Golf betting games: the complete guide for your group

Golf betting games are the formats groups play for a little money: a match, a Nassau, skins, Wolf, Vegas, points games like Nines and Quota, and side games such as Junk stacked on top. Most use small stakes, settle up at the end of the round, and work best when everyone agrees on the rules before the first tee shot.

This guide covers the games groups play most, how each one works in a paragraph, who it suits, and how to pick one for your group. Each game links to a full how-to with a scored example.

The games at a glance

Nassau

Three match play bets in one round: the front nine, the back nine and the full 18, each with its own stake. A $5 Nassau risks $15 before presses. A press is a new bet that starts when a side falls behind, often automatically at 2 down. It suits two players or two teams of two who want more than one chance to win. How to play a Nassau.

Skins

Every hole is worth a skin, won by the lone lowest score. A tie carries the skin to the next hole, so a run of halves builds a big prize. Every other player pays the winner per skin. It works for any group of two or more, and as a side game on top of a team game. How to play skins.

Wolf

Players take turns as the Wolf, who watches the drives and picks a partner, or goes alone against everyone for double. Best ball of each side wins the hole’s points, and money settles on the point gaps. It suits a foursome that wants new teams every hole, and works for three or five. How to play Wolf.

Vegas

Two teams of two join their scores into a number, lower score first, so a 4 and a 5 is 45. The lower number wins the difference in points, and a birdie flips the other team’s number high side first. It is the biggest-swinging game here, so stakes are small. How to play Vegas.

Nines (5-3-1)

Three players split 9 points every hole: 5 for the best score, 3 for the middle, 1 for the worst, with ties sharing. Money settles on the point gaps. It is the standard game for a threesome. How to play Nines.

Quota (Chicago)

Each player’s target is 36 minus the strokes they get for the day. Points come from every hole, 1 for a bogey up to 8 for an eagle, and the player furthest over their quota wins. Because the strokes live in the target, it is the fairest money game for a group of mixed ability. How to play Quota.

Match play, Stableford and best ball

The base formats can carry a bet too. A straight match pays one stake to the winner. Stableford pays the most points, and can split into front, back and total bets. A best ball match is the usual two-on-two game. They swing less than the games above.

Side games

Side games ride on top of the main game using the same scores:

• Junk (Dots): greenies, sandies, chip-ins and birdies each earn a dot; three-putts cost one.
• Snake: three-putt and you hold the snake until someone else does. The last holder pays.
• Rabbit: win a hole outright to catch the rabbit. Hold it when a nine ends to win that nine.
• Bogey Tax, Low Putts and Birdie Bounty: a fee per bogey, a prize for fewest putts, a payment for every birdie.
• Acey-Deucey: the lone low score on each hole collects, the lone high score pays.

More on these in fun golf games.

Games for a foursome

A foursome has the most choice. Pick by how your group likes to play:

• Same partners all day: a two-on-two Nassau or best ball match, with automatic presses if you want more action.
• New partners every hole: Wolf.
• Everyone for themselves: skins, or Quota if abilities are far apart.
• Big swings: Vegas, with a small point value.

For three players, see golf games for 3 players. For two, see golf games for 2 players.

Games for five players

Five is awkward for team games, so most groups pick a game where everyone plays for themselves. Wolf works with five: the Wolf takes one partner for a two against three, or goes alone against four, and the last three holes go to whoever is furthest behind. Skins, Quota and Stableford work with any number. A five-player group can also split into a match between two players and a three-player Nines on the same scores, though that means two cards.

How much to play for

Pick an amount nobody minds losing on a bad day, and check what a bad day looks like before you agree. A few rules of thumb for a regular group:

• Match or Nassau: $5 a bet is common. A $5 Nassau risks $15 before presses.
• Skins: $1 to $5 a skin. With four players, each skin is worth three times that to the winner.
• Per point games (Wolf, Nines): $1 a point or less. Wolf can swing $20 or more over 18 at $1.
• Vegas: a quarter a point, or $1 with a cap. A single birdie flip can be worth 20 points.

Whatever you choose, settle up when the round ends. A golf scoring app like Picnic keeps the tally and shows who owes whom as you play; your group settles up.

How to choose

1. Count the players. Nines needs three, Vegas and best ball need four, Wolf takes three to five, and skins, Quota and Stableford take any number.
2. Check the gap in ability. Close in ability: play gross. Far apart: play net with strokes off the low, or pick Quota.
3. Decide how much swing you want. Low: Nines, Quota, a match. Medium: Nassau, skins. High: Wolf, Vegas.
4. Agree on the rules before the first tee. Presses, carryovers, what happens to leftover skins, and the stakes.