Have More Fun in Your Foursome

By Tom Lang

Sticking to the rules of golf is certainly fair and the right thing to do – yet knowing the time and place is equally important. That time and place should remain in competitive tournaments or handicap-measured rounds. 

Otherwise, people should consider loosening up and have some freaking fun now and then. And if you are one of those people guilty of being overly-competitive, if you do relax, some friends might even invite you to play with them again.

Scramble it up:

Whether it’s the entire foursome together, or teamed-up pairs battling it off, play a scramble format in your foursome. It provides the fun of second chances, lower scores, favored lies and so much more. It can also give high handicappers a chance to make approach shots from places they have never hit from before if they are paired with a longer hitter, and vice-versa.

Mix up the tees:

Another fun option is to use different tees. Maybe hit from the back, then the next hole the middle tees, then the next hole the forward tees. You’ll be surprised by how much fun and challenge there can be of trying lesser-used clubs, all within the same round.

Pick up the pace:

Few things take more fun out of golf than slow play. You cannot control the players ahead of you, but each person can take control within your own group. Address slow play right on the first tee by announcing everyone should play ‘ready golf.’ The notion that someone further away must always hit first is a time killer.

Lighten your load:

One idea shared in Golf Digest magazine is to leave more clubs in your trunk. Throw some fun into the mix by adjusting each players’ score accordingly, such as: play with anywhere from 2-to-5 clubs. If you play with just two clubs, your buddies have to give you 10 strokes; or 7 strokes for three clubs, 4 strokes for four clubs or none if you use all five clubs. The players who tried it reported feeling much more liberated carrying just a few clubs in their hands and a couple golf balls in their pocket. The walk was fun as well as being forced to be more inventive in shot making.

Green Games:

Only if your group remains well ahead of the group behind you, maybe pause to play a couple putting games on the green. For example, on greens with lots of undulation or are rimmed by heavily-slopped chipping areas, make a game out of each person putting off the green at some point where it will funnel back toward the hole. This forces you to think more imaginatively about various ways to get to the cup. 

I was in a group that tried it and a partner holed a 90-foot putt that first went off the green, caught the slope and came back and dropped into the hole. He was thrilled and said it felt as much fun as acing a hole-in-one.

There are these and many other ways to celebrate the fact that golf lovers have such a fun and healthy activity in our lives.