TRAIN
Ride the Streak
๐ฏObjective
Board the train with a par, earn points each hole you stay on, and protect your streak. A blow-up hole derails you and wipes all your points to zero. Most points at the end of the round wins โ the drama is in the streak, not the scorecard.
The Golden Rule
๐ Par or better boards ยท Bogey is free once ยท Two bogeys or a double = derail.
๐How It Works
Board the Train
Make a net par or better and you're on. (Strict rooms require a birdie or two consecutive pars.) Once you're on, every hole counts.
Earn Points Per Hole
While on the train, par/birdie/eagle each score points by the configured table (default 1/2/5). A bogey scores 0 but you keep the streak โ once.
Don't Derail
Two bogeys in a row, OR any double bogey or worse, knocks you off the train โ and wipes every point you've built. Re-board with another par or better to start over.
Cash Out at 18
Points ร the configured dollar value = the settlement. Pairwise โ every player settles with every other player based on the difference in totals.
๐Example Round (Default Settings)
| Hole | Score | State | ฮ Points | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Par | ๐ Boarded | +1 | 1 |
| 2 | Birdie | on train | +2 | 3 |
| 3 | Bogey | marked | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Par | recovered | +1 | 4 |
| 5 | Bogey | marked | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | Bogey | ๐ฅ Derail | โ4 | 0 |
| 7 | Par | ๐ Re-boarded | +1 | 1 |
| 8 | Eagle | on train | +5 | 6 |
Notice the double-bogey-free recovery on holes 3โ4. The streak survives a single bogey โ but not two in a row.
๐ง Strategy Tips
Play for Bogey After a Bogey
Once you're marked, the second bogey is the killer. After a bogey, prioritize ball-in-play over heroic recovery โ a par saves the streak.
Avoid the Double at All Costs
A single double bogey wipes everything regardless of context. Layup, take medicine, get on the green. Doubles are train-killers, not just streak-killers.
Press Early When You're Hot
Early-round momentum compounds โ every par adds to the streak you'll protect later. Aggressive lines on holes 1โ6 build the bank that makes 7โ18 dramatic.
A Derailed Player Is Dangerous
At 0 points with nothing to protect, opponents can swing aggressively. Don't assume a derailed rival is out โ closing holes have the biggest swings.
โ๏ธConfiguration
On-Ramp
How players initially board the train.
- โข Simple (default) โ any net par or better boards you and scores
- โข Strict โ only a net birdie/eagle OR two consecutive net pars boards you
Scoring
NET (default) applies handicap strokes hole-by-hole โ best for mixed-skill groups. GROSS uses raw strokes for similar-skill groups.
Point Table
Customize what each score class is worth. Defaults:
- โข Bogey: 0 (range 0โ1 โ keeping at 0 preserves derail bite)
- โข Par: 1 (range 0โ5)
- โข Birdie: 2 (range 0โ10)
- โข Eagle+: 5 (range 0โ15)
Derail Penalty (optional)
After a derail wipes you to 0, subtract an extra 0โ10 points. Default 0 (off). Total points are floored at โ10 cumulative so one bad hole can't take you out of the game.
Streak Bonus (optional)
The longer you stay on the train, the more each hole pays. When on, par/birdie/eagle awards add your current streak length on top of the base point table โ capped at 5 by default so perfect rounds don't snowball.
- โข Boarding hole: streak length is 0, so no bonus on that hole
- โข Each subsequent on-train hole: streak counter +1, bonus = min(streak, cap)
- โข Bogey on the train earns no bonus but the counter still advances
- โข Derail resets the streak to 0; re-boarding starts fresh
- โข Cap default 5, range 1โ20
Albatross / Hole-in-One Bonus (optional)
Tax the table when someone makes a rare shot. The scorer gains the value and every other player loses the same value (floored at โ10). Victims don't derail โ they just lose points.
- โข Default value: 10 points each (range 0โ25)
- โข Both toggle independently โ leave off for vanilla play
- โข HIO takes precedence over albatross when both apply (par-4 ace)
Point Value ($)
Dollar value per point at settlement. Default $0.25 โ friendly stakes where a 20-point round = $5. Adjust up for higher-stakes groups.
๐บ Fun Fact
Train is one of the most-played member-guest games in the country because the drama lives in every hole โ protect what you've built, or watch it vanish. Unlike Stableford, a single blow-up doesn't just cost a few points; it costs everything.
Ready to ride the streak?