Run your side games without doing the math.
Wolf, Vegas, Skins, Nassau, Best Ball — pick the format, share a link, let ForeBoard run the strokes, the carryovers, and the running tally. No app. No account. Free.
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The side game always ends in a math argument at the bar.
Three Nassau matches with two presses each. Skins carrying over since hole 8 and nobody remembers what the pot is anymore. A foursome that started Vegas on the first tee and quietly gave up scoring it by the 4th. Wolf with three players where it's been forty minutes since anyone agreed whose turn it is to pick.
Side games are great. The math is terrible. By the back nine you're flipping the scorecard over, trying to back-calculate net scores, and the cart girl just rolled past while you were arguing about a press.
That's the part ForeBoard handles. Score the hole — every press, every cascade, every carry-over updates automatically.
Which side game fits your group?
Ten games, ten different feels. Tap any row to expand a worked scoring example.
NassauPlayers:2 or 4How it scoresThree matches per round (front, back, overall) with pressesBest forSustained match-play action plus cascading side bets
Three matches in one — front 9, back 9, and overall 18, each for its own stake. Get down 2 holes and the trailing player can press a new bet.
Stakes
Front 9 / Back 9 / Overall 18 — $5 / $5 / $5
Front 9 — with a press (singles)
Through hole 6: Player A is 2-up.
Player B presses — opens a new $5 bet on holes 7–9.
Across the press: B wins 2 holes, A wins 1, so B takes the press 1-up.
Front-9 result: A's 2-up lead minus B's net +1 = A wins the front-9 match 1-up.
Best Ball Nassau (2v2) — same structure
Each team's lower ball counts each hole. F9, B9, and overall 18 settle separately. Presses work the same.
Presses can cascade — a press that itself goes 2-down can be pressed again.
SkinsPlayers:AnyHow it scoresHole-by-hole, ties carry over and stackBest forDrama on every hole — big swing possible late
Win a hole outright and you pocket the skin. Tie it and the skin carries to the next hole, stacking until someone wins it clean.
Hole 1 — Tie, skin carries
A and B tied — no winner. Skin carries to Hole 2.
Hole 2 — Player B wins 2 skins
Player B wins outright — pockets the skin from Hole 1 and Hole 2.
Team Skins variant — same logic, team scores
Each team's lower ball is the team score. Ties carry, just like singles.
WolfPlayers:3 or 4How it scoresRotating "Wolf" picks a partner each hole — or goes aloneBest forConstant strategy, rotating roles, every hole matters
Each hole, the rotating Wolf picks a partner — or goes solo. Best ball decides the hole. Zero-sum points.
Hole 4 — Wolf partners up
Wolf-side best 4 vs Opps best 5 → Wolf side wins.
Alice +1, Bob +1, Carol −1, Dave −1
Hole 5 — Lone Wolf
Bob wins solo against the field.
Bob +6, Alice / Carol / Dave −2 each
With 3 players
Partnered shifts to +1/+1 vs −2. Lone Wolf shifts to +4 / each opp −2.
VegasPlayers:4 (2v2)How it scoresTeam scores combined into a two-digit number per holeBest forFoursomes wanting fast hole-by-hole action
Each team's individual scores combine into a team score. The difference between team scores is the points won on that hole.
Hole 1
Team score
Optional Twists
The Flip
If both individual scores on Team A (5 & 5) are better than both individual scores on Team B (6 & 7), Team B's number flips from 67 to a 76. Team A goes from winning 12 points (67−55=12) to 21 points (76−55=21).
Par 5 Double
The point difference on every par 5 counts twice. An 11-point par 5 becomes 22.
Birdie Double
Any hole where a birdie is made pays out at double value. An 11-point hole with a birdie becomes 22.
Best BallPlayers:4 (2v2)How it scoresLowest team score per hole counts; partner's high score doesn'tBest forMixed-skill groups — your A-player can carry
Each team's lower score on each hole is the team score. Your partner's higher score doesn't hurt you — only the better ball counts.
Hole 7 — best ball decides
Team A's best ball (4) beats Team B's best ball (5).
Team A wins hole 7
Works as stroke play (lowest team total over 18) or match play (team that wins more holes wins the match).
NinersPlayers:3How it scores9 points per hole split 5-3-1 by finish orderBest forThreesomes that want every hole to score
9 points distributed each hole based on finish order. Ties split the relevant points evenly.
Hole 1
Points
Hole 2 — Tie for 1st
Points
1st and 2nd points (5+3) split evenly between the two tied players.
TwelversPlayers:4How it scores12 points per hole split 6-4-2-0 by finish orderBest forFoursomes wanting every player in the mix
12 points distributed each hole based on finish order. Ties split the relevant points evenly.
Hole 1
Points
Hole 2 — Tie for 2nd
Points
2nd and 3rd points (4+2) split evenly between the two tied players.
High/LowPlayers:4 (2v2)How it scoresBest low score and best high score both count, one point eachBest forTeams that want consistency to matter as much as one hot round
Each hole is worth two points — one for the best low score, one for the best high score. No points for a push. No carryovers.
Hole 1 — Team A sweeps
Hole 2 — Points split
Match PlayPlayers:2How it scoresWin the hole, you go 1-up; total strokes don’t matterBest for1v1 head-to-head — score takes a back seat to holes won
Win a hole, you go 1-up. Lose, you go 1-down. Tie, the match stays where it is. Total strokes never enter the equation.
Through 9 holes
Player A wins 5 holes
Player B wins 2 holes
2 holes halved
A is 3-up through 9.
Match closes early
A is 4-up with 3 holes to play — even sweeping the remaining 3 only gets B to 1-down. Match ends. A wins 4&3.
Stroke PlayPlayers:AnyHow it scoresLowest total winsBest forSimplest leaderboard — the count-every-shot baseline
Count every shot. Lowest total wins. The simplest baseline — and the one ForeBoard runs alongside every other format you pick.
Final totals
Player A wins.
Net version: each player's handicap strokes get deducted on their assigned stroke holes before totaling. ForeBoard runs both gross and net leaderboards.
When the round ends, you get the receipt.
Most golf apps go quiet after the 18th hole. ForeBoard sticks around for the part everyone actually shares.
Email recap for any player
As soon as the last score is in, anyone in the round can pull a clean recap email — final leaderboard, hole-by-hole scoring, side-game results. The version you'd want to forward to the buddy who said you'd never break 90 on that course.
Shareable leaderboard graphic
One tap, drops cleanly into the group chat or an Instagram story. It's the easy answer when somebody who skipped the round asks “how'd it go?” — and nobody has to volunteer the score of the friend who stopped keeping score after the 13th.
Side games by group size.
The number of players in your group narrows the menu more than people realize. Pick from the games that actually work for your count.
Twosomes (1v1)
Nassau is the default — three matches running at once with presses adds layers. Match Play if you want something simpler. Skins also works: every hole carries until someone wins it clean. Avoid the team-based formats (Vegas, Best Ball, High/Low) — they need four.
Threesomes
Niners is the threesome game — built specifically for 3 players, with 9 points per hole split 5-3-1. Wolf also works with three (rotating Wolf, two-player teams form on the fly each hole). Skins is the easy catch-all. Avoid Vegas, Best Ball, and Twelvers — all designed around 4.
Foursomes
The most options. Best Ball, Vegas, Twelvers, High/Low, Wolf, and team Nassau all work. Best Ball is the gentle pick for mixed handicaps. Vegas and Twelvers run the most active per-hole. Wolf rotates roles, so even an uneven foursome feels fair across 18.
Individual games vs. team games.
Some side games are everyone-for-themselves. Others put you on a team where your partner's score matters as much as yours. The choice changes the round more than the rules do.
Individual games
Every player scores their own ball; wins and losses are personal. Niners, Twelvers, Match Play (1v1), singles Nassau, individual Skins, Stroke Play. Wolf rotates partners on the fly, but the running tally is individual. Pick this lane when everyone in the group is comparably skilled and wants to compete head-to-head.
Team games
You're paired up and your partner's score affects the outcome. Best Ball, Vegas, Best Ball Nassau, team Skins, High/Low, team Match Play. Team formats forgive skill gaps the most — your A-player's hot stretch can carry a struggling B-player. Pick this lane for mixed-handicap groups, or anytime you want the social-camaraderie angle to outweigh straight competition.
Several games flex either way — Skins, Nassau, Match Play, and Stroke Play all work as individual or team formats. Pick the structure when you create the round.
Presses, dots, and the other stuff that comes up at the bar.
The rules of the game are one layer. The culture around them is the other. Here's the vocabulary that comes up after the round.
Presses
A press is a brand-new side bet on the remaining holes of an existing match, at the same stake. Standard rule: the trailing side can press once they go 2-down. A press can itself be pressed — cascading presses are how a single Nassau ends with 6-8 separate matches by hole 18. Some groups play “automatic” presses where every 2-down position auto-presses; others require the trailing side to call it. Lock the rule before the first tee.
Junk: snake, polies, sandies, greenies
Junk is the per-shot side bets that run alongside whatever main game you're playing. Snake — last player to three-putt holds the snake and owes everyone a small fee. Polies — scoring par or better after hitting a tree. Sandies — scoring par or better after being in a bunker. Greenies — closest to the pin on a par-3 (and making par or better). Groups settle these at the bar. ForeBoard doesn't track junk yet — settle these the old way.
Dots
“Dots” is shorthand for the points/units you're playing for in any game — “playing for a dot a skin,” “a dot a point.” Each group's dot is whatever they agree on: a dollar, five dollars, twenty dollars. ForeBoard tracks the count; the dollar conversion happens at the bar.
Playing side games with mixed handicaps.
A 3-handicap and a 22-handicap can play the same match if the strokes are applied correctly. The wrong handicap math kills more side games than slow play does.
Two principles. First — strokes go on stroke holes specific to the tees you're playing, not on whatever holes the scorecard guessed. A par-5 from the back tees may be the #1 stroke hole; the same hole from the forwards may be #5. ForeBoard uses the correct stroke index automatically based on the actual tees in your round.
Second — net Best Ball is the most forgiving format for mixed-handicap groups. Each team's lower net ball counts every hole, so a high-handicapper getting a stroke on a tough par-4 can carry the team there. Nassau works just as well with net scoring. Stroke Play, Vegas, and Wolf all play fine net.
Avoid gross-only games in mixed groups. They become a stroll for the better player and a slog for the higher handicap. The net version of every ForeBoard format is one toggle at round creation.
How much should we play for?
The amount your group plays for matters more for the vibe than for the math. A few rough guides depending on how often you play together.
For new groups or mixed wallets: $1 per point, $5 per match, $1 per skin. Low enough that nobody bristles, high enough to feel real. Worst case, you're out $10-15 by the end of the round.
For groups that play together regularly: $2-5 per point or per skin. $10-20 per match. Settle up monthly if you play weekly — saves you from the cash-on-hand problem on the cart path.
For Nassau specifically: The classic is “$5/$5/$5” — five bucks on the front, back, and overall, with $5 presses. A round can end at $20 down or $40 up depending on how many presses get opened. Don't go heavier than your group is comfortable losing on a single round.
No matter the stake, ForeBoard tracks every match, every press, every skin in counts. The dollar conversion happens at the bar. Some groups skip money entirely and just play for who buys.
Side-game questions, answered.
What's the difference between Nassau and Skins?
Nassau plays as three match-play bets running at the same time — front 9, back 9, and overall 18 — with presses opening new bets when one side goes 2-down. Skins plays hole-by-hole, with each hole worth its own value; ties carry over and stack. Nassau is for groups who want sustained match-play action; Skins is for groups who want every hole to be its own moment. Both work in singles or team formats, both work with net scoring.
How do presses work?
A press is a brand-new side bet opened on the remaining holes of an existing match, at the same stake. In Nassau, the trailing side can press once they go 2-down. The press runs separately — you can win the press while still losing the original match. Presses can cascade: a press that itself goes 2-down can be pressed again. By the end of an 18-hole round, a single Nassau can produce 6-8 separate matches all settled independently. ForeBoard tracks every press, every cascade, and the final settlement.
Can I run a side game alongside stroke play in the same round?
Yes. Every ForeBoard round generates an automatic stroke-play leaderboard alongside your chosen format. So you get two views from one round — the side game (Nassau, Skins, Vegas, etc.) and total strokes. No separate scorecard, no extra setup. If your group also wants multiple side games at once (Nassau plus team Skins, for example), tell us — multi-game support is on our roadmap.
What's the best side game for a slow-play round?
Match Play and Nassau. Both end in fewer "wait, what do I score?" moments because they're measured in holes won, not shots tallied. Skins also works well because each hole is self-contained. Avoid Vegas, Twelvers, and Niners on slow days — the per-hole math is more involved (though ForeBoard handles it). For a 6-hour Saturday round behind a wedding outing, Match Play or Nassau is the move.
How does net scoring work in side games?
Net scoring applies handicap strokes on the holes ForeBoard identifies as stroke holes based on the tees you're playing. If you're an 18-handicap getting one stroke on the #1 stroke hole, a gross 5 there becomes a net 4 for the purpose of the side game. Every ForeBoard side game supports net scoring — Nassau, Skins, Wolf, Vegas, etc. The handicap math runs automatically. You don't set strokes manually.
Do I have to bet money to play side games?
No. ForeBoard tracks everything in points or holes-won — you don't enter dollar amounts. Half of the appeal of side games is the running score even without money: bragging rights, the cart girl race, who buys the round at the bar. If your group does play for money, you settle up the way you always have — ForeBoard just hands you the final tally.
What's the most popular golf side game?
Nassau is the most-played wagering format in casual American golf. Skins is the second-most-played. Both have been around for decades and are essentially universal — show up to any country club's Saturday game and odds are someone is running one or the other. Wolf and Vegas are the next most common, especially among foursomes that play together regularly.
Does ForeBoard cost money to use?
No. Free to use, every format, every group size. No premium tier, no per-player fees, no upsell. We make this clear because other apps in this space hide the side-game functionality behind paywalls. ForeBoard is free because the app exists to make casual group golf easier — not to extract a subscription from every player.
Stop tracking side games with a broken pencil.
Create your round in thirty seconds. Share the link. Let ForeBoard do the math.