Formats of play: more than one way to score.

The two forms of play

Rule 3.1a sets out two forms of play. In match play you play against one opponent, hole by hole, and each hole is won, lost or tied. In stroke play every player is ranked against everyone else by total strokes, penalty strokes included. Both can be played scratch, on gross scores, or as handicap competitions on net scores (Rule 3.1c). Rule 3.1b adds that you can play on your own or with a partner as a side, and that team competitions are covered by Rule 24.

Match play (Rule 3.2)

• You win a hole by completing it in fewer strokes, or when your opponent concedes it or takes the general penalty (loss of hole).
• A hole is halved when both of you take the same number of strokes, or when you agree to halve it after at least one of you has played a stroke on it.
• The match is over when one player leads by more holes than remain, or when one concedes or is disqualified. A tied match goes on one hole at a time until there is a winner, unless the Terms of the Competition say it can end tied.
• You may concede your opponent's next stroke, a hole or the whole match. A concession must be clear, is final, and cannot be declined or taken back (Rule 3.2b). Players who agree to concede holes to each other to cut a match short are disqualified.
• When asked, you must tell your opponent how many strokes you have taken, and you must tell them about any penalty as soon as reasonably possible (Rule 3.2d).

Stroke play (Rule 3.3)

The player with the fewest total strokes over all rounds wins, or the fewest net strokes in a handicap competition. Ties are settled however the Terms of the Competition say. You must hole out on every hole, and a marker records your score, which you then certify and return (Rule 3.3b). The how golf works page covers the scorecard rules.

Other forms of stroke play (Rule 21)

Rule 21 covers three scoring methods that are stroke play underneath but change how each hole counts. In all three, failing to hole out does not bring disqualification (Rule 3.3c).

Stableford (Rule 21.1)

In Stableford you earn points on each hole by comparing your score, penalty strokes included, with a fixed score. The fixed score is par unless the Committee sets another, and in a handicap competition the Committee applies handicap strokes before working out points. The player or side with the most points wins. The R&A shows the points table as an image, so the table below is taken from Wikipedia:

Under Rule 21.1, if you do not hole out for any reason you score zero points on that hole, and players are encouraged to stop playing a hole once their score can no longer earn a point. Some breaches that would disqualify you in ordinary stroke play instead cost you the points for that hole, and points can never go below zero.

Maximum Score (Rule 21.2)

Maximum Score caps your score on each hole at a figure set by the Committee, such as twice par, a fixed number or net double bogey. If you do not hole out, you get the maximum. This form was introduced with the modernised Rules that took effect on 1 January 2019.

Par/Bogey (Rule 21.3)

Par/Bogey uses match-play scoring against a fixed score on each hole. You win a hole by beating the fixed score and lose it by scoring higher, and the winner is the player with the highest total of holes won minus holes lost. Not holing out loses the hole.

Three-Ball match play (Rule 21.4)

In Three-Ball, each of three players plays a separate match against each of the other two at the same time. Each player's ball counts in both of their matches.

Partner formats

Foursomes (Rule 22)

In Foursomes, also called alternate shot, two partners play one ball as a side and take turns hitting it. Under Rule 22.3 the partners also alternate who tees off on each hole, and penalty strokes do not change the order. Playing in the wrong order brings the general penalty, and in stroke play the side must correct the mistake or be disqualified. Partners may share clubs as long as they have no more than 14 between them (Rule 22.5). Threesomes is a match in which one player takes on a side of two partners playing alternate shot (Rule 22.1).

Four-Ball (Rule 23)

In Four-Ball each partner plays their own ball, and the side's score on a hole is the lower of the two (Rule 23.1). Partners may play in whatever order they like (Rule 23.6), and one partner may represent the side for all or part of a round, with a late partner allowed to join only between holes (Rule 23.4). On a stroke play Four-Ball card each score must be identified with the partner who made it, or the side is disqualified (Rule 23.2). Most penalties apply only to the partner in breach, but some, such as breaching the club limit, apply to the partner as well (Rule 23.9).

Best-Ball

Best-Ball is a match play variation in which one player takes on a side of two or three partners, each playing their own ball.

Scrambles and other formats

Rule 21.5 notes that golf is played in many other forms, naming scrambles and greensomes as examples, and says the Rules can be adapted for them, with recommendations in Section 9 of the Committee Procedures. The governing bodies' own description of a scramble was not available for this site. Informal golf sites describe it as every team member teeing off, the team choosing the best shot and everyone playing the next stroke from there, but those descriptions come from unofficial sources, and organisers set their own terms. Check the Terms of the Competition before you play one.

Formats and handicaps

Not every format produces a score that counts toward a handicap. In the Emirates Golf Federation's published version of the Rules of Handicapping, the formats that count are individual stroke play, Stableford, four-ball stroke play, four-ball Stableford, individual match play and four-ball match play. Scores from foursomes and scrambles are listed as not acceptable.

Handicap competitions can also apply a handicap allowance, a percentage that varies with the format. The official allowance table in the Rules of Handicapping as revised in 2024 (Appendix C) could not be read for this site. National Club Golfer reported in December 2025 that Golf Ireland trialled optional allowances from 1 April 2025, under which singles could stay at 95 percent or move to 90, 85 or 100 percent, and four-ball stroke play could stay at 85 percent or move to 80, 75 or 90 percent. The same report said Scottish Golf and Wales Golf were set to adopt the optional allowances from 2026, while England Golf had postponed them until 2028. The handicaps page explains the rest of the system.

Team events

The Ryder Cup and team cups pages cover the best-known team events and the formats they use.