One of the important but often overlooked aspects of golf is the terminology used in playing the game. Par, Ace, Bogie, Double Bogie, Eagle, Sandie, Greenie, Nassau, etc. are all golf terms to be acquired when learning to play and will be addressed in a future post. But what is “The Nassau” you say. Well I’m glad you asked.  Nassau is not only a popular vacation destination in the Bahamas but in terms of golf it is a friendly wager amongst friends to make the golf round a little more interesting. The term Nassau, if I’m not mistaken, was derived from its creation at a country club in Nassau County, New York, in fact I believe it was The Nassau Country Club.  

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In my opinion, the Nassau is the most popular and fun format for betting in golf. It consists of a front nine hole bet, a back nine hole bet, and an overall score bet which is determined by the team or individual player who has won the most holes in any particular golf round. As noted previously the Nassau can be played as an individual player or  a team. There are also varied types of bets that can be made during a Nassau. Stroke Play, usually with Handicap, NOTE: I would be remiss if I didn’t explain handicap here – Just as in bowling, the handicap is the equalizer in competitive golf. In bowling a player gets spotted the difference between the average of another player that may be better than he or she. In other words if player A has a 180 average and player B has a 150, player A has to give player A an 80, 90 or 100 % spot, or 24, 27 or 30 pins respectively, depending on the rules established for a particular league or tournament, in order to equalize the fairness of any bet or competition. The same analysis applies to golf. If one player normally averages a score of 80 and another player averages 95, then the 80 shooter will have to spot or handicap the other player with 15 shots or a percentage of the difference in stroke average, again depending on the rules established by the club or tournament for that particular competition. Besides stroke play, which is the count of all the strokes incurred for the front nine, the back nine and the overall score you can play by Match Play, which is a hole by hole format whereby you have an individual game for each hole and the player with the most amount of winning holes at the end of the first nine or front nine, the back nine and the overall 18 holes is declared the winner. In Stroke Play the handicap is deducted from the total score at the end of the front nine, the back nine and the overall to determine the winner. In Match Play the handicap is adjusted on each hole. As you know there are 18 holes in professional golf and each hole has a difficulty rating, depending on it’s rank against the other holes on the golf course. Since there are 18 holes the holes will rank in difficulty from 1 thru 18. If a player is entitled to 15 strokes in stroke or match play then they will receive a stroke on the 15 most difficult holes on the golf course ( See The Score Card for the Difficulty Rank of Each Hole ) . The other 3 remaining holes will be played even up so the player receiving strokes should take advantage of that opportunity whenever possible. There are many different formats that can be utilized when playing a Nassau but the one I enjoy the most is Low and Overall which keeps all players in the competition and can only be played with four players. This means that the Player with the lowest score on any given hole would get one point and the total of both players on the team with the aggregate total lowest score would receive another point. If the two low scoring players tie on any hole then no points would be received because the bet is cancelled out by each others score and the same would go for total score if the teams were even on that hole. The handicap of each player is considered on each hole and is added or deducted accordingly before a point is allowed for that hole. 

A friendly bet is usually $2 to $5 per front, back and overall which would mean a total loss of six to fifteen dollars if one team or player lost all three bets. The teams should be made so that the they are as evenly matched as possible to allow for a fair and fun match. There is also an additional bet that can be added to the game called “The Press”. The press is a bet that can be automatic or at a players discretion depending on how many holes he is down and his optimism in thinking he can beat the other player or team and win any money lost back. In automatic press format, if you are down by a hole you automatically have an additional bet on the next hole and the potential loss or gain can become substantial using this format. For beginning golfers I would recommend a simple $2 bet and optional presses after you have established somewhat of a handicap. To establish your handicap you should average at least ten scores and use that average to establish how many strokes you give or take from the other player or players who you are competing with.

As noted earlier there are many fun betting formats in golf to make the game even more interesting, competitive and enjoyable. Next time you’re out playing with friends give it a try, even if just for fun and no money is exchanged at the end, but especially remember to have a great time and Happy Golfing To All !   

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