Nassau Golf Bet
Also known as: 2-2-2, Best of Three
The Nassau is the most popular bet in golf and one of the easiest to understand. It splits an 18-hole round into three separate bets — the front 9, the back 9, and the overall 18 — giving players three chances to win (or lose) in a single round. Nassau can be played individually or as a team format, and it pairs naturally with presses for even more action.
At a Glance
- Type
- Individual or Team (VS — two sides)
- Team size
- 2–24 players per side (commonly 1v1 or 2v2)
- Scoring
- Points for winning each bet (front 9, back 9, overall 18)
- Sub-games
- Best Ball, Scramble, Stroke Play, Stableford, Vegas, and many more
- Handicaps
- Off by default; Compare With Lowest when enabled
- Wins
- Most points across the three bets
The Rules
- Two sides (individual players or teams) compete head-to-head over 18 holes.
- The round is divided into three separate bets: Front 9, Back 9, and Overall 18.
- Each bet is worth a configurable number of points (the classic default is 2 points per bet).
- To determine the winner of each bet, the two sides compare their scores over the relevant holes using whatever sub-game you choose (match play, best ball, stroke play, etc.).
- The side with the lower score (or more holes won, depending on the sub-game) wins that bet and earns the points.
- If a bet is tied, neither side earns points by default (configurable).
- After 18 holes, add up the points from all three bets. The side with the most total points wins.
How the Three Bets Work
Front 9 Bet
Whoever has the better score over holes 1–9 wins this bet. If you’re down after the front, you still have two more bets to make up ground.
Back 9 Bet
A completely independent bet covering holes 10–18. This is what makes Nassau so appealing — a rough start doesn’t ruin your entire round because you can still win the back 9.
Overall 18 Bet
Compares the total scores across all 18 holes. It’s possible for one side to win the front and back bets but lose the overall, or vice versa.
Example Round
Player A and Player B are playing a 2-2-2 Nassau using stroke play:
Playing with Presses
A press is a new side bet that starts mid-round. When combined with Nassau, presses add extra excitement and give the trailing side a chance to recover. A press essentially starts a new mini-Nassau from the current hole through the end of that 9 (or 18).
How Presses Work
- When a side falls behind by a set number of holes or points, a press is triggered (either automatically or by request).
- The press creates a brand-new bet starting from the current hole.
- The original bet continues alongside the press — both are scored independently.
- Presses can themselves be pressed, creating additional layers of bets.
Squabbit handles all the press tracking automatically. For a full breakdown of how presses work, see the Presses help article.
Sub-Game Options
Nassau is a wrapper format — it determines how bets are structured, but the underlying game can be almost anything. In Squabbit, you choose a sub-game that determines how scores are compared on each hole. The default is Best Ball, but you can choose from:
| Sub-game | How it works |
|---|---|
| Best Ball | Each player plays their own ball; the team counts the lowest score on each hole |
| Stroke Play | Total strokes over the relevant holes |
| Stableford | Points-based scoring relative to par |
| Singles Match Play | Head-to-head hole-by-hole match play |
| Scramble / Ambrose | Team picks the best shot each time |
| Shamble | Best drive, then everyone plays their own ball |
| Alternate Shot | Partners alternate hitting the same ball |
| Chapman | Both tee off, swap, then pick one ball to finish |
| Greensomes | Both tee off, pick one drive, then alternate |
| Low Ball/High Ball | Compare best scores and worst scores separately |
| Vegas | Team scores are combined into a two-digit number |
| And more... | Best Balls, Best Ball 1-2-3, Cha Cha Cha, Low Ball/Low Total, Worst Ball |
Setting Up in Squabbit
To create a Nassau game in Squabbit:
- Create a new game and choose Nassau as the format.
- Select your sub-game (Best Ball, Stroke Play, Scramble, etc.).
- Configure the points per bet for the front 9, back 9, and overall 18. The default is 2 points for a win and 0 for a tie on each.
- Optionally enable per-hole points to award points for winning individual holes on top of the three main bets.
- Optionally enable presses and set the auto-press trigger.
- If playing as teams, set your team size and assign players to each side.
- Optionally enable handicaps. The default handicap mode is Compare With Lowest, which strokes off the best player so they play at scratch.
During the round, enter scores as you normally would for the sub-game you chose. Squabbit automatically tracks the front 9, back 9, and overall 18 bets, along with any presses, and displays the running point totals for each side.