Quota, also called Chicago, is a golf game where each player gets a points target, 36 minus the strokes they get for the day, and earns points on every hole: 1 for a bogey, 2 for a par, 4 for a birdie and 8 for an eagle. The player who beats their quota by the most wins. The strokes are built into the target, so a 4 and a 20 can play straight up.
Quota
How to play Quota (Chicago) in golf: points, quotas and money
Quota, also called Chicago, gives every player a points target based on their strokes. Beat it by the most and you win. Rules, a scored round and the money.
Jim CampbellUpdated 3 min read
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Quota is one of the best golf betting games for a group with very different abilities.
How Quota works
- Work out each player’s quota: 36 minus the strokes they get for the day. Strokes of 8 make a quota of 28.
- Play your own ball. Score points on each hole from your actual score: 1 for a bogey, 2 for a par, 4 for a birdie, 8 for an eagle. A double bogey or worse is 0.
- Add up your points over the round.
- Subtract your quota. The player furthest over it wins. Everyone else is short, even or a little over.
Scoring example
Jim, Mike, Dana and Priya play 18 holes of Quota for $5 a player. Their strokes for the day are 8, 14, 4 and 20, which makes their quotas 28, 22, 32 and 16.
| Player | Quota | Front | Back | Total | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim | 28 | 14 | 13 | 27 | -1 |
| Mike | 22 | 11 | 12 | 23 | +1 |
| Dana | 32 | 16 | 15 | 31 | -1 |
| Priya | 16 | 8 | 8 | 16 | Even |
Dana scores the most points, 31, but her quota is 32, so she is 1 short. Jim is 1 short too. Priya scores only 16, but that is exactly her quota of 16. Mike wins with 23 points against a quota of 22: one over.
This is the point of Quota. The best golfer in the group doesn’t win by default; the player who plays best against their own number does. Mike collects $5 from each of the other three, so he is up $15.
Strokes: how the quota handles them
Quota doesn’t use net scores. The strokes a player gets for the day come off 36 once, at the start, and every hole is scored on the actual score. That is why it is easy to keep on a paper card and why it suits a group where some players get 20 or more strokes.
In Picnic, the quota is 36 minus each player’s strokes for the tees they are playing, and it is never less than 2. Nine holes use half quotas.
Variations
- Start from 39. A higher base makes quotas harder to reach. Picnic: yes (Quota base: 36 or 39).
- Your own points table. Some groups pay 3 for a birdie or 6 for an eagle. Picnic: yes (Points per hole).
- Paid per point over. Every player pays or collects for each point above or below quota. Picnic: not yet; Picnic pays one stake to the best against quota.
- Quotas that move. Regular groups raise a player’s quota after they beat it and lower it after a bad day. Picnic: not yet; use the strokes to set it.
- Team Quota. Add the quotas and points of two partners. Picnic: not yet.
The money
The common version is one stake: each other player pays the player furthest over quota, often $5. A tie for the top is a push. Other groups play for a pot, or pay per point over quota, which swings more. Quota tends to produce close finishes, so a modest stake keeps it friendly.
Picnic keeps the tally and shows who owes whom; your group settles up.
Tips
- A blow-up hole is 0, not negative. Pick up once you can’t make a bogey.
- Birdies are worth double a par. On a short hole, the aggressive putt is usually right.
Quota FAQ
How does a quota golf game work?
Each player gets a points target, their quota: 36 minus the strokes they get for the day. Points come from each hole, 1 for a bogey, 2 for a par, 4 for a birdie and 8 for an eagle. The player furthest over their quota wins.
Is Chicago the same as Quota?
Yes. Chicago is another name for the same game. Some groups use 39 instead of 36 as the starting number; the scoring works the same way.
Why is Quota good for mixed groups?
The strokes are built into each player’s target, so there’s no net scoring. A 4 and a 20 play the same points table and compete on how far each beats their own number.
What is a quota on nine holes?
Half the 18-hole quota. Picnic halves the target when the round is nine holes.
Related games
- Nines3 playersNines is a threesome game where every hole is worth 9 points: 5 for the best score, 3 for the middle and 1 for the worst. Rules, ties, a scored nine and the money.
- Wolf3 to 5 playersWolf is a rotating partners game: the Wolf picks a partner after each drive or goes it alone for double. Rules, lone and blind Wolf, a scored nine and the money.
- Nassau2 to 8 playersA Nassau is three match play bets in one round: the front nine, the back nine and the full 18. How it works, how presses work, and a scored round.
Built Picnic
Jim built Picnic after too many rounds where someone got the math wrong by the turn. He writes up the games his group plays, and the ones they want to try next.
Rules checked against Picnic 1.1.0
