Golf is such a fabulous sport because of how versatile it is. Whether you’re playing a few holes after work or representing your club in a match, the premise is the same: we all want to get the ball in the hole in the least amount of shots! But the way we do this can be so different. There are lots of different formats in the game that make each round even more unique, and here are just a few of our favourites.
Medal / Stroke Play
The classic format is Medal, or Stroke Play, where you count every shot until the ball is in the hole. This is the format you’ll see in major golf competitions on TV, including The Masters, The Open, US Open and PGA Championship. In gross stroke play, the winner is the player who completes the course in the fewest total strokes. In nett stroke play, each player subtracts their playing handicap from their gross score after the round, and the player with the lowest adjusted (net) score is the winner. This format allows golfers of different skill levels to compete on a more equal basis.
Stableford
Stableford is a golf scoring system that awards points based on how a player scores on each hole relative to par, rather than counting the total number of strokes. The player with the highest total points wins. Each player receives a different number of shots depending on their handicap, and a higher-handicap player will receive more strokes on certain holes depending on the course’s stroke index. Stableford is seen as one of the fairest formats, though it often favours the higher handicappers.
Match Play
Often a golfer’s favourite format to play is match play, where you play against another player or pair, hole by hole, and try to win each one. To win overall, you need to have won enough holes that there are none left for your opponents to catch you. For example, being 4 up with 3 to play makes it impossible for your opponents to catch up, so the game is over there and then. We see this played at the Ryder Cup, where Team USA go up against Team Europe in singles and foursomes match play. It creates a completely different style of game, since each hole is a contest in its own right rather than something you can play steady over the full 18.
Foursomes
Foursomes is one of the hardest formats in the game. Grab a partner and play alternate shots: decide before you start who will play the odd tee shots and who will play the even ones, then keep alternating until you finish the hole. Oh, and don’t put your partner in a bunker or a ditch! Foursomes can be played as medal, Stableford or match play.
Greensomes
Greensomes is a friendlier foursomes game, where you don’t need to pre-decide tee shots. Both players tee off, you choose which tee shot to continue from, then alternate for the rest of the hole. Think wisely about which shot you pick: it might not always be the one further down the fairway!
Texas Scramble
Golf can also have plenty of team formats, and one of our favourites is the Texas Scramble. In a team of usually four or five players, everyone takes a tee shot. The best one is chosen, and all the other players pick up their ball and move it to the selected player’s ball. This continues all the way to the green, until the ball is in the hole. But it’s not that simple! You’ll often need each player to use a set number of their own drives over the round, and whoever’s drive gets picked sits out the next shot. It’s a proper fun team game that needs everyone on their best form: birdies and eagles are a must, and there’s no room for bogeys here!
That’s a proper crash course in golf formats, but it barely scratches the surface. There are dozens of other scramble variants and local society rules that clubs dream up themselves, plus proper team formats like Fourball. Half the fun of golf is that no two rounds ever quite play out the same.
Fancy brushing up on your golf vocabulary while you’re at it? Our Alphabet of Golf runs through the rest of the lingo, from ball markers to X-Factor. In the meantime, check our collections (Summer Sale right now) and look the part whichever format you’re playing this weekend.
Golf Formats FAQs
What are foursomes in golf?
Foursomes is a partner format, covered by Rule 22, where two players share one ball and alternate shots all the way round. One of you tees off on the odd-numbered holes, the other on the even-numbered holes, and you keep swapping until the ball is holed. You’ll also hear it called alternate shot, and it’s the format that opens the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup every single time. Fair warning: it’s brilliant fun, but it takes some serious trust in your partner!
What is a greensomes format?
Greensomes is a friendlier spin on foursomes. Both partners tee off, you pick the better of the two drives, then alternate shots from there all the way to the hole. Since everyone gets a swing off the tee on every hole, it’s a lovely format for mixed-ability pairs, with a bit less pressure than pure foursomes.
What’s the difference between foursomes and greensomes?
In foursomes, partners alternate every single shot, including the tee shot, so only one of you drives on any given hole. In greensomes, both partners tee off before choosing the best drive and alternating from there. That extra tee shot is the whole difference, and it’s usually enough to make greensomes the more relaxed round of golf.
What are the rules of a Texas scramble?
Every player in the team tees off, the best shot is chosen, and the whole team then plays their next shot from that spot, repeating all the way to the hole. Most competitions also ask each player to use a set number of their own drives over the round, usually three or four, and whoever’s drive gets picked has to sit out the next shot rather than playing it themselves. It’s a brilliantly forgiving, sociable format, since one strong shot can cover for a few weaker ones, which is exactly why it’s such a favourite for society days and charity golf. Texas scramble isn’t one of the official Rules of Golf’s forms of play, unlike foursomes, so team sizes and the exact local rules can vary. Always check the day’s rules sheet before you tee off!
Which format should I try first?
If you’re new to all this, medal, or stroke play, is the most straightforward way to keep score on your own. Once you’re ready to play with a partner, greensomes is the gentler introduction to alternate shot, before you graduate to full foursomes. And if you just fancy a relaxed, sociable round with your mates, you can’t go wrong with a Texas scramble. There’s really no wrong place to start, so long as you’re enjoying yourself!