Side game · 4 (exactly) players
How to play Wolf Hammer
Also called: wolf with hammer · hammer wolf
Wolf, with the hammer on top. The rotating-partner game you know, and any player can double the hole while it is being played.
The rules
- Play Wolf exactly as normal: the Wolf tees off first, watches the other drives, and either picks a partner or goes Lone Wolf.
- On any hole, any player can tap Hammer to double that hole’s stake.
- Taps chain — 2×, 4×, 8× — until scores are entered.
- The hole then settles on the standard Wolf compare: best ball for a pair, or the Lone Wolf against the other three.
- The Lone Wolf still plays for double, and the hammer multiplies on top of that.
A worked example
Setup. $1 a unit, four players. Hole 3, Sam is the Wolf and picks Patrick.
- Sam and Patrick against Casey and Tim.
- Casey taps Hammer, taking the hole to 2×. Sam re-taps, taking it to 4×.
- Nets: Sam 4, Patrick 5, Casey 5, Tim 3.
Result. Team lows are Sam’s 4 against Tim’s 3, so the opponents win. At 4× Sam and Patrick each pay $4 and Casey and Tim each collect $4 — $8 changes hands instead of $2.
This is exactly how Bagpipe Golf settles it: hole by hole, zero-sum, no arguing at the 19th.
Variations and house rules
- Some groups only let the team that is behind throw the hammer. The app lets anyone throw.
- Others cap it at 4×. No cap in the app — agree one out loud if you want it.
How it works in the app
- Add Wolf Hammer at setup with exactly four players and a base unit.
- Pick the partner or go Lone Wolf on each hole, then tap Hammer any time before scores are in.
- The live screen shows the current multiplier; settlement shows each hole at the multiple it reached.
Wolf Hammer FAQ
- Does the hammer stack with the Lone Wolf double?
- Yes, and it gets expensive quickly. A Lone Wolf hole at 4× is eight units a player against you.
- When is it too late to hammer?
- Once scores for the hole are entered. Until then anybody can throw it.