Game Format

Lone Ranger Golf Game

Also known as: Money Ball, Pink Ball, Yellow Ball

The Lone Ranger is a team golf game where one designated player on each hole — the Lone Ranger — carries extra weight for the team. The team’s hole score is the Lone Ranger’s score combined with the best score from the remaining players. The Lone Ranger rotates every hole so the pressure is shared equally across the round.

At a Glance

Type: Team game
Team size: 3–4 players (default 4)
Scoring: Stroke play or Stableford
Handicaps: Off by default
Wins: Lowest combined team score

The Rules

Each player on the team plays their own ball on every hole.
On each hole, one player is designated as the Lone Ranger.
The team’s hole score is the Lone Ranger’s score plus the best score from the remaining players on the team.
The Lone Ranger rotates to the next player on every hole, so each team member takes turns in the role.
The team with the lowest combined score across all holes wins.

Why “Money Ball” or “Pink Ball”? In many groups, the Lone Ranger plays a distinctively colored ball — often pink or yellow — that gets passed to the next player each hole. That ball is the “money ball” because it always counts toward the team score.

How the Rotation Works

The Lone Ranger assignment automatically rotates through the team in order. With a 4-player team, each player is the Lone Ranger on every fourth hole. Here is how a typical rotation looks:

Hole	Lone Ranger
1, 5, 9, 13, 17	Player A
2, 6, 10, 14, 18	Player B
3, 7, 11, 15	Player C
4, 8, 12, 16	Player D

With a 3-player team, each player is the Lone Ranger on every third hole, giving each player 6 turns over 18 holes.

Tip: In Squabbit, you can manually override the Lone Ranger assignment on any hole if your group wants to change the order mid-round.

Example Hole

A four-person team is playing a par 4. Player A is the Lone Ranger on this hole:

Hole 1 — Par 4

LR Player A (Lone Ranger) scores a 5 (bogey)

Player B scores a 4 (par)

Player C scores a 6 (double bogey)

Player D scores a 3 (birdie) — best of the remaining players

Team score: 5 + 3 = 8 (Lone Ranger + best remaining)

On the next hole, Player B becomes the Lone Ranger, and their score is paired with the best of A, C, and D.

Hole 2 — Par 3

LR Player B (Lone Ranger) scores a 3 (par)

Player A scores a 4 (bogey)

Player C scores a 3 (par) — best of the remaining players

Player D scores a 5 (double bogey)

Team score: 3 + 3 = 6 (Lone Ranger + best remaining)

The team’s running total after two holes is 8 + 6 = 14.

Scoring Options

Stroke Play (default)

Each player’s raw stroke count is used. The Lone Ranger’s strokes plus the best remaining player’s strokes make up the team hole score. The team with the lowest total across all 18 holes wins.

Stableford

Instead of counting strokes, each player earns Stableford points on every hole based on their score relative to par. The Lone Ranger’s points plus the best remaining player’s points make up the team hole score. The team with the highest total points wins.

Handicaps

Handicaps are off by default but can be enabled in the game settings. When handicaps are on, each player’s net score is used for the Lone Ranger and best-remaining calculations. This helps level the playing field when team members have different skill levels.

Setting Up in Squabbit

To create a Lone Ranger game in Squabbit:

Create a new tournament or casual game.
Under format, choose Lone Ranger.
Set your team size (3 or 4 players per team).
Optionally change the scoring type from Stroke Play to Stableford.
Optionally enable handicaps in the game settings.
Add players and assign them to teams.

During the round, each player enters their own score on every hole. Squabbit automatically determines who the Lone Ranger is on each hole and calculates the team score. The Lone Ranger is shown with an “LR” label on the scorecard so everyone knows whose score carries the extra weight.

Note: Squabbit automatically rotates the Lone Ranger through the team in order, starting with the first player on hole 1. You can also manually assign the Lone Ranger on any hole if you want to customize the rotation.