The Best Golf Games on the Course and at Home
By
Richard Janvrin
Contributor Updated: 03 March 2025
Richard Janvrin Contributor
Richard has been writing about sports since he was a teenager. Still, his first professional role came in 2015, covering all things NFL and fantasy football-related. From there, in December 2018, he started in the sports betting industry, covering sportsbook reviews before arriving to where he is today.
The Best Golf Games
In addition to wagering on golf events at online golf betting sites, there are ways you can kick back with some friends, watch some golf, and play some drinking games to make things that much more entertaining if that’s up your alley.
Also, if you’re hitting the course with some friends, there are some ways to play games while being safe.
Below, we’ll look at nine of the best golf drinking games, including six on the course and three at home.
We’ll mention it again below, but always remember to drink responsibly and never exceed your limits.
Let’s dive in.
On-Course Golf Drinking Games
For some, hitting the golf course bright and early on a Sunday morning with a bunch of friends is their ideal way to spend the day. This can be a gathering that takes most of the day and well into the afternoon. Depending on the situation, there are some golf drinking games you can play to help spice things up and make things that much more interesting.
Of course, we encourage everyone to drink responsibly, especially if operating a golf cart. Assuming everyone is cool with the idea that there has to be some kind of limits, there are some fun golf drinking games that can be played on the course.
Below are the best golf drinking games to play while on the course with some trusted friends.
Beer Bogey
With beer bogey, your group’s skill has to be at least somewhat decent.
Why?
Well, here’s how this game works:
- If you bogey, take a sip.
- If you double bogey, take two sips.
- If you triple bogey or worse, finish the drink.
Alternatively, you pass the sip to a friend if you make par.
As you can see, if the group is full of beginners, this probably isn’t the ideal game as everyone will have to finish a drink each hole.
Shot Per Shot
Shot per shot is simple—take a sip each time you make a shot. However, you take an extra sip if you hit a bunker, out of bounds, or the water.
We only recommend this when playing nine holes. Doing this on 18 holes probably wouldn’t end well for anyone.
Birdie Beer
With birdie beer, this can be especially entertaining if there are players with varying skill levels, especially if someone is really good and someone is more on the novice end of things.
If a player makes birdies, everyone else takes a sip.
Here’s where it gets interesting: The entire group finishes their drink if a player makes eagle.
Of course, eagles are harder to come by with semi-skilled players, but if someone manages to get one, the group will pay the price.
Water Hazard Chug
If you’re playing at a course with a lot of water nearby, Water Hazard Chug could be the game for you.
Here’s how it works: If you hit your ball into the water, you must chug your drink until the ball stops moving.
You may finish your drink depending on how the water is moving that day or if there’s any wind.
Three-Putt Punishment
Mixing things up a bit, Three-Putt Punishment focuses solely on putting.
If you three-putt or worse, you must take a shot or finish your drink. Conversely, if everyone else three-putts the hole, the last person to finish their drink gets a stroke penalty.
This can result in you trailing in the game early on and ingesting some alcohol/beer that could make it difficult to catch up.
Cart Path Roulette
Of all the golf drinking games, this one is probably the most creative.
With Cart Path Roulette, you’ll need to take a drink if you hit a ball and it lands in the cart path.
There’s another twist, too: You’ll need to spin a bottle, and whoever it lands on must also take a drink.
This is good for less serious games where you can take the time to play everything out.
Watching Golf at Home Drinking Games
Above, we covered the best golf drinking games for when you’re out on the course.
For those who aren’t good at playing golf or are simply not interested in playing but prefer to watch it at home, don’t worry. There are plenty of golf drinking games at home that can be played.
Also, let’s be honest; it’s probably much safer.
Below, we’ll explore golf-themed drinking games that can be played at home. These games will make an objectively slow sport that much more entertaining for you and your group of friends.
Masters Drinking Game
You had to know there would be golf drinking games centered around The Masters, the biggest golf tournament of the year.
This game is multi-layered, relying on what happens within the broadcast and the game.
To play, you’ll take a drink any time any of the following events happen:
- Tiger Woods is mentioned, regardless of whether he’s playing or not.
- A player hits the ball into the water.
- A golfer misses a 3-foot putt or shorter.
- You hear a fan yell, “Get in the hole,” after a tee shot in commemoration of Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore.”
- When Jim Nantz says, “Hello, friends.”
You can also feel free to customize this however you’d like, but this lineup of events is such that it’ll happen enough to keep it interesting but won’t leave you hurting by the sixth hole.
Beer-a-Hole
For Beer-a-Hole, this can be played for any golf tournament. This is almost like a fantasy draft in that each person in the party will pick a hole as their “beer hole.”
When that hole comes around, if a player in the tournament gets par or better, everyone else in your group must drink. However, you need to drink if any player gets bogey or worse.
This will spread the drinking, and it’s bound to hit everyone at the party.
Everyone will get a chance to drink in this one, but the stakes for each hole are higher.
Ryder Cup Team Drinking Challenge
The Ryder Cup is an event between the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup Team Drinking Challenge concept is to pick a team, and if your team wins, the other “team” in your group must drink.
However, if the match goes to extra holes, you both drink. This is one of the most fun golf drinking games as you’re picking a team in the Ryder Cup, but also pairing up with friends, cheering for one another and against each other.
