Best Golf Games to Play With Friends

If you want to spice things up a bit on the course, play a competitive golf game against friends. You can play for fun, bet drinks on the 19th hole, or set a healthy wager if you’re feeling confident. Either way, it will make you try harder and add an element of pressure to your game.

Ready to play? Put on your golf shirt or golf jacket, stretch your hip flexors, and hit the links. I encourage you to try one of the best golf games to play with friends, listed below.

Nassau

Nassau is one of the most popular golf games played. You’ve probably even played it without knowing what it’s called.

This game can be played individually or in teams. Formats can vary from match play, best ball, scramble, etc.

How to play Nassau

Nassau for golf consists of making three bets — low score on the front nine, low score on the back nine, and low score on the overall round. Each bet is worth a certain dollar amount (e.g., $10). Example: Bill and Ted’s team had low score on the front nine and overall eighteen. If each bet was worth $10, they win $20. Their opponents, Harry and Lloyd, had low score on the back nine, so they win $10. Bill and Ted end up netting $10 from Harry and Lloyd.

Variations:

• Adding a press, such as an automatic two-down. This doubles the bet each time a side gets two holes down.

Nines (5-3-1)

Nines is a perfect game for threesomes.

How to play the Nines golf game

The rules for nines are simple. Each hole is worth nine points, with each point representing an agreed-upon dollar amount. As with most games, the goal is to get the lowest score. The player with the lowest score gets 5 points. The player with the second lowest score gets 3 points. The player with the highest score gets 1 point. If players tie, the points are divided between them evenly. The number of points distributed should always equal nine.

Variation:

• Six-Six-Six is almost the same game using six total points instead of nine. The player with the lowest score gets 4 points. The player with the second lowest score gets 2 points. If there is a tie between two players for highest score, each player gets 1 point. If there is a tie between two players for lowest score, each player gets 3 points, and the bottom player gets none.

Stableford

This golf game can be played in a small or large group. The point system is based on your hole scores relative to par.

How to play Stableford

Each player tries to get the highest score by getting bogies or better.

• Bogey = 1 point
• Par = 2 points
• Birdie = 3 points
• Eagle = 4 points
• Hole-in-one = 5 points

Variation: 

• Deducting points for double bogeys and triple bogeys (e.g., -2 points for a double bogey)

Bingo, Bango, Bongo

I used to love Bingo, Bango, Bongo on the old Tiger Woods PGA Tour video games. The bingo, bango, bongo golf game is great if you have players of varying skill levels.

How to play Bingo, Bango, Bongo

One point is awarded to the first player to hit their ball onto the green (Bingo). It doesn’t matter how many shots it takes. One point is awarded to the player closest to the pin after everyone is on the green (Bango). One point is awarded to the first player to hole their putt (Bongo).

Las Vegas

Las Vegas works best with two teams playing against each other.

How to play the Las Vegas golf game

The Las Vegas golf game is unique because the team score is set by combining the digits of each player to make the lowest possible number.

Example: The two players on the first team score 6 and 4, respectively. They would combine 4 and 6 to make 46. The two players on the second team score 5 and 6, respectively. They would combine 5 and 6 to make 56. Since 56-46=10, the first team would receive 10 points. The dollar amount per point is set at the beginning of the match.

Wolf

Wolf or “Lone Wolf” is likely the most popular golf game played today.

How to play the Wolf golf game

It’s typically played with four players, each taking a turn as the “wolf” every four holes. The goal is to accumulate more points than your competitors. The wolf goes last and has the option of taking any other player as a partner. The wolf must choose that partner before the next player tees off, however. If no partner is selected, that player is said to be going “lone wolf”, and earns double points for a win. Also, some versions of the game allow the wolf to go “blind wolf”, and declare their intention to go solo before anyone else tees off. The blind wolf earns triple points for a win. 

There are various ways to score and play Wolf. For a detailed explanation, see Wolf Golf Game Rules Explained.

Round Robin

This game can be played in any team format — best ball, scramble, or alternate shot.

How to play Round Robin golf

The goal of Round Robin is to win the most holes while changing partners every six holes. This ensures that each player is partnered with every other player for a set of six holes. Three separate bets are created using this format.

Skins

This is a classic match play game between two players. Additional golfers can join, but there will be more carryover holes.

How to play Golf Skins

A point-value or dollar amount is assigned to each hole. The lowest score on each hole wins the skin and money. If there is a tie for lowest score, the skin carries over to the next hole. That hole is now worth double. This can continue until someone wins a hole outright and resets the amount.

Variation: A player who wins a carryover hole must “prove it” or validate their score on the next hole. This means they must at least match the lowest score of the other players to collect the skins from the previous hole. If someone else records a lower score on the “prove it” hole, they can steal the skins from the original winner. They must also validate their score by matching the lowest score on the next hole.

Snake

Poor putters beware. Snake is a game that penalizes players for three-putting.

How to play the Snake golf game

Each time a golfer three-putts, they become the new snake. The player who ends the round as the snake is the ultimate loser. They must pay the other players an amount set before the start of the round.

One-Putt Poker

Another game that penalizes weak putters.

How to play One-Putt Poker

In one-putt poker, three-putts are assigned a monetary value. Each time a player three-putts, they will put that amount into the pot. Each time a player one-putts, they’ll receive a playing card. At the end of the round, the player with the best poker hand will win the pot.

Do you know of any other fun golf games? If so, please leave a comment.

If you play well, you can spend that hard-won money on the Best Men’s Golf Shirts and Best Men’s Golf Jackets.

About The Author

As Founder of Handbook of Man, Tommy Murata helps men of all ages and backgrounds reach their full potential. A self-proclaimed renaissance man, he enjoys golfing, skiing, DIY projects, and learning new skills. When he’s not playing outdoors, Tommy enjoys learning web design and playing music.