Golf betting game guides
Rules, worked examples and settlement math for the side games golfers actually play. Every guide is written the way we implement it in the calculator, so what you read matches what the app pays out.
Written and maintained by the Golf Game Bet Calculator team, who build the scoring engine this site runs on.
Side games are the reason a casual round stays interesting on the tenth hole. But most of them are passed down verbally, and every group ends up playing a slightly different version. These guides write the rules down: what counts as a win, what happens on a tie, how carry-overs behave, and exactly how the money moves at the end of the hole.
If you are new to golf wagering, start with handicaps — almost every game below is fairer when strokes are applied — then read Skins and Nassau. If you play in a Korean group, the Ding-Dong-Daeng, Gangster and Hussein guides cover the games you will actually be asked to join.
Prefer a structured route through them? The How to Play hub groups every format by number of players, handicap spread and how much variance you want.
All guides
Skins: rules, carry-overs and payouts
Every hole is worth a skin. Ties carry the value forward — here's how the pot builds and settles.
Nassau: the classic three-bet match
Front nine, back nine and overall — the wager almost every group has played at least once.
Stroke play vs match play betting
Two ways to compare a card, two very different betting shapes. When to use each.
Hussein (bomb hole): rotation and pot rules
A rotating designated player carries the hole. Rotation to the second-best scorer, pot vs fee, worked math.
Ding-Dong-Daeng (딩동댕) explained
A three-outcome Korean side game that keeps every hole meaningful for mid-handicappers.
Gangster (조폭) explained
The hole winner takes from everyone; blow-up holes hurt. Rules, variations and etiquette.
Team match and Las Vegas re-pairing
Blue vs White teams, per-hole settlement, and the Las Vegas format that re-pairs players each hole.
Handicaps: course handicap, strokes and net score
How strokes are allocated by stroke index and why net scoring keeps mixed groups competitive.
Gallery betting and parimutuel odds
How a shared pool sets the odds, how payouts are calculated, and why odds move as bets come in.
Stableford: scoring by points, not strokes
Points per hole with a floor of zero, plus Modified Stableford for groups who want aggression rewarded.
Quota (points par): beat your own target
Each player gets a target from their handicap and settles on how far above or below it they finish.
Wolf: pick a partner or go it alone
A rotating wolf chooses a partner off the tee — or takes on all three for a multiplier.
Nine point (split sixes)
Nine points shared 5-3-1 every hole. The best betting game for a threesome, with every tie split.
Bingo Bango Bongo explained
First on the green, closest to the pin, first in the hole — a game any handicap can win.
Four-ball (best ball): rules and handicaps
Two-player teams take the better score on each hole. Allowances, variations and strategy.
Scramble: rules, handicaps and strategy
Everyone hits, the team plays the best shot. Texas scramble, Ambrose handicaps and order of play.
Alternate shot (foursomes)
Partners share one ball in strict turns. Tee assignments, penalty order and Chapman variations.
Presses: reopening a losing match
A new bet on the remaining holes, automatic two-down presses, and how the math stacks up.
Junk bets: sandies, greenies and barkies
The small money that rides alongside any format — values, proof rules and settlement.
Hammer: doubling the bet on a hole you like
Call the hammer to double the value of a hole mid-play. Hammers, re-hammers, automatics and worked math.
Stick Draw (뽑기): random teams and the Joker
Korean four-player game: five sticks decide 2v2 teams every hole, and the black Joker rewrites a score.
Course management: strategy that lowers scores
Target selection, playing your miss, honest lay-ups, wind and slope — and how strategy changes per format.
Putting and the short game
Green reading, speed control, putt vs chip vs pitch, bunker basics and drills that transfer to the course.
Golf clubs explained: lofts and gapping
Driver through putter — lofts, hybrids vs long irons, wedge gapping, bounce and shaft flex.
Choosing a golf ball
Construction, compression, urethane vs ionomer covers, and which differences actually change your score.
A note on stakes
Keep stakes small enough that nobody plays differently because of them. The point of a side game is to give a meaningless par-4 in the middle of the round something riding on it, not to redistribute anyone's month. Agree the amount on the first tee, agree who settles at the end, and write it down — which is exactly what this app is for.