The Most Fun
Golf Bets

Side bets that keep every hole entertaining — from creative skill contests to the legendary lone wolf call. These are the games your group will talk about all week.

The most fun golf bets are closest-to-the-pin contests, lone wolf calls in Wolf, birdie pools, chug rules (for groups that opt in), and creative per-shot side pots. The best side bets are not the ones with the biggest stakes — they are the ones that create moments. The putt that makes everyone scream. The tee shot that wins a bet nobody expected. The decision that backfires spectacularly and gets brought up for the next three years.

Why Fun Bets Make Golf Better

A regular round of golf has maybe three or four memorable moments. A round with well-chosen side bets has a memorable moment on almost every hole. The bet does not have to be for a lot of money — it just has to give every shot some stakes, even if it is just bragging rights.

Fun bets also fix the "I'm already out of it" problem. When you are 8 over through 12 and your Nassau is long gone, a closest-to-pin bet on the par-3 13th gives you a reason to lock in. A birdie pool means your next great shot still pays out. Dots and junk bets mean your sandy from the greenside bunker still wins you something even if your score is ugly.

The key is picking bets that reward great shots without requiring sustained excellence. Even a 100-shooter makes a birdie once in a while. Even the worst putter in the group occasionally drains a 30-footer. Fun bets celebrate those moments.

Closest to the Pin

The classic. On every par 3, the player whose tee shot finishes closest to the pin wins a set amount from every other player. The ball must be on the green to qualify.

Closest-to-pin is the single best per-hole side bet in golf because par 3s already have built-in drama (everyone hits to the same target), and measuring the result is dead simple. Even a player having a terrible round can step up on a 155-yard par 3 and stick it to six feet. That shot just became the highlight of their day.

Typical stakes: $2–$5 per player. With four players, the winner collects $6–$15. With eight, it is $14–$35.

Variations:

• Must make par: The closest tee shot only counts if the player makes par or better. This prevents a player from hitting it close, three-putting, and still winning.
• Gross distance only: Measure from wherever the ball stopped, no bonus for being closer. Simple.
• Inside the circle: If anyone puts their tee shot inside a predetermined distance (usually 10 feet), they win a bonus payout on top of the closest-to-pin bet.

Long Drive Bets

Pick one or two designated holes (usually wide-open par 5s or long par 4s) as long-drive holes. The player with the longest tee shot in the fairway wins. Must be in the fairway — the bomb that rolls into the trees does not count.

Long drive bets create a different kind of energy on the tee. Everyone is gripping it and ripping it, trying to find that extra 10 yards. The group gathers behind the tee to watch, there is audible commentary on every swing, and the guy who normally plays safe is suddenly teeing it high and letting it fly.

Typical stakes: $2–$5 per player, per designated hole. Most groups pick two long-drive holes per round.

Wolf Lone Wolf Calls

If you are playing Wolf, the lone wolf call is the most fun single play in any golf side bet. The wolf watches all three players tee off, decides none of them are worth partnering with, and announces: "I'm going lone." The wolf now needs to beat the best ball of three opponents. Double stakes.

The even bigger play: blind wolf. Before anyone tees off, the wolf declares blind wolf — going alone without seeing a single shot. Triple stakes. The group goes silent, the wolf steps to the tee, and every shot for the rest of the hole has the full group's attention locked in.

Lone wolf and blind wolf calls create the most dramatic holes in recreational golf. When the wolf sinks a 12-footer for birdie to beat three opponents and collect triple points from each of them, the celebration is louder than anything on the PGA Tour. When the wolf goes blind, makes a mess of the hole, and pays triple to all three opponents, the roasting is equally spectacular.

Birdie Pool

Every time someone makes a birdie, every other player in the group pays them a set amount. Eagle pays double. Simple, clean, and it stacks on top of any other game without adding complexity.

The birdie pool rewards great golf on any hole, regardless of what is happening in the main game. If your Nassau is lost, your skins have been cold, and your Wolf calls have backfired — one birdie on 15 still pays you $2 from every opponent. It keeps everyone hunting for birdies all day.

Typical stakes: $1–$3 per birdie. $2–$5 per eagle. With four players, a birdie pays $3–$9 from the group.

Double-or-Nothing on 18

Before the 18th hole, any player can offer a double-or-nothing bet on one specific game. If they win the 18th hole in match play (or win the 18th skin), their losses in that game are erased. If they lose, they pay double.

This is a house rule, not an official format, but it is one of the best. A player who is down $30 in skins going into 18 can swing for the fences: win the last skin and break even, or lose it and owe $60. The 18th hole becomes the most intense shot of the day regardless of what the rest of the round looked like.

Ground rule: Both parties must agree to the double-or-nothing. You cannot force it on someone who does not want the added risk.

Chug Rules (21+ Opt-In)

For groups where everyone is 21 or older and opts in voluntarily, chug rules add a hilarious layer. Common chug triggers:

• Three-putt: Chug.
• Out of bounds: Chug.
• Water hazard: Chug.
• Lose a skin to a carryover that you could have won: Chug.
• Lose a Wolf hole as lone wolf: Chug.

Chug rules are entirely optional and require every player's active consent. They keep the mood loose, create shared experiences (everyone has three-putted and had to chug on the same hole), and add a physical comedy element to mistakes. Nobody is pressured — if someone does not want to participate, they do not. The group sets the triggers on the first tee and everyone knows the deal.

bagboy has a chug tracking feature for groups that opt in, complete with chug alerts and end-of-round totals.

Trash Talk Bets

Not a formal game — just a standing invitation for creative, in-the-moment bets between players. Examples:

• "I bet you $5 you can't make that bunker shot."
• "Closest to the pin from this drop. Loser buys post-round drinks."
• "If you make this putt, I'll press the back nine. If you miss, you press."
• "$10 says I outdrive you on 15."

Trash talk bets are the seasoning, not the main dish. They happen spontaneously, they raise the intensity on specific shots, and they create the stories that define a round. The best golf groups have a running culture of in-the-moment challenges.

Dots / Junk / Garbage

Dots are a collection of side-bet achievements that pay out independently of the main game. Greenies (closest on par 3s with a par save), sandies (up-and-down from a bunker), poleys (one-putts), barkies (hit a tree, still make par), and more. Each dot has a set value, and players collect or pay based on who earns them.

Dots are inherently fun because they celebrate unusual shots. A barkie is hilarious — you hit a tree, everyone laughs, and then you somehow recover for par and collect $2 from everyone. A ferret (chip-in from off the green) makes the group lose their minds. Dots reward creativity and resilience, not just low scores.

Creative One-Off Bets

The best groups invent their own bets. Some favorites from around the golf world:

• The Wilder: If anyone makes an eagle, everyone else in the group pays them $10 and they do not buy any drinks at the 19th hole.
• Bogey-Free Bonus: Any player who plays three consecutive bogey-free holes collects $1 from everyone. Resets after any bogey or worse.
• First Birdie: The first player to make a birdie in the round collects $2 from everyone. Only the first one counts.
• Tin Cup: If anyone hits a ball into water and then re-hits from the same spot and makes par or better, they collect $5 from everyone.

The creativity is unlimited. The only rule: agree on everything before the first tee.

Stacking Fun Bets on Top of Your Main Game

How bagboy Tracks Fun Bets

bagboy tracks skins, birdies, dots, closest-to-pin, and chug rules alongside your main game. Set up your fun bets at the start of the round, and the app logs everything as you play. At the end, the settlement screen shows payouts from every game and every side bet in one clean view. No mental math, no arguments, just results.