3-4-5: Golf Tournament Format and Betting Game

The name of the game is 3-4-5. But is it a side game that can be played within any group of golfers, or is it a tournament format? The 3-4-5 format can be played either way (side game or tournament).

But, either way, the 3-4-5 game is all about keeping track separately of your score on par-3s, par-4s and par-5s.

The 3-4-5 Game

The 3, 4 and 5 in the 3-4-5 game refer to the pars of the holes on the course: par-3 holes, par-4s, and par-5s. In this side game, golfers within a group — in addition to keeping track of their total scores — add up their cumulative scores on all the par-3 holes, on all the par-4s, and on all the par-5s.

The 3-4-5 game thus adds three additional or separate wagering opportunities for those groups of golf buddies who like to have a little money riding on the game. Low total score on the par-3s wins one bet, low total on par-4s wins another, and low total on par-5s wins the third.

Of course, you and your friends must agree on the size of the bet for each group of holes. Most groups value the par-3s, par-4s and par-5s the same. But some make winning the par-4 wager worth more (because there are more par-4 holes on a standard golf course).

The 3-4-5 Tournament Format

If you see a tournament advertised as using the 3-4-5 format, there are actually several possibilities for what type of golf you'll be playing. One is a team format in which the par-3 and par-5 holes are played as scrambles, while on par-4 holes the one best ball of the group counts as the team score.

Another possibility in a 3-4-5 Tournament is equivalent to the game description above. The teams (or individuals, as the case may be) in the tournament add up their scores for the par-3 holes, the par-4 holes and par-5 holes separately. This allows tournament organizers to award prizes (or at least places) to the overall best scorers, but also in three more categories (low scores on par-3s, 4s and 5s).

And one more possibility for a 3-4-5 tournament involves tournament organizers using different scoring formulas for holes of different pars. For examples, on par-3s, the one low ball counts for the team score; on par-4s, the two balls; on par-5s, the three low balls. When these other scoring methods are used, though, the tournament typically goes by some name other than 3-4-5 Tournament. Among the many examples are Arizona Shuffle and Various Pars.

More formats/games:

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