Never Lose Track of the Snake
Settle Up Golf tracks every side bet automatically — including who's holding the snake.
Three-putts are expensive enough on their own — but in Snake, the last player to three-putt walks off the 18th green owing everyone else money. Learn how the snake works and why it will transform how your group approaches the green.
Snake is a putting side bet where one object — the snake — circulates among players throughout the round. The snake is not an actual object you carry in your bag (though some groups do use a toy snake or a novelty item to make it tangible). It's more of a running designation: someone holds the snake at any given moment, and whoever is holding it when the round ends owes a set amount of money.
The defining rule is simple: you get stuck with the snake by three-putting. The moment you take three putts on any green, the snake passes to you. You're now the holder — and you stay the holder until someone else three-putts, at which point it moves to them. At the end of 18 holes, whoever last received the snake pays up.
Snake is one of the purest psychological side games in golf. Unlike skins, which reward great holes, Snake is entirely about avoiding bad holes — specifically on the green. It introduces a unique kind of pressure every time you're over a putt: not just "do I make this?" but "do I three-putt and inherit the snake?"
The game works with any number of players, takes zero mental math to track during the round, and adds entertainment value on every single green. It's also one of the easiest formats to layer on top of your existing bets — you don't have to restructure anything to add Snake to your group's usual Nassau.
Here's how a typical round unfolds. Before you tee off, your group agrees on the dollar value of the snake. Let's say it's $20. One player is arbitrarily designated as the starting snake holder — some groups give it to the longest hitter, the person who suggested the game, or whoever lost the last round. Others start with no holder and the snake simply activates on the first three-putt.
Play proceeds normally. Everyone tees off, hits their approach shots, and then putts out. If every player two-putts (or better) on a given hole, the snake situation doesn't change. No one pays attention to Snake on a given hole unless someone takes three or more putts.
The moment a player takes a third putt on any green, the snake transfers to them. If multiple players three-putt the same hole, the snake goes to whoever three-putted last — the final person to tap in their third putt on that green.
This continues hole by hole. The snake can move constantly (a rough putting day), or it can sit with one player for several holes if no one else three-putts. Either way, everyone knows who has it, and that awareness creates its own pressure. The player holding the snake is not penalized per hole — they only pay out at the very end. But knowing you're carrying it into the back nine is a special kind of motivation to start rolling your putts more carefully.
The most common payout structure is straightforward: whoever holds the snake after the 18th green has been putted out owes every other player in the group a fixed dollar amount.
For example, in a four-player group playing a $10 snake: the final holder owes the other three players $10 each, for a total payout of $30. In a three-player group at $10, they owe $20 total. The snake holder always pays; everyone else collects equally.
Some groups run it differently:
For most casual groups, the simple "final holder pays everyone else a flat amount" is the cleanest. It requires zero tracking during the round — you just need to know who has the snake at any given moment, which everyone can keep in their head.
The basic version of Snake only moves the snake on three-putts. But many groups add a redemption rule that introduces even more drama: a one-putt can pass the snake back.
In this variation, if the current snake holder makes a one-putt (sinks their first putt from off the green, or holes out in one stroke from anywhere on the green), they can transfer the snake to another player of their choice. This is a powerful move — it means even the player stuck with the snake has an incentive to attack putts aggressively rather than defensively lag for two-putts.
The strategic dimension this adds is significant. If you're the snake holder and you have a 30-foot putt, you have real motivation to try to drain it rather than die it up close for an easy two-putt. A made putt is an escape route. A miss that leaves you three feet short might still lead to a two-putt — but if you accidentally miss that short one and three-putt again, you've compounded your problem.
Other common variations include:
Golf psychology is fascinating, and Snake taps directly into it. Under normal circumstances, a three-putt is frustrating — it costs you a stroke — but the pain is abstract. You don't feel it immediately. You see it on the scorecard, you groan, and you move on.
Snake makes a three-putt immediately social and financially consequential. When you pick up the snake, everyone in the group knows. You can feel it. And that awareness changes how you approach every subsequent putt: more focus, more routine, more care over distance control.
Interestingly, Snake tends to improve lag putting more than anything else. Most three-putts happen not because players miss short putts but because they leave themselves a difficult second putt after a poor lag from distance. Players who carry the snake quickly learn to prioritize getting the first putt close above all else, even if it means being overly conservative with their line. A conceded gimme after a perfect lag is never a three-putt.
There's also an interesting effect on pace of play. Players with the snake tend to focus more on the green — they take the putting routine more seriously, read the green more carefully. This can slow down putting somewhat, but it often speeds up the pre-putt chatter since everyone else is watching intently to see if the snake moves.
Unlike formats such as Bingo Bango Bongo — which awards points for being first on the green, closest to the pin, and first to hole out — Snake is entirely about putts. It doesn't care about your drives or your irons. You can hit every green in regulation and still hold the snake all 18 holes if your putting breaks down. That purity of focus is part of what makes it such an effective game for putting practice.
Snake's best quality as a side game is how naturally it layers on top of other formats. Because it tracks a single piece of information (who has the snake), it doesn't interfere with scoring for any other format you might be running simultaneously.
Common pairings:
When stacking games, agree on all the rules before the first hole. The question of whether Snake interacts with any other game mechanic — for instance, whether a made putt that scores a skin also allows the snake to pass — should be settled upfront to avoid confusion mid-round.
Agree on the activation rule before you start. Does the snake start immediately (someone is randomly designated as the holder on hole 1) or does it activate on the first three-putt? Both are valid — just decide before you tee off.
Keep the dollar amount proportional to the group's comfort level. Because only one player pays at the end, the payout can feel significant even at modest amounts. A $5 snake in a five-player group means the final holder pays $20 — meaningful but not painful. Scale from there based on your group's appetite for action.
Verbally confirm the snake transfer on every three-putt. It takes one second: "that's three for Dave — snake is on Dave." Saying it out loud prevents any end-of-round disputes about whether the snake moved on hole 11 or hole 12.
Don't rush your lag putts. The most reliable way to avoid Snake is to master the lag — get your first putt within three feet of the hole, consistently. Reading the green's slope and speed on approach putts matters far more in a Snake game than trying to drain everything.
Use the snake psychologically. If you're not currently holding the snake and a competitor is visibly rattled about theirs, take your time on the green. Don't rush. Let the pressure sit. Good players have been known to win or lose Snake games purely based on who cracked mentally in the final three holes.
Consider a physical snake. A small rubber snake from a dollar store, a novelty keychain, or even just a distinctive ball marker passed between players makes the game tangible. When someone three-putts, you physically hand over the snake. It sounds silly, but it makes the transfer real — and the humor of someone being handed a rubber snake on the 15th green tends to keep the mood light even when the money stakes are real.
Lock the snake on 18. If your group is prone to end-of-round chaos — where players three-putt the 18th on purpose to try to dump the snake — just agree upfront that 18 is locked. No transfers on the final hole. Whoever has it going into 18 finishes the job. It keeps the ending clean.
Settle Up Golf tracks every side bet automatically — including who's holding the snake.