How to Play Nassau in Golf

Nassau is the most common bet in golf, and it's really three bets in one: the front nine, the back nine, and the total 18. A "$5 Nassau" puts $5 on each — up to $15 before anyone presses.

The three bets

Nassau is played as match play — you win, lose, or halve each hole. Three separate contests run at once:

• Front: whoever wins more holes on 1–9.
• Back: whoever wins more holes on 10–18.
• Total: whoever wins more holes across all 18.

Each bet pays the stake to its winner. If a bet is tied (equal holes won), it's a push — no money changes hands.

Presses: how the money really moves

When a side falls behind — traditionally 2 down — they can press: start a brand-new bet, same stake, covering only the remaining holes of that nine. Go 2 down after the 13th and press, and holes 14–18 become their own match, running alongside the original back bet. A press can be pressed again, so a rough back nine can stack three or four bets on top of each other. This is where Nassau earns its reputation.

The total is its own match (the classic argument)

Here's the one that starts fights in the parking lot: the total bet is not front plus back. By the standard rules it's a separate 18-hole match — most holes won over all 18. Because hole margins differ, you can lose both the front and the back on the differential and still win the total. Decide your group's definition before the first tee. (Some play total = front result + back result; either works, but pick one.)

Net Nassau: playing with handicaps

For mixed groups, play net: the higher-handicap side gets the stroke difference, allocated on the hardest holes by stroke index, and each hole is decided on net score. It keeps every match honest when skill levels differ.

A real payout example

$5 Nassau, one-on-one, with a manual press:

Settle up: A finishes +5 − 5 + 0 + 5 = +$5; B is −$5. And that's a simple Nassau — add a couple more presses and the last two holes decide four bets at once. Which is exactly when someone loses track.

Why Nassau needs an app

Three bets, presses stacking on presses, net strokes, and a "total" nobody agrees on — Nassau is the game most likely to end in a scorecard standoff. SideAction Saloon tracks every bet and press live as you enter scores, handles net handicaps, and ends the round with one settlement screen: who owes who, in dollars. No napkin math.