Side game · 4 (exactly) players
How to play Wolf
Also called: Wolf golf game · Lone Wolf
The foursome game where one player is the Wolf each hole, picks a partner after watching the tee shots, or goes it alone against all three for double stakes.
The rules
- Set a Wolf order on the first tee. Players rotate as the Wolf in that order; the Wolf tees off first on their hole.
- The Wolf watches each opponent tee off in turn. After any tee shot the Wolf can claim that player as a partner for the hole. Once passed, a player cannot be picked later.
- If the Wolf passes on all three, they play the hole alone as the Lone Wolf, one against three, for double stakes. Win and the Wolf collects two units from each of the other three; lose and the Wolf pays two units to each. The Lone Wolf has to win the hole outright: a tie with the best opponent ball counts as a loss.
- Partners play best ball against the other two. Lowest net score for each side decides the hole; ties push.
- Money settles hole by hole. In a 2v2 hole each loser pays one unit and each winner collects one unit, and a tie pushes. On a Lone Wolf hole the Wolf collects two units from each opponent, or pays two units to each, and a tie goes against the Wolf. Going alone means three doubled bets instead of one shared bet, so the swing is six units against two.
A worked example
Setup. $5 per unit. Casey is the Wolf on hole 7.
- Sam drives into the rough. Casey passes.
- Patrick stripes one. Casey picks Patrick. It is Casey and Patrick against Sam and Tim.
- Nets on the hole: Casey 4, Patrick 5, Sam 5, Tim 6. Best ball: 4 versus 5.
Result. Casey and Patrick win the hole. Sam and Tim each pay $5; Casey and Patrick each collect $5. Had Casey gone Lone Wolf and won, Casey would collect $10 from each of the other three, +$30; had Casey tied the best of them, Casey pays $10 to each, −$30. Zero-sum either way.
This is exactly how Bagpipe Golf settles it: hole by hole, zero-sum, no arguing at the 19th.
Variations and house rules
- Single stakes for going alone: some groups pay a Lone Wolf hole at one unit per player instead of two. Bagpipe pays double; if your group plays single, agree the difference off-app.
- Lone Wolf ties push: some groups let a tied Lone Wolf hole push or carry. Bagpipe scores a tie as a loss for the Wolf.
- Blind Wolf: the Wolf declares Lone Wolf before anyone tees off, usually for triple. Not in the app; play it as a Lone Wolf hole and settle the extra by hand.
- Wolf Hammer: the same game with a per-hole doubling tap. Bagpipe ships it as its own game, "Wolf Hammer".
- Some groups let the Wolf pick the last player to tee off only by default. The app lets the Wolf pick or pass after each shot.
How it works in the app
- Add Wolf as a side game when you set up the round. It needs exactly four players.
- The app asks for the Wolf order on the first tee and rotates it for you.
- On each hole the scorekeeper taps who the Wolf picked, or Lone Wolf. Enter scores as usual; the money updates as soon as all four have scored.
Wolf FAQ
- How many players does Wolf need?
- Exactly four. With three or five the rotation and the 2v2 math break, which is why the app will not let you add it to a group of another size.
- What happens on a tie in Wolf?
- On a paired hole it pushes and no money moves. On a Lone Wolf hole a tie is a loss for the Wolf, who pays the doubled stake to each opponent. Some groups carry tied holes forward like skins; the app does not.
- Does the Wolf have to pick before the last tee shot?
- The Wolf can pick after any shot, including the last one. Passing on the last player is what makes them the Lone Wolf.