Pubgolf is a pub crawl scored like golf. Each pub on the route is a hole with a set drink and a par. Your strokes are the sips it takes to finish that drink, and the lowest total card wins. You play 9 or 18 holes, and PubgolfClub editions run in your phone browser from an instant email link.
By PubgolfClub. Updated October 2026.
What is Pubgolf?
Pubgolf is a social game that turns a route of pubs into a golf course. You play 9 or 18 holes, each hole is one pub with one set drink and a par, and your score for that hole is the number of sips it takes to finish the drink. Lowest total across all holes wins.
The name means what it sounds like: golf scoring, played along a row of pubs instead of fairways. PubgolfClub writes it as one word, Pubgolf, which is how every edition is listed.
How does Pubgolf actually work?
You buy a Pubgolf edition, an instant link arrives by email, and you play in the browser on your phone. The game gives you the route, the drink and the par for every hole, live scoring for the whole group, a shareable scorecard and 100 days of unlimited replay. Nothing is printed and nothing is shipped.
Every hole follows the same pattern. The group orders the drink set for that hole, and your score is the number of sips it takes to finish it. Fewer sips than par puts you under par, more sips puts you over. The full step by step sits in how to play Pubgolf.
On top of the scoring sit built-in challenges and knowledge questions. Win one and you take a power-up onto your card. Some challenges, such as a no-blink test, cost you a penalty stroke instead. Penalty strokes come only from challenges, so they stay apart from the sips you score on the drink.
What counts as a hole in Pubgolf?
A hole in Pubgolf is one pub on the route. Each hole carries a set drink and a par, and the group scores it before walking on to the next one. 9 holes is the standard round, and 18 holes is the longer format for groups who want a full card.
The drink on each hole is set by the edition rather than chosen at the bar, and it varies from hole to hole. In a PubgolfClub city edition the running order, the drink and the par are fixed in advance, and districts are picked so the walks stay short. Editions cover cities across the UK, from Pubgolf London to Pubgolf Manchester and Pubgolf Edinburgh.
What is par in Pubgolf?
Par in Pubgolf is the target number of strokes for a hole, and one stroke is one sip. On a hole with a par of 4, finishing that drink in 4 sips scores par, 3 sips puts you one under and 6 sips puts you two over. Par is a target, not an instruction.
Par moves with the drink, so a small drink carries a low par and a bigger one carries a higher par, which keeps a card interesting across a full round. You are scored on the strokes written down, never on how quickly you finish anything.
Totals work as in golf: add up every hole, compare cards, lowest total takes it. Anything under par on a hole is a good Pubgolf score, and the full detail sits in the Pubgolf rules.
How many people can play Pubgolf?
Pubgolf suits groups of almost any size. PubgolfClub editions come in 1-4, 1-8, 1-12, 1-16 and 16+ player sizes, so you pick the size that matches your group and everyone scores on the same live card. One player can keep a card too, though the game is better with company.
In a big group, players usually split into teams and play the same holes together. Whoever is not scoring a hole can referee it or keep the card.
How long does a round of Pubgolf take?
How long a round of Pubgolf takes is set by your group, because the game runs no timer. You score the hole, settle the challenges and walk on when everyone is ready.
Pubgolf plays in the daytime as well as the evening: a Saturday afternoon round, or the first half of a stag do, hen do or work social. Every edition carries 100 days of unlimited replay, so one purchase covers more than a single outing.
Is Pubgolf the same as a pub crawl?
No. A pub crawl is simply a list of pubs to visit, while Pubgolf turns that same route into a scored game: a set drink per hole, a par to beat, a live scorecard and a winner at the end. Take the scoring away and all you have left is an ordinary crawl.
Where did Pubgolf come from?
Pubgolf has no documented inventor and no published first set of rules. It is commonly described as a student and social-circle game passed on by word of mouth, with homemade cards and house rules rather than anything official, which is why the rules still differ from one group to the next.
The golf framing is the part that stuck: holes, pars, strokes and a card you compare at the end. PubgolfClub added the organised version: a curated route per city, consistent pars, live browser scoring and the challenge layer.
Where can you play Pubgolf?
You can play Pubgolf in any town with a walkable run of pubs. PubgolfClub covers cities across the UK with curated editions, and each one is a one-off purchase with the price on its own page, 100 days of replay included. Browse the Pubgolf city editions to find your town.
If your town is not on the list, the Pubgolf Route Builder lets you build your own route in any UK town.
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