Side bets that don’t turn the 19th hole into accounting class
Birdie pots. Closest-to-the-pin pride. “I bet you can’t.” Spectator money from the couch. Side bets are the soul of a fun round — until nobody wrote them down. Rounds keeps live scores and peer-to-peer challenges in one place so the chaos stays fun.
Download on the App StoreWhatever dumb (brilliant) bet your group invents
Rounds is built for peer-to-peer challenges on a live round — head-to-heads, over/unders, birdie-or-better style action, and house rules you invent before the first tee. You’re not stuck inside one rigid template.
Side bets that need a live scorecard
A birdie pot only works if birdies are recorded. An over/under on the back nine only works if the back nine total is real. Side bets fail when scoring is sloppy — so Rounds treats the live card as the foundation, not an afterthought.
The couch is part of the foursome
Friends who aren’t playing can follow live and get in on challenges. Side bets stop being only for people with a tee time — the gallery can have a stake too.
Write it down by putting it in the app
The bet that only lived in someone’s head is the bet that starts a fight. Challenges ride with the round. When it’s over, settle in-app. Free for most core features on iOS.
Example side bet
Setup
On the first tee: $5 birdie pot for the group, plus you bet Alex $10 he can’t hit the green on the par-3 12th.
Result
Three birdies drop in the pot over the round; the last birdie cleans it up. Alex finds the bunker on 12 — you take the $10. Both bets lived on the round in Rounds, so settlement isn’t “wait, did we say green in regulation or just on the green?”
How side bets work in Rounds
Play the round live
Keep the scorecard going so every challenge has a real outcome to settle against.
Fire the challenge
Set peer-to-peer side bets with players or friends following from home — your stakes, your terms.
Settle without the chase
Results follow the card. Settlement happens in-app so Venmo isn’t the final boss of the day.
Frequently asked questions
Explore more
Scorekeeping
Betting & side action
Ready to play?
Live scoring, side bets, and in-app settlement — free for most features on iOS.
Download on the App Store