Best Golf Betting Games for a Foursome
The best golf betting games for a foursome are Nassau (three match-play bets on front nine, back nine, and overall), Wolf (pick your partner after each tee shot), Vegas (two-on-two with digit pairing), and Skins (lowest score wins each hole). For four players playing as individuals, Wolf is the top choice. For two-on-two teams, Nassau with best ball is the standard. Most serious foursomes combine two or three games to cover team stakes, individual action, and hole-by-hole drama.
Four players is the sweet spot for golf betting. You have enough people for real team formats, enough variety for individual games, and enough personalities at the table to keep every hole interesting. The question is not whether to bet -- it is which games to play and how to combine them. This guide covers every format that works for a foursome, ranked and organized so you can pick the right mix for your group.
The Top 5 Foursome Games, Ranked
If you only have time for one section, here it is. These five games have survived decades of foursomes because they are easy to explain, hard to get bored with, and fair enough that everyone keeps coming back.
- Nassau -- Three match-play bets (front nine, back nine, overall) with optional pressing. Works as 2v2 teams or head-to-head. The default golf bet for a reason: it keeps every hole alive and the structure is intuitive once you play it once.
- Wolf -- One player is the Wolf each hole, picking a partner after watching tee shots or going alone against the other three. The rotating partnerships and lone-wolf option create drama that no other format matches. Built specifically for four players.
- Vegas -- Two-on-two with scores combined by digit pairing rather than addition. A team shooting 4 and 5 posts 45, not 9. The math creates massive swings and makes every stroke count in unexpected ways.
- Skins -- Lowest score on each hole wins the skin. Ties carry over. Simple, fast, and deadly when carryovers stack up. Works for any number of players but four is ideal because ties are less frequent than with two or three.
- Best Ball -- Each team takes the better score of its two players on every hole. The foundation for most 2v2 formats and the scoring method behind Nassau teams. Lets a weaker player contribute without dragging the team down.
Two Teams of Two: The Best 2v2 Formats
When your foursome wants to play as two teams, these are the formats that deliver. Team games add a layer of strategy around when to play aggressively versus safely, and the best ones create situations where both partners matter on every hole.
Nassau (Best Ball)
The standard 2v2 bet. Each team takes the lower score of its two players on each hole, and you run a Nassau on those best-ball scores. Front nine, back nine, overall, with presses when a team falls 2-down. A $5 Nassau between two teams means $15 at risk before presses, and the team dynamic adds a layer that solo Nassau does not have: when your partner has already made par, you can attack the pin for birdie with no downside.
Vegas
Vegas pairs team scores by digit rather than adding them. If one teammate makes 4 and the other makes 6, the team score is 46. The other team's 5 and 5 becomes 55. The difference (9 points) is what changes hands. The twist: the lower score always goes first in the digit pair, so a 4-6 is 46, not 64. This creates wild swings when one player blows up. A 4-8 becomes 48, but a 4-9 is 49 -- and the point difference from 45 to 49 is only 4, while 48 to 84 on a flip would be 36. Vegas rewards consistency and punishes one player having a disaster hole.
Best Ball Nassau
This is Nassau with a specific twist: rather than alternate shot or scramble, you use the best-ball format for the team score. It is the most common way to play team Nassau and the format most people mean when they say "let's play Nassau" in a foursome. Each player plays their own ball, and the team takes whichever score is lower on each hole.
Bloodsome
The opposite of a scramble. After both teammates tee off, the opponents choose which drive your team has to play. Then you alternate shots from there. It is brutal, it is hilarious, and it creates strategy on the tee: do you both hit safe shots so neither drive is punishing, or does one player go for broke knowing the opponents will pick the other drive anyway? Bloodsome works best as a side game alongside a more standard format because the scoring can get ugly fast.
Every Man for Himself: Individual Foursome Games
Sometimes you do not want teams. You want four players, four scores, and one winner per hole. These formats pit everyone against everyone and reward the player who performs when it counts.
Wolf
Wolf is the king of four-player individual games. Each hole, one player is the Wolf (rotating in order). The Wolf tees off first, then watches each of the other three tee off one at a time. After any tee shot, the Wolf can choose that player as a partner for the hole. If the Wolf waits through all three and picks no one, they go lone wolf -- alone against the other three for double stakes.
The beauty of Wolf is that partnerships change every hole. Your teammate on hole 1 might be your opponent on hole 2. You are constantly evaluating tee shots, reading the hole, and deciding whether the reward of going alone outweighs the safety of picking a partner. No other game creates this dynamic.
Skins
Each hole has a value (either flat or escalating). The player with the lowest score on the hole wins the skin. If two or more players tie for low, the skin carries over and adds to the next hole. Carryovers are what make skins electric in a foursome -- with four players, ties happen often enough that skins can stack up to three or four holes' worth before someone claims them outright.
Stableford
Points-based scoring relative to par. Double bogey or worse: 0 points. Bogey: 1 point. Par: 2 points. Birdie: 3 points. Eagle: 4 points. The running total over 18 holes determines the winner. Stableford is excellent for foursomes with mixed skill levels because it uses net scores -- higher handicappers get strokes that convert bogeys into net pars, keeping them competitive on every hole. A blow-up hole costs you zero points rather than wrecking your entire round.
Banker
One player is the banker each hole (rotating). The banker plays against the other three individually. If the banker has the best score, all three opponents pay. If another player beats the banker, the banker pays that player. Ties are pushes. Being the banker on a hole where you birdie is a windfall; being the banker on a hole where you double bogey is expensive. The rotating role means everyone takes the hot seat equally.
The Best Combinations
Most serious foursomes do not play just one game. They stack two or three formats to cover different types of action. Here are three proven combinations:
The Classic Trip: Nassau + Skins + Wolf
This is the gold standard for a foursome that wants maximum action. Nassau provides the team backbone (2v2 for the round), skins add individual hole-by-hole stakes, and Wolf gives every player a rotating individual game with shifting partnerships. Three games, three types of action, and every hole matters in at least two of them. Settlement is more complex, but BetWaggle handles the math.
The Team Battle: Vegas + Bloodsome
For groups that want to go hard on the team format. Vegas runs as the primary scoring game, with its wild point swings keeping both teams locked in. Bloodsome runs as a side game on every hole, adding a layer of psychological warfare when opponents pick your worst drive. This combination is intense and best for foursomes where both teams are evenly matched.
The Casual Round: Skins + Stableford
For foursomes that want action without the complexity. Skins give you the hole-by-hole excitement, and Stableford gives you the 18-hole competition with a running points total. No team dynamics to manage, no pressing to track. Just play your game, post your scores, and see where you stand. This is the combination to start with if your group is new to golf betting.
When stacking games, set the stakes for each format independently. A group might play a $10 Nassau, $2 skins, and $1-per-point Wolf. Scaling the amounts differently across formats keeps the total exposure manageable while still giving every game enough juice to matter.
Mixed Handicap Groups
Not every foursome is made up of scratch golfers. When your group has a 5-handicap and a 25-handicap in the same cart, the format you choose matters more than the stakes. These games do the best job of equalizing skill differences so everyone has a legitimate shot.
Stableford
The best format for wide handicap spreads. Because it uses net scores and a points system, a 25-handicap who makes net par on a hard hole earns the same 2 points as a 5-handicap who makes gross par on an easy hole. Blow-up holes are capped at zero points rather than destroying your round. Every player competes against the course relative to their own ability.
Net Skins
Standard skins but with handicap strokes applied. A 20-handicap getting a stroke on a hole needs only bogey to post a net par -- and that net par can win the skin against a field of better players who made gross pars. Net skins keep higher handicappers in the hunt on holes where they receive strokes, which are typically the hardest holes on the course.
Best Ball (with Handicaps)
Pair the best player with the worst player. Both play their own ball with full handicap strokes, and the team takes the better net score on each hole. The stronger player provides a safety net, and the weaker player can contribute on holes where their handicap stroke turns a bogey into a net par. Well-constructed best-ball teams can compete evenly regardless of the individual handicap spread.