The 13 Best Golf Betting Games

The easiest change up from stroke play, match play takes into account a little more strategy and can be a lot of fun. Match Play is a head-to-head format that can be played one-on-one or as teams of two.

• Instead of marking strokes, you mark holes won. Tied holes have no value awarded to either side.
• The match is finished when the winning individual or team leads by more holes than remain to be played.
• The final score of the match is formatted as the number of holes the winner led by, followed by the number of holes that remained when the match ended. For example, if you took a two-hole lead on your opponent after the 17th hole, you would win by a final score of 2&1.
• You can even play match play as a single by playing against the course using your course handicap.

Skins is a fun competition that technically can be played as a twosome or threesome, but playing with four brings out some of the best results. One of the best aspects of a skins game is that even if you’re not having the best day on the golf course, one good hole can change your luck.

• Assign point values for each hole, and a dollar value for each point. Each hole could be worth one point, or holes could be worth more points based on difficulty or when they fall in the round, with the closing holes worth the most.
• The winner of a hole gets that hole’s “skin" and skins carry over to the next hole when two or more players tie on a hole.
• When multiple holes carry over and the hole you’re playing is worth a lot of points, things get really interesting. That's when serious momentum shifts occur.
• A skins game is also great for large tournaments or parties with multiple groups playing.

Wolf is a great golf game to play with four players. It brings out the confidence in each player and is one of the only games in which teams vary from hole to hole.

• Wolf begins by determining the order in which the group tees off on the first hole. It’s important to note the order on the scorecard as you must follow this rotation throughout your round.
• On the first tee, the first player to tee off is the Wolf for that hole. After hitting their tee shot, the Wolf may elect to play against the other three golfers as a Lone Wolf for that hole. If Lone Wolf is elected, that individual is playing alone against the other three players and the hole is then worth triple the amount of points. Lone Wolf must be declared before seeing the second player tee off.
• After seeing the second player tee off, the Wolf determines if they will partner with that player before the third player tees off, and the same applies to the fourth player.
• If the Wolf does not make a partner selection after the third player tees off, they are automatically paired with the fourth player.
• Two teams of two then compete for a point on that hole and the lowest score on the hole wins the point for the team or Lone Wolf. Ties do not carry over.
• On the next hole, the second player in the order is now the Wolf. Remember that the Wolf alternates every hole and the Wolf always tees off first. At the end of the round, the player with the most points is the winner.

Stableford is the ultimate risk versus reward scoring system in golf.

• Stableford is a point system, and unlike most golf games, the high score wins.
• Instead of tracking strokes, Stableford scoring assigns a point value to each score and the better you play, the more points you earn.
• Point values are based on a fixed target score, which is normally par. Points are earned on each hole and at the end of the round the highest score wins.

Alternate Shot is played in teams of two. In Alternat Shot, you need to trust, rely on, and carry your playing partner. Alternate Shot is one of the formats in the Ryder Cup.

• Players alternate hitting each shot beginning with the opening tee shot of the round.
• The lowest team score on each hole wins. Ties to not carry over.

Playing Alternate Shot isn’t for everyone. You have to be able to deal with the pressure of not letting your partner down and coming through when important situations fall upon you.

Four-Ball is a simple but fun approach to playing as teams of two. You can play with your foursome, use the Four-Ball format for a large tournament, or anything in between.

• Four-Ball scoring is simple. The team score for each hole is the lowest score made by either teammate. 
• You can apply match play or stroke play format.

Four-ball allows for aggressive strategy based on what your playing partner has done and the position your competitors find themselves in.

If you’ve played in a golf outing, chances are you’ve used the Scramble format. It’s designed for the lowest scores possible, and keeps golf outings moving at a good pace of play.

The Scramble format is scored by strokes, but instead of counting individual strokes, your team combines to make each hole’s score.

1. Each player hits their tee shot.
2. All golfers play from the tee shot of the team's choosing.
3. Continue this shot selection until the ball is holed.

One popular strategy for a Scramble is to have your best player or longest hitter tee off towards the end of the rotation. This allows the players in the front end of the rotation to concentrate solely on getting the group in a safe position before the better players can unleash big drives or take aggressive lines to the hole.

Playing Nassau is a time-honored tradition for many golfers as it’s one of the most popular simple and golf games. This three-part game is fun because it allows players to recuperate after a tough front nine.

• In a Nassau, there are separate wagers for the front nine, back nine, and the entire 18 holes.
• It can be played between individuals or teams and is made even more exciting by the press. Pressing is when the trailing individual or team elects to play a hole for double.
• Nassau is a point-based game that has variations, but elements of Bingo Bango Bongo can be incorporated as well as just making each hole worth a specific amount of points.

A fun alternative to a Scramble is the “Shamble” playing format.

1. Each player tees off.
2. Like a scramble, each player plays from the location of the best shot.
3. From there, each player holes out their own ball.
4. The best individual score becomes the group’s score for that hole.

The Chapman format is part Scamble and part Alternate Shot consisting of two teams of two.

Once the teams are settled have been determined, here’s how to play:

1. Everybody tees off.
2. Each player then hits their partner's ball on the second shot.
3. Scramble format is used for the third shot. Teams choose which third shot is best, and both play from there.
4. From this shot until the ball is holed, only one ball is in play per team, and Alternate Shot is used until the hole is completed. If you selected Player A's third shot, Player B plays the next shot.

Stroke play is the most basic format of golf in the United States, but if you've given each of the previous dozen games a try, it may feel like a refreshing change of pace.

Just add up the number of strokes over your round and the lowest score wins. It’s always fair to assign strokes to individual players based on handicaps.