One ball, four players, zero forgiveness. The yellow ball's score always counts — and whoever's holding it when it drowns will hear about it for years. Aka Lone Ranger, Pink Ball, or Money Ball.
Each hole one player carries the yellow ball, and whatever they shoot goes on the team card no matter what. It rotates, so everybody takes their turn under the spotlight. Lose the ball and your team is out of the yellow-ball prize, though it plays on in the team competition.
Yellow ball is the outing format that manufactures pressure out of thin air. Each team of three or four gets one distinctive ball that rotates through the lineup in strict order — you take it on your hole whether it's a friendly par 5 or the all-carry island green. On every hole the team records the yellow ball's score plus the best ball of the other three. And here's the hook: lose the yellow ball and your team is out of the yellow-ball prize entirely. Suddenly a routine 150-yard approach over water, hit with a ball you don't own, in a color you can't replace, is the hardest shot of the year. Also sold as Lone Ranger, Pink Ball, Money Ball, or Devil Ball.
Worked example. Hole 7, the pond hole, and it's Jo's turn with the yellow ball. Jo — a 20-handicap getting a stroke here — bails out right, chips on, two-putts for a net 5. Alex birdies for the best ball 3. Team score: 8, yellow ball intact, high-fives all around. The other team's scratch player flew the green with theirs; their yellow ball is at the bottom of the pond and their side-pot hopes with it.
Elimination vs. penalty. The classic rule is brutal: lost ball, dead team (for the yellow-ball prize). The family-friendly rule charges two strokes and issues a replacement. Announce it in advance — this is the rule people argue about.
Survivor's pot. A common structure: every team antes into a yellow-ball pot; teams that finish 18 with the original ball split it. Some evenings nobody survives, and the pot rolls to next year's event.
Three-player teams. Works fine — rotation every third hole, score the yellow ball plus best of the other two.
Two yellow scores. A tougher variant counts the yellow ball plus two best balls, keeping more of the team engaged on every hole.
Related one-ball formats. Yellow ball is the money-game cousin of the scramble family; if your event wants shared shots instead of a shared ball, look at the shamble.
Yellow Ball is scored in Duck Hook Pro, for teams of three or four. The pro or organizer builds the teams, sets the order the yellow ball rotates in, and keeps the card there; Duck Hook Pro works out the team totals and the settle-up and shows them on a TV leaderboard. It isn’t in the free app yet.
See Duck Hook Pro Browse all 42 gamesIn the strict version, the team is eliminated from the yellow-ball prize the moment the ball is lost — though they usually keep playing the regular team competition. Softer versions charge a penalty (say, two strokes) and issue a replacement. The event's rule sheet decides.
Strict order, no exceptions: player 1 takes hole 1, player 2 hole 2, through the round (each player gets it every fourth hole). You can't shuffle the order to hide a struggling player from a water hole — that's the whole point.
Yes — Lone Ranger, Pink Ball, Money Ball, and Devil Ball are all the same idea: one rotating designated ball whose score always counts. Some charity events sell the special balls as an extra fundraiser.
Most commonly the yellow ball's score plus the best ball of the remaining three players, combined per hole, usually net. Lowest 18-hole total wins. Some events also pay a separate prize to teams whose yellow ball survives all 18 holes.
Usually net: every player applies their strokes by stroke index, including on the yellow ball. That keeps the rotation fair when the 22-handicap draws the island green.
Same energy, different game. Everything below has a full rules guide of its own.
Duck Hook Golf