Popular Golf Side Bets

Golf Side bets make the game more interesting for players at all handicap levels. Below is a list of side bets that can be won on each individual hole on the golf course.

Before the round, players decide how much each of these is worth. If, for example, each Sandy is worth $1, then each player in the group must pay $1 to the golfer getting the sandy. Bets are generally tracked during the round and paid out after the round is complete.

Even if a player is having a bad day and is far behind in scoring based on stroke play, these golf side bets can keep it interesting throughout the whole match.

Sandies

This is one of the most common golf side bets. A player achieves a “sandy” by going “up and down” from a sand bunker near the green. The golfer hits his shot out of the bunker and onto the green and then makes the putt on the following shot. Another more broad definition of a Sandy is saving par from any bunker, including fairway bunkers.

Greenies

A player wins a “Greenie” by being the closest to the the pin on a par 3

Froggies

A froggy is a shot that lands in the water, but skips across the water and remains in play

Barkies

A “barky” requires you to first hit a tree! And then (the harder part), saving par on that hole. Some groups also consider it a “barky” if the player saves par after being in/behind a group of trees and does not require actually bouncing your ball off of a tree.

Arnies / Seves

This is another example of rewarding a player for saving par. In this case, the side bet rewards a player who does not hit the fairway (at all) on the hole, but manages to save par.

If you’d rather gamble on how OTHER players perform, check out our Intro to Fantasy Golf