Game Format

Vegas Golf Game

Also known as: Daytona, Monte Carlo

Vegas is a 2-vs-2 team golf game where each team’s hole score is formed by combining their individual scores into a two-digit number rather than adding them together. If your teammates shoot a 4 and a 5, your team score is 45 — not 9. This simple twist creates dramatic swings and makes every stroke count in a way that traditional formats don’t. Learning how to play Vegas golf is easy, but the strategy runs deep.

At a Glance

Type: Team game (2 vs 2)
Team size: 2 players per team
Scoring: Appended two-digit scores per hole
Handicaps: Off by default; Compare With Lowest when enabled
Wins: Lowest total score

The Rules

Four players split into two teams of two.
Each player plays their own ball throughout the round, just like a normal round of golf.
After each hole, each team’s score is formed by placing the lower individual score in front of the higher individual score to create a two-digit number. For example, scores of 4 and 5 become 45.
If both teammates score the same, the number simply repeats — two 5s become 55.
Hole scores are totalled over the round. The team with the lowest total wins.

Double digits: If one player scores 10 or higher on a hole, the higher score always goes first (because 105 is better than 510). This ensures a blow-up hole is always penalized, never hidden.

How Scoring Works

The key to Vegas scoring is that individual scores are appended, not added. The lower score always goes in the tens place and the higher score in the ones place. This means a team with scores of 3 and 5 gets 35, while a team with two 4s gets 44 — even though both teams took the same total strokes.

Here are a few more examples to make the pattern clear:

Player A	Player B	Team Score	Why
3	4	34	Lower (3) first, higher (4) second
5	4	45	Lower (4) first, higher (5) second
4	4	44	Same scores — number repeats
3	7	37	Low score keeps the damage down
5	10	105	10+ always goes first (105, not 510)

Strategic insight: In Vegas, one teammate’s great score can rescue the other’s bad one. A birdie 3 paired with a double-bogey 7 gives only 37 — but two bogeys (5 and 5) give 55, which is worse despite the same total strokes.

Example Hole

Two teams play a par 4:

Par 4 — Hole 7

1. Team A: Alice scores a 4, Bob scores a 6. Lower score first → team score is 46.

2. Team B: Carol scores a 5, Dave scores a 5. Both the same → team score is 55.

Team A wins the hole: 46 beats 55 (difference of 9 points)

Notice that both teams took a combined 10 strokes, but the Vegas scoring system rewards Team A for having one strong score (4) alongside the weaker one (6).

After 3 Holes

Team A: Hole 1 = 45, Hole 2 = 34, Hole 3 = 46. Total = 125

Team B: Hole 1 = 55, Hole 2 = 44, Hole 3 = 35. Total = 134

Team A leads by 9 points after 3 holes

Flip the Bird Variant

Flip the Bird is an optional rule that raises the stakes. When a player on one team makes a birdie or better, the opposing team’s score digits are reversed for that hole — putting the higher number first instead of the lower.

Flip the Bird Example

1. Team A: scores of 3 and 5. Normally this would be 35.

2. Team B: scores of 3 and 4. One player made a birdie (3 on a par 4).

3. Because Team B had a birdie, Team A’s score is flipped from 35 to 53.

4. Team B’s score stays at 34 (Team A had no birdies).

Team B wins: 34 vs 53 (a 19-point swing instead of 1)

In Squabbit, you can also choose to use Flip the Bird (Gross Only), which only triggers the flip on gross birdies rather than net birdies when handicaps are enabled.

Handicap Options

By default, Vegas is played without handicaps (gross scores). However, Squabbit supports three handicap modes if you want to level the playing field:

Gross (default)

No handicap adjustments. Each player’s actual score is used.

Net Score

Each player’s score is adjusted by their full course handicap, with strokes allocated hole by hole based on difficulty.

Compare With Lowest

The lowest-handicap player in the group plays at scratch (0), and all other players receive the difference between their handicap and the lowest. This is the recommended mode when playing with handicaps, as it prevents any player from receiving negative strokes.

Tip: When handicaps are on and Flip the Bird is enabled, birdies are judged against the player’s net score by default. Turn on Gross Only if you want the flip to trigger only on gross birdies for added difficulty.

Setting Up in Squabbit

To create a Vegas game in Squabbit:

Create a new game and select Vegas as the format.
Add exactly 4 players and assign them to two teams of two.
Optionally enable Flip the Bird under the game settings for extra excitement.
Optionally enable handicaps and choose your preferred handicap mode (Compare With Lowest is recommended).
Start the round. Each player enters their own score on every hole.

Squabbit automatically calculates the appended team scores, handles the 10+ rule, and applies Flip the Bird flips when enabled. You just focus on playing.

Note: Vegas requires exactly 2 players per team. Squabbit will prompt you to fill both team spots before the round can begin.