The Three Little Pigs golf game is a scoring format where you throw out your three worst holes and count the 15 that are left.
You play a normal stroke-play round, find the three ugliest numbers on your card at the end, and erase them. Lowest 15-hole total wins.
It’s the most forgiving game in golf, which is exactly why it travels so well in a group where the handicaps are all over the place.
GAMES THAT LET A BAD HOLE SLIDE
If the meltdown-hole insurance is the appeal, run these next:
- Draft 18 — You pick the holes that count instead of tossing the ones that don’t. Same idea, flipped.
- Three Blind Mice — Same family, opposite control: three holes are drawn at random instead of you picking your worst.
- Or flip through our Golf Betting Games — 27+ formats for when you want a few bucks on the line.
Game Setup
Three Little Pigs has basically no setup, which is part of the appeal.
Every player keeps an honest, hole-by-hole stroke-play score across all 18 holes. That’s the only hard requirement. No teams to draw, no order of play to manage, no points to track while you play.
Number of Players
Player count is wide open. One golfer can use it to soften a solo round, a twosome can run it head-to-head, and a foursome can play it for money.
Handicaps
Handicap is where you set the game’s personality. The default and most common version is gross: raw scores, no strokes given, three worst holes tossed.
For a group with a wide spread in ability, switch to net. Apply each player’s course handicap hole-by-hole, then throw out the three worst gross holes from the net total.
Not sure where you stand? Run your number through our free golf handicap calculator, and if you want to see exactly how your handicap is calculated, we broke the whole formula down.
Let’s break down the mechanics and scoring.
How to Play the Three Little Pigs Golf Game
Play the round straight up. No special rules apply from hole to hole like many other formats. You’re just playing stroke play and writing down every number, the good ones and the wreckage.
- Track your full 18-hole round.
- Find your three highest individual hole scores. Those are your pigs.
- Subtract the pigs. The total of your remaining 15 holes is your Three Little Pigs score.
The lowest 15-hole total wins. In team play, the team runs the same math on its team scores.
Here’s a quick example: Say you shoot 93, with an 8, a 7, and a 6 on your three roughest holes. Those add up to 21. Take 21 off your 93 and your Three Little Pigs score is 72. The 95-shooter beside you who made two 8s and a 9 drops 25 and posts a 70. He just beat you by erasing a worse meltdown than yours.
Settle ties before you tee off. The cleanest method is a card playoff: compare the counting holes on the back nine, then the back six, then the back three, lowest total wins. Penalty strokes count like any other format, but an out-of-bounds tee shot makes that hole a stronger candidate to become a pig.
There are a few variants of Three Little Pigs worth knowing.
Three Little Pigs Variations
Three Blind Mice. Instead of dropping your three worst holes, you draw three hole numbers at random after the round and throw those out. Same energy, completely different game.
Net Three Little Pigs. Apply each player’s course handicap hole-by-hole, then drop the three worst net holes from the net total.
Team Three Little Pigs. Layer the toss-your-worst rule on top of any team format, like a scramble, a best-ball, or an aggregate game. The team plays its format as normal, then erases its three worst team holes at the end.
Lemon Drop. A close cousin that fixes the par-5 problem. Instead of any three holes, you throw out your single worst par 3, worst par 4, and worst par 5. That stops a player from quietly dumping three par 5s and keeps the dropped holes balanced.
Let’s cover a few things groups always ask before the first round.
Frequently Asked Questions
These questions come up often when first playing the Three Little Pigs.
Decide before you tee off. The standard fix is a card playoff, also called matching cards: compare the counting holes on the back nine, then the back six, then the back three, lowest total wins. If you’d rather keep it simple, split the pot or call it a wash.
Yes, but drop fewer pigs. Tossing three holes out of nine barely leaves a game, so most groups throw out one (call it One Little Pig) or two. Match the number of dropped holes to the length of the round so the result still means something.
The gross version isn’t built for the low handicapper, and that’s the point. It hands the edge to streaky players who blow up a few holes and par the rest. If your group has a real range of ability and you want it even, play the net version with full course handicaps.
No. It’s a game-day scoring twist, not an official format. You still post your full, actual round for handicap purposes, with the usual per-hole maximum the handicap system applies. The dropped holes only exist inside the bet.
Let’s wrap this up…
Final Thoughts
Three Little Pigs is the great equalizer of the weekend group. Nobody is out of the game by the 5th hole, the high-handicapper has a real chance, and the snowman you made on the par 5 just quietly disappears. Run it gross with your regular crew, or net when the new guy with the shiny clubs shows up.
Tee it up Saturday and toss your three worst. Keep the round you meant to play.
