My golf and travel buddy Ed introduced our group to this game during a trip to Tucson.

Its a simple game that focuses on getting up and down.  Before the round agree on a Murphy dollar value.

To win a Murphy you declare that you can get up and down in two strokes from anywhere around the green.  If you do, you collect the agreed upon amount from your playing partners.  If you don’t, you pay them.  Yikes!  This can add up fast.

Its really exciting when your approach shot ends up on the apron where you can putt it.  There is always a collective groan from the other guys when this happens.  Lots of accusations that “you tried to do that!”  Some players like to limit this.  I must say though, I have won a fair amount of money from guys who thought they could putt off the apron and get down in two!

VARIATIONS

• Some competitors like to declare that only certain services qualify for a Murphy.  Apron? Fringe? Rough? Sand?  Depending on your groups skill level, you might want to make balls on the apron ineligible.
• You can limit the number of times you can declare a Murphy.  Such as not allowing a player to declare on two consecutive holes.
• Or you can have the option to accept or reject a called Murphy – either all the time or have like 2 rejections in your pocket.

When Ed told us about the game I had never heard of it before.  But apparently its been around for a long time.  CLICK HERE for a Golf Magazine full description and history.