The Nassau is one of the most popular golf games because it is simple, flexible, and keeps a match competitive from the first tee to the final putt. Instead of one single bet for the entire round, a Nassau splits the match into three separate contests: the front nine, the back nine, and the full 18 holes.
That structure gives players multiple ways to win, even if they start poorly. A golfer can lose the front nine, recover on the back nine, and still have something meaningful to play for.
This is a simulation, not a live round. Tap the green Start Simulation button to learn the game and watch this made up match unfold one hole at a time. Just like in our app, you'll see a summary of the drama below the holes and a leaderboard.
Two things to watch. Every press below is a call somebody makes standing on a tee, at one down or worse, and it says which of the three bets he is pressing: the front, the back or the overall. And the money column does not move until a bet actually ends, because a match that is one up is one up, not five dollars in anybody's pocket. Watch the ninth: Pete wins the front nine by one, Allen wins his press by one, and the whole nine nets out even.
The scores above are invented, but the scoring is not: this is the same card and the same live leaderboard your group sees on Big Fairways while you play.
Play NASSAU Now! Big Fairways tracks every press on its own and settles all three bets for youThe Nassau format is commonly believed to have originated at Nassau Country Club on Long Island, New York, in the early 1900s. It became popular because it created a friendly, organized way for golfers to compete without making the entire round depend on one final score.
Over time, Nassau became a staple among weekend golfers, club players, and friendly foursomes because it works well for match play, can be played with or without handicaps, and lets a player who falls behind call a press and start a fresh bet.
A Nassau is usually made up of three separate bets:
A common version is called a "$5 Nassau," which means each of the three bets is worth $5. In that example, the total base wager is $15: $5 for the front nine, $5 for the back nine, and $5 for the overall 18-hole match.
You can play for money, points, drinks, pride, or any other agreed-upon value.
Most Nassaus are played using match play scoring. That means each hole is worth one point in the match. You are not adding up total strokes for the round like traditional stroke play. Instead, you are trying to win more holes than your opponent.
For each hole:
Let's say Player A and Player B are playing a $5 Nassau.
After nine holes:
On the back nine:
For the full 18:
A press is a brand new bet, called during the round by the side that is losing. It is not a double, and it does not reset anything. It starts level, it runs from the tee it is called on to the end of the bet it presses, and the bet it presses carries on exactly as it was.
So if you are two down on the front nine standing on the sixth tee, you press. Now there are two bets on the front nine: the original, which you are two down in, and a new one covering holes 6 to 9, which is level. Win the last four holes and you lose the first bet by two and win the second by four.
This is the part groups get tangled up in. A Nassau is three bets, so "I press" on its own does not say anything. Name it:
Pressing one never presses another. A man two down on the front and two down on the overall has two separate calls to make, and he can make one, both, or neither. If he makes both, that is two new bets with two separate results.
The moment matters. You press walking to the next tee, before anybody hits, and the new bet starts with that hole. You cannot watch three good drives and then decide the bet started two holes ago. Whoever is keeping the card should write down which tee it was called on, because that hole is the whole story of the bet: a press called on the sixth covers 6 to 9, a press called on the seventh covers 7 to 9, and those are different bets with different results.
A press can itself be pressed. Lose the press you just called and you are down on that one too, so you can press it back off the next tee. That is how a five dollar Nassau ends up as an afternoon.
The original bet still continues, but now there is a second bet happening at the same time.
Pressing is valuable because it gives the player who is behind a way to stay engaged. Without a press, someone who gets down early may feel like the match is almost over. With a press, they can start a new contest and try to win something back.
A press can also add strategy. The leading player has to decide whether to accept the press, and the trailing player has to decide when it is worth adding another bet.
Some groups allow a press any time a player is down. Others only allow presses when a player is two holes down. Some groups press automatically the moment somebody goes two down, so nobody has to say it out loud. Others require both sides to agree. The most important thing is to decide the rules before the round starts, and to agree whether the overall can be pressed as well as the nines.
Before teeing off, players should agree on:
If you are new to Nassau, start with this simple version:
The Nassau golf game is popular because it is easy to learn but still creates plenty of strategy. By splitting the round into the front nine, back nine, and full 18, it keeps players interested throughout the entire day. Adding presses gives trailing players a chance to fight back and keeps the match competitive even when someone gets ahead early.
If you want a simple golf game that works for friendly matches, weekend foursomes, and handicap-adjusted competition, Nassau is one of the best formats to learn.
Keep score automatically and settle up in the app Front, back, overall and every press, settled to the dollarA Nassau is three bets in one match: the front nine, the back nine and the full eighteen. A $5 Nassau puts $5 on each, so the base wager is $15. It is popular because losing the front nine badly still leaves you two live bets on the tenth tee.
A press is a brand new bet opened by the side that is losing, running from the tee it is called on to the end of the bet it presses, for the same money as the original. It starts level and the bet it pressed keeps running. Because a Nassau is three bets, the player has to say which one he is pressing: the front, the back or the overall. Pressing one never presses another, and a press can itself be pressed. In the demo round above, six presses get called and each one is named as it happens.
More than the number on the first tee. A $5 Nassau is $15 of base bets, and every press adds another $5 that runs alongside it rather than replacing it. In the demo round above six presses turn two $15 Nassaus into a $20 afternoon for one man. Agree a cap if you want one, and agree it before anybody is down.
Most groups do, because a Nassau is a match and a one sided match is no fun for either player. Strokes are allocated by stroke index and the hole is won on net score. Big Fairways applies them to the right holes automatically.
On the tee, before anybody hits, and the new bet starts with that hole. A press cannot reach back and pick up a hole that has already been played. If the man keeping the card is a hole or two behind, that is fine, but he should record the tee it was actually called on rather than the tee he happens to be standing on, because the hole a press starts on decides what the bet is worth.
Yes. The usual way is man to man, so each player carries a separate Nassau against each opponent, and Big Fairways settles all of them into one figure per player at the end. A press against one opponent has no effect at all on the Nassau against another. The demo round above runs two matches inside the same foursome.