Game Rules

How to play the side games, rules, and scoring.

An overhead close-up of a modern paper golf scorecard resting on a dark wooden table at golden hour, with PAR and HCP rows printed at the top, handwritten pencil scores filling the player rows, small penciled dots in the corners of stroke-hole cells, and a sharpened pencil and rocks glass at the edge of the frame

Net vs Gross Scoring: When to Use Which

Net vs gross scoring is the most consequential terminology gap in casual golf. Here's the plain-English explainer, the handicap-index trap, and a decision tree for picking the right one.

Nathan Shoup·5 min read

Two foursomes visible on the same golf hole at late golden hour — a foreground group spread out across a green near the flagstick, and a second tiny group of golfers walking down a distant fairway far in the background, with a dense tree line in deep shade on the right side of the frame

Game Rules

How to Run a Skins Game Across Multiple Tee Times

Skins runs itself at four players. Add a fifth and split into two tee times and suddenly nobody knows who won which hole. Here's how to scale skins without losing the part that makes it fun.

Nathan Shoup·5 min read

A dark wooden pub table at dusk with a folded paper golf scorecard, two amber pint glasses, and a few crumpled bills lit by warm overhead light

Game Rules

The 30-Second Rules for Every Golf Side Game

Every popular golf side game explained in a single paragraph, with a one-line 'best for' so you can pick one before the first tee.

Nathan Shoup·5 min read

A paper scorecard on a wooden bench at dawn with a smartphone resting next to it, both showing scores for the same round, red flag pin softly visible in the background

Game Rules

Five Common Misconceptions About Golf Scoring Apps

Most golfers who haven't tried a scoring app dismissed it for one of five reasons. Most of those reasons miss what an app actually does — and one of them is the reason your group keeps playing the same games.

Nathan Shoup·5 min read

A weathered scorecard at dawn on a wooden bench with a Handicap Index notation handwritten in the margin, a red flag pin softly visible in the background

Game Rules

How to Calculate Your Golf Handicap (and Why It Matters for Your Group)

Your handicap isn't a verdict on your golf. It's the number that lets a 22 play your foursome's 8 in a real match — and have a real chance to win. Here's what a Handicap Index actually is, how to get one (free or paid), and why every group's side games get better when everyone has one.

Nathan Shoup·12 min read

A paper golf scorecard on a wooden bar surface at dawn with handwritten match-play notations and dollar amounts from a Nassau bet, a red flag pin softly out of focus in the background

Game Rules

How to Play Nassau — Rules, Presses, and the Math of the Classic Golf Wager

Three bets, not one. The match never dies — you're down 5 on the front still have the back and the overall wide open. Add the press, and even a 1-down-thru-7 can double the action by the back nine. Here's how Nassau actually works, why it's so popular, and the running math that can break scorecards by hole 12.

Nathan Shoup·10 min read

A golfer lining up a putt at dawn with a red flag pin in the foreground

Game Rules

How to Play Skins — Rules, Carryovers, and the Hole-by-Hole Drama

Some side games stretch across the round. Skins lives hole by hole — every tie carries over, and one putt by hole 14 can be worth half the bar tab. Here's how the math works, plus the difference between individual and team Skins.

Nathan Shoup·6 min read

Two golfers on a tee box with a golf ball reflecting digits

Game Rules

How to Play Vegas — Golf's Most Deceptively Simple Side Game

Vegas is one of golf's most popular side games — and one of the most mathematically adventurous. Two-on-two teams, scores pair into a two-digit number, lower number wins. Plus three optional multipliers/variables that can turn a single hole into a round-defining swing.

Nathan Shoup·6 min read

Game Rules

How to Play Wolf — Rules, Variations, and Scoring

Wolf is one of the most popular golf side games — and one of the most argued-about. Here's how the rotation, partner-picking, and Lone Wolf scoring actually work.

Nathan Shoup·7 min read