How the Bingle Bangle Bungle Golf Game Works

Bingle Bangle Bungle is the name of a popular golf game within a group of golfers, best for groups of four but playable by twosomes or groups of three, as well. On each hole, three points are at stake: the bingle point, bangle point and bungle point. So let's explain what those are and how to play the game.

First, you might know this name better under a different, more commonly used name: Bingo Bango Bongo. Bingle Bangle Bungle is exactly the same game.

On each hole, three points are at stake:

• One point (bingle) goes to the player who first puts his golf ball on the green.
• One point (bangle) goes to the golfer whose ball is closest to the hole after all balls are on the green.
• And one point (bungle) goes to the golfer who first gets her ball into the cup.

If you are gambling, start the game by agreeing on how much each point is worth (or by agreeing on an amount that goes to the overall winner). At the end, the golfers compare points earned and pay out the differences (or the winner earns a set amount from the others).

Since this game is based on the first to do one of three things, you cannot play "ready golf" in Bingle Bangle Bungle. You must observe the golf tradition of the player who is "away" (farthest from the hole for each round of strokes) playing first. That way, the golfer who hit the shortest drive gets the first crack at winning the bingle point; the one who is last to get his ball on the green gets first chance at winning the bangle point; and the one farthest from the hole gets first shot at earning the bungle point.

The name of this game is sometimes spelled hyphenated (bingle-bangle-bungle). The phrase "bingle bangle bungle" might be taken from a 1947 song titled Civilization. Recorded by (among others) The Andrews Sisters with Danny Kaye, it was originally part of the Broadway musical Angel In the Wings. It includes the rhyming couplet, "Bingle bangle bungle, I'm so happy in the jungle."

You might also run across this game with a very slightly altered final word in the sequence: "Bingle Bangle Bongle."

More golf games:

• How to play the Mulligan/Recall game
• The Acey Ducey (Aces and Deuces) format explained
• How to play the C.O.D. game

Sources:
(Book titles are affiliate links; commissions earned)
Gustavson, Lealand R. Enjoy Your Golf, 1954, Harcourt Brace.
McLean, Jim, and Andrisani, John. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Improving Your Short Game, 2000, Penguin Books.
Mallon, Bill, and Jerris, Randon. Historical Dictionary of Golf, 2011, The Scarecrow Press Inc.