The Ultimate Golf Side Games Guide: Vegas, Wolf, Skins, Sixes & Nassau

At Kodiak Golf, our motto is simple: making golf more fun!

While grinding over an individual stroke-play score has its place, nothing supercharges a Saturday morning round quite like a spirited side game with your crew. A great format keeps every golfer engaged on every shot until the final putt drops on 18.

Here is your definitive guide to the most popular golf side games built directly into Kodiak Golf, how their scoring works, the exact options you can customize in the app, and how to eliminate messy napkin math forever:

1. Las Vegas: Big Swings & The Infamous "Birdie Flip"

If your foursome loves high-voltage team competition where a single birdie can flip the match on its head, Las Vegas is unmatched.

How It Works:

• Two teams of two (Team A vs. Team B) compete using combined scores rather than added totals.
• On each hole, the two teammates' scores are paired into a two-digit number, with the lower score placed first.
  • Example: If Player 1 cards a 4 and Player 2 cards a 5, Team A’s combined score is 45.
  • If Team B cards a 5 and a 6, their score is 56.
• The difference between the numbers determines the points won: 56 - 45 = 11 points awarded to Team A.
• Points are commonly played for a nickel, dime, or quarter per point.

In-App Game Options in Kodiak:

• Flip on Birdies: When a player makes a natural birdie (or better) and beats both opponents, the opposing team's score flips—putting their highest score first!
  • If Team A shoots 3 and 5 (35) and Team B shoots 5 and 6 (56), Team B's score flips to 65. Team A wins 65 - 35 = 30 points on a single hole! (Note: If both teams make a birdie, neither team flips.)
• Flip on 10: If a player cards 10 or more net strokes, their team's score flips. If enabled, a 5 and a 10 becomes 105; otherwise, it caps at 60.

2. Wolf: Strategic Alliances & The Lone Wolf

Wolf is the ultimate game for four players, testing consistency, nerve, and timely betrayal on every tee box.

How It Works:

1. Rotating Order: The player who tees off first is the Wolf, and the tee order rotates each hole.
2. Picking a Partner: The Wolf tees off and watches the other players hit. The Wolf must decide whether to select a partner immediately after that player hits their tee shot and before the next player hits.
   • If the Wolf loves Player 2's drive, they call them as a partner: it becomes a 2 vs. 2 match for the hole.
   • If the Wolf passes on all three drives, the Wolf plays Alone against the other three!

The Lone Wolf Call:

If the Wolf pipes a massive drive down the fairway and feels unstoppable, they can declare Lone Wolf after their own tee shot and before anyone else hits.

Exact Scoring Matrix in Kodiak:

In-App Game Options in Kodiak:

• Best Ball Option: For partner play, compare each team's lowest ball instead of the aggregate score.
• Holes 17 & 18 Comeback Rule: In Kodiak, the player trailing on points heading into holes 17 and 18 is automatically designated as the Wolf, giving them a chance to stage an epic late comeback!

3. Skins: Pure Match Drama & Carryovers

The quintessential golf wager. Skins is easy to learn, fiercely competitive, and works for groups of 2, 3, or 4+.

How It Works:

• Each hole is worth one skin (a fixed point or dollar value).
• A golfer wins the skin outright by posting the lowest unique score on that hole.
• If two or more players tie for low score, the hole is tied and the skin carries over to the next hole!
• If holes 4, 5, and 6 are tied, hole 7 is suddenly worth 4 skins!

In-App Game Options in Kodiak:

• Carryovers: Keep untied skins accumulating until someone wins an outright hole.
• Double on Birdies: Natural birdie winners double the current hole value (carryovers remain single).
• Gross vs. Net: Play scratch or allocate handicap dots hole-by-hole based on course handicap rankings.

4. Sixes (Round Robin / Hollywood): Rotate Partners Every 6 Holes

Tired of having the same partner all day? Sixes rotates partnerships every 6 holes so you get to team up with every player in your foursome:

• Holes 1–6: Player 1 & 2 vs. Player 3 & 4
• Holes 7–12: Player 1 & 3 vs. Player 2 & 4
• Holes 13–18: Player 1 & 4 vs. Player 2 & 3

In-App Scoring & Options in Kodiak:

• Low Ball / High Ball: Compare the low ball and/or high ball of each team on every hole.
• Team Total: Compare combined net team scores.
• Allow Roll: The trailing team can double the point value for the current hole after the leading team hits their tee shots.
• Allow Re-Roll: The winning team can quadruple the point value after a Roll!

5. Nassau: The Classic Three-in-One Bet

Dating back over a century, the Nassau breaks your round into three distinct bets:

1. Front 9 Match: Low score on holes 1–9.
2. Back 9 Match: Low score on holes 10–18.
3. Overall 18 Match: Low score across all 18 holes.

Pressing the Bet:

If you fall 2 down on the Front 9, you can call a Press—initiating a brand new side match for the remaining holes of that 9 at the same stake. Trailing players stay energized and in contention right up to 18.

6. Animals, Chips & Banker: Interactive Action

Kodiak also features interactive side action you won't find anywhere else:

• Animals: All animal chips are bad (the Frog for water, the Camel for sand, etc.). Chips pass from player to player during the round. You can escape an animal by making a Birdie, Chip-in, Long Putt, or Sand Save!
• Multi-Device Chip Passing: In Kodiak, non-scoring players can move chips live from their own phones via the live scorecard view!
• Banker: The banker accepts bets from each player, with mid-air press calls on par 3s!

Zero Napkin Math at the 19th Hole

The biggest buzzkill after an incredible 18 holes is spending 30 minutes in the grill room squinting at pencil smudges on a soggy scorecard, arguing over handicap dots, and calculating split skins.

Inside Kodiak Golf:

1. Select your side games (Skins, Vegas, Wolf, Sixes, Nassau, Chips, Banker, and more).
2. Configure your options (Flip on Birdies, Roll, Carryovers).
3. Enter hole scores once.

Kodiak automatically tracks points, applies strokes, calculates rolling ledgers, and displays the final payout summary the instant the last putt drops on 18.

Fire up Kodiak Golf on your next round and experience why thousands of golfers trust Kodiak to make their weekend games more fun!