Golf Side Games That
Add Spice
The games that run alongside your main round — dots, closest to the pin, long drive, chug rules, and more.
What Are Golf Side Games?
Golf side games are bonus competitions that run alongside your main format — not instead of it. If your group is playing a Nassau or skins, side games add extra stakes on specific shots and achievements without replacing the primary competition. Think of them as the seasoning on top of the main dish. A greenie on a par 3, a sandy from the bunker, a long-drive contest on the widest fairway — these moments do not show up in your main game's scoring, but side games give them their own stakes and their own settlement.
Side games are the easiest way to add depth to a round without adding complexity to the format. Most take zero setup — just agree on which ones you are playing and how much each is worth before the first tee.
Dots (Trash / Junk / Garbage)
Dots are the most popular side game system. They are a collection of bonus-point categories, each with a set value. Earn a dot by achieving something specific during the hole. At the end of the round, dots settle separately from your main game.
The most common dot categories:
| Dot | How You Earn It |
|---|---|
| Greenie | Closest to the pin on a par 3, on the green. Must make par or better to hold it. |
| Sandy | Up and down from a greenside bunker — out in one, one-putt for par or better. |
| Poley | One-putting any green. Some groups only count one-putts from outside a set distance. |
| Birdie | Making birdie on any hole. Eagle typically pays double. |
| Barkie | Hitting a tree during the hole and still making par or better. Honor system. |
| Ferret | Chipping in from off the green directly into the hole. |
| Arnie | Making par without hitting the fairway on a par 4 or 5. Named after Arnold Palmer. |
| Snakie | Three-putting. This is a negative dot — you pay the group. |
For the complete dots breakdown with scoring examples and house rules, see the full dots guide.
Start with three. If your group has never played dots, pick three categories — greenies, sandies, and birdies — and set each at $1. You can add more categories once the group is comfortable. Too many dots at once creates confusion and slows the round down.
Closest to the Pin
Closest to the pin is the simplest side game there is. On par 3 holes (and sometimes on approach shots to par 4s and 5s), the player who hits closest to the pin wins a set amount from every other player in the group. The ball must be on the green to qualify.
Most groups play closest to the pin on all par 3s. Some pick a single par 3 per nine — "hole 7 is CTP on the front, hole 14 is CTP on the back." The stakes are typically $1 to $5 per player per hole.
Closest to the pin overlaps with the greenie dot if you are also playing dots. Most groups play one or the other, not both. If you are running a full dots game, the greenie covers closest to the pin. If you want just one simple side bet without the full dots system, play closest to the pin standalone.
Long Drive
Pick a wide-open hole (or two) per nine and designate it as the long drive hole. The player who hits the longest tee shot — in the fairway — wins a set amount from each other player. If your drive misses the fairway, it does not count, no matter how far it went.
Long drive is a great side game because it creates a completely different kind of pressure. On every other hole, you are playing smart — finding fairways, managing the course. On the long drive hole, you are swinging out of your shoes. It changes the energy of the group for one tee shot per nine.
Typical stakes: $2 to $5 per player. Some groups make it winner-take-all from the group pot.
Birdies
A birdie side game is standalone: every time a player makes birdie, every other player in the group pays them a set amount. Eagle pays double. It is clean, simple, and stacks on top of any main format without adding complexity.
Birdies reward the best shots in the round. A birdie that does not win the skin (because another player also birdied) still earns the birdie side bet. It is the most direct way to put a bounty on great golf.
Typical stakes: $1 to $3 per birdie. $5 to $10 for eagles.
Chug Rules (21+)
For groups that play with drinks on the course, chug rules turn specific shots into drinking moments. These are social side games — no money, just fun and peer pressure.
Common chug rules:
- Water ball: Hit it in the water? Take a drink.
- Three-putt: Three-putt a green? That is a drink.
- Whiff: Swing and miss entirely? Finish whatever is in your hand.
- Cart path: Hit the cart path? Drink.
- Birdie bomb: If someone drains a putt longer than 30 feet for birdie, everyone else drinks.
Chug rules are not for every group. They are for buddy trips, bachelor parties, and Saturday afternoon rounds where nobody is keeping a handicap. bagboy tracks chug rules for groups that play them (21+ only — drink responsibly).
How to Stack Side Games
The best part of side games is that they stack. You can play a Nassau as your main format, run a full dots game alongside it, add a birdie bounty, and designate long drive holes — all in the same round. Each side game uses the same scores but creates its own competition and its own settlement.
Here are the most popular stacks:
- Nassau + Dots: The match provides structure. Dots add per-shot excitement. This is the most common combination for regular groups.
- Skins + Birdies: Skins is the main game. Birdies add a separate bounty for great holes. A birdie that wins a carryover skin and also earns the birdie bounty is a huge swing.
- Wolf + Dots: Wolf is the strategic main event. Dots add a layer of individual achievement on top of the team competition.
- Skins + CTP + Long Drive: A skins game for the overall competition. Closest to the pin on par 3s. Long drive on the widest hole per nine. Three separate side bets, easy to track, lots of action.
How bagboy Handles Side Games
bagboy lets you add any combination of side games to a round alongside your main format. All side games run on the same scorecard. Enter scores once, and every game — main and side — updates simultaneously.
At settlement, bagboy nets everything together. If you are up in the Nassau but down in dots, the app calculates your net across all games and shows the final payments in one screen. No separate accounting, no working out four different settlements in the parking lot.
Stack the games. Keep the spice.
Dots, birdies, closest to the pin, long drive — layer them all on one scorecard. Free for iPhone.
Download bagboy →FAQ
Can I play side games without a main game?
Yes. You can play just dots, just birdies, or just closest to the pin without running a main format like skins or Nassau. Some groups do exactly that — no main game, just a handful of fun side games that keep every shot interesting.
How many side games is too many?
Three is the sweet spot. More than that and you spend too much time tracking achievements instead of playing golf. Greenies, sandies, and birdies is a clean trio that covers most of the fun without slowing anything down.
Do side games settle separately?
In bagboy, all games — main and side — settle together. The app nets your winnings and losses across every game into the fewest payments. You see one final "who owes who" screen.