How to Play the Train Wreck Game
Train Wreck is a great game for buddy trips, or anytime you have a group of golfers in multiples of four (eight, 12, etc.) who will tee off one after the other. Train Wreck can also be used for association playdays, leagues, or even tournaments so long as golfers are grouped in fours.
Handicaps are used for Train Wreck (although if you have enough scratch golfers they can play it using gross scores), and net scores are used to determine points earned.
This is the most-common point system:
- A golfer who makes a net par earns 1 point for the team.
- A net birdie earns 2 points.
- A net eagle earns 3 points.
Let's say on Hole 1 your four players make net par, net birdie, net par, net par. That's five points total (one point for each net par, two points for the one net birdie). On Hole 2, your team earns six points, for 11 points total. On the third hole, your teams gains another seven points, for 18 points total.
But on the fourth hole, oh no, a train wreck — the four players made three net bogeys and one net birdie. That doesn't meet the requirement of at least two net pars (or better) per hole, and that means you lose all 18 points the group had earned to this point. So on Hole No. 5, you're teeing off with zero points. Start building again.
Note that we've also seen this format called Net Zero and Car Crash. Also, compare Train Wreck to The Train, a game with a similar structure but played by individuals rather than groups.
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