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Vegas Golf Made Simple
Team scores combine into numbers, creating big swings and dramatic holes.
- Players
- 4 players
- Complexity
- Medium
- Explaining it
- One number and everyone gets it
A 4 and a 5 make 45, not 9. That one sentence is the entire game — and the reason it swings so hard.
How it works
Vegas, explained
Four players, two pairs. Each pair’s two scores are put side by side to make one number, lowest first. The pair with the lower number wins the difference in points.
The number is not a total
- A 4 and a 5 make 45. Not 9. The two scores are written next to each other, not added up.
- The lower score always goes first: a 3 and a 6 make 36, never 63.
- One bad hole from one partner turns a 45 into a 49 — and against a 36 that is thirteen points instead of nine. This is why Vegas swings harder than any other game in the app.
Scoring the hole
- Take the difference between the two team numbers.
- Each point of difference is worth the point multiplier, which is one by default.
- The winning pair gains that amount and the losing pair loses it, so the table always balances to zero.
- A cap can be set so no single hole costs more than a fixed amount. Off by default — a disaster hole costs the full amount unless you say otherwise.
Flipping
- Flipping reverses the other team’s number so the higher score reads first: 56 becomes 65.
- The usual trigger is a birdie. Some groups only allow a natural birdie — one made without a handicap shot. Others reserve it for an eagle.
- Flipping exists because a good score deserves to hurt the other side. It is optional and every group plays it differently, which is exactly why the app makes it a setting rather than a rule.
Rotating partners
- Teams can stay fixed for the round, or change every six holes so everyone partners everyone.
- Holes 1–6, 7–12 and 13–18 each get a different pairing — a Vegas and Sixes hybrid.
- The app works out the three pairings and switches them at the right hole.
Worked example
Hole 7
Phil and Bitzi against Thierry and Nico. Thierry makes a 3 and the hole is gone.
| Phil | 4 |
|---|---|
| Bitzi | 5 |
| Team A number | 45 |
| Thierry | 3 |
| Nico | 6 |
| Team B number | 36 |
| Difference | 9 |
Result
Thierry and Nico win 9 points
See it
A 4 and a 5 make 45.
Not added. Written side by side, lowest first. The gap between the two numbers is what the hole is worth.
Phil + Bitzi
45
45Thierry + Nico
36
36The difference is the damage
9
45 against 36. Thierry and Nico win nine points — not one.
Adjustable rules
Set it up the way your group plays.
Nobody plays Vegas exactly the same way. Rather than pick a winner, the app makes every one of these a setting you change before the round — and saves it as a preset for next time.
Point multiplier
DefaultEvery point of difference is worth this much. Default 1×.
Flip rule
DefaultNo flipping, birdie flips, natural birdie only, or eagle flips.
Cap on one hole
Limit the damage of one catastrophic hole. Off by default.
Birdie bonus
Flat extra points on top of the difference for each birdie.
Eagle bonus
The same, for an eagle.
Teams
DefaultFixed for the round, or change every six holes so everyone partners everyone.
Handicaps
90% off the low player keeps it fair without killing the swings.
Why use the app
What the app works out while you play Vegas.
None of this is hard. It is just tedious, and it is tedious at exactly the moment you want to be hitting your next shot.
- Builds the two-digit number for each team, lowest digit first, every hole.
- Applies the flip when a birdie or eagle triggers it — including natural-birdie-only, which needs the handicap shots to be known.
- Takes the difference and applies the multiplier and any cap.
- Adds birdie and eagle bonuses on top.
- Rotates the pairings at holes 7 and 13 when rotation is on.
- Keeps the running total balanced so the table always adds to zero.
Vocabulary
Vegas words worth knowing
The words that get used on the tee as though everyone already knows them.
- Team number
- The two partners’ scores written side by side, lowest first.
- Flip
- Reversing the other team’s number so the higher score reads first.
- The difference
- What the hole is worth. 45 against 36 is nine points.
- Natural birdie
- A birdie made without a handicap shot on that hole.
FAQ
Vegas questions
How does Vegas golf scoring work?
Each pair’s two scores are placed side by side, lowest first, to make one number. A 4 and a 5 make 45. The team with the lower number wins the difference between the two numbers in points.
Why is a 4 and a 5 worth 45 and not 9?
Because Vegas is about the gap between two numbers, not the sum of two scores. Writing them side by side means a single bad score moves the number by ten rather than by one — which is where all the drama comes from.
What does flipping mean in Vegas golf?
A flip reverses the other team’s number so the higher score reads first — 56 becomes 65. A birdie is the usual trigger. It is optional, and the app supports birdie, natural birdie only, or eagle.
Can you cap the damage on one hole?
Yes. Turn the cap on and set a maximum, and no hole can cost more than that. It is off by default because the risk is the point, but a blow-up hole in a big-multiplier game is why the setting exists.
Do you need exactly four players for Vegas?
Yes. Vegas is two pairs by definition. With three players, Wolf or Skins is the better game.
The other five games
Play Vegas this weekend.
The app explains it to whoever needs it and keeps the score for everybody.