How to playa Nassau.

The rules

1. Two players (or two teams) play three separate match play bets: the front nine, the back nine and the overall 18.
2. Each hole is won by the lower score, or halved on a tie, exactly as in match play.
3. Whoever has won more holes on the front nine wins the front bet. The same goes for the back nine, and for all 18 holes together.
4. Each bet is worth the same. A "$5 Nassau" is $5 on the front, $5 on the back and $5 on the overall, so $15 is the most you can win or lose without presses.
5. A bet that ends level is a push: nobody wins it.

Because the back nine is a fresh bet, a bad front nine doesn't end your day. That's why the Nassau is one of the most played bets in golf. It's named after Nassau Country Club on Long Island, where it's said to have started around 1900.

A worked example

Presses

A press is a new bet that starts partway through a nine, usually offered by the player who is losing. It runs from the next hole to the end of that nine (or the 18, for the overall), for the same stake.

• Two-down press: the most common rule. When you fall 2 down in a bet, you may press.
• Automatic press: a new bet starts on its own every time someone goes 2 down. Agree on it on the first tee.
• Pressing a press: if you fall 2 down in a press, you can press again. Stakes can add up fast, so many groups cap the number of presses.

Common variations

• Team Nassau: two against two, each team counting its better score on each hole (best ball).
• Different stakes: a "5-5-10" Nassau puts double on the overall.
• Stroke play Nassau: lowest total on each nine and on the 18 wins, instead of holes won.
• With handicaps: the higher handicap gets the difference in strokes, on the hardest holes. The Strokes Calculator shows who gets strokes and where.

Free Nassau scorekeeper

Type each player's score as you go. The card works out every hole and the standing, and it stays in this browser if you lose signal or close the tab.

Updated November 13, 2026 by the Greens team.