Nassau Golf Calculator

Three bets in one round -- front 9, back 9, and overall 18. Presses included.

Players

Bet Amounts

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$
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Classic Nassau is $5-$5-$5. Adjust each bet independently.

Presses

When a player is down by 2+ holes on any bet, they can press -- starting a new side bet at the same value running alongside the original.

Scoring

Format

How Nassau Works

Three Bets in One

Nassau splits your 18 holes into three separate matches: front 9, back 9, and overall 18. You're playing and settling three independent bets simultaneously on every hole.

Match Play Scoring

Each hole is won by the player with the lower score. Ties are halved. The bet is won by whoever wins more holes in that portion -- front 9, back 9, or overall 18.

Presses

When you're down 2 or more holes on a bet, you can "press" -- starting a new side bet at the same dollar value. The original bet still runs. Presses keep the match alive deep into the back nine.

Automatic Presses

Some groups play automatic presses -- a press is triggered automatically whenever a player goes 2-down. Others require a player to call the press. Set your house rule before teeing off.

Example Nassau -- $5-$5-$5

Jake vs Tom · 18 holes · $5 per bet

Front 9

Jake wins holes 1, 3, 5. Tom wins holes 2, 4. Holes 6-9 halved.

Jake wins front 9 -- +$5

Back 9

Tom goes on a run, winning holes 10, 12, 14, 16, 18. Jake wins 11, 13.

Tom wins back 9 -- Jake −$5

Overall 18

Jake 6 holes, Tom 7 holes, 5 halved. Tom wins the overall match.

Tom wins overall -- Jake −$5

Final result: Jake −$5, Tom +$5 (won back and overall, lost front)

Nassau Golf FAQ

Nassau is a match play betting game where you play three separate bets simultaneously -- one for the front 9, one for the back 9, and one for the full 18 holes. The name reportedly comes from Nassau Country Club in New York, where the format originated in the early 1900s. It's the most popular golf betting game in the United States.
When you're losing a bet by 2 or more holes, you can call a press -- this starts a brand new side bet at the same value, running alongside the original bet. The original bet doesn't reset; you're now playing both. If you're down 2 on the front 9 after hole 5, you can press and have a fresh 4-hole match running. The loser of the original bet still pays, plus whoever loses the press pays too.
Yes -- net Nassau is very common when players have different skill levels. Enter each player's handicap in the setup, and the calculator adjusts scores per hole using stroke index allocation. The higher handicap player receives strokes on the hardest holes. Use our Handicap Index Calculator to get the right number before you play.
$5-$5-$5 is the most common casual Nassau -- $5 on the front, $5 on the back, $5 overall. Maximum exposure without presses is $15. With presses, a single match can generate $30-50 in total action, keeping the game interesting all 18 holes. Serious games often play $10-$10-$10 or higher.
Classic Nassau is a 2-player or 2-team format. With 4 players, the most common version is two separate Nassau matches running simultaneously -- Player 1 vs Player 2, and Player 3 vs Player 4. Some groups play a 3-player Nassau where each player plays the other two, creating three simultaneous matches. This calculator handles the 2-player version.
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