Love ‘Em and Hate ‘Em is a game that requires a lot of course knowledge and a little luck. This is best played when all players in the group are familiar with the course and can be the main bet or the side bet. It is up to the group if handicaps can be allocated.
Players chose three holes, a par-3, 4, and 5 that will not count towards their total score and select the three holes that will replace them, essentially counting the score on those holes twice.
For example, if a player decides he “hates” the second hole, a shorter par-3 over water and wants to count the 12th hole, which is a 200-yard par-3 that he gets a handicap stroke on, his score on hole 2 doesn’t matter for this bet, but his score on No. 12 will count twice. If he were to birdie (2) the second hole and make bogey-net-par (4/3) on the 12th, his score for those two holes would be net even par even though his typical net score would have been 1-under par.
The practice is repeated to select and replace a score on a par-4 hole and a par-5 hole.
Players must commit to the holes before the start of the round and it is best to make a separate card for the bet and “X” out each of the players hated holes.
The strategy comes into play when the holes difficulty, stroke allocation and how a player generally scores on the hole are taken into consideration. However, no two rounds are the same, and the unpredictability and pressure to play a selected hole can change the game and the players’ mental state.
The wager is usually placed on the total net score, with the lowest score taking the pot. There is also a side wager that can be played with this game; the player with the lowest total for the selected 3 holes — gross or net depending on group preference — wins an amount set aside at the beginning of the round.
Enjoy the anticipation and pressure “Love ‘Em and Hate ‘Em” brings to your normal round with the usual suspects. We guarantee you can expect unusual results and a great time and even a lower score if played correctly.
