Golf Rules, Games, Junk and Points

There are 20 GJA approved pieces of Junk for all to enjoy.  The 20 pieces of Junk can by divided into 5 categories by shared characteristics.  Understanding the categories will ensure the proper accounting for Junk during a game and avoid the mistake of double counting junk in certain circumstances.  The 5 categories are as follows: QUALITY OF APPROACH SHOOT Greenie Whammie JUNK BASED ON HOLING OUT Birdie Eagle Double Eagle Hole-in-One Nasty Polie JUNK BASED ON WHAT BALL STRIKES DURING PLAY Barkie Barney Ruble EXCEPTIONAL SHOT(S) FROM SELECT PLACES JUNK Sandie Hogan Seve Overys Stakies Sneekys (aka Sneeky Petes) DRIVER/TEE SHOT JUNK Longie Shorty Jan Brady Mario Andretti

If you call "progressive sandies" on the first tee, you better have a good sand game as you may be playing for 8, 9 ,10 pieces of junk for one high quality sand shot. Progress sandies means that the junk value of a sandy increases by 1 for the group with every sand opportunity that is missed by a player in the group.  You have to be in a bunker lying 2 or more less than par and not score par or better to have a sandy that is missed.  If there are 3 or 4 sandies that are missed, the pressure builds.  Progressive sandies were voted "Junk of the Year" for 2018.

The Aloha bet is a simple 'double-or-nothing' bet which can be placed on the tee box of the final hole of play.  Essentially, the side losing the match monetarily wages that if their side wins the final hole, the bet is squared.  If the team leading the match wins, the loses are double and net junk earned on the final hole is thereafter add or subtracted from the total. It is important to note that the Aloha must be accepted by the side leading the match.  It cannot be unilaterally imposed by the side losing the match.  The GJA discourages the use of the Aloha bet as it increases the luck factor already present in a game of golf.  In equity, the play of 17 holes should not be negated by the results of one.

Having an automatic press for the back 9 of a Nassau match is not uncommon.  However, from an equity standpoint, there is no real reason that the results of a back nine match should be worth more that the results of the front nine match.  As such the practice of an automatic press on the back 9 is discouraged.

Team Junk is earned by all members of a side when anyone of the members of the side earn the Junk.  For example, if one player on a 3 man side in Wolf earned a Greenie, and another player earned a Sandie, then each member of the side would be credited with 2 pieces of Junk, even the player on the side who did not have the Greenie or the Sandie. Essentially, Team Junk creates a situation in which unearned Junk is credited to a player.  On its face, this proposition seams inequitable.   In games like Wolf, however, where the teams are formed through the skill of partner selection, it is entirely appropriate to have Team Junk.  It would be wise for a player to take into consideration the potential for another player to earn Junk when evaluating partner selection in Wolf.  This would hold true for any type of game in which the sides were formed through some non-random partner selection. Conversely, if the sides are formed through a truly ra...

A point for "Nasty" Junk is earned when a player holes out from off the green for par or better.  Since the purpose of junk is to reward exceptional play, Nasty Junk, sometimes called simply a 'nasty', is a popular and preferred Junk. There has been some debate about whether a nasty can be earned when the player holes out from off the green with a putter.  Some players have argued that a nasty should only be awarded when a 'non-putter club' (NPC) is used to make the stroke.  To make this determination, we must revisit 2 of the Fundamental Rules of Junk. Our first task is to determine if the use of the putter would make the hole out so routine that it would no longer be an exceptional shot. This would not be the case as the hole could not be so close to the edge of the green to make any hole out probable, even for pros. Secondly, the Junk should not give such an incentive, on balance, that a player m...

This Junk has been deemed invalid by the GJA (Global Junk Authority)

Barney Rubble Junk is earned when a player's ball strikes a rock (or formation of rocks), cement, stone, or asphalt surface and the player completes the hole with a score of par or better.  Generally on 'dot' or one piece of junk is awarded per stroke even if the players ball hits more than one eligible surface within the same shot.  A variation on this junk is called the Soggy Barney Rubble.  A Soggy Barney occurs when the player's ball lands in water and hits a rock and the player finishes the hole with par or better.  A player is awarded 2 pieces of junk in such circumstances.

Bingo Bango Bongo Junk awards points throughout the round for three different accomplishments. At the end of the round, points are totaled and the differences are paid out. Bingo Bango Bongo is a points based game that can be played by any number of players and as a side game to Wolf or a Nassau . In Bingo Bango Bongo, three types of achievements are rewarded with a point. The first player in a group to get his ball on the green gets a point (bingo). The player in the group whose ball is closest to the pin once all balls are on the green gets a point (bango). And the player in the group who is first to hole out gets a point (bongo). Add up the points at the end of the game, high points wins. Bingo Bango Bongo gives weaker players a chance to earn points because what matters is being first at something. For example, all members of the group tee off on a par‑4. The player who hit the worst drive (farthest from the hole) plays first, and so has the first shot at winning the bing...

Mario Andretti Junk is earned when a player uses a Driver to make a stroke at the ball 2 or more times during the play of a hole.  Generally 1 point or 'dot' is attributed.  A variation includes adding an additional point for each time the the Driver is used in excess of 2 times.  As with all junk, the player must score a par or better on the hole to receive the reward.   www. marioandretti .com/

A "Sneaky" is junk earned when the player gets up and down to save par with a one put.  A "Nasty"  occurs when a player holes out from off the green for a par or better.

A Jaeger Birdie is defined as junk earned when a player drinks 1oz of Jaeger and, on the next subsequent hole that is played in its entirety, scores one under par.  A Jaeger Birdie counts as two points or two pieces of Junk as the "Jaeger Qualification" multiplies any junk score earned on the hole by a factor of two.  As such, if a player were to card a Jaeger Birdie, Jaeger Greenie, Jaeger Polie, he would earn 6 pieces of Junk on the hole.

A Seve is junk awarded when a player, playing a par 4 or 5, does not play from any fairway or bunker during the play of a hole and one putts for a par or better.

A point is awarded for a Hogan on a par 4 when the player's ball comes to rest on the fairway of the hole being played after the tee shot, then the player reaches the green in regulation with his second shot, and subsequently 2 putts for par. On a par 5, Hogan junk is awarded when the player's ball comes to rest on the fairway of the hole being played after the tee shot, then the player with his second shot plays again to the fairway of the hole being played, and then the player reaches the green in regulation with his second shot, and subsequently 2 putts for par.  These exact circumstances must occur for a Hogan to be awarded. His early years as a pro were very difficult, and Hogan went broke more than once. He did not win his first pro tournament as an individual until March 1940, when he won three consecutive tournaments in North Carolina . Although it took a decade to secure his first victory, Hogan's wife Valerie believed in him, and this helped see him throu...

Barkies are Junk that is awarded when the player's ball is in motion after a stroke and makes contact with any part of a tree that is fixed and/or growing, and the player subsequently scores a par or better on the hole.  One point is typically awarded.  A ball in motion that strikes a branch, leaves or twigs on the ground that are detached from a tree is not awarded a Barkie.  Attached leaves are considered a part of a tree, and count towards Barkies. 

Longies and Shorties Junk are awarded for the players with tee shots that come to rest, in the fairway, on the hole being played, and are either (i) closest to the flagstick of the hole being played (Longie), or (ii) furthest from the flagstick of the hole being played (Shortie).  As such, it is conceivable that the Longie could be awarded to the player who doesn't hit the longest drive, but due to direction of play on the hole, has a ball that comes to rest closer to the flagstick. This methodology for assigning Longies and Shorties Junk can be traced to GPS technology which makes measuring a ball's relative position to a fixed point on the green readily determinable.

Overy Junk is awarded when a player scores a par when playing a shot 'over' a greenside bunker from less than 30 yards from the green and one putts after making the shot.

Traditionally, a hole-in-one is worth 10 points (i.e. '10 pieces of junk'), and an eagle is worth 5 points.

Junk Definitions:  A Jan Brady or Jan Brady Junk  is a point (i.e. 1 piece of Junk) awarded to the middle drive in length when 3 drives have come to rest in the fairway.  There cannot be more or less than 3 drives in the fairway to qualify for a Jan Brady .  Distance is measure from the flagstick, not the distance travel from the teeing ground.

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