I’ve run money games at my club for 12 years, and I’ve made every mistake twice. If you want fast answers about golf betting games—skins, Nassau, Stableford, match play, handicap stuff—here’s the short version: pick simple rules, keep stakes clear, settle up fast. I’ll show you how I do it. And what I avoid.
Quick picks if you’re teeing off in 5 minutes
- Two players: Straight match play with small presses. Easy to score. No drama.
- Three players: Wolf or 5-3-1. Everyone stays involved on every hole.
- Four players: Skins with carryovers plus a team game (best ball or Vegas). Keeps pace.
- Big handicap gaps: Stableford or net Nassau. Stops the whining. Mostly.
- Short twilight round: Bingo Bango Bongo. Three points per hole, quick and silly.
The core rules I actually care about
Here’s how I keep our games clean. Stake sizes set before the first swing. No mid-round renegotiating. Presses allowed only when you’re down two. Putts inside a foot are good-good unless someone’s being a hero. We use a real handicap system, and we post scores whether we won or lost.
Skins: the crowd favorite
Skins pay the winner of each hole. If two or more tie, the skin carries to the next hole. It’s simple. It’s spicy. And it brings drama to random holes, which I love. If you’ve never read the backstory, here’s the quick history of the Skins format at the pro level. Pro tip from me: keep the per-skin number small and let carryovers do the heavy lifting. You’ll get that heart-rate moment on 17 anyway.
Nassau: your grandpa’s favorite (for a reason)
A Nassau is three bets in one: front nine, back nine, and total. Most groups allow “presses,” which are fresh side bets when you’re down. Here’s the classic setup if you need a refresher on the Nassau. In my experience, the $5/$5/$5 Nassau with $5 presses keeps things friendly. The $20/$20/$20 Nassau with open presses? That’s how Venmo friendships die.
Stableford: math class that actually helps
I’ve always found Stableford perfect for uneven groups. You earn points each hole (double bogey or worse = 0, bogey = 1, par = 2, birdie = 3, eagle = 4, etc.). Net Stableford evens out handicaps without the weird vibe of giving strokes on “my hole.” Read the simple idea here if you want the guide-version: Stableford. I set $1 per point difference against the field. No one’s out of it early.
Match play with side bets: clean and mean
Match play keeps focus on the next hole instead of a triple that ruins your card. Fast, forgiving, and tactical. Official stuff here if you need to show your buddy Rule Guy: match play. Layer in greenies (closest on par 3s), sandies (up-and-down from a bunker), and barkies (par after hitting a tree). Small coins. Big grins. Some whining.
Culture matters more than rules
The best games aren’t about the spreadsheet. They’re about the vibe on the tee box, the chirps after a shanked wedge, and the slow clap when someone rolls in a 20-footer. If your group cares about that shared buzz, you get it. If not, good luck enforcing anything. That’s why I think a lot about matchday culture when I set formats—how people actually act on the day.
Mini “tables” you can scan fast
Game by group size
- 2 players — Match play with one press allowed on 9 and 18 — Low admin — Good for rivals
- 3 players — Wolf or 5-3-1 — Options every tee — Good for mixed skill gaps
- 4 players — Skins + two-man best ball — Fun and fair — Works for weekly games
Risk level cheat sheet
- Low risk — Bingo Bango Bongo, Stableford — Many small wins, few blowups
- Medium risk — Nassau with limited presses — Controlled swings
- High risk — Skins with aggressive carryovers, Hammer, Vegas — Bring cash, leave ego
Common side bets (quick definitions)
- Greenies — Closest on par 3s if you make par or better
- Sandies — Par from a bunker, no putt gimmies
- Arnies — Par without hitting a fairway or green in regulation
- Snake — Last three-putt pays the pot (the “snake”) at the end
- Hammer — Either side can “hammer” to double the bet mid-hole; other side can re-hammer if confident
How I price the action (so no one hates me)
Start small, always. $1 Skins, $5 Nassau, $1 greenies, $1 sandies. We settle in cash or apps on the patio, and no one leaves until the numbers match. Sounds strict, but it saves friendships. If you want a primer on the math brain behind betting—EV, CLV, vig, line shopping—that world applies here too. I like this write-up on sharp sports betting because the lessons cross over: price your risk, cap your losses, avoid tilt.
Wolf, Vegas, and other chaos engines
When I’ve got three or four strong hitters, I lean into action games. Wolf lets the teeing player pick a partner after everyone hits—or go solo for double. Vegas pairs teammates’ hole scores into a two-digit number (say 4 & 5 becomes 45), which can get wild on par 5s. 6-Point Scotch? Each hole is worth six points split across drive, approach, up-and-down, putt, etc. It’s organized chaos—and it keeps every swing from getting sleepy.
Presses, fairness, and keeping it moving
I cap the number of presses per nine. If not, one loudmouth presses every hole after breakfast and you’re doing math all day. We also mark strokes early, which stops the “wait, where are my pops?” debate on 17. And yeah, net games need good indexes. If your group runs team events weekly, a light obsession with team rankings can actually help set fairer pairings.
Picking games like a handicapper, not a hero
Some days, vibes say low variance. Other days, I want the spikes. I glance at weather, course setup, and who’s swing-comfy on the range. That’s the same brain I use when I read betting predictions before a big sports weekend. The right format is a prediction about how the day will play—so price it like one.
Nuts-and-bolts Stableford scoring I actually use
- Double bogey or worse: 0 points
- Bogey: 1
- Par: 2
- Birdie: 3
- Eagle: 4
- Net double-eagle unicorn? Sure, 5
Match play tiebreakers we use
- If all square after 18: sudden death starting on 1
- Side bets carry to the playoff unless pre-agreed otherwise
- No new presses in the playoff—unless all nod and laugh
If you mix sports, your brain will love this stuff
I read draft chatter the same way I read a foursome on the first tee: look for tells, sniff out value, and ignore loud noise. That’s why I actually like browsing an NFL mock draft 2025 before I price a high-variance game. Smokescreens in the NFL. Sandbagging in golf. Same energy.
Common mistakes I see every weekend
- Starting stakes too high, then shrinking into “friendly” mode by hole 6
- Letting one player call every format—rotate the picker
- Arguing about rules on the tee instead of before you play
- Forgetting strokes on par 3s and short par 4s, which skews everything
What I run with mixed handicaps
When the scratch kid shows up with his uncle who plays twice a month, I pick net Stableford or a net Nassau. It keeps both in the hunt. And yes, we make sure the strokes are applied on the right holes. If someone needs the full breakdown of the “pops” math, I point them to the handicap logic again and move on.
Etiquette beats rules every time
- Declare all rules on the first tee, including gimmies and out-of-bounds treatment
- Keep pace—side bets are not a license to play slow
- Be loud only when it’s your turn to chirp; reading a putt isn’t karaoke night
- Settle up on the patio, then tell the stories—order matters
Last bits I’ve learned the hard way
Don’t stack too many side bets. Two or three is sweet. More is noise. If someone’s new, start with a small Nassau or easy Skins. If the group wants pure chaos, go Hammer or Vegas—but cap the presses and agree on a max loss. I’ve watched friendships wobble because someone took Hammer personally. Don’t be that guy.
One more nod to formats you should try at least once
- Bingo Bango Bongo — First on, closest, first in. Three points. Fast fun.
- Rabbit — First player to win a hole “holds the rabbit.” Lose a hole, you lose the rabbit.
- Six-Point Scotch — Drive, approach, chip, putt, sand, recovery. Award the points you value.
- Quota (Stableford cousin) — Beat your target points; win the pot.
If you like data, you’ll like golf money games
Golf gives you streaks, edges, and weird little markets. You can test formats, track results, and see what actually pays for your swing. That’s half the allure. The other half is chirping your buddy after he blades a wedge into a bunker and still claims a sandy. By the way, if you want a clean explainer on the pro side of how people rank teams (and sometimes golfers), these team rankings style pages show the logic. Take the mindset, not the exact math.
Use formats that fit the course, too
Short par 3s? Pump greenies, and maybe a closest-to pin pool. Long par 5s with danger? Skins with carryovers turn those holes into shows. Tight tree-lined track? Add barkies. I sprinkle in Stableford when the rough is up and doubles lurk.
One last sanity check
If the group has beginners, don’t pick full-tilt formats. If you’ve got killers, don’t pick kindergarten rules. And if somebody shows up with a “new” idea that sounds like a casino game—test it for three holes before you give it the keys.
I don’t worship any one format. I just pick the one that gives us the best mix of chances, trash talk, and a clean settle-up. That’s the whole trick with golf betting games. Funny how often the simplest setup makes the best stories.
FAQs
What’s the easiest game for new players?
Start with a small Nassau or Bingo Bango Bongo. Simple scoring, low stress, everyone gets wins.
How much money should we put on the line?
Small. Think $1 Skins, $5 Nassau, $1 side bets. You can always scale up next time.
How do we handle handicaps without drama?
Agree on indexes before the round, mark stroke holes on the card, and use net Stableford or net Nassau.
What’s a fair way to use presses?
Allow one press when a side is 2 down. Cap total presses per nine so the math stays sane.
Skins or Stableford—what’s better?
Skins if the group wants swingy risk and drama. Stableford if you want steady points and less pain on a blowup hole.
I’m Daniel Moore, and I live for the thrill of the game. Get energetic live commentary, detailed match analysis, data-backed betting predictions, and official team rankings right here.
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