Golf games, explained.
The games your group already argues about — rules in plain English, the variants worth knowing, and how Swilkin scores every one of them off a single scorecard.
Skins
Any group
Win the hole outright, win the skin — ties carry the pot to the next hole. The most famous golf game there is.
How to play → 🎯Nassau
Any matchup
Three bets in one: the front nine, the back nine, and the 18. Presses, per-leg stakes, and how the classic $2 Nassau actually settles.
How to play → ⚔️Match play
2 sides — any size
Hole-by-hole, up-and-down, closed out 3&2 — how match play works, with handicaps, presses, and team better-ball matches.
How to play → 🐺Wolf
4–6 players
The rotating-captain game: pick a partner after the drives, or go lone wolf and play the field. Rules, points, and the lone/blind variants.
How to play → 🟢Dots & junk
Any group
The side action riding every hole: sandies, greenies, barkies, and the rest of the junk your group pays out for great (and lucky) shots.
How to play → 📈Stableford & Quota
Any group
Score points, not strokes — standard and modified Stableford, custom point scales, and the quota game your league probably plays.
How to play → 🎰Vegas
4 players (2v2)
Pair your team’s scores into a number (4 & 5 = 45), the hole pays the difference — and a birdie flips the other team’s number. Rules and examples.
How to play → 9️⃣Nines (5-3-1)
3 players
The best game for a threesome: every hole is worth 9 points — 5 for low, 3 for middle, 1 for high. Rules, tie splits, and payouts.
How to play → 🎯Bingo Bango Bongo
3–4 players
Three points on every hole — first on the green, closest once everyone’s on, first in the cup. The great equalizer: short hitters win money.
How to play → 🔨Hammer
2 sides — any size
Every hole has a price, and either side can double it mid-hole by throwing the hammer — accept and play on, or concede at the current value. The most adrenaline per dollar in golf.
How to play → 🐇Rabbit
Any group
Win a hole outright to grab the rabbit; hold it at the 9th and the 18th to get paid. A perfect low-stakes game for any group.
How to play → 😖Trouble
Any group
The anti-junk game: water balls, OB, and lost balls each cost you a unit. Also called Disaster, Trash, or Garbage — the funniest game in golf.
How to play → 🃏Aces & Deuces
3+ players
Every hole: the low man collects from everyone, the high man pays everyone. Simple, brutal, brilliant for 3–5 players.
How to play →Every game. One scorecard.
Run a match with presses, a skins pot, wolf dots and a rabbit — all at once, all off the same scores, all settled to the penny.
Start playing — it’s free