Mexicaine Las Vegas Golf Game: Rules of Vegas Scoring

Mexicaine Las Vegas is the 4-player format that stops any alliance from settling in: the balls make the teams. After the tee shots, the two balls furthest to the right of the fairway take on the two furthest to the left — different teams on every hole, so your partner on hole 3 becomes your opponent on hole 4. On top of that comes Vegas scoring, which makes every shot weigh heavy: each team puts its two scores together into a two-digit number, lower digit first (a 4 and a 5 make 45). The lower number wins the hole, and the gap between the two numbers becomes the winners' points. A single score that goes off the rails drives up the whole team's number; an individual exploit pulls it down: there is no easing off. Count on three stars for the scoring — which is exactly what the app automates.

How to play Mexicaine Las Vegas, hole by hole

1. Make up a game of exactly 4 players. After the tee shots, note where each ball lies: right or left of the fairway.
2. The 2 balls furthest to the right form one team, the 2 furthest to the left the other. So the teams can change on every hole.
3. Play the hole, everyone with their own ball, then apply Vegas scoring: each team puts its two scores together into a 2-digit number, lower digit first (4 and 5 → 45).
4. The team with the lower number wins the hole. The gap between the two numbers (|number A − number B|) gives the points at stake.
5. Split the points according to the chosen configuration: Default — every player on the winning team gets the full gap · 100% / 50% — the top scorer gets 100% of the gap, their teammate 50% (rounded up); equal scores: 100% each.
6. Or choose another format at the start: Better Ball (the team's best ball), The Total (the sum of both scores) or High-Low Ball. The team that wins the hole then earns 1 point for each of its players (0 to 2 in High-Low Ball). The teams are still formed by where the balls lie, and Las Vegas remains the default format.

Vegas scoring at a glance

Remember the logic: the lower digit goes first, so an individual exploit weighs more than two average scores. A 4 and a 9 make 49… which beats a double 5 (55). Attacking the flag can pay more than playing safe for two bogeys.

The app's options: Reverse Birdie, Cap at 10 and +1 point per birdie

Three stackable options, to switch on in the app's configuration — the first two in Las Vegas only:

• Reverse Birdie: a birdie flips the opposing team's number (56 → 65) and widens the gap. Remember to enter the hole's par so that birdies are detected.
• Cap at 10: a hole's gap is capped at 10 points maximum — enough to stop a single disastrous hole deciding the round.
• +1 point per birdie (every format): a player who makes birdie or better scores 1 extra point, even if their team loses the hole. Par comes from the course scorecard.

Why Mexicaine Las Vegas is so popular

• No fixed teams, no grudges. The balls decide: right or left does not matter in itself, all that counts is how the balls are grouped after the tee shots.
• Every shot counts double. With Vegas scoring, one score that goes off the rails drives up the whole team's number — the pressure never lets up, for all four players.
• The suspense lasts 18 holes. The gaps can be spectacular, and so can the comebacks: nobody is ever out of it for good.

Frequently asked questions

🎁 10 sheets from the guide, free

Every format on a single page: step-by-step rules, a worked example, the points scale and a strategy tip — to read the night before a round or to print. The free sample covers 10 formats, including the 5 you can play for free in the app; Mexicaine Las Vegas is in the complete guide.

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