Dots Golf Game: Rules of the Feats Game
Forget the scorecard: in Dots, you collect feats. Before playing, the group puts together its own catalogue from 15 possible feats — birdie, chip-in, sandy, greenie, Arnie, Albatross, Hole in One… — and ticks each one off, with its points, as soon as a player pulls it off during the round. The key thing to remember: the winner is the player with the most POINTS, not the one who has ticked the most dots. A single Hole in One (5 points) can therefore be worth more than five small 1-point feats collected by another player. The total score for the round disappears completely in favour of these moments of glory: a lucky chip-in in the middle of a bad hole becomes a moment in its own right, regardless of the rest of the card. The scale is fully editable, and no feat is ticked by default — it is up to the group to decide, before starting, what really counts that day.
How to play a game of Dots
- Before the round, tick the active feats from the catalogue and adjust the points if needed — no feat is ticked by default, you put together the catalogue for the round yourselves.
- Play normally. As soon as a player pulls off a feat — birdie, chip-in, sandy… — tick it for them, the moment it happens.
- Each feat earns its points for the player who has just pulled it off, whatever the score on the hole.
- At the end of the round, add up each player's points. The player with the most POINTS wins — never the one who has simply ticked the most dots.
Some of the best-known feats in the catalogue
| Feat | Definition | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 🐦 Birdie | One under par on the hole | 1 |
| 🕳️ Chip-in | Holed directly from off the green | 1 |
| ⛺ Sandy | Out of a bunker + holed in 2 strokes | 1 |
| 🎩 Arnie | Eagle, two under par on the hole | 2 |
| 🕊️ Albatross | Three under par on the hole | 4 |
| 🏌️ Hole in One | Hole in one stroke (par 3) | 5 |
Default points, editable in the set-up. The full catalogue has 15 feats, worth 1 to 5 points.
Hole 4, par 3: Camille makes a Hole in One (5 pts). Later in the round, she adds a birdie (1 pt): only 2 feats ticked, but 6 points. Julien, meanwhile, collects 5 small feats round the course — 3 fairways, 1 greenie, 1 nearest pin, all worth 1 point — so 5 feats for 5 points. Despite ticking half as many dots, Camille wins: 6 points to 5.
Why we love this game
Because any shot can become a moment of glory, even in the middle of a bad hole: a sandy that rescues a disaster, a Long Drive in the middle of a double bogey. The stroke total disappears, and all that is left are the feats — enough to give everyone a story for the clubhouse, even the player who handed in the worst card of the day.
Strategy tip
The 1-point feats are the real goldmine: fairways hit all the way round are often worth more than a single hole in one you hope for all round. Play for consistency — fairways, greenies — and keep an eye on the Bogey Free: 3 points that you earn by never cracking over the 18 holes.
Frequently asked questions
Who wins at Dots: the most dots or the most points?
The most points, not the most dots. Each ticked feat earns its own number of points (from 1 to 5), and it is the points total at the end of the round that decides the winner — a player can win with fewer feats ticked than someone else.
How do you choose the active feats before playing?
Before the round, the group ticks the feats it wants to activate from the catalogue and can adjust their points. No feat is ticked by default: it is up to the players to put together the catalogue for their own round.
Which are the best-known feats, and what are they worth?
The catalogue has 15 feats, worth 1 to 5 points by default: birdie, chip-in, sandy or greenie are worth 1 point, the Arnie (eagle) 2 points, the Albatross 4 points, and the Hole in One 5 points, the most in the catalogue.
Can the points for each feat be changed?
Yes, the scale is fully editable in the set-up: each group can adjust the points for every feat to suit its level or preferences, before starting the round.
Every format on a single page: step-by-step rules, a worked example, the points scale and a strategy tip — to read the night before a round or to print. The free sample covers 10 formats, including the 5 you can play for free in the app; Dots / Feats is in the complete guide.
Download the free sample →PDF · 14 pages · direct download, no email needed · the complete guide covers all 41 formats
Any shot can become a feat
Tick the feat you pulled off: the Game of Swing app includes the catalogue of 15 feats, adds up the points and shows the leaderboard live. Dots / Feats is waiting in the catalogue of 41 formats — with 5 free games to get you started.
Try the app for free → 5 free games, no account required — on your phone and computerGot a game in mind? A house variant to share? The app grows with every update — send us your idea, the best ones join the catalogue.