Side Games: Skins & Nassau

Add excitement to your golf rounds with side games that track hole-by-hole competitions and bets alongside your main tournament.

What Are Side Games?

Side games are optional betting competitions that run alongside your regular round. Unlike the main tournament that tracks total scores, side games focus on hole-by-hole performance, creating additional opportunities for wins and adding strategic interest throughout the round.

The two most popular side games are:

• Skins: Win money for having the lowest score on a hole
• Nassau: Three separate bets covering the front 9, back 9, and overall 18

Side games can be played for money, points, or bragging rights. The platform tracks results automatically and calculates payouts at the end of the round.

Skins Game

What is a Skins Game?

In a skins game, players compete hole-by-hole for a prize (the “skin”) on each hole. The player with the lowest score on a hole wins that skin. If two or more players tie for the lowest score, no one wins, and the skin typically “carries over” to the next hole.

Key characteristics:

• Each hole is a separate competition
• One winner per hole (or no winner if tied)
• Accumulated skins multiply with carryovers
• Dramatic finishes common when skins stack up

How Skins are Won

On each hole:

1. Clear winner: One player has the lowest score and wins the skin
2. Tie: Multiple players tie for low score, no one wins
3. Carryover: If enabled, the unclaimed skin adds to the next hole

Example with $5 skins:

Creating a Skins Game

To create a skins game for your round:

1. Navigate to your round’s Games tab
2. Tap Create Game
3. Select Skins Game
4. Configure the following options:

Configuration Options

5. Tap Create Game to start the competition

Gross vs. Net Skins

Gross Skins: Raw scores determine the winner. Best for groups of similar skill level where no handicap advantage is needed.

Net Skins: Scores adjusted by handicap strokes. On a stroke hole, a player’s gross score is reduced by one. This levels the playing field for mixed-ability groups.

Example of Net Skins on a Par 4:

• Player A (12 handicap, gets a stroke): Gross 5, Net 4
• Player B (4 handicap, no stroke): Gross 4, Net 4
• Result: Tie, skin carries over

Carryover vs. No Carryover

With Carryovers (recommended):

• Tied holes add to the next hole’s value
• Creates dramatic moments when multiple skins accumulate
• Standard format for most skins games
• A single hole could be worth 3-4+ skins

Without Carryovers:

• Tied holes result in no winner for that hole
• More straightforward accounting
• Less dramatic but cleaner outcomes
• Fewer total skins awarded

Team Skins

In team skins, each team’s best ball score competes against other teams:

1. All team members play the hole
2. The team’s best score is used
3. Lowest team score wins the skin
4. Teams tie if their best scores match

Team skins work well for:

• 2v2 matches within a foursome
• Multiple foursome competitions
• Partner formats like best ball

Viewing Skins Results

During and after your round, view skins results from:

1. Games tab on your round page
2. Standings in the Scoring Portal
3. Tap the Skins dropdown to see:
   • Hole-by-hole breakdown
   • Winner for each hole (or “Carry” if no winner)
   • Winning score
   • Carryover multiplier (2x, 3x, etc.)

The results summary shows:

• Total skins won by each player
• Running total value
• Number of carryovers

Skins Payout Calculation

At round completion, the system calculates payouts:

Example: $5 Skins, 4 Players

• Player A: 4 skins = $20 won
• Player B: 6 skins = $30 won
• Player C: 3 skins = $15 won
• Player D: 5 skins = $25 won
• Total pot: 18 skins x $5 = $90

Each player’s buy-in is calculated, and the settlement shows who owes whom.

Nassau Game

What is a Nassau?

A Nassau is actually three separate bets in one:

1. Front 9: Competition for holes 1-9
2. Back 9: Competition for holes 10-18
3. Overall 18: Competition for all 18 holes

Each segment is its own match play competition with equal stakes. A player can win, lose, or tie any of the three bets independently.

Why it’s popular:

• Three chances to win spreads risk
• Bad front 9 doesn’t ruin the day
• Creates natural checkpoints at the turn
• Easy to understand and track

How Nassau Works

Each of the three bets tracks your cumulative score against opponents:

Match Play Scoring:

• Win a hole: Go “1 UP”
• Lose a hole: Go “1 DOWN”
• Tie a hole: No change

Example Front 9 Progression:

Front 9 Result: All Square (tied), both players push this bet.

Creating a Nassau Game

To create a Nassau for your round:

1. Navigate to your round’s Games tab
2. Tap Create Game
3. Select Nassau Game
4. Configure the following options:

Configuration Options

5. Tap Create Game to start

Understanding Press Bets

A “press” is a new side bet that starts mid-match when a player falls behind. It’s essentially a new Nassau for the remaining holes.

How Auto-Press Works:

1. You set a threshold (typically 2 holes down)
2. When you fall 2 down, a press automatically triggers
3. A new bet starts from the current hole
4. The original bet continues separately
5. You can win the press while losing the original

Example with 2-Down Auto-Press ($5 Nassau):

Manual Press (optional): Some groups allow players to manually press when they feel confident, even if not at the threshold. This adds another strategic layer.

Gross vs. Net Nassau

Gross Nassau: Scores compared directly without handicap adjustment. Player with better actual score wins the hole.

Net Nassau: Handicap strokes applied to equalize skill levels.

How Net Scoring Works:

• Each player receives strokes on holes based on handicap
• On a “stroke hole,” your gross score is reduced by 1
• Net scores determine the hole winner

Example:

• Player A (10 handicap): Gets strokes on stroke index 1-10 holes
• Player B (18 handicap): Gets strokes on stroke index 1-18 holes
• On a hole with stroke index 12: Only Player B gets a stroke

Team Nassau

Team Nassau works as a four-ball (best ball) format:

1. Each team of two plays their own balls
2. The better score of the two partners counts
3. Team best ball scores are compared
4. Win/loss determined by lower team score

Common Team Configurations:

• 2v2 within a foursome
• Partners switch at the turn
• Rotating partners each round

Viewing Nassau Results

Check Nassau status during your round:

1. Go to Standings in the Scoring Portal
2. Select the Nassau tab
3. View three segments:

Each segment displays:

• Leader and margin (e.g., “Player A 2 UP”)
• Holes completed (e.g., “Thru 15”)
• Status: “In Progress” or “Final”
• Press bets (if any triggered)

Nassau Payout Calculation

At round completion, results for all three bets plus any presses are calculated:

Example: $5 Nassau with 2-Down Auto-Press

Net Result: +$5

The settlement report combines all bets into a single transaction amount.

Creating Side Games

When to Create Games

Create side games before your round starts, ideally:

• Day before: Set up games when confirming your playing group
• First tee: Quick setup while waiting to tee off
• By hole 1: Games can start from any hole, but hole 1 is standard

Who Can Create Games

Any player in the group with portal access can create side games for that round. The creator becomes the game administrator with ability to:

• Edit game settings before scores are entered
• View all results
• Manage the payout calculations

Mixing Game Types

You can run multiple side games simultaneously:

Common Combinations:

• Skins + Nassau (different bet types)
• Gross Skins + Net Skins (covers all skill levels)
• Individual Skins + Team Nassau (multiple formats)

Each game tracks independently with its own results and payouts.

Viewing Results and Payouts

During the Round

Check results anytime from the Scoring Portal:

1. Tap Standings in the bottom navigation
2. Use the dropdown to select your game
3. View real-time updates as scores are entered

After the Round

Once all scores are entered:

1. Games automatically calculate final results
2. Skins show final hole-by-hole winners
3. Nassau shows final status for all three bets
4. Payout summaries calculate who owes whom

Settlement Reports

The platform generates optimized settlements that minimize transactions:

Instead of:

• A owes B $10
• B owes A $5
• C owes A $15

The system shows:

• A collects $5 from B
• C pays $15 to A

Access settlement reports from:

• Settings page in the Scoring Portal
• Games tab on the round detail page
• Trip organizer dashboard

Marking Payments

Once payments are made:

1. Go to the Settlement Report
2. Mark individual transactions as “Paid”
3. Both parties can confirm receipt
4. Status updates to show payment complete

Strategy Tips

Skins Strategy

Early in the round:

• Play conservatively to avoid giving away easy skins
• Let aggressive players take risks
• Wait for your opportunities

When skins are stacked:

• Carryovers create high-value holes
• Consider risk/reward on approaches
• A birdie putt becomes much more valuable

Late in the round:

• Count the skins remaining
• Calculate your position
• Decide whether to press for more or protect gains

Nassau Strategy

Pace yourself:

• Three separate bets means three chances
• A bad front 9 doesn’t end your day
• Reset mentally at the turn

Press management:

• When auto-press triggers, you have a fresh bet
• Presses can help recover losses
• But they also increase exposure

Team coordination:

• Communicate with your partner
• Ensure one player is in position on each hole
• Trade off between aggressive and safe play

Common Questions

Can I change game settings after creation?

Settings cannot be changed once scores start being entered. Create a new game with the desired settings if needed.

What happens if we don’t finish all 18 holes?

Games calculate results based on holes completed. For Nassau, incomplete nines are typically voided or settled based on the current margin.

Can different players have different stakes?

The platform tracks one stake per game. For different stakes, create multiple games with different values.

How do handicap strokes affect skins and Nassau?

In Net games, strokes are allocated based on each hole’s stroke index. Players receive strokes on holes where the stroke index is equal to or less than their course handicap.

What if someone joins the group late?

Players can be added to games that haven’t started. Once a game begins (scores entered), the participant list is locked.

Related Documentation

• Scoring Portal - How to use the mobile scoring interface
• Scoring & Leaderboards - General scoring features
• Point Game Scoring - Team selection format guide
• Competition Engine - Tournament competition formats