TheGrint offers many different games with more than 50 total game variants to fit your style of play. As a Pro member, you get full access to 5 additional games that free members don’t get to play. They incorporate some out-of-the-box thinking with creative ways to generate competition within your group. Here is what they are and how they work:
Animals:
How it works:
This format is played individual, with each animal representing an aspect of the game of golf.
- Gorilla – Out of bounds (-2)
- Snake – 3 putt (-2)
- Shark – Water Hazard (-2)
- Camel – Sand! (In the bunker, -1)
- Jackal – Shank/Mis-hit (-1)
- Dolphin – two water hazards in the same hole (-2)
- Crab – two bunkers in the same hole (-2)
And the final three, you will know from the regular game of golf.
- Bird – Birdie, one under par, so a 4 on a par 5 (+2)
- Eagle – Eagle, two under par, so a 3 on a par 5 (+4)
- Albatross – Albatross, three under par, so a 2 on a par 5 – (+8!)
TheGrint is providing a unique experience on the golf course here, and it is up to you how much you choose to embrace it. The language you use within your fourball may confuse those walking by, but there is something fun about that, don’t you think?
A bad hole could see you having a Gorilla (-2) and a Snake (-2) all in one hole. The next hole, you cancel them out with an eagle.
Remember! If another player in your group performs the same action, the mantle is passed onto them. So, at the end of the round, you add up the points of the animals you still hold.
Hopefully your group doesn’t see too much of the dreaded Jackal…
Marks
‘Marks’ rewards a solid golf game. If you remember playing TWPGA on the Xbox, you would get XP for a fairway in regulation (FIR), a green in regulation (GIR), or a birdie. This works the same way.
How it works:
- Greeny – GIR (1)
- Sandy – A par save from the sand (1)
- Birdie – (2)
- Eagle – (5)
- Albatross – (10)
- Sandy Birdie – Birdie from the sand (2)
- Fishy – A par save from the water, say after a penalty stroke from a water hazard (2)
- Chip-in – A par with zero putts needed (2)
- Dunk A hole out for eagle or better, no putts needed! (5)
- Darts – A closest to the pin on par threes (1)
- Muscles – Longest drive on par fives (1)
And the winner is the player that ends the round with the most Marks. Note that not too many are related to score, rather a highlight reel. This means the erratic player can still enjoy a good score in the ‘Marks’ format, without necessarily putting together a great score in Medal format.
Hot Potato
Another great side game is coming your way with Hot Potato, allowing pressure to build as the round goes on.
At the start, select one of the following to be the ‘Potato’ that you will be juggling between your group.
- 3 putts
- Double Bogey
- Out of Bounds
- Water (or Penalty Areas)
How it works:
The hot potato is held by the last person to perform the selected event from above. It doubles every time a new person takes it. Three putts is the most common.
Say I three putt the 1st hole, it is worth one point to me. Sam three putts the 7th, he is then carrying two points. He passes it on to Megan who has three putted the 12th, who holds 4 points. I make the fatal mistake of three putting the 17th, so I hold 8 points for that error.
Vegas
Vegas is similar to High & Low, a game available to all members (free and pro). But of course, it has a twist – it’s Vegas. To keep it simple, examples work best.
How it works:
Sam & Pat are on a team, Sam scores a 7 on the first hole and Pat scores a 5. Their score for the game becomes 57, always going with the lower digit first to form the pair. If it was a 5 and a 10, their score is 105, keeping the number lower for extreme cases.
Dave & Mike are on the opposing team, Dave scores a 6, and mike scores a 4. Their score is 46.
The difference between the two scores is then given to the team with the lowest score.
57- 46 = 11, so 11 points to Dave and Mike.
Now, obviously the best golf still wins out, but you and your partner are benefitting if you both have a strong hole. On a par 3 if Pat and Sam both make a birdie 2, the difference is high if their opponents make a 5 and a 4. They would gain 23 points on the hole.
Wolf
Wolf brings cunning, strategy and decision making into the game. Much like the animal itself. The winner has the most points at the end of the round.
In a fourball, the ‘Wolf’ tees off first, then watches the other three. The Wolf can decide to team up with one of the players, immediately after their tee shot. If no one is selected (due to bad tee shots all around, or just a daring nerve from the ‘Wolf’), then the Wolf goes alone – ‘Lone Wolf’. If the ‘Wolf’ selects a player, that player can reject the offer – and become the Wolf himself to fight it out against the remaining two players.
How it works:
Stay with me for this one.
Every four holes, points are increased:
- Holes 1-4 are worth one
- Holes 5-8 worth two
- 9-12 worth three
- 13-16 worth four
- 17 & 18 are worth five points each.
When the ‘Wolf’ selects a partner, it becomes a 2 vs 2 match, best-ball style. The winners get 1 point each.
If ‘Lone Wolf’ wins the hole, it’s a 1 vs 3, so 3 points to the ‘Lone Wolf’.
For three players, it becomes 2 vs 1 games on every hole. As you move towards the end of the round, the stakes are increased, just as before – with the final 2 **holes being played at FIVE times the initial value.
There are various ways to distribute the points depending on how many players are playing. What’s more fun is, the pressure builds as we approach the final green in front of the clubhouse.
Use TheGrint to explore the best way to go ‘Lone Wolf’ with your mates!
Happy grinting.
—
If you found this information helpful, check out more of my writing here covering many different topics in the golf world. Cheers!
