Golf is a fun game in itself. Though oftentimes frustrating and confusing, it’s a sport that offers so many benefits. You get to spend time with friends and family, enjoy time outdoors and get some nice exercise in all at the same time. It’s also a lifelong game that you can continue to work on throughout your whole life. Aside from these many advantages, golf has another very interesting benefit — it’s great for betting.
That’s right — whether you’re throwing some cash on the longest drive or the best score, there’s an endless amount of ways you can bet on the game of golf. Betting raises the stakes and adds some pressure to your round — if you’re into that sort of thing, then this is the perfect article for you.
In this post, we’ll take you through all the best golf betting games. Now, although money is usually the type of currency passing hands when playing these games, it doesn’t have to be. If you’re out with a casual round with the family, you might want to throw an after-round dinner out as a betting chip or some drinks in the clubhouse at the turn.
Whatever you’re betting, it’s always more fun when you have a list of fun golf betting games to choose from. Here’s our favorite list.
1. Wolf
Wolf is becoming increasingly popular as a golf betting game. It merges confidence, skill, strategy and risk together to create a fun game that adds some stakes to a round.
Wolf operates on a point system and works great for four-person groups. To play, you’ll need to flip a coin to see who will be the “wolf” for the first hole. Everyone then hits their tee shot, with the wolf always hitting last. The wolf then needs to make a decision — whether to choose another person to be their teammate for the hole or to go “lone wolf” and play the rest of the hole by themselves.
If the wolf chooses to go it alone and wins, then they capture four points. If they choose to go with a teammate and win, then they only get two points. If the wolf and their teammate lose the hole, then the other team gets two points. As for a lone wolf scenario, any player that beats the wolf on that hole earns a point.
The goal of the game is to get the most points possible over the course of a round. As you can probably guess, there are all kinds of ways you can bet on this game — whether it be determining payouts at the start for best scores or even live betting on each hole. You’ll be able to find a lot of different variations for Wolf, including a version called “Blind Wolf” where the wolf can choose to go solo even before anyone has teed off.
To win Wolf, you’ll likely need to have some smarts and also some confidence. It’s a great one to play with friends that can ramp up the competition for a round on the links.
2. Nassau
Nassau is one of the oldest and most classic golf betting games. It’s simple in nature and is also popular because it is able to attract golfers of all handicaps to play competitively. Before you begin the round, you’ll first need to decide on payouts for the following:
- Winner of the Front Nine
- Winner of the Back Nine
- Winner of Overall Round
Now, the best part about Nassau is that it allows for golfers of all handicaps to have a fair chance to win. Scores will be adjusted based on player handicaps. Handicap strokes will usually be determined by basing it on the lowest handicapper in the group. You can decide to play one of the following ways throughout the course of the round:
- Stroke Play: Where the number of strokes are totaled throughout the round and handicaps are added for adjustment at the end.
- Match Play: Where each hole counts as a point and players battle against each on that hole with regard to handicaps.
As you can see, the Nassau is a simple golf betting game and you can throw all different kinds of twists in to make it more exciting. One of the more popular add-ins, for example, is “pressing,” which doubles the value of a hole in the event of a tie.
3. Vegas (or Daytona)
If you’re looking for a risky golf betting game with an intriguing name to fit, then Vegas is the one for you. Vegas has likely bankrupted more than one golfer during its exciting history. It adds a lot of excitement to the otherwise cautious game of golf and puts a load of pressure on each and every shot.
Here’s how to play:
Split teams evenly — a group of four split into teams of two will work great for this. You’ll then play the first hole as you normally would, with each individual keeping their own score. But here’s the catch: when each player finishes their hole — say player one gets a 5 and player two gets a 6 — their scores are then added together to make 56, with the lowest score always coming first. Say the other team finishes with two 3s on the hole — their score is 33.
You can probably guess that some huge margins will start to open up in this kind of game. To add to the pressure, scores in the double digits will go first instead of last — this means if player one gets a 5 and player two gets a 10, their score is 105. Brutal.
The fun thing about Vegas is that it truly adds stress to each shot — one putt can make the difference between a huge margin. If you’re confident in your game and not afraid to risk it, try playing Vegas next time you’re on the course.
4. Bingo, Bango, Bongo
Bingo Bango Bongo is just plain fun. It’s great for a group of friends of varying skill levels or for a nice evening on the links with the family. This is a great one because it truly is designed to make it fun for all different handicaps. It’s also simple to integrate into a casual game. Scoring is determined by three different challenges, each worth one point each:
- Bingo: First person to land their ball on the green.
- Bango: First person to get their ball closest to the pin once every ball has landed on the green.
- Bongo: First person to get their ball in the cup.
Whoever earns the most points over the course of a round wins.
The tricky thing about Bingo, Bango, Bongo is to remember to stay true to golfing etiquette. If someone shoots out of turn, for instance, then they can disrupt the rules of the game. When played right, golfers of all skill levels will likely have a pretty fair shot of earning a point.
To bet on this one, you can assign dollar values to each point and then even add a cashout for the winner at the end.
5. Sixes
Sixes, also known as “6-6-6” or “Round Robin,” is designed for four-person groups and is an easy, fun way to mix up your golf round and add some easy competition. The premise is simple: over the course of an 18-hole round, you’ll be competing in teams of two against each other.
Every six holes, however, you’ll switch partners, thus starting a new round and giving you a fresh chance at victory. In effect, you’ll be playing three different rounds of six holes that you can bet on.
6. Greenies
If you’re in a group of weathered golfing bettors, it’s likely you’ll hear someone yell “GREENIE!” at some point throughout the round. Then all bets are on.
A greenie bet will usually operate as a type of live or side bet on a par 3 — whoever hits a shot closest to the pin wins. There is a catch — in order to earn the greenie, the player closest to the pin must also earn par. If they get bogey, they can no longer earn the greenie. Some play that a birdie will earn double the points. It no one hits the green on a greenie hole, you can press the next par 3 for double the points.
Greenies can also be given cash values at the beginning of a round — say $1 per greenie or however you choose to value it.
7. High-Low
If you’re into an “almost everybody wins” type of golfing betting game, then welcome to highs and lows, where even getting the worst score on your team earns you a point.
Teams of two each play their own balls on a given hole. At the end of the hole, scores are tallied. For each pairing, a point is awarded for the highest of the “high” scores, and also the highest of the “low” scores.
So, for instance, if you and your teammate get a 4 and 3, and the other team gets a 5 and a 6, then your team earns two points, because you got a point for both the highest of the highs and the highest of the lows.
High-low is a fun, creating golf betting game that keeps everyone involved and engaged in the match.
8. Scramble
That’s right — we’ve included the classic golf scramble here because it’s just that good. It’s up there as one of the most popular golf games and also one of the easiest to bet on. You can read the full write-up on how to play in this article.
Essentially, you’ll be splitting a four-person group into teams of two and playing the best shot for each stroke. With the right group, scores can get very low and you can have yourself a great, competitive match full of strategy and fun. As for betting, you can settle on a payout for the winner at the beginning and add side bets throughout the round.
9. Skins
For a basic, fundamental golf betting game, play Skins. In this game, each hole is assigned a skin. You can assign skins cash values before the round begins. During the round, if a player wins a hole outright, then they earn that skin. If the hole results in a tie between players, then the skin is pushed to next hole, doubling its winning value.
The player with the most skins at the end of the round wins.
10. Match Play
If you find yourself in a head-to-head golf round with someone, few golf games are better than match play. Each time you tee off you’re competing to win that one hole — the golfer with the fewest strokes on the hole wins the hole. If you tie the hole, nothing happens — you just move onto the next hole and no points are awarded.
If a player has won enough holes so that the other player can’t make a comeback, then the match is over.
Perhaps its simple premise makes this type of golf game one of the most electric out there. Match play has given us some of the most exciting rounds in golfing history.
11. Ryder Cup
There’s a reason why the Ryder Cup has some of the best ratings of any golfing event. The format and intense competition make it a must-watch. If you’re looking to replicate that experience, there’s a way you can do it. In a typical Ryder Cup format, the event is split up into three different rounds — four-ball, foursomes and singles.
- Four-Ball: Basically a version of “best ball,” each team plays their own ball and the team takes the lowest score of the hole. The hole is halved if each low score is tied.
- Foursomes: Players take turns hitting shots on each hole. The team also alternates hitting tee shots, with one team member teeing off on all odd-numbered holes and the other on all even-numbered holes.
- Singles: Two players from each team go head-to-head. Lowest score wins the hole.
If you want, you could split your 18-hole round into six separate events and play these games for each round. The Ryder Cup format is a lot of fun with a group of friends and can add excitement to your round.
12. Umbrella
To play Umbrella, you’ll need two teams of two facing off against one another on the course. On each hole, teams will be competing under an “umbrella” of five different challenges. You can customize these challenges however you like — here is one of the most common umbrella challenge clusters:
- Lowest Individual Score
- Lowest Team Total
- Hit Green in Regulation
- Teammate Hits Green in Regulation
- Either Team Member Gets a Birdie
On the first hole, each of these challenges will be worth one point each to the team or team member. However, on each ensuing hole, points will follow the hole number — 2 points on hole 2, 3 points on hole 3, etc.
13. Hammer
If you’re out with a group of friends, having a casual round with some drinks, there are few golf betting games more fun than Hammer.
The basis of the game is match play, with teams or players facing off against one another for points on each hole. At any point during the hole, however, a team can launch a “hammer” at the other, which doubles the bet on the hole. The other team can then decide to accept the hammer or deny it. If they deny it, the team has to forfeit the hole and lose the bet.
On each new hole, the hammering starts over, and each team can hammer one another at any time. The only rule is that a team cannot hammer consecutively on a hole — meaning the other team must answer with a hammer before the other team hammers back.
Hammer, sort of like poker, involves a lot of strategy. You can put pressure on the other team to test their confidence or even put pressure on your own shot — you can hammer even after the other team has holed out.
14. Trash (or Dots)
Trash is a casual favorite on the golf course — players of all skill levels will have fun with this one. There aren’t any real strict guidelines for this one — you can bet on any number of side bets throughout the course of the round. The key is to keep track of the bets as the round goes on — you’ll be adding up however many points or dollar amounts you win (and lose) throughout the round, and then finding your net score at the end. Here are some common bets you can make in “Trash”:
- Chip-In: Hole out from beyond the green
- Scramble: Miss the fairway and the green but still make par
- Birdie: Make a birdie
- Pathy: Bounce your ball off the cart path and still make par
- Barky: Hit a tree and still make par
- Sandy: Your ball is in a bunker during the hole and you still make par
- Long drive: Get the longest drive on the hole
- Poley: Make a putt that’s longer than the flagstick
- Hogan: Hit the fairway, green and two-putt for par
The more bets you have, the more calculations you’ll have to do at the end of your round. Just make sure you’re betting with the right group for this one and keeping track of your bets as you go.
15. 9-Point Game
The 9-Point Game is the best for three-player rounds. On each hole, nine points are up for grabs. These can be divided up in a variety of ways:
- Single Best Score: 5 points
- Single Best Second Score: 3 points
- Single Lower Score: 1 point
or
- Two Best Scores: 4 points
- Lower Score: 1 point
or
- Best Score: 5 points
- Two Lowest Scores: 2 points
or
- Three Best Scores: 3 points
16. Stableford
Stableford has been around forever and continues to remain an awesome golf betting game even today. It’s also a relatively simple game to play. Pars, birdies, bogeys and more are all assigned point totals before the round — whoever has the most points at the end wins. Here’s the classic format for Stableford:
- Double Eagle: 5 Points
- Eagle: 4 Points
- Birdie: 3 Points
- Par: 2 Points
- Bogey: 1 Point
- Double Bogey or More: 0 Points
You can mix up these point assignments however you want, but the classic system helps speed up your round and also ensures that no one person falls out of the competition.
17. Gruesomes
Looking to add a heaping amount of pressure and fun to your golf round? Gruesome is the one for you. In this exciting format, the other team will have the opportunity to impact your team’s shots.
On a given hole, your team will tee off. The other team, however, will then pick whichever drive they want you to play the rest of the hole from — which will likely be the worst of your team’s shots. Gruesomes is a lot of fun with the right group and a great way to test your nerves on the tee box.
After all, even if your partner stripes a perfect one down the fairway, you’re still on the hook to put one in play.
18. Quota
Quota is a great one to put your group’s handicaps to good use. There are a few different versions you can play — one of the classic ways is to subtract your handicap from 36 and then use Stableford scoring to try to beat that number. Whoever has the best plus/minus at the end of the round wins.
19. Let It Ride
Big gambles, lots of risk, the chance for huge upside — this is what Let It Ride is all about. At the start of each round, each score on the hole is assigned a point total — say three points for par, four for birdie, two for bogey, etc. At the end of each hole, players have the choice to “bank” their points, which essentially puts them into a savings account that you can keep points in until the end of the round.
If you’re feeling confident, you can choose to “Let It Ride.” If you choose this option, your point totals are doubled on the next hole. In order to receive points, though, you have to match your score on the previous hole or do better. If you get a worse score, you lose all the points that were not banked.
20. Snake
Here’s a good one to keep an eye on your group’s putting game. Snake revolves around avoiding the dreaded three-putt. Each time a member of your group three-putts, they get the snake — an imaginary (hopefully) symbol that stays with them until the next person three-putts. Then they hold the snake. This keeps going until the round ends — whoever is holding the snake at the end of the round loses.
You can start out with a set payout that the loser has to pay each group member at the end of the round. Or, you can double that amount each time the snake is passed, raising the stakes and putting some pressure on the greens.
Golf Betting Games: The Bottom Line
We hoped you were able to find a golf betting game here that can add some fun to your next golf round. Just remember that it’s all in good fun and the real reward here is getting to spend some time on the course playing the great game.