SIDE GAME · PAR 3s

Closest to Pin

One tee shot, one hole. Stick it tighter than everybody else on the par 3s and win it. Play it as a greenie and you still have to make par from there.

Any group sizePar 3s onlyGreeniesPer-hole amount

HOW IT WORKS

The oldest side game in golf, and the easiest to argue about.

On every marked par 3, whoever hits their tee shot closest to the flag wins the hole. Most groups play it as a greenie, which adds two conditions: the ball has to finish on the green, and you have to make par before it is actually yours. In GoLo’s Closest to Pin game those are the group’s rules to apply, and GoLo nets whoever the scorer marks as the winner. For greenies with par to win, its Skins game has a Greenie option.

  1. Mark the holes and the amount

    Usually all four par 3s, at $5 a head. Some groups mark one signature hole.

  2. Tee shots only

    Only the ball you hit from the tee counts. Reload and you are out of the running.

  3. Closest to the flag wins

    Nearest ball takes the hole. Greenie rules add that it has to be on the green.

  4. Then make your par

    Under greenie rules, a three-putt hands it to the next closest, or it carries. The group makes that call before the scorer marks a winner.

  5. GoLo settles the hole

    Record the winner on the hole and GoLo nets it into the settle-up with every other game. GoLo keeps the tally; it never holds money.

SETTLE THESE FIRST

Four questions, asked on the first tee — not the fourth green.

Every argument about a greenie traces back to one of these going unasked. Here’s what most groups land on.

Does it have to be on the green?Fringe at three feet against surface at twentyON THE GREEN
Do you have to make par?Whether closest still wins after a three-puttPAR TO WIN
How do you measure it?Eyeball, pace it, or use a rangefinderPACE IT OFF
Nobody claimed it — now what?The hole dies or rides to the next par 3CARRY IT

WATCH IT PLAY OUT

Four par 3s, $5 a greenie, one three-putt that handed over a $30 hole.

Four players, greenies on every par 3, par to win, and an unclaimed greenie carries to the next par 3. That’s how GoLo’s Greenie skins play. On the seventh Tom was inside everybody — and walked off with nothing.

  1. H3168 YDSYou — 11 ft 4 inOnly ball on the green, two-putt par+$15
  2. H7205 YDSNobodyTom was inside everyone, then three-puttedcarry
  3. H12142 YDSYou — 3 ft 2 inTap-in birdie, and hole 7’s carry came with it+$30
  4. H16190 YDSMike — 6 ft 8 inBeat you by four feet and made the putt−$5
You3 greenies+$40
Mike1 greenie$0
Tomclosest once, no par−$20
Davenever on in one−$20
NET · YOU’RE OWED
Four par-3 holes, netted
+$40

GREENIES & VARIATIONS

You don't have to stop at the par 3s.

A greenie is the classic, but the same game works anywhere there is a green and an argument about who is closest.

  • Greenies on every par 3

    Four separate greenies over 18 holes, one on each par 3.

  • Closest in two

    Run it on a par 5 and measure after everyone’s second shot.

  • Approach on a marked par 4

    Settle on approach shots instead of tee shots.

  • One for the whole round

    One amount for the round, and the tightest single shot wins it.

PLAY SMART

The greenie isn't yours until the putt drops.

Par-to-win separates this from a target contest. Four feet means nothing if you three-putt.

  • Play to the middle when the pin is tucked

    Thirty feet on the green beats hole-high in the sand every time.

  • Club up into the wind

    Short is where trouble lives on par 3s. Coming up light means no greenie and probably no par.

  • Treat the par putt like the game

    Under par-to-win, the four-footer is the one that counts.

TALK THE TALK

The terms you'll hear on the tee.

Greenie
Closest to the pin on a par 3, on in one, par or better to win.
On in one
Your tee shot finished on the putting surface.
Par to win
Closest gets nothing unless they finish in par or better.
Carry
An unclaimed greenie rolling to the next par 3.
Greenie stick
The pencil-and-peg marker used to log the current best distance.
Inside the leather
Old shorthand for a distance close enough to call even.

CLOSEST TO PIN, ANSWERED

Before you tee it up.

In most groups, yes. Agree it either way, but decide before the first par 3.

Only if your group plays it as a greenie, where par-to-win is the standard rule. In GoLo’s Closest to Pin game it’s the group’s call: the scorer marks whoever the group says won. Its Skins game has a Greenie option that pays only on par or better and carries an unclaimed greenie to the next par 3.

Eyeball obvious gaps, pace close ones, or use a rangefinder. The scorer marks the winner once everyone is on the green.

Split it or carry it to the next par 3.

Yes. Closest in two and marked approaches use the same rules.

Yes. The tightest tee shot across all par 3s takes it.

STACK IT WITH

Nobody plays this one on its own.

Closest to the pin is a garnish. Put a real game underneath it and let GoLo settle the whole plate.

Retire the pencil on the greenie stick.

Mark the par 3s, record each winner, and let GoLo net it into the settle-up.

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