Barkie
A barkie in golf is when a golfer makes par or better on a hole after their ball hits a tree. It is also spelled barky, and sometimes called a woodie or a seve.
What is a barkie?
A barkie rewards the golfer who turns a wayward shot into a respectable score. The requirement is simple: at any point during a single hole, the ball must strike a tree, and the golfer must still finish that hole at par or better.
The name comes from the tree bark the ball clangs off when a shot strays into the woods. The spelling varies. Some golfers write it “barky,” others “barkie.” Both refer to the same accomplishment, and the spelling tends to follow regional habit rather than any official rule.
Barkies sit somewhere between luck and skill. Hitting a tree is rarely intentional. Saving par from a tree strike takes composure and a steady short game, plus a bit of luck on how the ball bounces out. Groups recognise this by treating the barkie as a small achievement worth celebrating, either in conversation or in a side bet.
The term has no home in the official Rules of Golf. It lives in casual rounds, weekend foursomes, and club competitions. According to Ryan Ballengee of Golf News Net, almost every golfer hits trees at some point, but the barkie itself is uncommon enough to be notable when it happens.
How the barkie works
Any shot during the hole counts: drive, approach, chip, or recovery. As long as one shot makes contact with a tree and the final score is par or better, the golfer has earned a barkie. Most barkies come from tee shots or approach shots, since shots around the green are less likely to run into trees.
A real-world example: a golfer drives into the woods on a par 4. The ball ricochets off a trunk and kicks out into the light rough. The player punches back to the fairway, hits a wedge to the green, and two-putts for par. That is a barkie.
The ball can hit any part of a tree (trunk, branches, leaves, or even an exposed root), and it does not matter whether the bounce helps or hurts. What matters is that contact occurred and that par or better came off the scorecard at the end.
A missed par wipes it out. If a golfer hits a tree and finishes at one over, the barkie is lost, no matter how gritty the recovery was.
Barkie, woodie, or seve?
Most groups treat barkie, woodie, and seve as interchangeable. Which one a group uses often comes down to geography and generation.
| Term | Meaning | Origin of the name |
|---|---|---|
| Barkie | Par or better after hitting a tree | Reference to tree bark |
| Woodie | Par or better after hitting a tree | “Wood” as in tree |
| Seve | Par or better after hitting a tree, sometimes broader | Named for Seve Ballesteros |
The “seve” adds a small wrinkle. Seve Ballesteros, the late Spanish golfer, was famous for rescuing pars from positions that would have ruined a hole for most players. His 1983 Ryder Cup recovery from a fairway bunker at PGA National and his 1993 European Masters escape from against a wall at Crans-sur-Sierre became shorthand for trouble-shot brilliance. Some groups therefore broaden the seve to include any par saved from serious trouble, going beyond the strict tree-strike rule.
Golf Compendium notes that “seve” sometimes refers to a wider category of trouble-recovery pars, which is how the term drifts from being a direct synonym for barkie. The drift is mild, and most golfers use the words without stopping to distinguish them.
Variations
Beyond the standard barkie, a few variations show up in casual play.
Double barky
A double-barky happens when the ball hits two separate trees during the same hole and the golfer still finishes at par or better. A triple barky is theoretically possible, though rare enough that most groups never see one in a season.
Arbor Day
In the Arbor Day variation, a golfer whose ball hits a tree has the option to double the stake for that hole. The player looks at the lie, decides the ball sits better than expected, and declares Arbor Day. Groups usually decide before the round whether accepting the doubled bet is automatic or voluntary.
Birdie-only barkies
Some groups raise the bar, requiring a birdie (rather than par) after a tree strike for the barkie to pay out. This version is harder to win and tends to suit lower-handicap golfers.
Barkies in junk and points games
Barkies rarely stand alone in a betting round. They often play as part of a broader side-bet ecosystem called junk, trash, garbage, or dots. In a junk game, the group agrees on a list of small accomplishments that each carry a point value. Barkies sit alongside similar bets:
- Sandie: par or better after playing out of a bunker
- Greenie: closest to the pin in regulation on a par 3, with par or better
- Chippie: holing out from off the green
- Arnie: par or better without ever reaching the fairway (named for Arnold Palmer)
- Murphy: calling, and making, an up-and-down from off the green
Groups decide values before the round: a dollar per barkie, a point per barkie in a cumulative game, or a larger stake for rarer accomplishments. Golf Compendium notes that groups often tie junk games to a bigger match format like Nassau or skins, with the barkies and other side bets running in the background.
Related Golf Terms
- Woodie — Same as barkie. Par or better after a tree strike.
- Banana ball — A shot that curves dramatically from left to right (for right-handed golfers).
- Seve — A par saved after hitting a tree, or more broadly, from serious trouble, named for Seve Ballesteros.
- Sandie — Par or better after playing a shot from a bunker.
- Ball speed — The speed at which the ball leaves the clubface after impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it spelled barky or barkie?
Both spellings are acceptable. They refer to the same accomplishment and are used interchangeably in golf writing and conversation.
Can any shot count toward a barkie?
Yes. A drive, approach, chip, or recovery shot can trigger the barkie as long as the ball contacts a tree and the golfer finishes the hole at par or better.
What happens if the ball hits two trees on the same hole?
If both hits happen during the same hole and the golfer still makes par or better, that counts as a double barky, which is usually worth twice the standard barkie value.
Does a birdie after hitting a tree count as a barkie?
In the standard version, yes. Any par or better qualifies. Some groups offer bonus payouts for birdie barkies, or run a variant where only a birdie counts.
Do barkies come up often on tour?
Barkies are informal and rarely tracked in professional play. Tour statistics focus on scrambling percentage, which captures a similar idea: saving par after missing the green.
Sources
- Ballengee, Ryan. “Golf terms: What is a barky or barkie in golf, and what does it mean to get one?” Golf News Net. Accessed April 2026.
- “How to Play the Barkies Golf Game (What Is a ‘Barkie’ Anyway?)” Golf Compendium. Accessed April 2026.
- “How to Play the Woodies Golf Bet.” Golf Compendium. Accessed April 2026.
- “How to Play the Golf Game Named Junk.” Golf Compendium. Accessed April 2026.
- “Variations of Golf.” Wikipedia. Accessed April 2026.
- “Glossary of Golf Terms.” LinkedGolfers. Accessed April 2026.
- “Golf Dictionary | Glossary of Golf Terminology.” Where2Golf. Accessed April 2026.
