Nassau

How to Play Nassau

The Nassau golf betting game is probably the most popular golf betting game. Nassau consists of three Match play games, an OUT match (or front) that is played between holes 1 and 9; an IN match (or back) between holes 10 and 18; and a total match between holes 1 and 18. Nassau is sometimes called 2-2-2 because traditionally the match bet would be of $2 for each match.

In Nassau, holes are won, lost or tied. And the score is represented as the number of holes (up or down) that a team has with respect to their opponent. Once a team cannot be caught, even if they lose all the remaining holes, the match is over.

An interesting feature of the Nassau golf betting game is that it allows the losing team to press a match. If a press is accepted, a new match starts from the next playing hole and lasts until the end of the original match pressed. For example, if the total (TOT) match is pressed on hole 5, a new match is created between hole 6 and 18.

A press match can itself be pressed, hence, if a press match between holes 5–18 is pressed on hole 12, another match is created between hole 13 and 18. The new pressed game can be pressed in turn, and each time a new match is created for the remaining holes of the original match. Press matches will have the same bet amount as the match they pressed. The number of matches and, hence, bets can become significant, and manual scoring becomes complicated.

BEEZER GOLF lets you set up automatic presses which are typically done when a team is two holes down.

There are variations on how you determine the hole winner as well. Traditionally, a hole is won by the low net score, but you can also use the second team member score as the tiebreaker. Another and more aggressive version would be to use both team members’ scores and award two points per hole. These options aim to ensure that all players contribute to the outcome of the game.

You can start play on any hole, but the OUT match is always the front nine, the IN match is the back nine, and the TOT match is the full course. The winner of each match wins the match bet. Nassau is suited for all handicap levels, but when making teams, it is best to pair the high and low handicappers together.