Match play · win the hole, then start fresh
Compete hole by hole. The lower score wins the hole; equal scores tie it. Being “2 up” means you have won two more holes than your opponent. The match ends when your lead exceeds the holes remaining.
By Fore Alarm · Updated October 31, 2026
Compete hole by hole. The lower score wins the hole; equal scores tie it. Being “2 up” means you have won two more holes than your opponent. The match ends when your lead exceeds the holes remaining.
Example: you win the first hole and tie the second. You are still 1 up. An expensive triple bogey loses a hole, rather than adding three strokes to a cumulative match total.
Agree handicaps before starting. Concessions and other match-play procedures differ from stroke play; use the official rule for competition.
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All lessons →Stableford · points instead of a running stroke total
Each hole earns points against a target score set by the Committee. With par as the target, a bogey earns 1 point, par 2, birdie 3 and eagle 4; double bogey or worse earns 0. The highest points total wins.
Read lesson Golf Formats · 2 minBest ball vs. scramble: understand four-ball
Two partners each play their own ball. The side’s score for a hole is the lower of the two scores. It can be played as match play or stroke play.
Read lesson Golf Formats · 2 minScramble · team golf with agreed conditions
A common scramble has everyone tee off, the team choose a shot, and teammates play their next shots from the selected location under the event’s procedures. Repeat to the hole.
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