Chicago is a points-based golf betting game where every player tries to beat a personal quota set by their handicap, earning points for bogey or better on each hole.
A scratch player chases 39 points. A 20-handicap chases 19. The player who finishes most above their quota wins.
It’s also called 39s, Thirty-Nines, or “the Chicago System.” This guide covers the full rules, the scoring breakdown, handling handicaps, the variations groups run, and the strategy that separates the players who clear their hurdle from the ones still grinding for it on the 18th tee.
Chicago Golf at a Glance
Chicago is one of the cleanest betting golf games for foursomes with mixed skill levels. Every player gets a quota based on course handicap, then plays for points using a modified Stableford scoring table on gross scores: double bogey or worse is 0, bogey is 1, par is 2, birdie is 4, eagle is 8, and an albatross is 16.
You don’t lose points for blow-ups. You can’t shoot worse than zero on a hole. The math is simple enough to keep on a standard scorecard and fair enough that a 25-handicap has a legitimate path to take the money from a 5.
Game Setup
Before the first tee shot, three things have to be locked: course handicaps, the quota formula, and the bet.
Number of Players
You can play Chicago as a head-to-head match (1v1), a foursome (1v1v1v1 or 2v2), or a tournament with 80 players. Most groups play it in a foursome where everyone can see the running points. It’s one of the better golf games for 4 players when the group has a wide handicap spread, and it works just as well for a 3 player game — the math is identical for a 3-player Chicago match.
Handicaps
Every player needs an established course handicap. Run everyone through our easy-to-use golf handicap calculator before the round. If anyone’s still confused on what their number actually represents, how a golf handicap is calculated breaks it down in two minutes.
Scoring
The standard formula for setting your Chicago scoring target is: 39 minus your course handicap:
- Scratch (0 handicap): quota gets set at 39
- 10-handicap: quota is 29
- 20-handicap: quota is 19
- 35-handicap: quota is 4
- 37+ handicap: quota is 2 (the floor)
If you’re looking to improve your handicap, check out our practice system designed to shave strokes, consisting of 22 practice range games to play (with benchmarks to find your issues) and 106 drills (to fix the issues).
Course handicaps above 37 default to a floor of 2 points by most club rules. Some clubs use 36 as the target number instead of 39. Same game, slightly different math. Confirm on the first tee.
Set the Wager
There are two clean options for running a bet during a Chicago match.
A flat pot, where everyone throws in the same amount and the winner takes all.
A per-point payout, where each point above quota is worth a fixed dollar amount and players settle the differences at the end. Per-point tends to be more fair with less drama. A player who clears by 8 points takes more money than one who clears by 1, but the clear winner doesn’t take it all.
How to Play (Rules & Scoring)
The Chicago scoring table is the spine of the game. It applies to your gross score on every hole. Your handicap doesn’t enter the per-hole math because it’s already baked into your quota target.
Every player tracks their own running point total throughout the round. At the end of 18 holes, subtract the quota from the total. That final number (the differential) is what matters. The highest differential wins.
Chicago Scoring Example 1: A 10-handicap (quota: 29) makes 7 pars (14 points), 2 birdies (8 points), 7 bogeys (7 points), and 2 double bogeys (0 points) for 29 points total. Differential: 0. He hit his quota exactly.
Chicago Scoring Example 2: A 1-handicap (quota: 38) in the same group makes 13 pars (26), 1 birdie (4), 3 bogeys (3), and 1 double bogey (0) for 33 points. Differential: -5. He missed his number by 5.
The 10-handicap wins. Better differential.
How to Handle Ties
If two players finish with the same differential, the standard tiebreaker is back-nine differential. If that’s still tied, count back to the last 6, then the last 3.
Pace of Play (Pick Up Recommedation)
Once you’re cooked on a hole — staring down a triple, ball in the trees with no shot — just pick up. Penalty strokes from common golf course penalties like out-of-bounds, water hazards, or unplayable lies still count toward your gross score, but they can’t drive your hole score below zero. Pace of play improves, and your differential is protected.
Game Variations
A handful of Chicago variations show up at clubs around the country. Most groups land on one of these and run it as their house version.
Two-Man Chicago
Two-person teams play head-to-head against other pairs. Quotas combine — a 5 and a 15 handicapped (individually) team has a combined quota of 58. Each player runs a personal point tally on gross scoring, and the totals are added together for the team total. Whichever team’s combined total most exceeds the combined quota wins.
Chicago Stableford Team (Multiplier)
Same scoring grid, but partners multiply their hole points instead of adding. Par × par = 4. Birdie × bogey = 4. Eagle × par = 16. Double bogey × eagle = 0, because anything multiplied by zero is zero. This variant amplifies both highs and lows, and a partner blowing up on the same hole you birdie wipes the birdie completely.
Team Penalty Clause
In team formats, if any individual player finishes still in negative-points territory (doesn’t meet their quota), the difference gets subtracted from the team total. This version forces every member to clear their hurdle. No one rides along on a partner’s hot round.
The 36-Point Variant
Some clubs use 36 as the target instead of 39. The scoring chart is identical, except for the quota shifts. A 10-handicap chases 26 instead of 29. Confirm before tee-off so the scorecard math matches.
Negative Points for Blow-Ups
A rare variant where double bogey is -1 instead of 0. Punishes blow-ups directly and shrinks the gap between strong and weak players. Most groups skip this variation because the zero floor is part of what makes Chicago play fast.
Tips & Strategies
Winning Strategies
Attack par 5s – A birdie is 4 points. A par is 2. The differential between a great par 5 and an average one is bigger in Chicago than on any other hole on the course. If you have a real chance and a clean lie, go for the green in two.
Play par 3s for par – Par is 2 points and you can’t make worse than 0. A safe shot to the middle of the green is worth more than threading a flag and bringing double bogey into play. Big numbers don’t hurt you in Chicago, but missing par by going for too much still costs you a point.
Watch the running differential, not the leaderboard – Stroke play makes you chase low scores. Chicago makes you chase a differential. Knowing whether you’re at +3 with five holes left tells you exactly how aggressive to be. Most groups miss this and play every hole the same way, regardless of where they stand.
Lower handicaps: pace yourself – Your quota is high. You can’t catch up to a high-handicap birdie binge by playing low-risk all 18, but you also can’t blow your differential trying to make eagle on every par 5. Settle into pars and pick the 2 or 3 holes where you have a real birdie look.
Higher handicaps: birdies are gold – A single birdie can move your differential more than five clean bogeys. Find the wedge holes and the short par 5s where the setup gives you a path for a bird.
Stroke play asks how low you can shoot. Chicago asks how often you can win the hole.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Forgetting that points are based on gross score – Easy trap if you usually play net. You’re scoring your raw bogey, not your stroke-adjusted par. The handicap already lives in the quota, don’t double-count it.
Grinding for triple instead of picking up – A triple bogey is 0 points. So is a double. So is an 8. Once you’ve made double, the next stroke doesn’t change your score; it just costs you time. Pick up.
Not setting the team penalty rule in advance – If you’re playing teams and one player finishes at -3, are those points subtracted from the team total? Decide on the first tee. Decide after the round, and someone’s losing money over a rule they didn’t agree to.
Trying to make it all back on one hole – The scoring table rewards aggression, but only when the hole setup supports it. Pulling driver on a tight par 4 because you “need a birdie” loses more points than it makes. Differentials build across the round, not on a single hole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicago is a specific named version of the Quota golf format. Quota is the umbrella concept: any points-based format where players chase a handicap-set target. Chicago uses 39 minus course handicap as its specific quota formula and is most often played as a betting game. If your group says “let’s play quota today,” they probably mean the 36-point version; “let’s play Chicago” usually means 39.
Close, not identical. Both use a Modified Stableford-style point grid. Stableford compares your total points to other players’ totals. Chicago compares your point total to a personal quota. Same scoring grid, different win condition.
Yes. The format works for any group size from 2 to a full tournament field. Three players each chase their own quota; whoever has the best differential after 18 holes wins.
The format’s origin is most often credited to Chicago-area country clubs in the mid-20th century, where it became a regular weekend betting game. The name stuck because the system stuck.
Gross. Always gross. The handicap is already accounted for in the quota — if you also adjusted your hole scores by handicap strokes, you’d be applying the handicap twice.
The player with the best (least negative) differential wins. Some groups push the pot to the next round if everyone misses, but that’s a house rule, not a standard one.
Final Thoughts
Chicago doesn’t reinvent golf, it reframes it. Every hole has a number you’re chasing, and every blow-up dies at zero instead of compounding for nine holes. That’s the format’s whole pitch, and it’s why mixed-handicap groups keep coming back to it.
Try it next weekend with your regular foursome. Set the quotas on the first tee, throw $10 in the pot, and play. By the 12th hole you’ll know whether your group should be running Chicago every weekend or going back to Nassau.
Other Golf Games You’ll Love
If Chicago hits with your group, these are the natural next plays:
- Stableford — The original points-based scoring system. Same grid; total-vs-total scoring instead of total-vs-quota. Often run as a tournament format.
- Nines (5-3-1) — The best 3-player betting game for threesomes. Hole-by-hole points instead of a round-long quota. Different rhythm, same mixed-handicap balancing logic.
- Quota Golf — The broader quota system Chicago is built on. Same engine, different target number. Worth knowing both so you can run either version depending on the group.
- Nassau — The classic foursome betting format. Three matches in one round — front 9, back 9, and overall 18. Pairs cleanly with Chicago on a buddy trip.
