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Golf's Hog Game, or Captain or Wolf

This is a fun four-man goofing game that I've played with friends over the years. Our version of the Hog Game originated from games that goes by such names as Hog, Captain, Wolf and others. There are many subtle strategies involved with the game. As the years went on we have tweak the rules, to make it more interesting and fun.

How it is Played

  • Each hole starts out worth 1 point.

  • The game is played with handicaps.

  • On the first tee box a tee is flipped to randomly select the order of tee offs (e.g. Player 1, Player 2, Player 3 and Player 4).

  • Player 1 tees off first (the Captain). Then pick his (or her) partner after watching their drives. If the Captain doesn't like Player 2's drive he passes on Player 2 as a partner, and then waits to see if Player 3's drive is better, and so on. Once the Captain picks a partner, they become a best ball team against the other two players.

Best ball refers to the lowest score, adjusted with handicap. If one team member had a six and the other team member had a four, then the best ball of the team is a four.

  • No one can leave the tee box until all four players have hit. The Captain can’t leave the tee box, to check on a player’s drive. He picks or passes on a player based on what can be seen from the tee box.

  • Teams remain the same until there is a win or loss on a hole. Let’s say Player 3 was picked by the Captain to be his partner. They are now a team against Players 2 & 4, until their best ball beats or looses to the other team. If the two teams tie , they remain as a team for the next hole and so on.

  • If a team's best ball is good enough to win, then the next player in rotation is the Captain. For example, if the first hole had a winning team, then on the second hole Player 2 is the new Captain. He gets to tee off first and then is followed in order by Players 3, 4 & 1. This rotation continues each time there is a new Captain.

Pick or Pass. When choosing a partner the Captain must either pick or pass on each player after seeing their drive. For example, if the Captain passes on Player 3 he can't go back and select him after watching Player 4 chunk his drive into the swamp.

It is not good etiquette for a Captain to cheerfully yell Pass to a player that just hit their drive into the swamp

The Hog

If the Captain passes on all three players, he then HOGs the hole. When a hole Hogged, the other three players will play as a best ball team against the Captain. The HOG's score plays against the best ball of the other three players. If the Hog has the low score then he wins the hole, if the best ball team has the low score then they win the hole. If it is a tie, then a the next player in line becomes the Captain on the next hole.

Divorce. When a player get's picked on the tee box by the Captain, he can elect to divorce the Captain, in which case he becomes the Hog for the hole. For example, the Captain tees off first and shanks it into the swamp. Player 2 gets up and rips it down the middle. The Captain picks Player 2. Player 2 at that point can say no thanks, "I divorce." In which case it is that player against the other 3.

The Point System

  • Each hole with a new Captain starts out worth one point. If the teams tie a hole, then one point is added to the price of the next hole. If three holes in a row are tied then the next hole will be worth 4 points.

  • Points are awarded each time there is a win or loss on a hole. If the hole was worth a point, then each winning team player get +1 point each and the losing players get -1 point each. The total amount of (+) points and (-) points will always sum to zero. Since teams and partners change throughout the round, it's best to keep a running tally of points. As long as the tally adds to zero everything will be correct.

  • If a Captain passes on all the players and Hogs the hole, the points automatically double from 1 to 2 per player. If the Hog wins. he gets 6 points in total; 2 from each player.

  • On the 16th, 17th and 18th holes the normal rotation changes. On each of these holes, the player with the most negative points gets to be the Captain. The Captain also sets the price of the hole, up to 1/3 of the points he's down. For example, let’s say Player 2 at the start of the 16th hole is down the most at minus 12 points. That means he becomes Captain, and before he tees off, sets the price of the hole to be worth 1, 2, 3 or 4 points. The teeing order after the Captain hits is based on point order going from least to most.

  • If the teams tie on the 16th hole, then on hole 17 the player down the most gets be Captain again, and sets the price up to 1/3 of the amount down and reselects a partner based on their tee shots.

  • The divorce option is not allowed on holes 16, 17 and 18.

The Press

  • Now here’s the fun part! Once the Captain picks a partner the teams are set. When teams are set, one team can Press the other at any time. If one team Presses and the other team accepts, then the points on the hole are worth double. If the other team rejects the Press, they forfeit the points on the hole (even if their best ball turns out to be the lowest). Then the next player in rotation becomes the Captain.

  • If a team accepts a Press, they can Press the other team back at any time. If they Press back, then the points double again and so on.

  • If a team presses , the other team must accept or reject the Press before the next shot is taken.

  • Once a team's best ball is in the hole, then no more pressing is allowed.

  • If a captain Hogs a hole, the points automatically double, but that is not a press. The Hog can still press or be pressed. For example, let's say Player 1 Hogs the hole, the points will automatically go from 1 to 2. Then Player 1 (the Hog) decides to press, the points now go from 2 to 4. Then later, Players 1, 2, and 3 decide to press back. The points go from 4 to 8. In this example, the Hog could tie, win 8 point from each player or lose 8 points to each player.

#1 Rule: Press early and often.  

#2 Rule: You can't re-Press you own press. The other team must press back before you get an opportunity to press again.

Have Fun.