Track Hi-Lo Automatically
Settle Up Golf runs both scoring streams hole by hole, settles each Nassau segment when it closes, and tells you exactly who owes what — so you can focus on your game.
Two scoring streams, one round. Hi-Lo runs best ball and worst ball at the same time, making every single shot count — the brilliant one and the disaster alike.
Hi-Lo is a 2v2 golf betting game where each hole produces two separate results instead of one. The teams play best ball and worst ball at the same time, on every hole, throughout the round. Whichever team wins the best-ball stream earns a point; whichever team wins the worst-ball stream earns a separate point. Two streams, two payouts per segment.
The appeal is simple: nobody on the team is ever "out of a hole." The player who just topped it into the rough is still contributing to the worst-ball stream — in fact, a team with a really bad score can win the worst-ball point if the other side is even worse. Bad shots stay interesting. Great shots stay important. Everyone is invested on every hole.
You need exactly four players in two fixed teams of two. Partners stay the same all round — there is no rotation. That simplicity makes Hi-Lo easy to explain to first-timers while still rewarding strategic play throughout.
On each hole, every player posts their net score (handicap strokes applied). Within each team, identify the lower score and the higher score. Then compare across teams:
If the scores tie on either stream, that hole is halved with no payout in that stream. The two streams run independently — it is possible for Team A to win best ball and Team B to win worst ball on the same hole, splitting the payout. That happens more often than you might expect and keeps the money churning both ways.
Hole-by-hole totals feed into the segment structure, which is where the actual money settles.
Hi-Lo is almost always played Nassau-style: three pots per stream, one for the front 9, one for the back 9, and one for the overall 18. With two streams running, that is six pots in total per round. Each pot settles at the end of its segment.
Groups typically set a single wager per segment — say $5 front, $5 back, $5 overall — and that amount applies to both the best-ball pot and the worst-ball pot at each segment. So a $5/$5/$5 Hi-Lo game has a maximum swing of $30 per player (if one team sweeps all six pots). Adjust to what your group is comfortable with.
Presses work the same as in any Nassau: a team that is down in a segment can press to start a side bet within that segment. Presses apply to whichever stream triggered the press, or both streams if the group agrees to double-press. Clarify your press rules before the first tee.
Most Hi-Lo games use net scores. Each player applies their course handicap, and strokes get distributed across the holes where they are earned based on the scorecard's handicap allocation.
The most common club variant is OTL — Off the Low. Instead of full handicap, each player gets strokes relative to the lowest-handicap player in the group. If your course handicap is 18 and the scratch player has 0, you get 18 strokes. If the lowest is 8, you get 10. OTL levels the field without the extreme stroke counts that can distort outcomes when there is a big handicap gap in the foursome.
Gross Hi-Lo also works for low-handicap groups where everyone is close enough that handicap differences are small. If everyone is a single-digit, gross play keeps things cleaner. Know your group.
Pair high and low handicaps together. A balanced team — one stronger player, one weaker player — produces the most competitive Hi-Lo matchup. When two scratch players team up against two 18-handicappers, the best-ball stream becomes a blowout in one direction and the worst-ball stream becomes one in the other. Cross-pairing keeps both streams competitive all day.
Your bad shot still has a job. Do not give up after a bad swing. Your worst score needs to be better than their worst score in that stream. Bogeys and doubles that would normally be forgotten suddenly matter. Players who stay mentally in the hole after a bad shot are worth their weight in Hi-Lo.
Press carefully. Because both streams are always live, a press affects your position in both best-ball and worst-ball simultaneously. If you are up big in best ball but barely hanging on in worst ball, a press might not be the play you think it is.
Be aware of the math before pressing on 18. With six separate pots, it is possible to be winning the round on dollars while losing in hole count in certain streams. Track the dollar totals, not just the hole scores, as you approach the back 9 close.
Hi-Lo pairs naturally with skins as a separate side bet running in parallel — skins rewards clean individual holes regardless of team streams, so a player who goes on a hot streak gets double compensation.
Settle Up Golf runs best ball and worst ball side by side, applies strokes per hole, and settles each Nassau segment the moment it ends. No math on the course.
The name comes directly from the two scores that matter: the high score (worst ball) and the low score (best ball). Both count, both pay out, every hole. Some groups also call it High-Low or Hi-Lo Match.
Exactly 4 — two teams of 2. The format requires one best score and one worst score per team on every hole. With fewer than four players, you cannot produce both streams from each side.
No. A 1v1 setup collapses the two streams into the same numbers, which is just stroke play. Hi-Lo needs teams of two so each side has a distinct best and worst on every hole. For head-to-head play, Match Play is the right format.
The app tracks both streams hole by hole, applies course handicap strokes automatically based on the scorecard, and calculates each Nassau segment payout when the segment closes. At the end of the round it shows exactly who owes what across all six pots — no calculators, no arguments.
Hi-Lo is recreational wagering between friends, the same category as any golf side bet. Stakes and participation are always voluntary. Most groups play for amounts they would comfortably spend on a post-round drink.
It depends on the group. Hi-Lo keeps fixed teams and two scoring streams, rewarding consistent partnership. Sixes rotates partners every 6 holes so everyone plays with and against everyone. Wolf changes the teams on every single tee box. If your group enjoys team camaraderie over an entire round, Hi-Lo is the pick. If you want variety and chaos, Wolf or Sixes deliver more of that.
Settle Up Golf runs both scoring streams hole by hole, settles each Nassau segment when it closes, and tells you exactly who owes what — so you can focus on your game.