Wolf Golf Game: Rules for 4 Players
Wolf — “Le Loup” in France — is the classic alliance game for a fourball: on every hole, one player takes the role of the Wolf, tees off first, then watches the other players' tee shots. After each tee shot, the Wolf has a decision to make: team up with that player for a 2 vs 2… or wait for the next one, with no going back. Pick nobody, and the Wolf plays the hole alone against everyone — and the points go up. Every hole is played on best ball: the best score of each side counts, and the winner is the player with the most points, not the one who wins the most holes. Psychology, bluff, risk-taking: no game format sparks more debate between the green and the next tee.
▶ The rule in 60 seconds, in French with English subtitles — the Game of Swing channel
How to play Wolf, hole by hole
- Decide who is the Wolf on the hole. The role changes on every hole, following the tee order in rotation, so that everyone is the Wolf the same number of times: once over 6 holes, twice over 9, four times over 18. The Wolf tees off first.
- The last holes drop out of the rotation. Since 6, 9 and 18 are not divisible by 4, there are always one or two holes left after a full rotation — holes 5 and 6 over 6 holes, hole 9 over 9 holes, holes 17 and 18 over 18. On those holes, the Wolf is the player with the fewest points: their chance to come back. Points tied → draw lots.
- The other 3 tee off, one at a time. After each tee shot, the Wolf can pick that player as a partner — but once a player is passed over, the Wolf cannot go back to them.
- Alliance 🤝 or Lone Wolf 🐺. Partner picked → the hole is played 2 vs 2. No partner after the last tee shot → the Wolf plays alone against the other three. And if the Wolf announces before anyone tees off that they will play alone, that's the Blind Wolf 🙈 — the ultimate challenge (see below).
- Compare on best ball. On each side, only the best score counts. The side with the better ball wins the hole.
- Award the points from the scale (below), then move on to the next hole with a new Wolf. Most points at the end wins.
The points scale
| Situation | Wolf's side wins | Wolf's side loses |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance 🤝 (2 vs 2) | Wolf +2 · Partner +2 | Each opponent +1 |
| Lone Wolf 🐺 (1 vs 3) | Wolf +3 | Each opponent +1 |
| Blind Wolf 🙈 (1 vs 3, announced before the tee shots) | Wolf +4 | Each opponent +2 |
| Tie | 0 points for everyone | |
Wolf is a game among friends, not a competition format with an official rulebook: you will find other point values from one club or group to the next. The scale above is the one used in the Game of Swing app — agree on yours before the first tee.
Hole 9: Marc is the Wolf and tees off first. Julie hits her tee shot down the middle of the fairway → Marc picks her straight away. Best ball: the Marc-Julie side's best score is 4, the Paul-Léa side's is 5 → the alliance wins: Marc +2, Julie +2. On hole 10, Julie is the Wolf, goes Lone Wolf… and loses the best ball: Marc, Paul and Léa score +1 each.
The Blind Wolf: the ultimate challenge
A variant for (very) confident players: the Wolf announces before anyone tees off — without having seen a single shot — that they will play alone against the other three. Win: +4 points, the most you can score on a hole. Lose: each opponent scores +2 points, the heaviest penalty. One to try on a hole that suits your game perfectly… or on the 17th, when you have nothing left to lose.
3 strategy tips
- Don't pick too fast. A good tee shot from the first opponent is tempting, but if a stronger golfer has yet to tee off, waiting can pay off — that is the whole dilemma of the game. And don't partner the leader if you want to catch them: you both score +2, so the gap between you does not move by a single point.
- Going alone is the trailing player's choice — not the profitable one. A successful Lone Wolf earns +3 against +2 for a winning alliance, but it succeeds far less often: on average, the alliance pays more, because two balls are better than one. You go alone for another reason: it is the only move that gains ground on all three opponents at once, and a +2 alliance cannot close a 3-point gap. When you are ahead, team up; when you are behind, take the risk.
- Think about the scale before turning down a partner. Going from 2 to 3 potential points also means going from “a partner can save me” to “nobody will save me”. Best ball forgives a lot… if you have a partner.
Frequently asked questions
How does the Wolf pick a partner?
The Wolf tees off first, then watches the other tee shots one at a time. After each shot, the Wolf can pick that player as a partner — once a player is passed over, there is no going back. Nobody picked after the last tee shot? The Wolf plays the hole as a Lone Wolf.
Who is the Wolf on the last holes?
The role first rotates so that everyone is the Wolf the same number of times: once over 6 holes, twice over 9 holes, four times over 18 holes. Since 6, 9 and 18 are not divisible by 4, one or two holes are left at the end — holes 5 and 6, hole 9, or holes 17 and 18. On those holes, the Wolf is the player with the fewest points: their chance to climb back up the leaderboard. If points are tied, the Wolf is drawn at random.
How many points is each outcome worth?
Alliance wins: +2 for the Wolf and +2 for the partner; loses: +1 per opponent. Lone Wolf wins: +3; loses: +1 per opponent. Blind Wolf wins: +4; loses: +2 per opponent. Tie: 0 for everyone. Other groups play with other values — this is the app's scale.
What is the Blind Wolf?
The ultimate challenge: announcing before anyone tees off that you will play alone against the other three. +4 points if you win, +2 points for each opponent if you lose.
Who wins a game of Wolf?
The player with the most points at the end of the round — not the one who won the most holes. Holes are compared on best ball: the best score of each side on the hole.
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 Wolf is in it, along with the 5 formats you can play for free in the app.
Download the free sample →PDF · 14 pages · direct download, no email needed · the complete guide covers all 41 formats
Play Wolf without arguing over the points
This is exactly the kind of game Game of Swing was built for — alliances, Lone Wolf, Blind Wolf: the scale is applied automatically and the leaderboard updates live. The Wolf 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.