Nassau¶
What it is¶
A Nassau is three matches rolled into one round. Rather than a single match-play result over eighteen holes, you settle three separate bets (the front nine, the back nine, and the overall eighteen) so a player who loses the front can still win the back and take the day to the wire. It's the classic structure for a friendly head-to-head wager.
How scoring works¶
- Play ordinary match play, comparing net scores hole by hole. The lower net wins the hole, an equal net halves it.
- Run three separate matches at once: holes 1–9 (the front), holes 10–18 (the back), and holes 1–18 (the overall). Each is won, lost, or halved on its own.
- Each segment closes the moment a lead is bigger than the holes left in it. So the front can be settled before the 9th, just like any match.
- At the end you have three results (for example win the front, lose the back, halve the overall).
Worked example¶
The opening three holes of the front-nine match, net scores shown:
| Hole | Par | Player A | Player B | Front-nine match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | A 1 up |
| 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | All square |
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | A 1 up |
After three holes Player A leads the front-nine bet by one. The back-nine bet runs the same way over holes 10–18, and the overall bet over all eighteen. Three independent results from the one round.
When to use it¶
A head-to-head over a full eighteen when you want more than one thing riding on the round. Losing early never puts the day out of reach. Best for two players or two sides with a friendly wager. Nassau needs all eighteen holes (a front, a back, and an overall), so it isn't available for nine-hole rounds.
Variations¶
- Presses. When a side falls a set margin behind (commonly two down), a fresh side-bet can be started from the next hole and played to the end of that segment (a way to win back a match that's slipping away). Presses can be set to start automatically at the trigger margin or be added by agreement.
Last updated: 2026-05-12