The games
Who pays whom
Scorecard (net scores if you play off handicaps)
Nassau is match play: the lower score wins the hole and the player more holes up wins each of the three bets; level is a half and nobody pays. Presses are not included. Skins: a hole is won only by a score nobody else matched. The sample card is made up: type over it.
- Maths reviewed by Josh Miller
- Tested by Diana Westfield
A golf betting games calculator saves the argument in the clubhouse. Type in the card, choose a Nassau, skins or both, and the free CasinoCalcs calculator above settles every bet and lists who pays whom in as few payments as possible. A £5 Nassau between four players is six separate matches, each worth up to £15, so working it out with a pencil at the 19th is where mistakes happen.
The Nassau, front, back and overall
A Nassau is three bets of the same size: front nine, back nine and all 18. Each is match play, so what counts is holes won, not total strokes. Win four holes and lose two on the front and you’re 2 up and collect the front-nine bet. Halve the back and nobody pays on it. With more than two players, the calculator plays a Nassau between every pair, which is how most groups do it.
| Result against one opponent | £5 Nassau |
|---|---|
| Win front, back and overall | +£15 |
| Win two, lose one | +£5 |
| Win one, halve two | +£5 |
| Win one, lose two | −£5 |
Many groups add presses, a new bet when someone goes 2 down. Presses aren’t in the calculator; if you play them, settle them on top.
Skins and carry-overs
In skins, every hole has a prize and only an outright win takes it. On a four-ball where two players make par and two make bogey, nobody wins the hole, and with carry-overs the next hole is worth two skins. A run of halved holes can build a big one. If the last hole is tied, the remaining skins are left over: the calculator says how many, and your group decides whether to play them off or drop them.
The maths of the payout is simple. Each skin is worth the stake from every other player, so with four players a £1 skin is worth £3 to the winner. If one player takes 8 skins and another 6 out of 15 won, the first is up £17 and the second £9.
Net scores and fair games
Use net scores if handicaps differ, otherwise the low handicapper wins nearly every skin. The course handicap calculator gives each player’s strokes for the course, and the Stableford calculator scores the card the other popular way. If you bet on the pros instead, the golf each way calculator settles those bets, places and dead heats included.
Keep the stakes friendly. BeGambleAware.org has free advice if betting stops being fun.