How to play: golf scoring and betting formats
Seventeen plain-English guides to the ways golfers keep score and settle friendly wagers — grouped so you can find the right format for your group in under a minute.
Every format below is written the way the calculator implements it, so the rules you read match the money the app works out. Start with the scoring basics if you are new, then pick one individual game and one set of side bonuses — that combination is what most regular groups play week to week.
Pick a format in three questions
- How many players? Three — play nine point. Four — play Skins or Wolf. Eight or more — run a team match or a scramble.
- How wide is the handicap spread? Wide — use Stableford, Quota or Bingo Bango Bongo. Narrow — match play or Nassau.
- How much variance do you want? High — Skins with carry-overs, Hussein, or automatic presses. Low — points-per-hole games and junk bets.
Start here: scoring basics
Understand how a card is scored and how handicaps are applied before you put money on anything. Every other format below builds on these two ideas.
Handicaps, stroke index and net scoring
How course handicap converts into strokes on specific holes, and why net scoring keeps mixed groups honest.
Stroke play vs match play
Total strokes or holes won — the two ways to compare a card, and what each does to a wager.
Stableford scoring
Points per hole with a floor of zero, plus Modified Stableford for groups who want aggression rewarded.
Quota (points par)
Each player is given a target from their handicap and settles on how far above or below it they finish.
Individual betting games
One player against the rest of the group. These are the games most weekend fourballs actually play.
Skins
Win a hole outright and take the skin; ties carry the value forward into a bigger pot.
Nassau
Three bets in one round: front nine, back nine and overall.
Wolf
A rotating wolf picks a partner off the tee or takes on all three alone for a multiplier.
Nine point (split sixes)
Nine points shared 5-3-1 every hole — the best format for a threesome.
Bingo Bango Bongo
First on the green, closest to the pin, first in the hole. Ability spread barely matters.
Team formats
Two sides, one result per hole. Choose by how much you want partners to depend on each other.
Four-ball (best ball)
Everyone plays their own ball; the team takes the better score on each hole.
Scramble
Everyone hits, the team plays the best shot, and repeats. The outing standard.
Alternate shot (foursomes)
Partners share a single ball and hit it in strict turns. Fast and nerve-shredding.
Team match and Las Vegas
Blue vs White with per-hole settlement, and the Las Vegas variant that re-pairs players every hole.
Korean side games
Games you will be asked to join in a Korean group, explained in English alongside the Korean terms.
Stakes, bonuses and spectators
How the money is structured once you have chosen a format.
Presses
Opening a fresh bet on the remaining holes when you are down, and how automatics stack.
Junk bets and side bonuses
Sandies, greenies, barkies and the rest — values, proof rules and settlement.
Gallery betting and parimutuel odds
How a shared spectator pool sets odds and how payouts are calculated.
Using the calculator with any of these
- Load the course so par, stroke index and yardage are correct for every hole.
- Add up to 8 players with handicaps so net scoring is applied automatically.
- Turn on the games you agreed on the first tee and set the stake once.
- Enter scores as you play — settlement updates live for everyone in the room.
- Share the gallery code if spectators want to follow along and bet from a shared pool.
Keep reading
The guides index lists everything in one flat list, and how this site is indexed explains our sitemap and Search Console setup.