The nine games groups play most
- Nassau · 2–4 players — Three games in one round: front nine, back nine and the overall 18. The classic clubhouse game.
- Skins · 3–4 players — Win a hole outright to take its skin. Tied holes carry over, so the pots grow as the round goes on.
- Wolf · 4 players — The Wolf rotates every hole: pick a partner off the tee or go it alone for double. Points per hole, settled at the end.
- Vegas · 4 players — Pair the partners' scores into one number, lower first: a 4 and a 5 is 45. Lower number wins the difference, and a birdie flips the other side.
- Bingo Bango Bongo · 2–4 players — Three points a hole: first on the green, nearest the hole, first in. Farthest away always plays first, so the short hitter is in the game.
- Match play · 2 players — Head-to-head, hole by hole. Win more holes than your opponent and the match — and the bet — is yours.
- Four-ball (better ball) · 4 players — Two teams of two, everyone plays their own ball and the better score counts. The standard team bet.
- Foursomes · 4 players — One ball per side, alternate shots. High pressure, quick rounds, and a genuine partnership test.
- Scramble · 2–4 per team — Everyone hits, the team plays the best shot. Usually a stroke-play team bet at society days.
For the full rules of each, the format library covers scoring, examples and the official rules sources.
Agree the game on the first tee
Almost every clubhouse argument about a golf bet traces back to terms nobody agreed. Before anyone hits, settle four things: the game, the stake or points per game, whether scores are gross or net (and which handicaps apply — the handicap calculator works out the strokes for singles, four-ball and foursomes), and what happens to ties — halved matches, carried skins, or extra holes. Optional extras such as presses in a Nassau should also be agreed before they start, not invented mid-round.
The game, the score and the settlement in one chat.
MatchPlay is being built to run your group's game inside the group chat: it records each hole, shows who is up, and settles the result the moment the card is confirmed.
Settling up without the awkward part
However friendly the stakes, chasing money after a round is nobody's favourite job. Keep the game small and social, keep one shared record of the score during the round — a clear match card beats memory — use the Nassau calculator or the skins calculator to work out presses, carryovers and who pays whom, and settle immediately while everyone is still together. That is exactly the job MatchPlay is being built to do automatically for the group chat.
Play responsibly: these are social games between friends, and the value should always be one the whole group is comfortable with.