Golf format guide

In amateur and professional golf, there are a number of different tournament formats that enable individuals or teams to compete against each other. 

Everyone has their favourite, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro.

Here we take a look at the most common scoring formats and how they work.

STROKE PLAY

The most common tournament format, especially for club competitions or in the professional game, is stroke play, which is also sometimes known as medal play.

Players record their score as the total number of shots required to complete each individual hole. At the end of the round, the hole scores are totted up to give a final overall score.

The winner in a stroke play format is the player with the lowest overall score, either for a single round or a number of rounds.

In most club events, the scores are calculated as net scores, with each player’s handicap taken into account. In professional tournaments, gross scores are used.

MATCH PLAY

Match play golf is a series of one-hole contests between two players or two teams, with the player or team that wins the most holes during the round the winner.

The maximum advantage a player or team can gain on an individual hole is one point, meaning the format reduces the impact of one particularly high score on a single hole.

Because each hole is worth a point, a match play contest can finish before the 18th hole if one player or team has a bigger advantage than the number of holes that are left to play.

STABLEFORD

The stableford format is a form of golf where players win points for their scores on each individual hole.

Unlike in stroke play, where the lowest score wins, in stableford, the highest scoring player is the winner.

In most stableford scoring systems, players get one point for a bogey, two points for a par, three points for a birdie and four points for an eagle once their handicap is taken into account.

FOURBALLS

The fourball, or better ball, system is a form of golf where four players play against each other in two teams of two.

Each player plays their own ball for the duration of each hole, with the lower score of the partners counting.

Fourball competitions can use either a medal play or match play format, depending on whether a pairing is only competing against the duo they are up against or also competing against all other groups playing in the same competition.

FOURSOMES

Like the fourball system, foursomes also involves four players playing against each other in two teams of two.

However, whereas in fourballs, each player plays with their own ball, in foursomes, each team only ever has one ball in play, with players taking alternate shots.

Both fourballs and foursomes feature in the format for the Ryder Cup.

SCRAMBLE

The scramble is a popular format for more informal tournaments. It is a team competition, and is a good format if there are players with widely-differing levels of ability.

Teams usually consist of four players, with all four players hitting a tee shot. Team members then choose their best position on the course, and all team members then play their next shot from that position.

The procedure continues until someone holes their ball. Teams can compete against each other in either a stroke play or match play format.