12 Best Golf Side Games: Rules, Formats & How to Play

Players: 2-8  |  Format: Points  |  Difficulty: Easy

Skins is the most popular golf side game in the world, and for good reason: the rules fit in one sentence. The lowest score on each hole wins a "skin," and if two or more players tie, the skin carries over to the next hole. That is it.

What makes Skins special is the carryover mechanic. When nobody wins a hole outright, the skin rolls forward, stacking on top of the next hole's value. Three consecutive ties mean the fourth hole is worth four skins. This creates bursts of drama that keep the entire group engaged even on holes where one player is out of contention. A player who is having a miserable round can still birdie a carryover hole and walk away with the day's biggest point award.

Skins works with any group size and any skill level. It requires zero strategic planning and takes about 10 seconds to explain. If you have never played a golf side game before, start here.

Read the full Skins rules and strategy guide →

Players: 2-4  |  Format: Match Play  |  Difficulty: Medium

Nassau is three separate match play competitions packed into one round: the front 9, the back 9, and the overall 18. Each of these is an independent match worth an agreed-upon amount. The genius of the format is that losing the front 9 does not take you out of contention. You can still win the back 9 and the overall match, which means there is always something to play for.

The optional press rule adds another layer. When you are 2-down in any match, you can "press" to start a new side game from that hole forward. Each press creates an additional independent match worth the same value. Presses can stack, and in a spirited group, it is not uncommon to have five or six separate matches running simultaneously by the back nine. This is how Nassau sessions can go from a $10 match to a $60 point total.

Nassau is the gold standard for structured golf competition. It works best as a 1v1 format but can also be played 2v2 with best-ball scoring. If your group wants more structure than Skins but less complexity than Wolf, Nassau is the sweet spot.

Read the full Nassau rules and strategy guide →

Players: 2  |  Format: Match Play  |  Difficulty: Easy

Match Play is the purest form of head-to-head golf competition. Instead of tracking total strokes, you compete hole by hole against your opponent. Win a hole and you go "1 Up." Lose a hole and you go "1 Down." Tie a hole (a "halve") and nothing changes. The match ends when one player leads by more holes than remain, resulting in scores like "3 and 2" (three up with two to play).

Match Play changes how you think about every shot. In stroke play, a triple bogey on one hole can haunt you for the rest of the round. In Match Play, it only costs you one hole. You shake it off, move to the next tee, and start fresh. This makes it psychologically more forgiving and strategically different: if your opponent is already in trouble on a hole, you can play conservatively to guarantee the win rather than chasing a low number.

Match Play is the format used in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and the WGC-Match Play Championship. It is as simple as golf gets, and with handicap strokes applied on the appropriate holes, players of different skill levels can have a genuinely competitive contest.

Read the full Match Play rules and strategy guide →

Players: 4-8  |  Format: Team  |  Difficulty: Easy

Best Ball is the most popular team format in golf. Two teams of two (or more) compete against each other, with each team's score on a hole determined by the lowest individual score among its members. If you shoot a 5 and your partner shoots a 3, your team's score is 3. Simple as that.

The beauty of Best Ball is the safety net it provides. Knowing your partner hit the green in regulation frees you up to take aggressive lines at pins, go for par 5s in two, and fire at tucked hole locations. If your aggressive play works, the team benefits. If it does not, your partner's safe play covers the hole. This alternating aggression/safety rhythm is what makes Best Ball strategically richer than it looks on the surface.

Best Ball is the best team format for groups with mixed skill levels. A 5-handicap and a 20-handicap can be competitive partners because the stronger player covers the difficult holes while the weaker player only needs to contribute on a handful of holes where they play well. Most weekend groups will find Best Ball to be the most enjoyable team format available.

Read the full Best Ball rules and strategy guide →

Players: 4  |  Format: Team  |  Difficulty: Hard

Wolf is the most strategically complex golf side game and the favorite of groups who have outgrown simpler formats. One player is designated the "Wolf" on each hole, rotating through the group. The Wolf tees off last and watches the other three players hit their drives. After each drive, the Wolf can immediately choose that player as a partner for the hole (2v2) or pass and wait for the next drive. The catch: once you pass on a player, you cannot go back to them.

If the Wolf does not like any of the drives, they can go "Lone Wolf" and play 1v3 for double the points. For the truly confident (or reckless), declaring "Blind Wolf" before anyone tees off triples the point value. This creates a high-risk, high-reward decision on every single hole. Do you grab the first player who puts it in the fairway, or do you gamble that a later player will hit an even better shot?

Wolf requires exactly 4 players and rewards the ability to evaluate situations, read other players' games, and make quick decisions under pressure. It is not the right game for beginners or casual groups, but for foursomes that play together regularly and want deep strategic engagement, Wolf is the best game in golf.

Read the full Wolf rules and strategy guide →

Players: 2-8  |  Format: Stroke Play  |  Difficulty: Easy

Stableford flips traditional stroke play on its head by converting scores into points. Double bogey or worse earns 0 points. Bogey earns 1 point. Par earns 2. Birdie earns 3. Eagle earns 4. Highest point total after 18 holes wins. The transformative feature is that once you cannot score any points on a hole (double bogey is guaranteed), you pick up your ball and move on.

This pick-up rule is what makes Stableford the best format for beginners and high-handicap players. In regular stroke play, a blow-up hole (8, 9, or 10 on a par 4) devastates your round and your mood. In Stableford, the worst any hole can be is 0 points. You are never more than a few good holes away from being competitive, and you never have to finish a hole where things have gone catastrophically wrong. The pace of play is faster, the mood is lighter, and the scores are more forgiving.

Stableford is also the format used in the PGA Tour's Barracuda Championship, the only PGA Tour event that uses an alternative scoring system. Playing Stableford gives you the same scoring format as professional golf's most unique event.

Read the full Stableford rules and strategy guide →

Players: 2-8  |  Format: Points  |  Difficulty: Easy

Rabbit is a chase game that plays out in three acts across 18 holes. One player "holds" the rabbit by winning a hole outright (lowest net score, no ties). If a hole is tied, the rabbit stays with the current holder or remains loose if no one has caught it yet. At each checkpoint (holes 6, 12, and 18), whoever holds the rabbit collects points from every other player. After the checkpoint point award, the rabbit is released and a new chase begins.

The tension in Rabbit builds as each checkpoint approaches. Holding the rabbit on hole 4 is meaningless unless you can keep it through hole 6. Other players are actively trying to steal it from you by winning a hole outright before the checkpoint arrives. If the hole right before a checkpoint ties, the rabbit goes loose and nobody collects. This "hot potato" dynamic creates a unique kind of pressure that no other golf format replicates.

Rabbit is easy to learn (win a hole to grab the rabbit, hold it at checkpoints to get paid) and works with any group size from 2 to 8. It is an excellent complement to other games: many groups run Rabbit alongside Skins or Nassau as an additional side game.

Read the full Rabbit rules and strategy guide →

Players: 3-6  |  Format: Points  |  Difficulty: Medium

Bingo Bango Bongo awards three points on every hole, each for a different achievement. Bingo goes to the first player to get their ball on the green. Bango goes to the player whose ball is closest to the pin once all balls are on the green. Bongo goes to the first player to hole out. With 54 points available over 18 holes (3 per hole), there is always something to compete for.

The game is the great equalizer of golf side games because it does not require handicaps. Shorter hitters naturally have an advantage for Bingo because they are farther from the green and play first under proper order-of-play rules, giving them the first chance to reach the putting surface. Longer hitters and better ball-strikers have an edge for Bango because proximity to the pin rewards accuracy. And Bongo favors golfers who are farthest from the hole on the green, since they putt first and have the best chance of holing out first.

The critical rule that makes Bingo Bango Bongo fair is strict order of play: the player farthest from the hole always plays first. Breaking this order disqualifies you from that particular point. This rule is what prevents better players from simply dominating all three categories. It is medium difficulty not because the rules are complicated, but because remembering to play in proper order adds a procedural element that casual groups sometimes forget.

Read the full Bingo Bango Bongo rules and strategy guide →

Players: 2-8  |  Format: Points  |  Difficulty: Medium

Dots (also called Chicago or Points) is a point-accumulation game where every hole earns you a value based on your score relative to par. Birdie is +2 points. Par is +1. Bogey is 0. Double bogey or worse is -1. Stack bonus categories on top (greenie for closest on a par 3, sandy for bunker saves, polie for one-putts), and a single great hole can be worth 3 or 4 points.

The scoring system rewards aggressive play because the upside of a birdie (+2) far outweighs the downside of a bogey (0). Only double bogeys actually cost you points, and even then it is just -1. This means a player who takes risks and makes a few birdies will consistently beat a player who plays conservatively and makes all pars. The bonus categories add depth by rewarding specific types of excellent play: precise iron shots, clutch putting, and bunker skills.

Dots is medium difficulty because tracking bonus categories (greenies, sandies, polies) across a group requires attention to detail on every hole. But the base scoring system is simple, and many groups start with just the base points before adding bonuses once everyone is comfortable.

Read the full Dots rules and strategy guide →

Players: 4  |  Format: Team  |  Difficulty: Hard

Vegas is a 2v2 team game with the most explosive point swings of any golf format. Each team combines their two individual scores into a two-digit number, with the lower score always placed first (a 4 and a 6 become 46, never 64). The difference between team numbers is the points exchanged on that hole. Two teams posting 45 and 57 means a 12-point swing. Two teams posting 44 and 68 means a 24-point swing.

The optional flip rule is what makes Vegas legendary. When both players on the same team make double bogey or worse on the same hole, their two-digit number reverses: the higher score moves to the tens position. A 67 becomes 76. A 68 becomes 86. Against a team that posted 44, a flipped 86 creates a 42-point swing on a single hole. These flip moments produce the biggest emotional peaks and valleys of any golf side game.

Vegas requires exactly 4 players and is best suited for groups that enjoy high-intensity competition. Many groups play with a per-hole point cap (such as 20 or 30 points) to keep the game from spiraling out of control on flip holes. Even with a cap, Vegas produces more dramatic moments per round than any other team format.

Read the full Vegas rules and strategy guide →

Players: 2-4  |  Format: Match Play  |  Difficulty: Hard

Hammer takes match play and adds a doubling mechanism that turns every hole into a psychological bluffing contest. Each hole starts at a base point value. At any point during the hole, you can "hammer" your opponent to double the current value. Your opponent must either accept (and play the hole at doubled points) or concede (and lose the current value immediately). After accepting a hammer, the opponent can re-hammer to double again. This can go back and forth until someone concedes or the hole is completed.

A base-1 hole can escalate to 2, then 4, then 8 points through successive hammers. The strategic depth is enormous: do you hammer after a great drive to put pressure on your opponent, or do you wait until they face a difficult second shot? Do you accept a hammer when you are in a bunker, or concede 2 points to avoid potentially losing 4? The psychological game is constant, and reading your opponent's confidence level becomes as important as reading putts.

Hammer is rated hard not because the rules are complicated (they are not), but because the strategic and psychological demands are higher than any other format. It is best suited for players who enjoy mental competition and are comfortable with the possibility of large point swings. Most groups limit hammers to 2 or 3 per hole to keep the maximum exposure manageable.

Read the full Hammer rules and strategy guide →

Players: 1-8  |  Format: Stroke Play  |  Difficulty: Easy

Sometimes you do not need a side game at all. You just want to track your score, see how you played, and have a record of the round. Just Keep Score is plain stroke play scoring: total up your strokes over 18 holes and compare with your playing partners (or just yourself).

This is the default format for practice rounds, casual solo play, rounds where you are working on your game, or any time you want to track your scores without the overhead of a side game. It is also the foundation that all other formats build on. Every player in every side game is also keeping a stroke play score underneath.

If you are new to golf or new to scoring apps, start here. Get comfortable entering scores hole by hole, and when you are ready for more competition, add one of the 11 side games above on top of it.