesn't help in a match. Usage: "I was three under, but my partner was a total Lieberman and we lost two ways." Lifting Weights - Postround drinking. Linda Ronstadt - a drive that overshoots your opponent's. As in: "Hey, Todd!" Bill yelled, "that was a Linda Ronstadt! I just blew by you!" A reference to "Blue Bayou", a song Ronstadt made popular. It's not a good idea to use this more than once in a round. Liprosy - a frightening disease that afflicts millions of weekend golfers, the symptom being putts that keep skimming the lip of the hole but refusing to drop in.

Although some seek treatment in the emergency room, there is no known cure. Liz Taylor - a shot that is a little fat, but still beautiful. Loaf - the golf ball. Mario Andretti - a drive that hits the cart path and keeps rolling and rolling. As in: "Since Rich discovered the Mario Andretti, he has shaved seven strokes off his handicap. Marv Albert - an approach shot with a lot of bite. Meadowland - A lush grassland course. Meat (left on that bone) - a statement describing a putt that stops significantly short of the hole, as in: "Hey Dave, there's a lot of meat left on that bone." Mick Jagger - a putt that lips out of the hole. Morgan Fairchild - McCordism for a nice looking shot, a little thin, but pretty. Moses - a ball rescued from the water. Munson - A pull to the left. (Dead Yank) Murderer's Row - Old Scottish term meaning cunning or tricky. Peg - A tee. Pete Rose - A golfer who lies about his score even though you know he's lying and he knows you know he's lying. Picasso - A great shot.

Usage: "Tiger hit a Picasso to two feet on 18." Pinehurst - A variation of play in which a partner plays the other partner's drive. One ball is then selected to finish the hole Power Fade - Jack Nicklaus hit a power fade. Put The Party Hat On The Dachshund - To be closed out in a match. Usage: "I'm three down with two holes to play, Louie. It's time to put the party hat on the dachshund." - A ball hidden in a bunker. Sandbagger - A golfer who lies about his ability to gain an edge in the game. Sandy - Making par after being in a bunker. Scotch Foursome - A match that has partners alternating hitting the same ball. They also alternate driving regardless of who holed out on the previous hole. Scramble - A team competition where players play the best ball of a team member after every stroke or drive. Scratch - Par play. A zero handicap. Shiperio - Similar to a mulligan where a player is allowed a second shot without penalty but is allowed to choose which ball to play, the first one or the second one.

Shotgun Start - In tournaments when players are to start at different holes; a firing of a shotgun may be used as a signal to start play. Skulling - Hitting the ball at or above its center causing the ball to be hit too hard and travel too great a distance. Sky - To hit underneath the ball sending it much higher than intended. Like a pop fly in baseball Slice - A shot that curves strongly from left to right as a result of sidespin. The converse applies to a left-handed player. Slope - Adjusts your handicap to the difficulty of the course you play. The more difficult the course, the more strokes you'll need. Under slope, golfers will no longer have a handicap. You will have an index. An average course will have a slope rating of 113. Your index is a mathematical calculation of your playing ability on an average course. Maximum index allowed is 36.4 for men and 40.4 for women. Conversion charts will be located at the first tee. Spleen -Two-iron. Stimpmetre - Superintendents measure green speed with a stimpmetre. Its readings give a snapshot of the green speed at that time of day.

Stimpmetre readings in the five to six range mean slow greens, seven to eight mean medium, nine to 10 fast and above 11 extremely fast - PGA Tournament speeds. Stipulated Round - The playing of all holes of a course in the correct order Stroke Play - A competition in which the total number of strokes for one round, or a pre-determined number of rounds, determines the winner Stu Pidasol ï¿½ Name used to call oneself when they hit a poor shot. (say it fast) Stymie - When an opponent's ball is in the line of the other player's putt. Since the ball may now be lifted, the term is used these days to refer to a tree or object in the way of a shot Sudden Death - When in a match or stroke competition the score is tied after completing the round, play continues until one player wins a hole T Texas Wedge - What the putter is called when it is used from off the green. Also a shot played with a putter from outside the putting green. Throw-up Zoners ï¿½ Those putt of a given length, say four to eight footers that give one a lot of trouble.

"[Woods] was especially vulnerable on those four-to-eight-footers -'throw-up-zoners' the pros called them. Those were the putts, as Lee Janzen might tell you, that won or lost majors." (John Feinstein, "The Majors".) Tiger Effect / Tiger Factor - Increasing prize money, an increasing (tv) audience and increasing (tv) revenues, lengthening of golf courses, more players playing the game. Tiger Tee - A slang expression for the back tee. Tiger-Proofing - Lengthening of a golf course, as they did at Augusta in 2001. Lengthening the courses actually makes them more Tiger friendly: players need to hit the ball long and high, to carry bunkers off the tee, and to hit accurate approach shots. That's what Tiger Woods is good at. Titty Licker - a shot that "really opens up the hole" Trump - To fire a caddie.

Usage: "He airmails the last green with the seven-iron I suggested and is so mad he Trumps me on the spot!" Rules of Card Games: Golf Golf Software and Online Games Introduction Golf is a card game for two or more players, in which the object is to score as little as possible, as in the sport of Golf. In front of each player is a layout of cards arranged in a square or rectangle, and players improve their scores by drawing new cards to replace unwanted cards, which they discard. Each deal is seen as the equivalent of a hole of Golf, and in many versions a complete game consists of 9 or 18 deals, corresponding to the length of a Golf course. Although the card game Golf is quite widespread in North America, Britain, and perhaps other English speaking countries, it is seldom found in card game books. Golf is also sometimes known as Polish Polka or Polish Poker; the 4-card game is known by some players as Turtle, the 6-card game as Hara Kiri, and the 9-card game as Crazy Nines. The game of Golf described on this page has no connection with the Solitaire (Patience) game of the same name.

Each player has a layout of cards, initially face down, which can be successively replaced by new cards drawn from the stock or discard pile. The aim is to make a layout scoring as little as possible. The scores at the end of the play are sometimes considered as representing the number of strokes taken to play a hole of golf. It is common to play a series of nine deals or 'holes', at the end of which the player with the lowest total score wins. There are two main forms of the game, which I shall call 4-card Golf and 6-card Golf , according to the number of cards in each player's layout. There are also 8-card , 9-card and 10-card forms of Golf, but these seem to be less widespread. A major difference between versions of Golf is in the method of ending the play. The first method, used most often in 4-card Golf, is that if you think you have the lowest score you can use your turn to knock instead of drawing to replace one of your cards. This causes the play to end after each of the other players has taken one more turn.

The second method, most often used with the 6-card and larger layouts, is that whenever a layout card is replaced, the new card is placed face up. The play ends as soon as any player's entire layout is face up. Four-Card Golf Players, Cards and Deal A standard 52-card pack is used, and the number of players could in theory be from two to around eight or more, though the game is said to be best for about four. With a large number of players, say eight or more, two packs may be shuffled together. The deal and play are clockwise. The dealer deals four cards to each player, one at a time. Each player's cards are to be arranged face down in a square. The remaining undealt cards are placed face-down in the centre of the table to form a drawing stock. The top card of the stock is turned face up and placed beside the stock to start the discard pile. Before play begins, each player may look once at the two nearest cards of his or her square layout, without showing them to anyone else. After this, the layout cards may not be looked at again until they are discarded during play or scored at the end of the play.

The Play The player to the dealer's left begins, and the turn to play passes clockwise. At your turn you must either draw the top card of the face-down stock, or draw the top discard, or knock to cause the play to end. If you draw a card, you may use it to replace one of the four cards of your layout, but you are not allowed to look at any of your layout cards before deciding which to replace. You place the drawn card face-down in your layout, being careful to remember what it is, and discard the card that previously occupied that position, putting it face-up on top of the discard pile. It is then the next player's turn. If you draw a card from the stock and decide that you do not want to use it in your layout, you may simply discard the drawn card face up on the discard pile, and it is then the next player's turn. However, if you choose to take the discard, you must use it to replace one of your layout cards - you cannot simply put it back on the discard pile, leaving the situation as it was. If you knock, you do nothing else in your turn.

Each of the other players in order has one more normal turn (in which they draw a card from the stock or discard pile but cannot knock) and then the play ends. Note that if you look at any face down card in your layout, that card must be discarded replaced with the card you drew. There is no way to check the value of a face down card and leave it in place. Scoring At the end of the play, each player's square of four cards is turned face-up and scored as follows. Each numeral card scores face value (Ace=1, Two=2, etc.) Each Jack or Queen scores 10 points. Each King scores zero points. The player who has the lowest cumulative score after nine deals wins. Variations of Four-Card Golf Looking at cards Some play that you may choose any two of your cards to look at before play begins - not necessarily the two cards nearest to you. Some play that you may only look at one of your four cards at the start. Some play that you may look at any of your four cards during the play, at a cost of 1 point for each occasion when you look at a card, added to your score at the end of the hand.

Some play that you may look at the two cards you saw at the beginning, or their replacements in your layout, as often as you like during the game. Some play that you hold these two cards in your hand, so that you (but not the other players) can see them at any time. Some even play that you hold all four cards in your hand, so eliminating both the need to remember any cards, and removing the uncertainty about your two unseen cards. Replacing cards Some play that the two cards that you did not look at to begin with can be replaced only once. The two cards that you see at the start can be replaced as often as you wish. Turning cards face up; ending the play This variation is characteristic of Golf with six or more cards, but is sometimes played in four-card Golf. Whenever a card is replaced, the new card is placed face up in the layout. When all the cards belonging to one player are face up, the play will end after each of the other players has had one more turn. Some play that all four cards begin face down and a card that is face up cannot be replaced. If you replace a face down card, the replacement card is placed face up.

If you draw a card from the stock and discard it, you must turn one of the cards of your layout face up, and this card cannot subsequently be replaced. The result is that on every turn, one more card of your layout is exposed. The game ends when all players have exposed all of their cards. Alternative methods of scoring the cards Some play that if your layout contains a pair of equal cards (such as two nines), the score for that pair of cards is zero. If there are three equal cards, only two of them are cancelled in this way; if all four cards are equal the whole layout scores zero. Some play that pairs score zero only if the cards are together in a row or column; equal cards that are in diagonally opposite corners do not cancel. In some variations, queens are given a higher score of 12, 13 or even 20 points instead of 10; in one variation the spade queen scores 40 points while the others score 10; in this same variation eights score zero. Some play that one-eyed jacks are wild - they can be paired with any card, making the pair score zero. Some play that jacks score zero, like kings.

Others play that jacks score zero, queens 12 and kings 13. Some play that jacks score 20 points, and that when a jack is discarded the next player misses a turn - the turn to play skips to the following player. Some add two jokers to the deck; the score for a joker is minus 5, so the total score for a layout can be negative. Special score for the knocker Some play that a player who knocks but turns out not to have the lowest score is penalised. There are several alternative versions of this, played by different groups: The knocker adds a penalty of 10 points. The knocker's score for the hand is doubled and 5 points added. The knocker takes a score equal to the highest scoring player for that hand. If the knocker's score is lowest, some players give the knocker the benefit of a reduced score. Some play that the knocker scores zero if lowest.

According to others the knocker's score is reduced by the number of players if lowest and doubled otherwise - for example in a four-player game a player knocks with 3 points, and scores -1 point (3 - 4) if this is lowest, but 6 points (2 x 3) otherwise. Some play with a pot to which all contribute equally at the start. The knocker collects this pot if his score is lowest and doubles it otherwise. To prevent such payments becoming too large, it may be wise to agree a maximum amount that can be won from or paid to the pot. End of the game If you want a longer game you can play 18 holes (deals) instead of 9. Instead of playing a fixed number of holes, you can agree to play until one player's score reaches or exceeds 100 (or other target agreed in advance). The player with the lowest score then wins. Six Card Golf In this version, a pair of equal cards in a column scores zero. Therefore the main object of the game is to make pairs, while keeping unpaired cards as low as possible. Players, Cards and Deal Two, three or four players use a standard 52-card pack.

With more than four players, a second pack is added, and a third pack if there are more than eight. The deal and play are clockwise. The dealer deals six cards to each player, one at a time, arranging them face down in a rectangle in front of each player like this: The remaining undealt cards are placed face-down in the centre of the table to form a drawing stock. The top card of the stock is turned face up and placed beside the stock to start the discard pile. Before play begins, each player turns any two of the cards in his layout face up. The other layout cards may not be looked at until they are discarded or turned up in the course of the play, or scored at the end of the play. The Play The player to the dealer's left begins, and the turn to play passes clockwise. At your turn you must either draw the top card of the face-down stock, or draw the top discard. You may use the card you draw to replace any one of the six cards of your layout, but if you choose to replace a face-down card you are not allowed to look at it before deciding to replace it.

You place the new card face-up in your layout, and the card that previously occupied that position is placed face-up on top of the discard pile. It is then the next player's turn. If you draw a card from the face-down card from the stock, you may decide that you do not want it anywhere in your layout. In that case you simply discard the drawn card face-up on the discard pile, and it is the next player's turn. It is, however, illegal to draw the top card of the discard pile and discard the same card again, leaving the situation unchanged: if you choose to take the discard, you must use it to replace one of your layout cards. The play ends as soon as the last of a player's six cards is face up. The hand is then scored. Scoring At the end of the play, each player's layout of six cards is turned face-up and scored as follows. Each ace counts 1 point. Each two counts minus two points. Each numeral card from 3 to 10 scores face value. Each Jack or Queen scores 10 points. Each King scores zero points.

A pair of equal cards in the same column scores zero points for the column (even if the equal cards are twos). The player who has the lowest cumulative score after nine deals wins. Gary Glover has contributed blank score sheets for up to 8 players , up to 11 players and up to 12 players as MS Word files. Dan Wagner has contributed a PDF scoresheet for up to 8 players. Variations of Six-Card Golf Cards Some players use two decks with four, three or even only two players. This makes little difference to the game and reduces the chance of running out of cards. Some players include jokers - two per deck. In this case twos are worth 2 points and jokers are -2. Turning up cards at the start Some play that the two cards turned up must be in the same column of the layout; others play the opposite, rule that the two cards turned up must not be in the same column. Some require one card to be turned up from the central column and one from one of the outer columns.

Some play that after turning up two cards, you may rearrange the cards of your layout (without looking at any of the face-down cards) so as to place your face-up cards in any desired positions. Some play that no cards are turned up; instead each of the players may look once at the row of three cards nearest to them, replacing them face down. Turning up cards during the play Some play that you may use your turn simply to turn one of your face-down cards face up. Some play that if you draw a card from the stock and decide to discard it rather than placing it in your layout, you must also turn one of your face-down cards face up, unless you have only one face-down card remaining, in which case you may leave it face-down. Ending the play Some play that you may use your turn to bring the play to an end by turning all your remaining face-down cards face up. Many play that after a player's last card is exposed, each of the other players plays one more turn before the hand is scored. Scoring Some players award a negative score, for example -10 points, for four equal cards arranged in two columns (for example two columns each containing two sevens).

Some award minus 20 points for four equal cards together in a square block. When two or more decks are used, some award a higher negative score, for example -20 points, for a layout of six equal cards. Some play that a pair of equal cards anywhere in the layout score zero - they do not have to be in the same column. Some players include two jokers in the deck, which according to different players may be worth -5, -3, -2 or zero points. In this case the twos are worth +2 points, not -2. Some also play that one-eyed jacks are worth zero. When two twos (or jokers if used) appear together in a column, some players allow them to keep their negative value (-4 for the column if each card is -2). Some award a higher negative value when four such cards are arranged in two columns - for example when playing with two decks, four jokers in two columns count -20.

End of the game As in Four-card Golf, the game can continue for 18 holes instead of nine Eight Card Golf This game is essentially the same as Six-Card Golf , except that each player is dealt eight cards in four columns of two, of which two are turned up to start the game. Because of the larger number of cards dealt, it is best to use at least two decks of cards; more if there are more than four players. Some play that once both cards of a column of two are face up, those cards can no longer be exchanged. There is a thorough description of Eight-Card Golf on Bill Whitnack's Card Games page (archive copy). Nine Card Golf This game, also known as Crazy Nines or simply Nines, is played with two or more decks of cards. Each player is dealt nine cards in a three by three square, and turns three cards face up to begin the play. The playing mechanism and scoring are essentially the same as in Six-Card Golf , except that a pair of equal cards does not score zero. Instead, a column of three equal cards scores zero. As with the other versions, there are many variations. Some play that only two cards are turned face up at the start.

Some play that twos score +2 rather than -2 and include jokers that score -2. Some play that queens score 12 rather than 10. Some play that not only a vertical row of three equal cards scores zero, but also a horizontal row, or a diagonal line of three equal cards. Some also play that a block of four equal cards together in a square give a negative score, such as -25. Some play that the player with the lowest score for a hole scores zero, and that if the player who first exposed all their cards (known as the caller) does not have the lowest score, this player adds the score of the lowest scoring player to their own. I don't know how ties are resolved in this method. Players need to agree what happens if you have two intersecting rows of equal cards or a row intersecting a square block, if you score a bonus for a block. Some solve this by immediately removing from the layout any line or block of equal cards. Play continues using only the remaining part of the layout, keeping the positions from which cards were removed empty.

If you prefer to leave all nine cards in place, you need to agree how to score layouts such as these: example (a) example (b) block overlapping line Stephen Moraco describes a version of 9-card golf in which every pair of equal cards that are horizontally or vertically adjacent scores zero. The same card can be used as part of more than one pair, so equal rows and columns will also score zero since they consist of two pairs. On his Nines page (archive copy), Jesse Fuchs described a version with no cards turned up at the start. Queens count zero, kings ten and jokers -2. Rows and columns of three equal cards are removed when formed. Ten Card Golf At least two decks are needed for this game. Each player is dealt ten cards, arranged into five columns of two, and turns any two cards face up. The play is the same as in Six-Card Golf . Other Golf web pages A page of invented Golf Variations submitted by readers of this site. A brief description of Four-Card Golf can be found on the Real Beer site. Bill Whitnack's description of Eight Card Golf (archive copy). Versions of Nine Card Golf by Stephen Moraco and Jesse Fuchs (archive copy).

Golf Software and Online Games

Question: In the game of golf, a Bo Derek is a score of what at any hole?
Answer: Ten