You collect say, $10 from everyone in your group who wants to play. We had 6 players in our group, so the total pot came to $60. Because we wanted the money to last a while, we decided to play penny slots. We put all $60 into a penny slot machine. The first player or “golfer” will go up to the machine and spin the reels until they win something. It could be 2 credits or 100 credits, it doesn’t matter, just win something. However many spins it took to get that win is their golf score for that hole. So if they win something on their first spin, it’s like a hole in 1 and we mark down their score as “1”. Then the next person goes up to the same machine, and spins until they win something. Let’s say it takes 3 spins, so we mark down their score as “3”, etc, etc. And you keep score on a score card like golf. Once everyone has had a turn on the machine, you cash out the ticket. Then the person who scored the lowest on that hole gets to pick the next machine, and you keep playing like that until you’ve played on 18 different machines, just like 18 holes of golf. The person who has the lowest score at the end of the game gets to keep the what ever amount is left on the ticket.
There are variations to this game. When I played for the first time we made each casino a different hole. Although we didn’t make it to the back 9, it was a great way to hang out for a day and visit a bunch of different casinos on the strip.
Another good rule is make the max number of spins any player can get is 6. So if by 6 spins the player didn’t win anything on that machine, you just put down 6 as their score. It keeps the game moving, it helps to keep the score competitive and it keeps everyone else from getting bored while waiting for their turn.
iPhone Apps
Golf Scorecard Free (free)
Golfshot (free, in-app purchases)
Under Par Scorecard (free)
My Mini Golf Scorecard (free)
Free Mini Golf Scorecard (free)
Mini Golf Scorecard (.99)
Android
I’m an iPhone user so I can’t vouch for any of these, but here’s a link where you can find a bunch of score keeping apps.