What is the Snake?
The Snake is a side-game built around one of golf's most dreaded moments: the 3-putt. Any player who takes three putts on a hole picks up the snake and starts accumulating a per-hole penalty. The catch? You can't put the snake down until someone else 3-putts and takes it from you.
The beauty of the game is in the transfers. You might pick up the snake on hole 3 and lose it on hole 4 — barely a blip. Or you might carry it from hole 7 all the way through 18, racking up a painful tab. Every putt inside 10 feet matters.
The Snake is almost always played as an add-on alongside another format like stroke play or skins. It layers a separate putting-focused bet on top of whatever else your group is already playing.
How Scoring Works
-
1
Before the round, agree on a per-hole dollar amount — typically $1–$5 per hole depending on your group's stakes.
-
2
Play the round normally. Any player who takes 3 or more putts on a hole immediately picks up the snake.
-
3
The snake holder accumulates one charge per hole from the moment they pick it up — including the hole where they got it. The charge is the per-hole amount times the number of players they'll owe.
-
4
If a different player 3-putts on a later hole, the snake transfers to them. The previous holder stops accumulating charges from that point forward — they only pay for the holes they personally held it.
-
5
If two players 3-putt on the same hole, the snake transfers to whichever player took the most putts. If equal, it stays with the current holder.
-
6
At the end of the round, whoever is holding the snake pays every other player the per-hole rate multiplied by the number of holes they held it.
Four players, $2/hole. Mike 3-putts hole 5 and picks up the snake. He holds it through hole 9 (5 holes). Danny 3-putts hole 10 — snake transfers. Danny holds it through hole 18 (9 holes). At the end: Mike pays the other 3 players $2 × 5 = $10 each. Danny pays the other 3 players $2 × 9 = $18 each. Everyone else pays nothing.
Setting Up the Wager
The Snake is set up entirely around the per-hole rate. Common amounts range from $1 to $5 per hole for casual groups. At $2/hole over an 18-hole round, the maximum a single player could owe if they held the snake the entire round is $2 × 17 other players = a significant number, so calibrate to your group's comfort level.
A good starting point: $1–$2 per hole for a 4-person group on 18 holes. The potential max payout stays reasonable, but the pressure on every green is very real.
$2/hole, 4 players. The snake never transfers — one unlucky player holds it all 18 holes. They owe the other 3 players $2 × 18 = $36 each, or $108 total. That's the worst case — in practice the snake almost always moves around, keeping payouts reasonable.
Strokes & Stakes tracks every 3-putt, logs who holds the snake and for how many holes, and calculates the final payout automatically at the end of the round.
Pro Tips
- The Snake changes the mental game on every green — you stop thinking about score and start thinking about lag putting. Getting down in two from distance is just as important as making the birdie attempt.
- The game is especially brutal on courses with fast or sloped greens. Know the course before you set a high per-hole rate.
- Play it alongside stroke play or skins — the Snake adds a second storyline to every hole without complicating the main game.
- Track it in Strokes & Stakes so there's no debate at the end about who held the snake and for how long. The app logs every transfer automatically.
- If no one 3-putts all round, no money changes hands for the Snake bet. That's a good day for everyone's wallet — and their putting stroke.
Ready to Play?
Strokes & Stakes tracks your Snake game automatically — every 3-putt, every transfer, and the final payout when the round ends.
Track Your Round for Free →