Golf Compendium

A mulligan in golf is a "do-over." Don't like the shot you just hit? Declare a "mulligan" and do it over. But do you know what the golf game named Mulligans is?

2-Man No Scotch is the name of a golf format for two-person teams. It combines elements of a couple other formats, but its name (for reasons we'll explain below) lets you know that alternate shot is not part of this game.

Snake is the name of a golf bet/side game whose objective is to avoid three-putting. More specifically, you do not want to be the last person in your group to have a three-putt in Snake, because that is the person who has to pay off the wager.

"One on One" is the name of a points game that is usually played by two golfers who are competing, well, one vs. one. This game awards points based on the length of your drive, the length of the approach shot that gets you onto the green, and the length of the putt with which you hole-out.

There are many golf games that include, or are all about, winning points for hitting the fairway. And in the Aim Game, you earn points for hitting the fairway off the tee. But you earn more the closer your drive stops to the center of the fairway, and you lose points the farther off the fairway you are.

The golf format known as Second Ball is a variation on a standard four-ball match that typically results in many fewer tied holes. The variation is that when the two teams' low ball results a tie on a hole, their second balls are used to (often) break that tie.

The golf game known as 3 Balls/3 Points is a game for a group of three, and on each hole a maximum of three points is available to be won by the players. It is a variation on the Three Ball format that is described in the Official Rules of Golf.

In the Army, "KP duty" refers to kitchen duties (potato peeling, dish washing, etc.). In golf, "KP," for some reason, stands for "closest to the pin." So in the golf game named "KP Duty," golfers are trying to earn points by being closest to the pin on each green.

Three-Putt Monte is the name of a golf side game, played for money, for any group of golfers playing a round together. And yes, it pays off to the golfer who is great at avoiding three-putts, but some luck is involved, too.

If you are a golfer who enjoys heading to the driving range with a buddy — or you and your friends like to hit some balls on the range before starting the round — Pinseeker is a game you can play during that practice session.

Fairways Minus Putts is the name of a game for individual golfers who are playing normal stroke play. This game rewards hitting the fairway off the tee (and hitting greens on par-3 holes), and rewards good putting. But especially the hitting fairways part.

"If Only" is the name of a golf format for tournament play or for individuals within a group of two, three or four golfers. It is typically played using handicaps, but doesn't have to be. Before we explain how the game works, let's explain the name.

Golfers sometimes use another word for "golf course," a synonym that begins with the letters t-r-a-c. But that word, depending on who is saying it, might end either with a "k" (track) or a "t" (tract). So we are going to answer a question here that we sometimes get: Is a golf course a "track" or a "tract"?

Two-Person Best Ball is the name of a golf competition format that can be used for tournaments, or can be played within a group of four golfers (two vs. two). Two-Person Best Ball uses two-player teams, and on each hole the lower of the two partners' scores counts as the team's score.

The basics of the 2-Person Net Multiplier golf format are right there in that name. It's a format for two-person teams, and the net scores made by the two partners are multiplied.

Scramble/Ramble is the name of a golf tournament format for 4-player teams (3-player is also possible). In this format, one golfer on each hole contributes half the team's score, while the other three players on the team play a scramble to produce the other half of the team score.

There is an important tournament in the world of professional golf that is sometimes referred to as "the Dinah," even though that is not the tournament's actual name. What is this event, and why is it sometimes called that?

This is a tournament format for four-person teams in which it is neither the best nor the worst scores that matter. In Middle of the Road, it is the scores in the middle that count.

A "golf lawyer" is something you don't want to be, even though the underlying knowledge required to be one (a strong understanding of the rules) is a good thing.

The format known as Two-Ball Low Net is for golf tournaments that use four-person teams. On each hole, the two lowest net scores among the four team members are combined for the team's score.