Rabbit Golf Game
Rabbit is a golf side game where players chase and hold "the rabbit" during the round.
A player usually earns the rabbit by winning a hole outright. Once a player has the rabbit, they try to hold it long enough to win the bet. If another player wins a later hole outright, the rabbit can move, get knocked loose, or restart depending on the group's rules.
Rabbit is a fun game because it creates a chase throughout the round instead of only rewarding the final score.
Best for
Rabbit works best with 3 to 5 players.
It can technically work with 2 players, but it feels more like basic match play. Rabbit is better when multiple players are trying to chase down and steal the rabbit.
Handicaps
Handicaps are optional.
Rabbit can be played gross or net.
If handicaps are used, each player receives strokes based on their course handicap and the course handicap row on the scorecard. The rabbit is then won based on net scores.
Net Rabbit is usually better for mixed-skill groups.
How Rabbit works
The basic idea is simple:
- Nobody has the rabbit at the start.
- A player wins a hole outright and gets the rabbit.
- That player tries to keep the rabbit.
- Another player can steal or knock loose the rabbit by winning a later hole outright.
- The player holding the rabbit at a scoring checkpoint wins the bet.
Groups can play Rabbit for the front nine, back nine, full round, or all three.
Simple Rabbit example
Four players are playing Rabbit.
Hole 1:
- Player A makes the lowest score outright
- Player A gets the rabbit
Hole 2:
- Player A ties for low score
- Player A keeps the rabbit because nobody beat the field outright
Hole 3:
- Player C wins the hole outright
- Player C takes the rabbit
Hole 4:
- All players tie or no one wins outright
- Player C keeps the rabbit
At the end of the front nine, Player C has the rabbit.
Player C wins the front-nine rabbit bet.
Winning the rabbit
The most common way to earn the rabbit is to win a hole outright.
Example:
- Player A makes 4
- Player B makes 5
- Player C makes 5
- Player D makes 6
Player A wins the hole outright and gets the rabbit.
If two or more players tie for the lowest score, nobody wins the rabbit on that hole.
What happens when someone else wins a hole?
Groups usually handle this in one of two ways.
Steal the rabbit
The simplest version is that a new outright hole winner takes the rabbit.
Example:
- Player A has the rabbit
- Player C wins the next hole outright
- Player C now has the rabbit
This version is easy to track and works well for casual groups.
Knock the rabbit loose
Another version is that a player must first knock the rabbit loose, then win another hole to capture it.
Example:
- Player A has the rabbit
- Player C wins a hole outright
- The rabbit is now loose
- Nobody has the rabbit
- Player D wins the next hole outright
- Player D captures the rabbit
This version creates more drama but is slightly harder to track.
Rabbit checkpoints
Rabbit is usually paid at checkpoints.
Common checkpoint options:
- front nine rabbit
- back nine rabbit
- overall rabbit
- one full-round rabbit
Example:
- Player A holds the rabbit after hole 9
- Player A wins the front rabbit
- The rabbit resets on hole 10
- Player C holds the rabbit after hole 18
- Player C wins the back rabbit
Some groups also pay an overall rabbit based on who holds it at the end of the round.
Front, back, and overall Rabbit
A common version has three bets:
- front nine rabbit
- back nine rabbit
- overall rabbit
This feels similar to a Nassau structure.
Example:
- Front rabbit: $5
- Back rabbit: $5
- Overall rabbit: $5
A player could win the front rabbit, another player could win the back rabbit, and a third player could win the overall rabbit.
Gross Rabbit
Gross Rabbit uses actual scores only.
Example:
- Player A makes gross 4
- Player B makes gross 5
- Player C makes gross 5
Player A wins the hole outright and takes the rabbit.
Gross Rabbit works best when players are similar skill levels.
Net Rabbit
Net Rabbit uses handicap-adjusted scores.
Example:
- Player A makes gross 5 and receives 1 stroke
- Player A net score: 4
- Player B makes gross 4 and receives 0 strokes
- Player B net score: 4
- Player C makes gross 6 and receives 1 stroke
- Player C net score: 5
Player A and Player B tie for low net score, so nobody wins the rabbit on that hole.
Net Rabbit is better for mixed-handicap groups.
Ties
Ties usually mean nobody wins or moves the rabbit.
Example:
- Player A has the rabbit
- Player B and Player C tie for low score on the next hole
Since nobody won the hole outright, the rabbit does not move.
If nobody currently has the rabbit, the rabbit stays unclaimed.
Payout styles
Rabbit can be paid in several ways.
Fixed checkpoint bet
The simplest version uses fixed bets for checkpoints.
Example:
- Front rabbit: $5
- Back rabbit: $5
- Overall rabbit: $5
Whoever holds the rabbit at each checkpoint wins that bet.
Per-player payout
The rabbit holder is paid by each other player.
Example:
- Rabbit is worth $5
- Player A holds the rabbit at the end of the front nine
- Player B, Player C, and Player D each pay Player A $5
Player A wins $15 total.
Pot payout
Each player contributes to a pot.
Example:
- Each player puts in $5
- Whoever holds the rabbit at the end wins the pot
This keeps settlement simple.
Rabbit with carryover
Some groups play that if nobody has the rabbit at a checkpoint, the bet carries over.
Example:
- Nobody holds the rabbit after hole 9
- Front rabbit carries over to the back nine
- Back rabbit is now worth more
This is optional. For casual groups, it is usually simpler to say that if nobody holds the rabbit at the checkpoint, the bet pushes.
Rabbit as a side game
Rabbit is often played as a side game along with another format.
Example:
The group plays Nassau as the main game and also has Rabbit for:
- front nine
- back nine
- overall
Rabbit gives players something extra to chase even if they are losing the main match.
Rabbit vs Skins
Rabbit and Skins are similar because both reward outright hole wins.
The difference is what happens after the hole.
In Skins, each hole has its own value, and tied holes usually carry over.
In Rabbit, a player who wins a hole may hold the rabbit across multiple holes until someone else takes it away.
Skins pays for winning holes.
Rabbit pays for holding the rabbit at the right time.
Rabbit vs Match Play
Rabbit also feels a little like match play because players are trying to win holes.
But Match Play tracks who is up or down over the round.
Rabbit tracks who currently holds the rabbit.
A player can lose many holes but still win the rabbit if they capture it at the right time.
Optional birdie rule
Some groups add a birdie rule.
Examples:
- birdie automatically captures the rabbit if it is an outright low score
- birdie steals the rabbit even if another player ties low score
- birdie doubles the rabbit payout
- birdies are paid separately as dots
For most casual groups, keep Rabbit simple:
- lowest outright score wins or moves the rabbit
Optional "loose rabbit" rule
The loose rabbit version adds an extra step.
Example:
- Nobody has the rabbit
- Player A wins a hole outright
- Player A gets the rabbit
- Player B wins a later hole outright
- The rabbit becomes loose
- Player C wins the next hole outright
- Player C gets the rabbit
This makes it harder to hold the rabbit and can create more suspense.
The downside is that it is harder to explain and track.
Plus handicaps
Plus-handicap players can be handled the same way as other net games.
Give back to course
A plus golfer gives strokes back on the easiest handicap holes.
Example:
- A +2 golfer gives back strokes on handicap holes 18 and 17
- On one of those holes, gross 3 on a par 4 becomes adjusted 4 for net scoring
Normalize to zero
Some groups normalize the lowest handicap to zero and add the difference to everyone else.
Example:
- +2, 4, 6, 10 becomes 0, 6, 8, 12
Groups should agree before the round how plus handicaps are handled.
Common Rabbit rules
Before starting, the group should agree on:
- gross or net scoring
- whether the rabbit can be stolen directly
- whether the rabbit must be knocked loose first
- whether ties leave the rabbit unchanged
- whether rabbit is paid front, back, overall, or full round only
- payout amount
- whether payout is per player or pot-based
- whether unclaimed checkpoints push or carry over
- whether birdies create any bonus
- how handicap strokes are applied
- how plus handicaps are handled
Rabbit payout example
Four players are playing Rabbit for $5 per player on the front nine.
Rules:
- lowest outright score captures the rabbit
- ties do not move the rabbit
- whoever holds the rabbit after hole 9 wins the front-nine bet
Hole 2:
- Player B wins the hole outright
- Player B gets the rabbit
Hole 5:
- Player D wins the hole outright
- Player D takes the rabbit
Hole 8:
- Player A and Player C tie for low score
- The rabbit does not move
After hole 9, Player D still has the rabbit.
Payout:
- Player A pays Player D $5
- Player B pays Player D $5
- Player C pays Player D $5
Player D wins $15 total.
Strategy
Rabbit rewards timing.
You do not need to win the most holes. You need to capture the rabbit and hold it at the right checkpoint.
If the rabbit is unclaimed, players may play more aggressively to win a hole outright.
If a player already has the rabbit, they may play safer and try to avoid letting someone else win the hole outright.
Rabbit creates a fun chase because every hole can change who is in control.
Why use a Rabbit scorecard app?
Rabbit is easy to understand, but it can be easy to forget who has the rabbit, when it moved, and which checkpoints are worth money.
A scorecard app can track:
- current rabbit holder
- whether the rabbit is loose
- hole winners
- gross scores
- net scores
- handicap strokes
- front-nine rabbit
- back-nine rabbit
- overall rabbit
- payout totals
Golf Betting Games keeps the rabbit status and payouts organized so the group can focus on the round.