Snake is the three putt game, and there are no points in it. Three putt and the snake bag is yours, and it stays yours until somebody else three putts. Whoever is holding it at the turn buys the root beers for the group, the bag goes back in the grass, and whoever is holding it at the end buys again. Nobody wins points and nobody loses points. It runs beside every other game on the card without moving a single total. Big Fairways tracks the putts and says who is holding it, so you just play golf.
The snake is yours. It stays yours until somebody else three putts, and the last one to do it on a green holds it.
Whoever is holding it after the ninth buys, the bag goes back in the grass, and whoever is holding it after the eighteenth buys again. Or play one bag for all eighteen.
Nobody wins points and nobody loses points. Holding it just means you are buying.
This is a simulated round, not a live game. Four made up players, eighteen made up holes, with the three putts scripted. Under every name on the board you will see who three putted, who is holding the snake and who is safe.
Snake is a golf side game about three putts, and it has no points. Three putt a green and the snake bag is yours. It stays yours until somebody else three putts, at which point it is theirs. Whoever is holding the snake at the turn buys the root beers for the group, the bag goes back in the grass, and whoever is holding it at the end buys again. Some groups play one bag for all eighteen instead.
Nobody wins points and nobody loses points. Holding the snake is not good, but it is not a penalty either, which is why it runs beside every other game on the card without changing a total. It is the social game: the one that gets a whole group watching a four footer for par because the player over it is holding the bag.
| Players | Two or more. Everybody in the group. |
|---|---|
| What moves it | A three putt. The last player to three putt on a green holds the snake. |
| What it costs | Nothing in points. Whoever holds it at the turn and at the end buys. |
| Two ways to settle | Front and back nines, where the bag goes back in the grass after the ninth. Or one bag all round. |
| Handicaps | None. A three putt is a three putt. |
| Scored by | The Big Fairways app, free, which reads putts off the stat strip or a tap on the hole results. |
You play a normal round and count the putts. Here is the whole game in five steps.
Because it is a social game, not a scoring game. Some groups play the snake for a rising pool that the holder pays at the end, and that turns a three putt on the second into a number that hangs over the whole round. Big Fairways plays it the way Alex set it on 13 September 2026: nobody earns points and nobody loses points. The holder at the turn buys, the holder at the end buys, and that is the entire cost. It means Snake can run next to Skins, Banker and Vegas without touching a single total, and Settle Up carries it as a note, not a number.
Because a player who three putts the first and then never three putts again should not carry the bag for seventeen holes. Splitting the round at the ninth gives the back nine a fresh start: the holder at the turn buys, the snake goes back in the grass, and the first three putt on the tenth or later starts it again. Groups that prefer the long version can switch to one bag all round at setup.
One player three putts the second and holds the snake. Another three putts the fifth and takes it. Nobody three putts the sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth, so that player is holding it at the turn and buys the root beers. The bag goes back in the grass. On the back nine the first three putt is on the twelfth, the snake changes hands once more on the fifteenth, and whoever holds it after the eighteenth buys again. Two rounds of root beers, no points anywhere.
Three or more putts from on the green. A putt from the fringe is not a putt for the snake, and a chip in is not a putt. The app reads putts off the stat strip if the group is keeping stats, or you tap the snake on the hole results. Groups that want to be strict about it agree on the first tee what counts, and the app scores whatever the group says happened.
Snake is about the second putt. A few things keep the bag out of your hands more often than good golf does.
Snake is the only game on this list with no points at all. Here is how it lines up against the rest. Every one of them is scored in the app, and Snake runs beside any of them.
| Game | Players | In one line |
|---|---|---|
| Snake | Any | Three putt and the snake is yours until somebody else does. No points. |
| Midnight | Any | Twelve holes count, your best eleven plus the last. Lowest card wins. |
| Elevens | Any | Eleven holes count, your best ten plus the last. Seven throwaways. |
| Skins | Any | Win the hole outright to take the skin. Ties carry over or die, your call. |
| Nassau | 2 or 4 | Three matches in one: front nine, back nine and the full eighteen, with presses. |
| Wolf | 4 | The Wolf picks a partner after the tee shots or goes alone for double. |
| Vegas | 4 | Two teams, scores paired into a number, low number wins the difference. |
| Banker | 3 or more | One player takes on everybody else each hole. Presses allowed. |
| Junk | Any | Points for the little things: sandies, greenies, woodies and more. |
| Match Play | 2 | Head to head, hole by hole, up or down. |
| TILT | Any | Points on the net score with a multiplier that climbs on birdies and resets on a par. |
| Train | Any | A net par puts you aboard and every hole after it pays until two bogeys in a row. |
| Mulligans | Any | Your handicap strokes become do overs, then everybody plays gross. |
| Gridiron Golf | 4 | Two on two played like football. Win the hole to march the ball, reach the end zone to score. |
| Hammer | 2 or 4 | Either side can double the hole while it is being played. |
| Nines | 3 | Three players, nine points a hole, split five, three and one. |
| Hi Lo | 4 | Two on two. A point for the best ball and a point for the worst. |
| Bingo Bango Bongo | Any | First on, closest, first in. Three points a hole, played gross. |
| Stableford | Any | Points for every hole, most points wins, a blow up costs you nothing. |
Looking for the full list? Every side game the app scores, each with rules and a demo round, is on the golf side games page.
That is all there is to agree, because there are no points to argue about. Big Fairways carries it as a note on Settle Up and nothing more.
Snake makes every green matter without adding a number to anything. The whole group watches the four footer, the player holding the bag putts like it is the last hole of a major, and the walk off the ninth is either relief or a round of root beers. It costs nothing, it settles nothing, and it is the game people remember.
Pick Snake when you set up the round, choose front and back nines or one bag, and start playing. The app moves the snake off the putts on the stat strip, or you tap it in on the hole results, and the badge sits on the row of whoever is holding it. At the turn and at the end it says who buys.
Run every other side game at the same time and Snake never touches a total. At the end it is a note on Settle Up with no number, and every round posts to your own lifetime scorecard, which only you can see. Send one link and the whole group follows the leaderboard live from their own phones.
Big Fairways walks you through every step, hole by hole. No rule sheet in your back pocket and nobody keeping a tally on a napkin.
Your group can scan the QR code to join in the fun, keep their stats, and see the live scoreboard. Send a text link to let your fans, friends and family get updates when you birdie 18 for the win.
Whether you are playing as teams, groups or individually, or all of the above, the points tally correctly no matter how many side games you have going.
No matter how many games you have going at once, or how complex the PRESS math gets, Big Fairways provides a clean scorecard, point total and leaderboard throughout the round, with simplified Settle Up totals at the end.
It is easy to set up tournaments of all sizes and formats with Big Fairways. A three day golf trip with four players, or 144 players in a local charity event, we have you covered. And groups inside your tournament can still play their own side games while the competition runs.
Three putt and the snake is yours until somebody else three putts. Whoever is holding it at the turn buys, the bag goes back in the grass, and whoever is holding it at the end buys again. There are no points.
No. Nobody wins points and nobody loses points. Holding the snake just means you are buying at the turn or at the end.
The last one to do it holds the snake.
In the default setup, yes. The holder after the ninth buys and the bag goes back in the grass. Groups can play one bag for all eighteen instead.
No. A three putt is three or more putts from on the green. Groups agree on the first tee what counts and the app scores what the group says.
Yes. It moves no totals, so it runs beside Skins, Banker, Vegas or anything else on the card, and Settle Up carries it as a note.
Yes, free while we build it. Every side game, the live leaderboard, the Settle Up totals and your lifetime scorecards are all included, and there is nothing to install because it runs in any phone browser.
Switch it on, send the link to the group, and let the app say who is buying.
START A SNAKE GAME, FREE
Junk
Skins
Bingo Bango Bongo
Banker
Nassau
Wolf
Midnight