Golf Snake Rules (Three-Putt Game)
Players: 2 or more
The snake is one token that moves to the most recent three-putter. It changes hands all round, and whoever is holding it after the last hole is down its value to every other player. The cruelty is timing: three-putt early and someone will probably take it off you, but three-putt on the 18th and you are stuck with it.
Try the free Snake calculator →How it passes
There is only ever one snake. The moment a player three-putts, they take it. The next three-putt passes it along, and so on, so the snake keeps moving until the round ends.
Because it only bites the final holder, the tension builds on the closing holes. A three-putt on 17 or 18, when nobody is left to inherit it, is the one that pays.
Settling up
The snake settles once, at the end. The last holder pays its value to each other player. In a foursome, a five-dollar snake costs the final three-putter fifteen dollars, five to each of the other three.
Set the value before you tee off, and agree whether a conceded short putt after two can still count as a three-putt.
Common questions
What is the snake in golf?
A single transferable token that passes to whoever three-putts most recently. Whoever holds it at the end of the round pays its value to everyone else.
When does the snake settle?
Once, at the end of the round. Only the final holder pays, which is why a late three-putt is the dangerous one.
How much is the snake worth?
Whatever the group sets. The final holder pays that value to each other player, so a $5 snake in a foursome costs the last three-putter $15.
How does Skins Golf handle it?
Tap the three-putter and Skins Golf passes the snake, shows who is holding it live, and settles it once at the end.
Keep reading
In the app
Skins Golf scores it for you
Set it up once and Skins Golf scores it live, applies handicap allowances, and keeps the leaderboard current every hole. Skins Golf tracks results for reference only and never handles funds.