The Best 5-Player Golf Games for a Fun Day on The Course

Many folks assume that you can’t play any fun golf games unless you have an even number of players.

Most people limit their golf groups to 2 or 4. However, as you’ll soon discover in this article, that isn’t necessary.

Although a foursome is the most popular group on the course, there are many great games that can be played with five golfers. Let’s look at some of the best five-person games for your next round of golf.

After trying out a few of these fun games, you’ll find that there’s just something special about playing golf in a team format.

 

1. Two Carts

Here’s a fantastic golf game for 5 players, and it’s a great way to get some added exercise. As the game’s name implies, only 2 carts can be driven. This means that there are only 4 seats available.

All five players will tee-off on the first hole. They will also follow regular stroke play rules. Each golfer plays his or her own ball and adds their shots together. The golfer with the most strokes must be the one to go on the next hole.

The game is great fun because the four other players can ride in the carts and make jokes at the person who has to walk. However, the loser can get a seat back in one of the carts on the next hole if they don’t shoot the highest net score again. This game is simple to play and everyone will enjoy it.

2. Wolf

We wrote a detailed article on how to play Wolf and how it can be enjoyed by larger groups of players. Wolf is perhaps the most popular game of golf gambling because it can be played at whatever stakes the group chooses. Here’s how it works:

Gather around the first tee box and decide who will be the wolf on your first hole. This can be done by spinning a putt until the rotation is established. Each player will take turns being a wolf.

You can choose to play as a wolf or with a teammate. If the team format has been chosen, each team will play best ball scrambles after each golfer has hit his tee shots. The wolf gets to be the first to tee off on the hole.

After the wolf hits their tee ball, he can announce that he’s the lone wolf or wait until others hit their tee shots. If the wolf wishes to team up with another golfer he must do so immediately after their tee shot.

If the lonewolf wins the hole they will get 2 points instead. If the lonewolf loses, the other four players receive 1 point each. If the team format was chosen, each member of the winning team receives 1 point at the end.

Wolf also offers a lot of variations that will keep golfers interested. For example, players can choose to play for a fixed amount or to change their bets on each hole.

3. Round Robin

You want a game that keeps the fun going and is never boring? Round Robin is a great choice for 5 golfers as the matchups change every 3 to 6 holes. This prevents one team from dominating the whole round of golf.

Round Robin is a format where a team of three golfers plays the other 2. Once 3 or 6 holes have been played the rotation changes and the players must re-pair.

Need help deciding with whom to re-pair? Just like Wolf, golfers can spin a tee together. Your partner is the person whose tee point you.

Golfers can also throw golf ball towards a target to determine which group they belong to. Each golfer must keep track of their score and the number of matches they have won in Round Robin. The winner is the golfer who wins the most matches at the end.

4. Best Ball Scramble

This game is ideal for beginners, people with high handicaps, and any group that wants to have a great time. The beauty of the Best Ball Scramble game is that everyone is on the exact same team! On a side note, I might’ve given up learning how to play golf if not for this game.

Each player hits their ball off the tee in Best Ball Scramble. The players will then determine who had the best drive. Everyone will then hit their second shot at that position. The rotation continues until the hole has been completed.

The team of five records their score once the hole is completed. Best Ball Scramble is one of the most fun golf games out there, and it’s even more enjoyable with a few adult beverages.

5. High vs. low

High vs. low is most often played with a foursome but it can be done well with a group of 5. The 2 golfers who have the lowest handicaps play against the 3 players with the highest handicaps.

Each team will use the best ball scramble format, and each hole will be recorded. Though the logic may sound a bit weird, there’s not much of an advantage for the low handicappers because the threesome is getting to hit an extra shot.

After 9 holes, if one team wins very badly, you can switch the two teams. The goal is for it to be as fun and competitively as possible.

6. Stableford

This game is a favorite among scratch golfers and those with low handicaps. Stableford has its own scoring system. An albatross earns you 5 points, pars score you 2, birdies count 3 and pars count 2 respectively, and a bogey earns you 1 point.

Double bogeys, or worse, don’t come with any points. A nice thing about Stableford is that it doesn’t penalize a golfer too severely after a bad hole. They simply won’t get any points for that hole.

Stableford is different from regular stroke play in that the player with the highest score wins. Stableford works well with a group of five golfers. The round is open to all golfers.

7. Captain’s Choice

Here’s another outstanding golf game for larger groups. Divide a sheet of paper in five pieces and number each piece 1-5. Each golfer should draw a number.

The number of teams you draw will determine which team rotates. Numbers 1 and 4, will face off against numbers 2 and 3. The wild card is the one who draws number 5. They must switch teams every three holes.

Each team will play a bestball scramble. This is a neat feature of Captain’s Choice because the Number 5 golfer can help both teams quite a bit. Each player should keep their scorecard to determine which team the Number 5 golfer is.

Halfway through the round, golfers have the opportunity to vote on whether to change the teams or keep them the exact same for the remaining 9 holes.

8. Ghost

Not a lot of golfers have heard of Ghost, and no were aren’t talking about the classic movie with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. Ghost is the ideal solution for any group with an odd number of golfers. Ghost is an imaginary player who plays for the team with the fewest players.

Let us tell you why Ghost isn’t just a fantasy game for kids golfers. If a group of 5 golfers wants to play a team match, they’ll split up as 3 vs. 2. The ghost will join the team with only two golfers.

Here’s the dirty little secret about the ghost: he’s a scratch golfer that shoots par on every hole. This means that the ghost cannot do worse than par for any team he plays on. Each team will play a best ball scramble, record their scores and the ghost can give handicap strokes for certain holes.

Ghost is popular because it can be played with stroke play or match play rules. The ghost team can have fun and take more risks. This can lead to some amazing or incredibly poor shots that will result in lots of laughs on and off the course.