Trad Golf

I first heard of trad golf when I was dirt-bagging in Joshua Tree National Park. A game steeped in toxic masculinity, the goal of trad golf was simple: place the fewest amount of pieces possible on a route. I quickly surmised that the end-goal was just free soloing the route, but with the added challenge of weight on your harness and a rope for you to trip over. I refused to play.

A different version of trad golf was recently shown to me by another guide. He called it simply “The Game.” However, this was a game I could get behind. In this game, the goal is to correctly select the piece of trad protection you need for your current stance. Get it right on your first time and no points for you. Each failed attempt earns you a point. Just like golf, the aim is to have lowest score possible.

Each failed placement attempt earns you a point.

So why do I like this new version better? For one, it’s a hell of a lot safer. Instead of encouraging players not to place gear, it rewards good ones. It also trains you to be mindful of potential gear placements as you climb. If a spot obviously takes a #1, plug it and keep chugging up the pitch. With practice, a climber could reach the anchors with a score of zero. Trad Golf also makes climbing into a

Let's talk strategy. First and foremost, know your sizes. While you can do this just by sight, a better way to start is with your hands and fingers. Does a perfect finger lock protect with a 0.4 BD cam? How about a tight hand jam? Everyone’s body is a bit different, so gain an understanding of how things feel for you. Second, take advantage of straight forward placements. If a crack is just calling for a piece of pro, put one there! Your intuition about what will fit is probably right. Finally, don’t be afraid to play around and find alternative placements. While sometimes there’s just no way for a certain piece to fit into any available spots (it’s faster to grab for something else early in this case), you can often find similarly sized cracks from the same stance. Maybe just a bit more up, down, or sideways from where you are allows that first selection to slide in and provide confidence for the moves ahead.

I challenge you to try out Trad Golf. Track your performance. Play against friends! Most importantly, have fun while you improve your trad climbing skills and safety.