Golf Betting Rules, Formats & Tips

Everything you need to know about the most popular golf side games — from Nassau to Wolf and everything in between.

★ Golf Betting Games — All 20+ Formats Compared

Start here. Side-by-side table of every game on this page: Nassau, Skins, Wolf, Vegas, Sixes, Calcutta, Stableford and more — with players, complexity, and which to pick for your group.

Settle Up Index NEW

A WHS-style handicap calculator built into the app. Free, automatic, and the same 8-of-last-20 math as GHIN.

Member-Member & Member-Guest

The two classic pairs formats — how they work, how to score them, and how to run one at your club or with your group.

Multi-Day Tournament Scoring

Cumulative scoring, daily games, handicaps across courses, and how to seed a Calcutta from Day 1 results.

Ryder Cup Format in Golf

Singles, Best Ball, Foursomes — how team match play works and how to run your own Tour Cup event.

Calcutta Golf Tournament

Pool your buy-ins, draft balanced lines, and compete for the pot. Golf's most exciting tournament betting format.

Blind Draw Partners Golf

The random-draw partner game your club runs after weekend rounds. Same Calcutta payouts, no auction.

Birdie Pool

Season-long chase — collect one birdie on every hole at your home course. First to 18 wins the pot.

PGA Tour Betting Pool

How to run a Masters, PGA Championship, or weekly tour pool with friends — draft formats, survivor pools, and payout tips.

Nassau Golf Betting

The most popular golf bet. Front 9, back 9, overall — plus presses.

Skins Game

Win a skin by having the lowest score on a hole. Carryovers make it exciting.

Wolf

Pick your partner each hole — or go lone wolf for double the stakes.

Match Play

Hole-by-hole competition. Individual or 2v2 Best Ball.

Hi-Lo Golf Betting

Best ball + worst ball scored per segment — a fast, high-variance 2v2 format.

Sixes (6-6-6)

Rotate partners every 6 holes. Everyone plays with and against everyone.

Vegas

Combine team scores into 2-digit numbers. Big swings, big fun.

Nines (5-3-1)

Three players, nine points per hole. The perfect threesome game.

Best Ball & Scramble

The two most popular team formats — and how they actually differ.

Blind Golf Scoring

How to score a missing player in your foursome. Net par is the standard.

Golf Handicap Explained

How handicaps work, what Course Handicap means, and how strokes get applied in bets.

Stroke Play Betting

Count every shot, lowest total wins. How to bet on stroke play with your group.

Bingo Bango Bongo

Three points per hole, three ways to win. A format that keeps everyone in it.

Stableford Scoring

Points per hole instead of total strokes — the format that forgives bad holes and rewards great ones.

Shamble Golf Format

Best drive for the team, then everyone plays their own ball. The best of scramble and stroke play combined.

Best Ball vs Scramble vs Shamble

Three of the most common team golf formats compared side by side. Which to pick for your group, how scoring differs, and how handicaps work for each.

Snake Golf Game

Three-putt and you're holding the snake — a putting side game that makes every green more interesting.

3-Ball Betting in Golf

Sportsbook 3-ball bets explained — how the wager works, dead-heat rules, and how to run a friends-only PGA Tour pool with the same structure.

Step-by-Step How-To Guides

Know the rules? Learn how to use Settle Up Golf to track your bets on the course.

Round Setup Guide

Set up a round, add golf betting games, enter scores, and settle up — step by step.

Tournament Guide

Run a Ryder Cup-style team vs team golf tournament with live scoring and standings.

Side Bets Guide

Add Skins, Nassau, Match Play, and more to any round or tournament group mid-round.