I recently played a round of golf with a good friend, Simon Bale, the publisher of Golf Today, and his son, Henry. Typically, when aiming for a balanced game format, a fourball is preferred — whether it be fourball better-ball or even foursomes. But we found ourselves wondering what the best format for a three-ball might be.
Naturally, we considered skins or a three-way match play, although the latter can be tricky to keep track of — especially if there are some high handicappers in the group.
In this case, Henry suggested a game neither Simon nor I had heard of… “Dog.” After a brief chuckle at the simplicity of the name, Henry explained the rules, which turned out to be refreshingly straightforward.
The game was a type of three-way matchplay but with a twist that made it easier to follow and added a bit of extra intrigue. With our handicaps ranging from scratch to three, it worked well as a gross competition — though it can be played with full handicap.
The basic rule was this: the lowest score on each hole (without halves) would win the hole. For instance, if our scores on the first hole were 4, 5, and 5, the player who scored a 4 would win the hole and go 1-up in the match.
Then, the two players who were 1-down would team up in a fourball-better-ball format against the leader to try to bring the game back to all-square, levelling the playing field.
For example, if on the second hole, the player who’s 1-up scores a 5, but one of the other two players cards a 4, the match would return to all-square. Once the game was back to even, we’d switch back to individual scores.
However, if on the second hole, the player who’s 1-up scores a 4 while the others make a 5, that player would go 2-up. The pair who are now 2-down would continue working as a team until the match returns to all-square, at which point we’d resume individual play.
The format was not only easy to follow but also created an unusual, paradoxical team dynamic within the otherwise competitive matchplay. You might find yourself cheering on a birdie putt from the previous hole’s competitor, only to be back to competing against them once the match was level. The format also made for a balanced game, with no one getting more than 2-up at any point.
Despite a surprisingly strong start from me—birdie, birdie, par, birdie, birdie—and an equally impressive birdie, birdie, par start from Henry, it was Simon who ultimately prevailed 1-up after a well-worked birdie on the 17th made the uphill, 420-yard par-4 18th too much of a challenge to level the game.
I’ve played a lot of golf over the years and messed around with various games, but I don’t think I’ll be playing another three-ball format other than “Dog” going forward. The only issue now is explaining to my significant other that I’ll be “Dogging” with friends over the weekend — perhaps I’ll need to come up with a new verb for my latest favourite format.
If you’d like to give it a go, I’ve outlined the rules in a simple, easy-to-follow format below.
Rules for “Dog”
Game type:
A three-player match-play format with a twist.
Objective:
As with standard matchplay, the goal is to win the hole based on lowest score, then adjust for balance by temporarily forming a team when one player leads.
Basic rules:
The player with the lowest score on a hole wins that hole and goes 1-up.
Tied scores (halves) do not result in a win. To win a hole, it must be the lowest score in the group (4, 5, 5 for example).
Adjusting play (when one player leads):
If a player is 1-up:
The two other players, who are 1-down, temporarily team up in a fourball-better-ball format against the leader to bring the game back to all-square.
If either of the teamed players has a lower score than the leader, the game resets to all-square, and play returns to individual scores on the next hole.
Progression (if the leader wins consecutive holes):
If the leader wins the next hole, they go 2-up.
The two players who are now 2-down continue working as a team against the leader until the match returns to all-square.
Once the game is all square, all players revert to individual play.
End goal:
The match continues with these rules until a player ultimately wins by being up at the end of the round.
