Dots Golf Game
Also known as: Trash, Garbage, Junk
Dots is one of the most popular golf side games, where players win or lose points for specific events that happen during the round — things like birdies, chip-ins, three-putts, and sand saves. The beauty of Dots is that it runs alongside your regular round, adding stakes to every shot without changing how you play. Groups customize which events count and how much each is worth, making every Dots game unique.
At a Glance
- Type
- Individual game (team variant available as Scotch)
- Players
- 2 or more
- Scoring
- Points for hole events
- Handicaps
- Off by default — net scores supported
- Wins
- Highest point total
The Rules
- Before the round, the group agrees on which events earn or lose points and how much each is worth.
- Everyone plays their own ball as normal throughout the round.
- After each hole, any events that occurred are recorded and points are awarded (or deducted).
- Positive events (birdies, chip-ins, greenies, etc.) earn points. Negative events (three-putts, double bogeys, etc.) lose points.
- At the end of the round, each player’s points are totaled. The player with the most points wins.
Common Events
Below are the events available in Squabbit along with their default point values. You can change the point values and choose which events to include.
Positive Events (+1 point each by default)
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| Birdie or better | Score at or below one under par on a hole |
| Birdie | Score exactly one under par on a hole |
| Eagle or better | Score at or below two under par on a hole |
| Hole in one | Hole out in a single stroke |
| Par or better | Score at or below par on a hole |
| Par | Score exactly par on a hole |
| Greenie (GIR) | Hit the green in regulation |
| Sandie | Get up and down from a bunker for par or better |
| Chippie | Chip in from off the green |
| Barkie | Make par or better after hitting a tree |
| One-putt | Hole out in a single putt |
| Par scramble | Miss the green in regulation but still make par |
| Closest to the pin | Closest to the pin in regulation on par 3s (or any hole) |
| Longest drive | Hit the longest drive on the hole |
| Lowest score | Have the lowest score on the hole |
Negative Events (−1 point each by default)
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| Three-putt | Take 3 putts to hole out |
| Four-putt | Take 4 putts to hole out |
| Bogey | Score one over par |
| Double bogey | Score two over par |
| Triple bogey | Score three over par |
| Quadruple bogey | Score four over par |
| Quintuple bogey | Score five over par |
Customizing Events
Squabbit gives you full control over your Dots game. When setting up the game, you can:
- Choose which events to include — add or remove any of the built-in events.
- Set custom point values — make an eagle worth 3 points, a three-putt worth −2, or whatever your group prefers.
- Add custom events — create your own events with any name and point value (e.g., “water ball” for −1 or “longest putt” for +2).
- Enable handicaps — when turned on, scores relative to par (birdie, bogey, etc.) are calculated using each player’s net score, leveling the field for mixed-skill groups.
Advanced Options
- Points cancel out — on each hole, the second-highest point total is subtracted from everyone’s points. Only the player who earned the most walks away with points on that hole.
- Multiply by hole number — points on hole 1 are worth 1×, hole 2 are worth 2×, and so on up to 18×. This makes later holes dramatically more valuable.
- Umbriago — if one player wins every event on a single hole, their points for that hole are doubled. You can also set a minimum umbriago bonus to guarantee a meaningful reward.
Example Round
Three players are playing Dots with these events: Birdie (+1), Greenie (+1), Sandie (+1), Chippie (+1), Three-putt (−1).
This continues for all 18 holes. At the end of the round, the player with the highest point total wins.
Team Dots (Scotch)
Want to play Dots as a team game? In Squabbit, the team version is called Scotch (also known as Umbriago). It works the same way — teams earn points for hole events — but with team-specific events added to the mix.
Scotch is played with teams of 2–4 players (default is 2). In addition to all the individual events, Scotch adds team events that compare the two teams on each hole:
| Team Event | Description |
|---|---|
| High ball | The highest scores from each team are compared — the team with the lower “high ball” wins |
| Low combined | Each team’s scores are added together — the lowest team total wins |
| Fewest combined putts | Each team’s putts are added together — the fewest team putts wins |
Individual events (birdies, sandies, etc.) still apply to each player and count toward their team’s total. The team with the most combined points wins.
Setting Up in Squabbit
To create a Dots game in Squabbit:
- Create a new game.
- Under format, choose Dots/Trash for individual play, or Scotch/Umbriago for team play.
- Add the events you want to track. Squabbit provides all the common events as presets — just tap to add them.
- Adjust point values if your group uses different amounts.
- Optionally enable advanced options like umbriago, multiply by hole number, or points cancel out.
- Add players and start the round.
During the round, Squabbit automatically tracks score-based events (birdies, bogeys, three-putts, etc.) based on the scores entered. For manual events like closest to the pin, longest drive, barkies, and custom events, you toggle who earned them on the scoring screen.