| Type | Side Bet |
| Alias | None |
| Format | Game |
| Number of players | 2, 3, 4+ |
| Team or Individual play | Individual |
- The air press is a wager that can automatically be invoked only while a player’s shot is still in the air by another player who has not yet played their tee shot.
- Air presses are essentially one-hole bets between players in a group and have to be called while the ball is still in the air. The caller just has to shout “Air Press,” and the bet is in place.
- Players usually call the air press bet when they think they can beat the other player on that hole.
- Air presses can only be called by players who have not yet hit their drives on a particular hole.
Example:
- Suppose Player A hits their tee shot, but it looks like a bad drive. Player B notices this and shouts. “Air Press” before Player A’s ball lands. This invokes the bet.
- Now Player B gets ready to hit their shot. While Player B’s ball is still in the air, Player A has the option to double the bet, also called “re-pressing” or “pressing back”.
- If Player B scores better than Player A on the hole, they win the air press bet. However, if they fail to score better than Player A, they lose the bet, and if Player A pressed back, then Player B owes double the bet amount to Player A.
Variations:
- The value of the air press is determined among the group of players. It can be worth $1, $2, $5, or more.
- In case of a tie, some groups prefer to cancel the bet, i.e., no one wins or loses anything.However, other groups play this way: If the player who called the bet fails to wins the hole, then that player loses the bet. Similarly, if the hole is halved, they lose half the bet amount.