Ask one of your golfing partners on the first tee if they want to take part in a Nassau bet and you’ll almost certainly be met with a blank look and immediately questioned: “What is a Nassau bet?”
A Nassau bet in golf is a type of wager made between golfers that focuses on the winner of the front nine, back nine, and overall winner after 18 holes. At the start of a round, players will agree on a certain stake for the three separate legs of the Nassau bet. Essentially, having three separate bets on the go during a round ups the ante over the course of 18 holes.
While Nassau bets often lend themselves to match play, any format can be tailored to suit the wager. Irrespective of the format that is decided on, the appeal of a Nassau bet is that an indifferent nine holes can quickly be forgotten about as a fresh chance to win presents itself at the start of the next nine.
This makes a refreshing change from the norm given that as so often happens in golf, an unassailable lead is taken which means that the round peters out without anything on the line. This isn’t just the case around amateur golf clubs all over the world but also in the professional game.
Take the 2023 Ryder Cup for example when European duo Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland made history. Incredibly, the pair beat the American team of Scottie Scheffler and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka nine and seven during their foursome match-up on the second morning in Rome. This was the widest winning score ever recorded in the competition’s history and a result that was not expected in the Ryder Cup odds.
In short, given that Aberg and the indomitable Hovland claimed victory in as many as nine of the opening 11 holes, there was no need to play the remaining seven holes as an uncatchable lead had been established. Subsequently, the players shook hands on the 11th hole and walked off the course.
The wide point here is that this type of scenario would never present itself with a Nassau bet as the slate is wiped clean after nine holes. While the front nine-hole score will still be considered at the end of the round to crown the overall 18-hole winner, playing the back nine as a separate event provides an exciting dynamic.
Where Do I Use a Nassau Bet?
From understanding what is a Nassau in golf to figuring out how best to use it. Essentially, you can use a Nassau bet in any round you’re playing in so long as your playing partners are open to the idea and your internal competition doesn’t compromise the integrity of a bigger one you may also be competing in. With that said, more often than not, Nassau bets are made during friendly rounds in an effort to keep a healthy level of competition alive while players meander around the course over 18 holes.
How to Calculate a Nassau Bet?
Calculating a Nassau bet is relatively straightforward. In this example, let’s say you are playing a friend who has agreed to a Nassau bet.
To start with, you both have to settle on a specific stake for the front nine, back nine, and overall winner of the round. In this instance, let’s say you both agree to a £5 bet on each leg; this means that the most you can win is £15 while the most you can lose is also £15.
At the end of this example round, imagine you won the front nine and overall 18-hole bet, while your friend clawed back some respectability by winning the back nine. You would be eligible for a £10 payout for winning two legs while your friend would be owed £5 for winning one.
In essence, the payout differs from the way most golf bets are settled as you can still lose a leg but walk away with a profit. At least, when building an accumulator from the latest available golf betting odds, you will typically need all your bets to land to earn a return.
So let’s say you choose to add three different Solheim Cup bets to your bet slip, to be successful all your picks would have to happen.
In many ways, this is the beauty of a Nassau bet as you could potentially be in with a chance to win even after an initial setback.
Whether you’re arranging a Nassau bet with your playing partners, betting on the Ryder Cup or Solheim Cup, remember to keep in mind these safer gambling tools that are designed to keep you in control.
What is a Nassau Press?
In the event that a Nassau bet can no longer be won at any stage of the three legs, a press can be suggested by the losing party which basically means double or nothing.
So let’s say your playing partner wins the first five holes of the opening nine-hole leg which you have a £5 bet on. They would then be entitled to a payout of £5 but you can suggest a Nassau press over the remaining four holes.
Should you win then you will get your money back but if you lose, you will be required to pay double the initial stake. In this case that will be £10.
Nassau FAQs
You won’t have been the first person to ask what a Nassau is in golf given its peculiar title. The name of the Nassau bet is derived from the Nassau Country Club in New York. The story goes that the players at Nassau Country Club would regularly inflict heavy beatings on their opponents during inter-club competitions.
As a result of this continued humiliation, surrounding clubs no longer wanted to play Nassau. In response, the Nassau club captain set about inventing the bet which was used as a way of softening the end score. Indeed, instead of losing eight and seven, the new scoreline would read that a player only lost by a margin of 2-1 or 3-0.
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