Greenies Golf Game Rules

Greenies is the classic par-3 side bet: step onto the tee, stick it on the green, then close it out with par. Hit the green off the tee and make par or better — that's a greenie in the bank.

The setup

1. Agree on a stake per greenie before the round — a buck a greenie is the traditional starting point.
2. Greenies live on the par 3s only. On a standard 18-hole layout that's usually four holes in play.
3. Everyone plays it; greenies aren't exclusive, so on any par 3 more than one player can bank one.

How to win a greenie

There are two conditions, and you need both on the same par 3:

1. Hit the green with your tee shot. Your ball has to find the putting surface on the swing off the tee — not after a chip, not after a recovery.
2. Make par or better. Get up and down for par (or sink it for birdie or an ace) and the greenie is yours. Three-putt for bogey and you lose it, green or not.

How it plays

1. On each par 3, mark who hit the green off the tee.
2. Finish the hole and post your score. The greenie only counts if your par-3 score is at or under par.
3. Meet both conditions and you've banked one greenie — worth one stake. Tally them up as you go.
4. There's no carryover: every par 3 stands on its own, win or lose.

The payouts

A worked example

Four players, $1 a greenie, on a course with four par 3s. By the end of the round:

• Amy banked 3 greenies — pure iron play.
• Ben banked 1.
• Cole banked 1.
• Dee banked 0 — hit two greens but bogeyed both.

Settlement runs everyone against everyone. Amy is +2 on Ben, +2 on Cole, and +3 on Dee, so she collects $7. Dee, with zero, pays Amy $3, Ben $1, and Cole $1 — down $5 on the round. The difference in greenie counts is all that matters, and at $1 a pop it adds up fast over four par 3s.

Strategy

Greenies reward two-club discipline. The temptation on a par 3 is to fire at every pin, but the green is the only target that matters off the tee — a fat part of the putting surface beats a tucked flag every time. And remember the second half of the bet: hitting the green is worthless if you three-putt. Lag it close, two-putt for par, bank the greenie. Aggressive players will chase birdies; steady players just keep finding greens and collecting.

Who Greenies is for

Perfect for groups who want a low-stakes, all-skill-levels game that adds a jolt of tension to every par 3 without any complicated bookkeeping during the round. It runs beautifully alongside Skins, Wolf, or Banker, giving short-game specialists a way to win money even on a tough day with the driver.

Keeping the books straight

Greenies sounds simple until the round's over and you're trying to remember who stuck the 7th green back on hole four — and then settle every player against every other player on the difference in greenie counts. SideAction Saloon flags each par 3, tracks who hit the green and who made par, tallies the greenies live, and ends the round with one screen: who owes who. It tracks it all automatically, so you can just play.