Best Golf Games to Play With Friends (Nassau, Skins, Wolf)

How Nassau, skins, wolf and Bingo Bango Bongo work, how to use handicap strokes so they stay fair, and which game fits your group, with real member data.

By Flighting Editorial Team 2026-10-10

The best golf games to play with friends are Nassau for a straightforward match, skins for drama on every hole, wolf for a foursome that likes strategy, and Bingo Bango Bongo for groups with very different skill levels. Use handicap strokes in the first three games. Bingo Bango Bongo mostly levels the field by itself.

What are the rules of a Nassau in golf?

A Nassau splits one round into three separate bets: the front nine, the back nine and the overall 18. A "$5 Nassau" means $5 on each, so the most anyone can win or lose without presses is $15. You can play it as match play (win the most holes) or stroke play (lowest total on each nine). Match play is the common version among friends.

How do presses work?

A press is a new bet that starts on the next hole and runs to the end of that nine. Most groups allow a press when a player or team falls 2 holes down. The original bet keeps going, so a player who is 2 down on the front can press on hole 5, win holes 5 through 9, and turn a loss into a push or a win. Agree on the press rule on the first tee. Automatic presses at 2 down keep it simple and stop arguments.

Why match play suits mixed groups

Match play forgives blow-up holes. A triple bogey costs you one hole, not three strokes on the total. That matters more than most groups realize. In Flighting member scorecards, players with an index from 15.0 to 19.9 made double bogey or worse on 33.9% of holes, and players under 5 did it on 5.9%. In stroke play those doubles pile up. In match play each one is a single lost hole, and the next tee is a fresh start. Our guide to avoiding big numbers covers how to stop one bad hole from becoming three.

How do you play skins in golf?

Each hole is worth one skin (or a set amount of money). The player with the lowest score on the hole wins the skin outright. If two or more players tie for low, nobody wins and the skin carries over to the next hole, so the next hole is worth two. Carryovers are where skins gets loud: four tied holes in a row means the fifth hole is worth five skins.

Gross or net skins?

In gross skins, a birdie usually wins, and birdies are not evenly spread. Here is how often Flighting members score below par, at par, and at double or worse, by handicap band.

That table covers 6,076 hole-by-hole scorecards from 551 Flighting members in 2026, bands by current index. Hole scores are adjusted scores capped at net double bogey, so the double-or-worse column includes holes where the real number was higher. A player under 5 makes roughly seven times as many birdies as a player in the 15.0 to 19.9 band. In a gross skins game, the higher handicapper is mostly hoping for carryovers to land on a hole where they make a lucky par.

Net skins fixes this. Each player gets their handicap strokes on the hardest holes (lowest stroke index on the card), and a net birdie counts the same as a gross birdie. A common house rule is "no net skins on a par 3," or giving half the strokes, if the group feels net scores are winning too often. Try full strokes first and adjust after a round or two.

Skins strategy

Skins rewards the occasional great hole, so take more risk than you would in stroke play. Go at the par 5 in two if you can carry the trouble. Fire at the flag on a short par 3. A double bogey costs you nothing extra in skins, it just means you are out of that hole. The exception is carryover holes: when four skins are riding on one hole and your opponents are already in trouble, a safe par might be all you need.

What is the wolf golf game and how do you play it?

Wolf is a four-player game. Set a rotation on the first tee. On each hole, the player in the wolf spot tees off last and watches the other three drives one by one. After each drive, the wolf either picks that player as a partner or passes. If the wolf passes on the first two, the third player is the only remaining option. The wolf can also pass on everyone and play alone, called a lone wolf, against the other three.

Wolf scoring

Scoring varies, so write it down before you start. A common version:

• Wolf and partner win the hole (better ball): 2 points each.
• The other two win the hole: 3 points each.
• Lone wolf wins: 4 points. Lone wolf loses: each opponent gets 1 point.
• Ties: no points, or carry the points to the next hole if the group wants more swing.

Many groups add a "blind wolf" option, where the wolf declares lone wolf before anyone tees off for double points. With four players, holes 17 and 18 usually go to whoever is in last place so they get a chance to catch up.

When to go lone wolf

Play alone on holes that suit your game. For better players that usually means par 5s: members under 5 made birdie or better on 26.7% of par 5s, against 9.7% of par 4s and 6.3% of par 3s. A birdie on a par 5 beats a better-ball par from two teammates. For higher handicappers with strokes, the lone wolf hole is the one where you receive a stroke and your opponents do not.

How do you play Bingo Bango Bongo?

Every hole has three points available:

• Bingo: first ball on the green.
• Bango: closest to the hole once every ball is on the green.
• Bongo: first ball in the hole.

Play has to follow strict order (farthest from the hole plays first) or the game breaks. That order is the whole trick. The player who misses the green plays first from around it, so a chip that rolls to 6 feet can win Bingo and Bango. The scratch player who hit the green from 40 feet putts last and often wins nothing.

Because points depend on order and proximity rather than total strokes, most groups play Bingo Bango Bongo without handicaps. If one player still dominates, give the higher handicappers a bonus point on each hole where they receive a stroke.

How do handicap strokes work in golf games with friends?

Every game above except Bingo Bango Bongo needs strokes to be fair. The steps are the same for each.

1. Get each player's Course Handicap for the tees you are playing. It converts the Handicap Index using the slope and course rating (our guide to calculating your handicap walks through the formula).
2. Apply the allowance. The USGA Rules of Handicapping recommend 100% for individual match play and 90% for four-ball match play.
3. In match play, the lowest player plays off zero. Everyone else gets the difference between their playing handicap and the low player's.
4. Strokes fall by stroke index. A player getting 7 strokes gets one on each hole with stroke index 1 through 7 on the scorecard.

A worked example

You play a $5 Nassau, one against one. You have a Course Handicap of 8 and your friend has 18. At 100% allowance, you play off zero and they get 10 strokes, one on each hole with stroke index 1 to 10. On many cards the odd stroke indexes are on the front nine and the even ones on the back, so they get roughly five strokes on each side. Count them on the actual card before you tee off. If the card is laid out differently, the strokes can land unevenly between the nines, and it is better to know that on the first tee than to argue about it on the 10th.

Which golf game is best for your group?

You can stack games. Plenty of foursomes play a team Nassau and individual skins at the same time. Keep the stakes small enough that nobody minds losing, and write the rules on the scorecard before the first shot. If your group wants something that runs longer than one round, a season-long format is the next step, and our piece on how golf leagues build better players covers how to set one up.

If your group already posts scores, Flighting can keep the competition going between rounds with head-to-head challenges built from the scores you post anyway.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best golf game for beginners playing with better friends?

Bingo Bango Bongo. Points depend on who reaches the green first, who is closest once everyone is on, and who holes out first, so a beginner who chips well can win points on almost any hole.

How much is a typical Nassau bet?

There is no standard amount. Friends usually play for a small stake per bet, and a $5 Nassau risks at most $15 per player before presses.

Do skins carry over if no one wins the 18th hole?

Groups decide this on the first tee. Common options are a sudden-death playoff, a chip-off, or splitting the remaining skins evenly among the tied players.

Can you play wolf with three or five players?

Yes, with adjustments. With three players the wolf picks one partner or goes alone against two, and with five the rotation is longer and lone wolf points usually increase.

How many handicap strokes do you get in a match?

In individual match play the lower player plays off zero and the other player receives the full difference between their playing handicaps. The strokes go on the holes with the lowest stroke index on the scorecard.

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