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Game Format

Wolf Golf Game

Also known as: Ship, Captain and Crew

Wolf is a strategic individual golf game where players take turns being the “Wolf” on each hole. After watching the other players’ tee shots, the Wolf decides whether to pick a partner or go it alone against the rest of the group. With higher-risk options like Lone Wolf and Blind Wolf, every hole becomes a gamble between playing it safe and swinging for big points.

At a Glance

Type
Individual game
Players
3–6 (ideally 4)
Scoring
Points per hole (best ball within each team)
Handicaps
Off by default; supports Net Score and Compare With Lowest
Wins
Most total points

The Rules
  1. Before the round, establish a teeing order. The role of Wolf rotates through this order each hole.
  2. On each hole, the Wolf tees off last and watches the other players hit their drives first.
  3. After seeing the drives, the Wolf has a choice: pick one player as a partner or go alone as the Lone Wolf.
  4. If the Wolf picks a partner, it becomes a 2 vs 2 best ball match for the hole (or 1 vs 2 in a 3-player game).
  5. If the Wolf goes alone, it becomes a 1 vs 3 best ball match (the Lone Wolf against everyone else).
  6. Each side uses the lowest individual score among its players for the hole. The side with the lower best ball score wins.
  7. Points are awarded to the winning side based on the scenario (see point system below). Ties award zero points.
  8. The player with the most total points at the end of the round wins.
Rotation: In a standard 4-player game, the Wolf role cycles every 4 holes. Player A is Wolf on holes 1, 5, 9, 13, and 17. Player B on holes 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 — and so on. With 18 holes divided among 4 players, each player is the Wolf either 4 or 5 times.

How the Wolf Chooses

The Wolf’s decision is the heart of the game. After the other players have hit their tee shots, the Wolf evaluates the drives and decides:

Pick a partner (Wolf Team)

The Wolf selects the player whose drive looks most promising. That player becomes the Wolf’s partner, and together they play a 2 vs 2 best ball match against the remaining players. The stakes are moderate — the winning team earns 2 points each (by default), but the losing team risks giving 3 points to each opponent.

Go alone (Lone Wolf)

If none of the drives impress the Wolf — or if the Wolf is feeling confident — they can go solo. This creates a 1 vs 3 best ball match. The reward is bigger: the Lone Wolf earns 4 points for winning. But the risk is real — if any single opponent beats the Lone Wolf’s score, each opponent earns 1 point.

Strategy tip: Going Lone Wolf is most attractive when you’re on a hole that suits your game and the other players’ drives are mediocre. The 4-point payout is double the team win, making it a strong play when you’re confident.

Point System

Points are awarded only to the winning side. If the hole is tied, no one earns points. The default point values in Squabbit are:

Scenario Winner Points per player
Wolf picks a partner Wolf team wins 2 (to Wolf + partner)
Wolf picks a partner Opponents win 3 (to each opponent)
Lone Wolf (1 vs 3) Lone Wolf wins 4 (to the Lone Wolf)
Lone Wolf (1 vs 3) Opponents win 1 (to each opponent)
Blind Wolf (1 vs 3) Blind Wolf wins 8 (to the Blind Wolf)
Blind Wolf (1 vs 3) Opponents win 1 (to each opponent)
Fully customizable: All point values can be adjusted in Squabbit’s game settings. Want to raise the stakes on Lone Wolf or lower the Blind Wolf payout? Change them to whatever your group prefers.

Blind Wolf Variant

Blind Wolf is the highest-risk, highest-reward option in the game. It works just like Lone Wolf — the Wolf plays 1 vs 3 — but with one critical difference: the Wolf must declare Blind Wolf before anyone hits their tee shot.

Because the Wolf is committing to go alone without any information about how the other players will drive, the default payout is a massive 8 points — four times the standard team win and double the Lone Wolf payout.

If the Blind Wolf loses, each opponent still only earns 1 point, so the downside is the same as a regular Lone Wolf loss. This makes Blind Wolf an exciting gamble on holes where the Wolf feels they have a strong advantage.

Example Hole

Four players — Alice, Bob, Carol, and Dave — are playing hole 5. It’s Alice’s turn to be the Wolf.

Hole 5 — Par 4
1. Bob, Carol, and Dave tee off first. Bob stripes it down the middle, Carol pushes it right into the rough, and Dave hits a decent drive.
2. Alice (the Wolf) tees off last and hits a good drive. She likes Bob’s position and picks him as her partner.
3. It’s now Alice + Bob vs Carol + Dave in a best ball match for the hole. Everyone plays out their own ball.
4. Alice makes par (4), Bob makes birdie (3), Carol makes bogey (5), Dave makes par (4).
5. Wolf team’s best ball: 3 (Bob). Opponents’ best ball: 4 (Dave). The Wolf team wins.
Alice and Bob each earn 2 points. Carol and Dave earn 0.

Now imagine Alice had gone Lone Wolf instead. She makes par (4), but Dave also makes par (4) — it’s a tie. No one earns any points. The Lone Wolf gamble only pays off when you actually beat every opponent’s best score.

Setting Up in Squabbit

To create a Wolf game in Squabbit:

  1. Create a new game and select Wolf as the format.
  2. Add 3–6 players (4 is the default and most common).
  3. Optionally adjust the point values for each scenario (Wolf team win, Lone Wolf win, Blind Wolf win, and opponent wins).
  4. Optionally enable handicaps if your group has mixed skill levels. Wolf supports Net Score and Compare With Lowest handicap modes.

During the round, the Wolf role is tracked on the scorecard with abbreviations: W (Wolf), WP (Wolf’s partner), LW (Lone Wolf), and BW (Blind Wolf). On each hole, select the Wolf’s choice and enter everyone’s individual scores — Squabbit calculates the points automatically.

Tip: Wolf works great as a side game alongside a standard stroke play round. Add it as an additional game format so you can track both at the same time.