Just when I thought I'd found every variation on the golf scramble, I found another! We're talking about a Florida Scramble today.

First we need to understand a basic scramble, which you can read more details about here.  Essentially a scramble is a team format in which all players on the team hit each shot and the best of those shots is chosen for the next shot.  This process is repeated until the hole is completed.

In a Florida Scramble the person whose last shot was chosen must sit out for the next shot.  As an example we will take a four player team as an example.  All four players tee off on a par-5.  One player (player A) crushes a drive 325 yards in the middle of the fairway.  The group chooses to use that player's shot.  On the next shot, the player who hit the 325 yard drive must sit out.  Of the three players who hit the 2nd shot, player B hits the green.  The group chooses his shot.  On the 3rd shot, the putt for eagle, player A is now back in play and player B must sit out as his shot was the previously chosen shot.  Player C hits a great putt which does not go in, but is chosen as the 3rd shot.  For the 2nd putt, player C must sit out and player B is back in the game.

A.K.A.

The Florida Scramble may also be referred to as a Mexican Standoff, Stand Out, Stand Aside, Step Aside or Dropout Scramble.

If you are hosting a tournament here's a fun format to try, 1 2 3 Best Ball.  The first requirement is that this game is for four player teams.   Each player plays his own ball the entire round and finishes each hole.  The low single, two and three scores are scored on a hole by hole basis.  Lets take a closer look.

Holes 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16

On the first hole, and the first in each set of three holes, the single player with the lowest score on the hole is the one whose ball is counted.  So if player A scores birdie and B, C and D score par or worse, player A's ball is the one which is counted.

Holes 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17

On the second hole, or second in each set of three holes, the two lowest player's scores are counted.  In this case lets say that player A and D made bogey, while players B and C made par.  Players B and C would be the scores used.

Holes 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18

On the third hole, or third in each set of three holes, the three lowest scores are counted.  Lets say player D makes birdie, C makes par, B makes bogey and A makes a double bogey.  Players D, C and B are the three lowest scores and theirs are the scores counted for the hole.

Here's a fun game which will also help players improve their shot selection and course management (strategy).

Trouble

Like golf itself, a lower score in the game Trouble is better.  Set a predetermined bet amount with your group per point.  Point allocation is as follows:

Penalty Points

• Ball in sand trap: 1 point
• Hitting into a hazard: 2 points
• Hitting out of bounds: 3 points
• Three putting: 1 point
• Four putting: 4 points
• Duffing, blading, chunking a shot: 1 point
• More possible, use your imagination

Subtractive Points

Negative points for good play can also be part of the game.  Performing a great shot, making birdie etc can reduce the points as follows:

• Making birdie: -4 points
• Making eagle: -6 points
• Hitting a shot stiff: -2 points
• One-putting from long distance: -2 points
• Getting up and down from a sand trap for par or better: -2 points
• More possible, use your imagination

At the end of the round the person with the LOWEST point total wins.

Springtime and golf season is getting some wind behind its sails.  Great time of year.  Here's a fun golf betting game this Friday, for you to try this weekend.

Let It Ride

Let It Ride is a very fun game for golfers who love to gamble on the course both financially and with their game.  The structure of Let It Ride is somewhat similar to a stableford, but with much higher points per score.   Points are awarded based on the chart below.  A set dollar amount per point is decided before the round.

Bogey: 5 Points
Par: 15 Points
Birdie: 30 Points
Eagle: 60 Points

Groups with lower handicaps could adjust the points per hole as needed, starting with par.

If a player scores a bogey, that player receives 5 points.  At that point the player can choose to "bank" the points or let it ride.  Banked points are put away and totaled up at the end of the round.   Banked points cannot be wagered or brought back into play.  If the player decides to let it ride, the points are added to the next hole.  So if the player were to score another bogey, he would have 10 points riding.  If for instance a player has 20 points and lets it ride, then makes two birdies in a row, the 20 points would grow from 20 to 50 and then to 80 points!

The Catch

The catch with Let It Ride is if a person were to let it ride and scores a double bogey or worse, all points which were in play are eliminated.

Conclusion

You can see that this is a golf betting game with great risks and rewards, high volatility.  That's what can make Let It Ride so fun!

Ah the weekend is approaching.  On Fridays here are often posted fun betting games to try out over the course of the weekend.  Here's one I wish I could play every day.  It seems I can play fairly well for 15 holes, then have 2-3 holes which blow up the whole round.  If I could just "throw out" those three bad rounds... Hmmmmm.

Three Strikes

Three Strikes, also known by some as "Strike Three," is a perfect game for the 15 hole player like myself.  At the end of the round the player is allowed to strike, or throw out, three of his/her holes.  The remaining 15 hole scores are added up and the winner gets the pot.  This great for mid to high handicappers who may suffer some bad blowup holes.

Three strikes can work for groups of two or more.

An added benefit to the game is that it keeps players' interests involved who would not normally be interested following some bad holes somewhere in the middle or beginning of the round.  The competition lasts all 18 holes.

Try Three Strikes this weekend!

Over the last couple of weeks a photo of Jason Duffner has gone viral.  This is awesome.  PGA Tour golfer Jason Duffner was visiting a grade school when this photo below was taken.

Since then the photo has gone completely viral with dozens of PGA Tour pros shooting pictures demonstrating their own "Duffnering" to Facebook and Twitter.  Fans have gotten in their Duffnering shots as well.  There are even some Photoshopped images of Dufner sitting in this position in the Bat Mobile and on the couch on the Oprah show and more...

Above: Bubba Watson Duffnering in his garage

Above: Rory McIlory Duffnering

Above (left to right): Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker Duffnering..

Not to be outdone and to join in the spirit of Duffnering, here's a rare photo of the Frogger Blogger himself, Duffnering:

Friday Fun has been moved to Wednesday this week! Couldn't wait two more days to post this amazing video...

Yesterday we discussed the benefits of walking the golf course and the fact that riding a golf cart is not beneficial to the player's health.  We discussed the fact that scores have been scientifically proven to be lower on average for walkers versus those who ride in golf carts.  We went into detail about how walking helps the golfer get a better feel for the land...

After finding this video on YouTube yesterday, I'm changing my tune about riding a golf cart, provided that I'm riding in a cart like this:

Bubba Watson has teamed up with Oakley to produce the world's first golf cart hover craft. This is amazing.  The hovercraft's design is such that a mere fraction of the pressure of a human footprint is put on the grass.  If everyone used hovercrafts instead of walking or riding golf carts, courses would suffer far less wear and tear.  And perhaps the coolest part of all is that you can simply go right across a lake without having to walk around it.  Astonishing.

Bubba's Hover is a single unit, the BW1.  Will we ever see a fleet of hovercraft on the golf course and available for rent instead of regular golf carts?  I hope so.

On the PGA Tour there's a stat they track called bounce back.  If a player makes a bogey or worse, then follows it up with a birdie or better, that's a bounce back.  This week we are going to talk about the amateur version of bounce back, and some variations for you to try this weekend.

Bounce Back V1

The typical amateur version of bounce back is as follows.  If a player scores a double bogey or worse on a hole, then follows that hole up with a par or better on the next hole, the person wins a bounce back.  The bet can be whatever value the group normally wagers, like $1 or perhaps a frosty beverage.

Bounce Back V1

For better players we would recommend the PGA Tour's bounce back parameters as the bounce back guide.  If a player scores a bogey or worse on a hole, then follows that hole up with a birdie or better, the player wins a bounce back bet ($1, frosty beverage etc).

Conclusion

Bounce back is a great game to help players focus on shaking off bad holes and recovering.  Everyone has bad holes, even the pros.  It is how those holes affect or don't affect the player on subsequent holes which can make the difference between a bad round and a good one.  Try bounce back this weekend and HAVE FUN!

Auto Win is a fun game which can be added to any of the other dozens of golf games we've discussed so far or played as the primary game. To see the others, just click on the Fun category and enjoy.

Auto win overrides other games and a hole is automatically won if a certain criteria or event occurs on the hole. Here are the three best, but players could easily agree on additions to the list.

• Knock an approach shot outside of 150 yards to inside the flagstick.  Any par-3 approach as well.
• Hole out from a sand trap
• Chip in from off the green.  Some don't count the fringes however as players may choose to putt those

The most holes won wins the match, bet, frosty beverages or whatever the wager is.

In the event that two players manage to achieve one of the criteria, say both knocking tee shots on a par-3 within the flagstick, options must be considered.  The hole can simply be a wash.  Half a point can be awarded to each player or perhaps the point or wager amount can be carried on to the next hole.

Other possible additions to Auto Win:

• Drive over 300 yards
• Hit the flag or flagstick on an approach shot
• Hit a par-5 in two shots
• Make a putt over 25 feet

User your imagination and have FUN!

Closeout

Last Friday we covered the nassau game/bet.  Today's subject, Closeout, is a game which can go along side a nassau or any kind of golf game in which it is possible for a player or team to win before all of the holes have been played.

In a nassau it is possible for a player to win or close out the match after 10 holes, leaving the final eight holes with "nothing to play for."  In Closeout a match/bet is set at the beginning of the round, say $5.00.  Once the initial nassau is closed out, lets say after 15 holes, the remaining three holes become a new game/bet.

Closeout keeps all 18 holes interesting and gives the players something to play for even after the initial nassau is over.  Closeout also helps to reward solid play for the entire 18 holes, reducing the the possibility for a lackluster payout for the player who plays well.