I recently got an email from a reader who wanted to know what a Nassau was, and whether he should let his buddies talk him into playing one.

The answer is 1) the Nassau is a type of bet and 2) it can be a lot of fun if you put some limits on the game

In fact, the the $2 Nassau is probably the most popular betting game in golf. It’s a two-sided bet: player against player, or team against team. Nassaus lend themselves to a variety of team play formats. Scramble, four ball and alternate shot matches are common. Teams also can decide to play with, or without handicaps.

The Nasssau gets its name from the Nassau Country Club on Long Island, where the format was invented in the early 1900s. The game also is known as “2-2-2”, and “Best Nines.”

The President’s Cup returns this week, and with it the annual confusion of American golf fans over what terms like Halve, All Square,  Dormie, 1-Up and scores like 3 and 2 or 5 and 4 mean.

American golf fans are used to what is known as “stroke play.” In stroke play, golfers play a set number of holes—and the number of holes is known from the beginning—and the player with the lowest combined total score wins.

Not so in Match Play. In that format, the golfers are pitted against each other in a mano-a-mano format. In match play, players are concerned—not with the field—but with beating the player they are playing with.

The most confusing part of Match Play is in the scoring. Each hole in a Match is a separate event, and is taken in isolation. The player who finishes the hole in the fewest strokes wins the hole. The player who wins the most holes out of eighteen wins the match.

The hole-by-hole format means that it’s possible (and probable) that one player will get far enough ahead that the other has no chance of winning. For example, if Tiger and Phil finish the 16th hole, and Woods has won three more than Phil, there is no need to continue. At best, Phil could win more holes, and still would be one hole down to Woods. So the match is called at 16. The final result would be Woods 3 and 2. That means that Woods won because he was up by three holes, with two holes left.

Like other international competitions, such as the Ryder and Solheim Cups, the playing format of the President’s Cup is unusual. Unlike a typical PGA event, which uses four days of “medal” play, international team competitions offer a variety of formats: foursomes, four ball and singles matches.

A “Foursome” is a match play format (for an explanation of match play, click here), in which a team of two players alternates hitting a single ball. Two teams; two balls. One player tees off, and the other takes the second where the first shot lies. Players alternate hitting tee shots.

A “Four Ball” match sometimes also is known as “best ball.” Like foursomes, four ball is played in teams of two. In this format, each team member plays his own ball throughout the hole. Four players; four balls. Then, at the end of each hole, the team’s low score is counted to determine who wins the hole.

There is a great deal of strategy involved in playing these events—particularly for the coach, or captain. As a golf coach, I was faced with a fundamental dilemma whenever my team had to compete in a match play team event: do you combine players with similar, or contrasting skills?

In a foursomes, the first instinct is to combine players with dissimilar, but complementary skills.  You might, for example, combine a long hitter with a short game specialist. Taking a look at the course, a coach then can identify the hole that confers the biggest advantage to the long hitter and assign him to tee off on that hole. This then determines who tees off on all the others, since tee shots are alternated between team mates.

Teaming players with different skills also can help to minimize the damage on any one hole. If a short hitter tees off, then the longer hitter can hit a higher numbered iron into the green, where, presumably, the short game guy can make a good putt.

The problem with this, however, is that it takes a player out of his usual game. If the bomber is used to taking wedges into a green, he will be uncomfortable hitting a longer iron after a wedge-and-putter guy’s tee shot. So, the other approach to foursomes is to combine players with similar styles. This ensures that players generally are hitting shots that are familiar.

On the course in foursomes, team mates must be constantly aware of the other’s abilities. Each must ensure that his shot puts the other in a position that plays to their strengths. It’s not simply a matter of hitting the best shot that you can.

For example, Tiger might be able to reach a par 5 in two. In doing so, however, the risk is that the ball ends up in a greenside bunker. If his partner is a sand wizard, that might be an acceptable risk; if not, he should lay up to his partner’s best distance.

Four Ball is a somewhat easier game on the coach. There, I usually combined players with different skill sets, on the theory that each hole would play to at least one of their strengths or weaknesses. Of course, with a player like Tiger, who has no weaknesses in his game, this isn’t an issue.

Another way of pairing players is by style. It’s often advantageous to pair a gambler with a cautious player. One can go for birdies, while the other plays for par.

On the course in a four ball match, the partners need to keep a good eye on how the other is doing. If player A has hit a ball to a safe spot, his partner might be able to attempt a riskier shot. If the risk fails to produce reward, the other player at least has a good chance. I like this format because played well, it encourages a gambling style of play.

Under Decision 1-4/10 of the Rules of Golf, when a ball that comes to rest in a dangerous situation—near an alligator, for example—a player may, without penalty, drop a ball on the nearest spot not nearer the hole that is not dangerous.

But the USGA also has decided (in Decision 1-4/11) that the same rule does not apply to patches of poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac.

Clearly, the overlords of golf need to get out past the finely manicured lawns of their tony country clubs. Here on the public courses of Michigan (and other locations), these plants all too frequently border our fairways and greens.

And they’re clearly a threat to a player’s health. For many, even casual exposure to those plants can result in severe illness.  For others, the result is a severe rash that can result in infection. Even mild cases are annoying and not to be wished on your enemies.

So until the USGA changes it’s ridiculous ruling,  golfers in the real world need to keep a sharp eye out for the big three of poisonous plants in North America: poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.

For identifying these plants, the best rule of thumb is “leaves of three, let it be” (that won’t help you with sumac, however).

Poison Ivy appears as a shrub or vine along the ground, or climbing on trees or poles. The leaves come in groups of three, are pointed and glossy. The edges can be either smooth or toothed. They start red in the spring, turn green in the summer, and then to various fall colors as the weather gets colder. You may also notice greenish-white flowers and white-yellow fruit in hanging clusters.

Poison Oak looks like poison ivy, except that its leaves are lobed.

Poison Sumac is a little tricker. It appears as a tall shrub or small tree with alternate leaves with 7-11 leaflets arranged in pairs, and an additional single leaflet at the end of the midrib. Yellowish green flowers and whitish green fruits hang in loose clusters. You may confuse this with the more common and harmless staghorn sumac.

The best solution for exposure is immediate treatment. The traditional treatment is to wash the area with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, and then with soap and water. Exposed clothing should be washed, since the urushiol from the plants can last for years. There also are quite a large number of commercially available products that work to prevent a rash.

If you get a rash, your doctor ls likely to prescribe a hydrocortisone creme, or even an oral antihistamine. I’ve always had luck with calamine lotion (the pink stuff). Some traditional treatments have also included oatmeal baths, and baking soda salves.

It’s best just to avoid the pants altogether. When your ball lands in a suspected patch, leave it there (the urushiol will be on the ball), ignore the stupid USGA ruling, and play it as though you had landed in a herd of alligators.

I ran across this massive snapper in the middle of the fairway on a local course.

What’s the ruling if your ball lands next to a snapper, and he doesn’t want to move?