Golf Competition Formats Explained

Strokeplay (Medal)

IndividualStrokeplayAllowance: 95%

The purest test in golf, and the format used for The Open, US Open and Masters. You play every hole, count every shot (including penalties), and add them up. Lowest nett score wins (your gross total minus your Playing Handicap). Some tournaments are 'scratch' events — for lower handicappers and often 36 holes or more — where the best gross score wins.

"Medal" and "Strokeplay" mean the same thing — the term "Medal" comes from the old club tradition of awarding a literal medal to the monthly winner. Be warned: one disaster hole can wreck a card, so the format rewards consistent, mistake-free golf above all else.

Stableford

IndividualPoints-basedAllowance: 95%

The most popular weekend club format in the UK, and the format you'll see on the majority of open entry forms. Instead of counting strokes, you earn points based on your nett score on each hole:

• Nett double bogey or worse — 0 points
• Nett bogey — 1 point
• Nett par — 2 points
• Nett birdie — 3 points
• Nett eagle — 4 points
• Nett albatross — 5 points

The key advantage: a blow-up hole only costs you a maximum of zero points — you can simply pick up and move on. That makes Stableford friendlier, faster, and more forgiving than Medal play, which is why it dominates the open competition circuit.

Wallasey or Glamorganshire? The system was devised by Dr Frank Stableford and is universally credited to him, but its place of origin is disputed. Wallasey Golf Club on the Wirral hosted the first recognised Stableford competition on 16th May 1932 and is most commonly cited as the birthplace. However, research uncovered during the centenary of the Glamorganshire Golf Club in Penarth (carried out by golf writer Peter Corrigan) found a report in the South Wales Daily News of a club meeting on 30th September 1898 at which Stableford — then a member at Glamorganshire — trialled a prototype points system against bogey. Glamorganshire now claims to be the true birthplace of Stableford scoring; Wallasey points to the fact that the trialled 1898 version was abandoned and the working system Stableford eventually presented in 1932 was developed at Wallasey. Both clubs have a legitimate claim and the debate has been good-natured ever since.

Bogey / Par competition

IndividualMatchplay scoringAllowance: 95%

An older format that's less common now but still appears at some clubs. You play matchplay against the course's par, hole by hole. A nett birdie or better wins the hole (+1), a nett par halves it (0), and worse than that loses it (-1). Your final score is something like "+3" or "-2".

Like Stableford, it's forgiving of bad holes — the worst you can do on any one is lose it. The downside is the slightly fiddly scoring, which is why Stableford has largely replaced it.

Maximum Score

IndividualStrokeplay variantRare in UK opens

Introduced under the World Handicap System to speed up play in strokeplay events. The committee sets a maximum number of shots per hole (commonly nett double bogey, or a fixed number like 8 or 10) and you pick up if you reach the max. In practice it's rarely used in UK opens, where Stableford already serves the same pace-of-play purpose — but it's worth knowing the term exists.

Singles Matchplay

IndividualMatchplayAllowance: 100% of difference

You against another golfer, hole by hole. Lowest score on a hole wins it; tied means the hole is halved. The match ends as soon as one player is more holes up than there are holes remaining (so "4&3" means won by 4 holes up with only 3 left to play).

Handicaps work differently here: the higher handicapper receives shots equal to 100% of the difference between the two Course Handicaps, taken at the holes ranked hardest on the stroke index. Most opens are not matchplay (the format doesn't scale well to large entry fields), but you'll see it in club knockout competitions, county matchplay events, and a small handful of opens that combine a strokeplay qualifier with a matchplay knockout for the leading qualifiers. It's also the format used for the final day of the Ryder Cup.

Eclectic

IndividualMulti-roundMember-club format

Played over multiple rounds — often a whole season — the Eclectic takes your best score on each individual hole across all your qualifying rounds and combines them into a single 18-hole "best of" card. So if you've birdied the 6th once across the summer, that birdie sits in your final card whatever you did on the 6th in your other rounds.

You generally won't find Eclectic as an open competition format — it's strictly a member-club fixture, usually run as a winter or summer season-long trophy. We mention it here because you'll see it on club fixture lists and it's worth knowing what it means.

4BBB (Fourball Better Ball)

PairsStrokeplay or StablefordAllowance: 85%

The most popular pairs format in UK golf, and a fixture of the open competition circuit. Two players partner up; both play their own ball throughout; on each hole, the better of the two scores counts for the team. Usually played as Stableford (better ball points) but can be Medal (better ball strokes).

A note on naming: the format is universally a two-person team playing as one of two pairs in a four-ball group, which is where the "4" in 4BBB comes from. A handful of clubs — logically enough — call it 2BBB instead, reasoning that it's a two-person team format. Both names refer to exactly the same competition.

Each player receives 85% of their Course Handicap as their Playing Handicap for the event. The big tactical bonus: if one of you is in trouble, the other can attack the pin knowing there's a safety net. It's also brilliant for mismatched handicaps — a steady low handicapper paired with a streaky higher handicapper is a very dangerous combination.

Combined Pairs (Aggregate)

PairsStableford or StrokeplayAllowance: typically 85%

A pairs Stableford in which both partners' scores are added together on every hole, rather than just the better one. Both players play their own ball throughout, and the team score on each hole is the sum of the two partners' Stableford points (or, in a strokeplay version, the sum of their nett strokes).

This is a tougher, less forgiving variant of 4BBB — there's no safety net for a partner who has a blob — but it rewards solid all-round performance from both players and produces a clear, easily-understood team total. Most clubs apply the same 85% allowance as 4BBB but always check the entry details.

Greensomes

PairsStrokeplay or StablefordAllowance: 60% low + 40% high

Both players tee off. You then look at each other's drives, pick the better one, and play alternate shots from there until the ball is holed. (So if you select your partner's drive, you play the second shot, your partner plays the third, and so on.)

It's a brilliant social format because both players hit a tee shot on every hole — nobody is sidelined — but you only have to play one ball into the green, which keeps things fast. Combined handicap allowance: 60% of the lower handicap plus 40% of the higher is the general rule.

Gruesomes (Bloodsomes)

PairsMatchplay (occasionally Stableford)Novelty / society

The mirror image of Greensomes, and a serious test of friendship. Both players tee off — but instead of choosing your own better drive, your opponents select which of your two drives you have to play. They'll pick the worst one. You then alternate shots from there until holed.

Because the opposition chooses, the strategy off the tee changes completely: both players have to weigh up whether to bomb a driver (and risk leaving the worst-case ball in deep trouble) or play conservatively to make sure neither drive is a disaster. Almost always played as matchplay, often in friendly or charity events, and known equally as Gruesomes, Bloodsomes or occasionally Yellowsomes depending on the club.

Foursomes (Alternate Shot)

PairsStrokeplay or MatchplayAllowance: 50% of combined

The oldest pairs format in golf, and the format used in the Walker Cup, Curtis Cup and (partially) the Ryder Cup. Two players, one ball. You alternate shots and alternate tee shots — one of you tees off on the odd-numbered holes, the other on the evens, regardless of who holed the previous green.

Be warned: it can be a marriage-tester. Every shot you hit determines where your partner will be hitting from next. Combined handicap allowance is 50% of the pair's combined Course Handicaps. Strokeplay or matchplay both work.

Pinehurst (American Foursomes / Chapman)

PairsStrokeplay or StablefordLess common in UK

A clever hybrid format. Both players tee off, then swap balls and each plays the other's drive. After those second shots, you choose the better ball, and from that point it's alternate shot until holed.

You get the best of Foursomes (alternate shot drama on the way to the green) without the all-or-nothing risk of a single bad drive scuppering the hole. More common in the United States than the UK, but you'll find it on some opens lists.

Texas Scramble (teams of 3 or 4)

Teams of 3 or 4StrokeplayAllowance: see below

All team members tee off. You pick the best of the drives, mark its position, and everyone plays their next shot from there. Repeat until the ball is holed. Lowest team score on the hole counts as your team score. A common rule is that you must use a minimum number of drives from each player over the round (typically three or four) — to stop one big hitter dominating.

Handicap allowance. This is the area most golfers find confusing because there is no single universal figure — the host club sets the allowance and they vary. The most widely used method for a 4-person team is the 20 / 15 / 10 / 5 split: 20% of the lowest handicap player's Course Handicap, 15% of the second-lowest, 10% of the third, and 5% of the highest. Add those four figures together for the team allowance. For a 3-person team the equivalent is typically 30 / 20 / 10 (or 20 / 15 / 10, depending on the club). A simpler — but less common — alternative is 10% of combined handicaps for a 4-ball and 15% for a 3-ball.

Texas Scramble is the staple format for society days, charity opens and corporate golf days because absolutely everyone — including the once-a-year golfer — contributes and enjoys themselves.

Pairs Texas Scramble (2-person Scramble)

PairsStrokeplayAllowance: typically ~35%

The same idea as the team version but with two players: both tee off, you select the better drive, both play your next shots from there, and so on until the ball is holed. The minimum-drives rule usually requires each player's drive to be used a set number of times during the round (often 5 or 6).

Combined handicap allowance is typically calculated as 35% of the lower handicap plus 15% of the higher, though again it varies by club. A friendly, fast-paced alternative to Greensomes for pairs events.

Florida Scramble (Step-Aside Scramble)

Teams of 3 or 4StrokeplaySame allowance as Texas Scramble

A twist on the standard Texas Scramble that's a great equaliser. The format is identical — everyone tees off, best ball is chosen, everyone moves their ball to that spot and plays the next shot — with one rule added: the player whose ball is selected must sit out the next shot. So on a hole where Player A's drive is chosen, only B, C and D play the second shot. If C's second is then selected, A, B and D play the third. And so on.

It's also known as a Step-Aside Scramble (the two terms are interchangeable). The format stops one strong player dominating, brings everyone into the action, and tends to play a touch quicker than a standard Texas Scramble. Handicap allowances are usually the same as the standard Texas Scramble (20 / 15 / 10 / 5 for a 4-ball).

A close cousin called the Florida Scramble proper is sometimes distinguished from Step-Aside in that the "sit out" only applies after tee shots (everyone hits drives, the player whose drive is chosen sits out the second; play continues as a normal scramble from then on). In the UK the two terms are usually used to mean the same thing — check the rules sheet on the day.

Am-Am

Teams of 4StablefordTypically best 2 to score

An Am-Am is a team Stableford competition for four amateurs (the "Am" referencing "amateur" — as distinct from a Pro-Am, which would have a professional in the team). It's occasionally written out in full as Am-Am-Am-Am or referred to as a Quad-Am, though "Am-Am" is by far the most common name.

Each player plays their own ball, and on each hole the best two Stableford scores from the four players are added for the team total. That's the default Am-Am format and what you'll see on most entry forms. Some clubs vary it — commonly the best two scores on par 3s, best three on par 4s, and all four on par 5s; or some other rotation — but unless the rules sheet says otherwise, assume best two.

Am-Ams are the bread and butter of the charity and society circuit. They're sociable, inclusive, and reward team chemistry as much as raw scoring.

Waltz (1-2-3)

Teams of 3 or 4Stableford

A team Stableford with a rotating scoring rhythm that gives the format its name. On the 1st hole, the best 1 score from the team counts; on the 2nd hole, the best 2 scores are added; on the 3rd hole, the best 3 scores are added (or, in a 3-person team, all three). The pattern then repeats: 1 score on the 4th, 2 on the 5th, 3 on the 6th, and so on through all 18 holes.

The 1-2-3 cadence is what gives the format its waltz-time name. It rewards teams whose players come into form at different points in the round — the holes that require everyone to score put real pressure on the weakest players, and equally make a single dropped point hurt. Most clubs use the 85% Course Handicap allowance for each player.

Bowmaker

Teams of 3 or 4Stableford

Similar in flavour to Am-Am and Waltz. Each player plays their own ball, but only a set number of scores count per hole: typically the best one on par 3s, the best two on par 4s, and the best three on par 5s for a 3-ball; or variations on that pattern for a 4-ball depending on the club's preferred rules.

Bowmaker formats are particularly popular since they're easy to score and they keep everyone in the hunt right to the last hole.

Pro-Am

Pro + amateursUsually Better Ball or Scramble

A team consisting of one professional — usually the host club's PGA professional or a visiting pro — plus three (or sometimes two) amateurs. The amateurs get strokes via their handicaps; the pro plays off scratch.

Almost always played as either a better ball (lowest single score from the team counts on each hole, sometimes nett, sometimes a combination of one gross and one or two nett) or as a scramble. In the better-ball variant there are often two competitions running side by side: a team competition that the amateurs are playing for, and an individual gross competition between the pros.

The big appeal for amateurs is obvious — you get to play 18 holes alongside (and pick the brains of) a professional, on a course usually set up to a higher standard than for a normal open day. Pro-Ams range from grassroots club fundraisers right up to the famous AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the PGA Tour.

Flag Competition

IndividualNovelty

Each player starts with a small flag bearing their name. You're given a number of shots equal to the course par plus your Playing Handicap (so a 14-handicapper on a par 72 course gets 86 shots). You play until those shots are used up, and you plant your flag wherever your ball ends up. Whoever's flag is furthest round the course wins.

A great end-of-season social competition. Expect to see flags down the 18th fairway, on the 1st green, or occasionally back at the clubhouse bar.