How to Play Wolf in Golf
Each hole, one player picks a partner — or goes it alone for double the points.
What is Wolf?
Wolf rotates who's "the Wolf" one hole at a time, following your tee order. After watching everyone else tee off, the Wolf picks a partner for that hole — or goes it alone as a "Lone Wolf" against the other three, for double the stakes.
Best-ball decides it: the Wolf's side plays their better ball against the field's best ball. Beat the field and the losing side owes the winners; tie it and nothing changes hands.
How scoring works
- The Wolf rotates every hole, following tee order.
- The Wolf picks a partner after watching the other tee shots — or goes Lone Wolf.
- Best ball wins the hole: the Wolf side's better score vs. the field's better score.
- A partnered hole pays stakes; a Lone Wolf hole pays double, win or lose.
Scoring example
Four players — Alex, Beth, Casey, Deion — playing a $6 Wolf.
| Hole | Wolf | Decision | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex | Partners with Beth | Wolf team wins |
| 2 | Beth | Lone Wolf | Beth wins alone |
Hole 1: Alex & Beth's best ball beats the field — Casey and Deion each owe Alex and Beth $1.50 ($6 total). Hole 2: Beth goes Lone Wolf and beats the field outright — since a Lone Wolf hole pays double, Alex, Casey, and Deion each owe Beth $4 ($12 total).
When to go Lone Wolf
Going Lone Wolf doubles the stakes for that hole, win or lose — it's a bet on yourself against three other scores instead of two. Strong players often call it on a hole that suits their eye; everyone else usually only goes lone if nobody left to partner with is worth taking.
See it in the app — pick from all 12 games, set your stakes, and Buddies scores it live.
Ready to play?
Download Buddies and let the app track every bet, hole by hole.
Download on the App StoreBuddies Bet Tracker is a scorekeeping and tally app. It does not process payments, hold money, or facilitate gambling. All settlements happen between players outside the app.