Bingo-Bingo-Bongo
Bingo-Bango-Bongo is the best golf betting game of all. Why? Because all golfers regardless of ability have a chance to win! Bingo-Bango-Bongo is a points based game played with two or more players in the same group. The value of the points is established on the first tee. The points are given for the first ball on the green (Bingo), the ball closest to the hole (Bango) and for the first ball holed out (Bongo).
Let’s look at a typical foursome. We have a golfers who hit it a long way, we have golfers who are better than the other players and we have golfers who are shorter and are basically hackers. The good player and the big hitters usually do not have much of a chance with the Bingo point. He has usually out driven the other players and therefore they have the last chance… to be first on the green. Now after two or three shots we have the golfer who is first on the green, Bingo. The golfers who missed the green with their second or three or fourth shots are getting closer to the green. As they chip from a shorter distance with each shot, their approach shots have a better chance of getting the Bango point, closest to the hole. Now with all the players on the green putting, the golfer who won the Bingo point, first on, is usually the farthest from the hole and not going to win the Bongo point, first to hole out. As the golfers putt from closer to the hole the chances of making the putt, and winning the Bongo point, get better. At the end of the round the pay-offs are made by the difference in points.
A variation to this game is that points are doubled when a player wins all three points on one hole. With this many points available on every hole no golfer is out of the game and remains interested. It is important to always play honors, where the player farthest from the hole plays first. There are no give-me putts.
Trouble
Trouble also known as “Disaster” is a point game in which your actual score isn’t relevant, at least not directly. The goal is to collect the least number of “trouble points” possible during a round.
Players shoot for a set amount per point, often a dollar. Thus, a player accumulating three trouble points owes each of his opponents three dollars. Points are assigned as follows:
out of bounds – 1
water hazard – 1
bunker – 1
three-putt – 1
leaving ball in bunker – 2*
hitting from one bunker to another – 2
four-putt – 3
whiffed ball – 4
Extra Penalty: Take an additional two points if you leave the ball in again and so on. A player can erase all the points accumulated on a given hole by making par. At the end of the round, simply net all the points against each other and settle up.
Trouble is an excellent game for the intermediate player. Trouble encourages smart golf (again, not to be confused with fun golf) and might just produce some surprisingly low round for all those would-be daredevils out there.
