Golf Games Explained is exactly what it sounds like. You want to mix it up and try something new for once? Well, someone has to do the thankless work of playing different golf formats and telling you if it’s worth it. You can thank me later.

Any time you talk to another golfer who has played alternate shot, at least in my experience, it’s always a glowing review of the format. “It was so intense!” “I loved the pressure!” “You really feel like your playing for somebody else!” All of those things are true.

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And yet, nobody ever wants to actually play alternate shot in a casual round. For many in the United States, it’s a once- or twice-a-year occurrence, tops. It’s a shame, really, because few formats can replicate the pressure of needing to come through for a teammate.

I get it—getting players in your group to forgo playing their own ball and possibly only playing half the shots they normally would is a tough sell. A good compromise next time your trying to change up the format is to play a Pinehurst.

Here’s how to play.

Number of players required: You could play for fun with just two, but for a competitive match you’ll need four.

Best for: Golfers who like playing as a team. Groups that want every player’s shots to matter. Players prepping for a tournament that will be using the Pinehurst format.

How to play: Some folks confuse Pinehurst with modified alternate shot. Technically, it is a modified version of alternate shot, but the actual modified alternate shot format is where both players hit tee shots and then you choose the best tee shot of the two and alternate in from there.

Pinehurst slightly tweaks that format by having both players hit their tee shots, then having those teammates hit each other’s tee shots, not their own, and then selecting the best option and alternating from there. On a par 5, it would look like this:

• Player A and Player B both hit tee shots
• Player A then hits Player B’s ball for their second shot. Player B hits Player A’s ball for their second shot
• Player A and Player B then choose the best option. If they select Player A’s second shot, Player B would then play the third shot and they would alternate from there

If this format is being used in competition, the general rule on par 3s is that both players hit tee shots and then you choose the better option of the two and alternate from there. Handicaps can obviously be applied in stroke play or match play in the Pinehurst format, though usually not the full allowance of strokes.

If you have any golf games or variations of golf games we haven’t covered and you’d like to explain, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter/X @Cpowers14.

MORE GOLF GAMES EXPLAINED

How to play ‘Wolf’: A simple guide to one of golf’s most fun strategic betting games

How to play ‘Vegas’: A basic guide to a golf betting game where every shot counts

How to play ‘Skins’: A basic guide to one of golf’s best money games

What is ‘Swat’? How to play one of golf’s most fun betting games

How to play ‘Snake’: A basic guide to golf’s most toxic putting game

How to play ‘Wad’: The golf gambling game that rewards making putts

How to play ‘5-3-1’: A guide to the perfect game for when your fourth inevitably bails

How to play ‘Umbrella’: A guide to golf’s ultimate ‘side-action’ game

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com