Bogey Tax is an original points-and-pot golf game for 4 players where every stroke over par costs you cash. Set an escalating wager — usually starting at $2 — and any time you score a bogey or worse on a hole, you pay into the pot. Par or better and you keep your wallet in your pocket. After 18 holes, the player with the lowest net score takes the whole pot.
It’s part Stableford and part Skins. Most betting games reward your best hole. Bogey Tax punishes your worst.
BRING CASH. PLAY THESE NEXT.
If Bogey Tax hooks the group, these three belong in the rotation right after:
- The Bounty — original Golf Games Hub format where every hole carries a pot, and ties roll it over and double it until someone wins outright
- Nines (5-3-1) — 3-player betting game where each hole distributes 9 points (5-3-1) between the players, points cash out at the end
- Nassau — the most famous golf betting game, period. Three matches in one round with presses.
Game Setup
Bogey Tax is built for 4 players. It works with 3 if you’re short one. Three players just means a smaller pot, but the format hits hardest with a full foursome. Check out our filterable collection of foursome formats for other options.
Handicaps are encouraged. Without them, the lowest handicap in the group is going to rake it in.
Use full course handicap, applied stroke-by-stroke per the scorecard’s stroke index. If you don’t know yours, run it through our free golf handicap calculator before the round and write your strokes onto the card.
New to handicaps? Here’s how your golf handicap is calculated the right way. Golf Digest’s primer on what separates a 10-handicap from a bogey golfer is worth a read if you want to understand why net scoring matters so much in a mixed-handicap group.
Set the tax rate before tee-off. $2 per stroke is the standard. Dial up to $5 if you’re a high roller, or down to $1 for a casual round. The base tax is the only number that matters — everything else scales off it. If you’d like, you can make this bragging rights only – just like all our other points-based golf games. Just translate the dollars to points and least points wins.
Bring small bills or use Venmo. Bogey Tax is a pay-as-you-go game. Settling up at 18 is fine, but keeping a running tally on the scorecard is recommended to keep the stakes visible.
STRATEGY TIP
Pick a tax rate that hurts a little. Two bucks a stroke sounds light until somebody snowmans a par 4. High enough that a bad hole stings. Low enough that a blowup doesn’t end friendships.
How to Play Bogey Tax Golf
Bogey Tax runs alongside your normal round. You play your own ball, your own scorecard, and by normal rules. The only new mechanic is the tax.
Here’s the tax structure with a $2 base:
The math is just $2 × (net strokes over par). Net means after your handicap strokes get applied to that hole. If you’re getting a stroke on hole 4 (because of your handicap) and you make a 6 on a par 4, that’s a net 5 — a bogey — and you owe $2. Without the stroke, you’d owe $4.
Winner takes the pot. After 18 holes, lowest net total over par wins everything. Tiebreaker: do a sudden death playoff hole, if you can. Otherwise, you can countback on the back 9, then the back 6, then the back 3 to see who held the lead over those spans. If somehow you tied on each of those stretches, split the pot.
Every penalty stroke counts toward your bogey tax: water balls, out of bounds, lost ball, all of it. If you’re shaky on the difference, and how to apply strokes, our guide to golf course penalties is worth a refresher before the round – snag our reference image and store it on your phone for the course. A free drop you didn’t know was available can be the difference between $0 and $4 in tax on that hole.
COMMON MISTAKE
Going for the hero shot when bogey is on the table. A safe punch-out to 100 yards saves $4 of tax. A 3-wood from the trees that finds water makes the hole cost $8. The tax man doesn’t care how good the recovery would have looked.
Bogey Tax Game Variations
Once the group’s played a couple of rounds, run a variation to level up even further.
Front/Back Split. Half the pot goes to best net front 9, half to best net back 9. Two separate prizes inside one round. Keeps the blown-up player chasing the back-9 prize after his front 9 falls apart.
70/30 Payout. Top of the pot goes to lowest net, but second place gets 30% of it. Keeps the third and fourth player still grinding for second-place money instead of mailing it in.
Bogey Cap. Maximum $6 paid per hole no matter the score. Protects high handicappers from a single 10 wiping out their round and killing their interest in the game.
Pressure Tax. The tax doubles on 16, 17, and 18. A bogey on the last three holes is suddenly twice as painful. The stretch run actually means something.
Sliding Tax. $1 on par 3s, $2 on par 4s, $3 on par 5s. Punishes the scoring holes you should be capitalizing on.
Birdie Rebate. Every birdie pulls $4 back out of the pot for you. Rewards aggression on top of clean golf — not just steady pars.
STRATEGY TIP
Run one variation per round, not three. Front/back split plus bogey cap plus birdie rebate all at once turns the game into a spreadsheet. Add layers only when the group’s already locked in on the base rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
$2 per stroke over par is the sweet spot for most weekend groups. It makes a triple bogey hurt without putting too much money in play across the round. For bigger stakes groups, $5 a stroke turns a single double bogey into $10 — that gets attention quickly. Whatever you choose, set it before anyone tees off, not after the first blowup.
Yes. The format works fine for a threesome — same rules, smaller pot. The competition tightens up because now you have a 33% chance to win. For more threesome options, see our best 3-player golf games guide.
It works, but it’s brutal. Without handicaps, a scratch player paying $4 in tax against a 20-handicapper paying $40 isn’t a game — it’s a robbery. Always use net scoring unless every player in the group is within 3–4 strokes of the same handicap.
If you’ve got the time and the 1st tee is open, go for a playoff hole. Otherwise: countback. Compare net scores on the back 9 first. Still tied? Back 6, then back 3, then the 18th hole alone. If everything’s identical (rare), split the pot.
Stableford is a points game where birdies and eagles add to your score and double bogeys cap out at zero — the math protects you from blowups. Bogey Tax is the opposite. There’s no upside from a birdie unless you’re running the rebate variation; there’s only downside from a bogey. Stableford rewards highs. Bogey Tax punishes lows.
Final Thoughts
Bogey Tax changes how you think about course management mid-round. Suddenly the safe shot has tangible value. The hero attempt does too. You’re playing the same golf, just with a real-time tax bill running in your head.
Try it next time you’re out for 18 with the regular foursome. Start at $2 a stroke. Settle up at the bar. The guy buying drinks isn’t the one who shot the lowest — it’s the one who stayed out of his own way. And if your group would rather pay for bogeys in sips than dollars, the Beer Tax drinking game runs the same punish-your-worst idea with beer on the line.
