Your First Round of Flip It Golf
Reading the rules of Flip It Golf takes about three minutes. Understanding how a round actually plays takes one round. We can't put you on a course, but we can do the next best thing: walk through one.
The match below is fictional but representative. Two-on-two, 18 holes, friendly stakes. Names changed to protect the embarrassed.
The setup
Four players. Two teams.
- Team Red: Mike (8 handicap) and Jess (15)
- Team Blue: Aaron (12) and Sam (20)
Everyone opens the app. Mike taps Start New Game, picks 18 holes, types in the course name, and shares the join link. Two minutes later, teams are set. Each side starts with 2 chance flips.
Holes 1–3: Settling in
Nobody flips early. Pars and bogeys all around. The flip count is still 2-2 on both sides. Aaron jokes that nobody has the guts to call one yet.
This is normal. The first few holes are scouting. Read the room.
Hole 4: First flip called
Par 4. Aaron pipes a drive down the middle and sticks his approach to six feet. Easy birdie putt.
Mike pulls out his phone. Flip It! He selects Aaron, tags it as a putt, and the coin animation spins.
Result: REDO.
Aaron has to re-hit. He resets, takes his time, and pushes it left. Lip-out. Tap-in par instead of birdie.
Team Red just spent a flip to erase a birdie. They're down to 1 chance flip, but Team Blue didn't earn one either. Flip count: Red 1, Blue 2.
Hole 6: A flip backfires
Sam, the high handicapper, somehow plays a perfect par 5. Three solid shots, a great chip, and a 4-foot par putt.
Jess calls a flip on the par putt. The coin spins. CONTINUE. Sam taps it in. Team Red just burned their last chance flip for nothing.
Flip count: Red 0, Blue 2.
This is the painful lesson. A chance flip is a 50/50 bet, not a guaranteed reset. Spend it like cash.
Hole 8: The momentum swing
Mike makes a clutch birdie on a long par 4. Team Red earns +1 chance flip. Flip count: Red 1, Blue 2.
Two holes later, Jess chips in for birdie on a tough par 3. Flip count: Red 2, Blue 2.
Birdies aren't just strokes — they're ammunition. Now Team Red is back in the fight.
Hole 12: An eagle and an automatic
Par 5. Aaron drives it 290, hits a 5-iron to 12 feet, and rolls in an eagle putt. The whole group reacts. Team Blue earns an automatic flip — a guaranteed redo, no coin toss.
Flip count: Red 2 chance, Blue 2 chance + 1 auto.
Auto flips are the nuclear option. Save them for moments that matter — a tap-in par for the win, an opponent's birdie putt on 18.
Hole 15: The auto gets used
Mike has a 5-foot putt for birdie that would tie the overall match. Aaron taps the automatic flip. No coin toss — Mike just has to re-hit.
He resets, takes a deep breath, and burns the second one past. Bogey instead of birdie. Team Blue erased a critical shot without risk.
This is the textbook use of an auto. High leverage, no luck involved.
Holes 16–17: Running on empty
Both teams are down to 1 chance flip each, no autos. Now every flip is a real decision. Hold them for the 18th green? Spend now to break momentum?
Sam calls a flip on Mike's approach on 16. CONTINUE. Sam burns Blue's last flip. Flip count: Red 1, Blue 0.
Team Red has the last word and they know it.
Hole 18: The settle up
Aaron has a 25-footer for par. Mike could call a flip — but it's a long putt with low make rate. Why waste a flip on something likely to miss anyway?
He holds. Aaron lags it close, taps in for bogey. Match over.
The app totals up the result. Tap Settle Up. Aaron and Sam owe Mike and Jess $20 total. Two taps later, Venmo is open with the amount pre-filled. Done.
What to take from this
- Don't flip in the first three holes. Watch how everyone is playing first.
- Birdies are currency. Even when you're behind, one birdie keeps you in it.
- Save autos for high-leverage moments. Don't burn them on a casual par putt.
- Don't flip long putts. If the make rate is low, you're wasting a flip on something likely to miss.
- Settle up immediately. The app makes it easy. Don't be the person who says "I'll get you next time."
The mechanics are simple. The feel only comes from playing. Try it once and you'll see what we mean.