The Bus Driver Side Bet Explained
Bus Driver is a side bet that pays out twice per round: On the ninth and 18th tees. Golfers play the round strictly observing "honors" — the order in which you and your fellow-competitors tee off on each hole is determined by your scores on the preceding hole. The low scorer on No. 1, for example, has the honor of playing first from the No. 2 tee; the high scorer on No. 1 brings up the rear. And in Bus Driver, being last to tee off on a hole is called "driving the bus."
As your group makes its way around the golf course, abiding by honors (no ready golf from the teeing area in this game), you'll, of course, reach the No. 9 tee. And the golfer who tees off last on No. 9 has to pay out the wager amount to the other three golfers in the group.
On No. 10, a new bus leaves the station. And when your group gets to the 18th tee, the golfer who tees off last on that hole once again owes the wager amount to the other group members.
In his book on golf wagering (see sources below), Chi Chi Rodriguez says that in Bus Driver, those two wagers are "generally a little more pricey than normal side bets, roughly four or five times the amount, because it really encompasses the entire front or back nine."
But, obviously, your group should set a wager amount with which you are all comfortable. Also note that Bus Driver is a good game to include in those catch-all side-bet games known variously as Garbage, Dots, Trash, Junk, et.al., and also that this game is sometimes called Caboose.
More games:
- How to play a Box Tournament (Man in the Box)
- The American Foursomes format explained
- Marshmallow long drive: what it is, how to win
(Book titles are affiliate links; commissions earned)
Kapriskie, Ron. Golf Digest's Complete Book of Golf Betting Games, 2007, Doubleday.
Rodriguez, Chi Chi, and Anderson, John. Chi Chi's Golf Games You Gotta Play, 2003, Human Kinetics
