Hammer
Every hole is a match, and when either side throws the hammer to double it, the other side takes the double or gives up the hole.
How it works
One against one, or two against two with best ball. Every hole is a match of its own, worth 1 point.
Either side may throw the hammer on a hole, and the other side accepts, which doubles the hole, or declines and gives the throwing side the hole at the value before. After that only the side that accepted the last hammer may throw the next.
The lower score wins the hole, and equal scores halve it, with nothing carried. Most points wins, and equal points are halved.
Good to know
- The host sets the most hammers accepted on a hole, 1 to 3, and 3 is the default, so a hole is worth 8 at most. A hammer is taken until anyone has a score, a pickup or a concession on the hole.
- A side with no score loses the hole at its value.
A worked round
Two against two, best net ball, each hole worth 1 point and doubled by each hammer accepted, up to three hammers a hole. The lowest handicap plays off zero, and the others get 90% of the difference between their handicap and the lowest.
The momentTeam B won 11, doubled twice to 4 points, to draw level at 6. Team A won the next three holes, then threw the hammer on 15 and Team B declined, giving up the hole, so Team A won 10 to 6.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Kasper | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jordan | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team A | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sam | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ike | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team B | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Worth | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | |
| Kasper | ||||||||||
| Jordan | ||||||||||
| Team A | ||||||||||
| Sam | ||||||||||
| Ike | ||||||||||
| Team B | ||||||||||
| Worth | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Kasper | ||||||||||
| Jordan | ||||||||||
| Team A | 10 | |||||||||
| Sam | ||||||||||
| Ike | ||||||||||
| Team B | 6 | |||||||||
| Worth | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hole | Par | Kasper | Jordan | Team A | Sam | Ike | Team B | Worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 4 | 1 | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| 4 | 5 | 2 | ||||||
| 5 | 4 | 1 | ||||||
| 6 | 3 | 2 | ||||||
| 7 | 4 | 1 | ||||||
| 8 | 5 | 1 | ||||||
| 9 | 4 | 1 | ||||||
| 10 | 4 | 1 | ||||||
| 11 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| 12 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| 13 | 5 | 1 | ||||||
| 14 | 4 | 1 | ||||||
| 15 | 4 | 1 | ||||||
| 16 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| 17 | 4 | 1 | ||||||
| 18 | 5 | 1 | ||||||
| Points | 10 | 6 |
- KM
- Kasper
- JB
- Jordan
- A
- Team A
- SP
- Sam
- ID
- Ike
- B
- Team B
- Wo
- Worth
Net scores, each player's handicap strokes already off. A circle marks a birdie and a square a bogey. The Team rows are each team's better score, and a dot marks the team that took the hole. The Worth row is each hole's points after any hammers accepted. On 15 Team B declined Team A's hammer, so Team A took the hole at 1.
Handicaps
One against one plays off the full difference between handicaps, and two against two is four-ball at 90% off the lowest of the four. Scores are net, or gross if the host sets it.
Why that number? Each format has its own usual handicap allowance, set so a 20 and a 5 both have a fair shot.