
How to Score Match Play Golf
- Step 1. When writing down the names of the players on your scorecard, leave an empty line between your name and your...
- Step 2. On the empty line on the scorecard, write "plus 1" next to the hole number. As subsequent holes are won and...
- Step 3. The score does not change--the side that was up after the previous hole remains ahead by the same...
How do I score match play golf?
Practice before a round (Rule 5.2)
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How does golf scores in match play?
- Albatross = three under par or -3
- Eagle = two under par or -2
- Birdie = one under par or -1
- Par = 0
- Bogey = one over score or +1
- Double Bogey = two over scores or +2
- Triple Bogey = three over scores or +3
What are the rules of match play?
- Rule 1.2 Standards of Player Conduct
- Rule 1.3 Playing by the Rules
- Rule 4.1a Clubs Allowed in Making a Stroke
- Rule 4.1c Procedure for Taking Clubs Out of Play
- Rule 4.2a Balls Allowed In Play of Round
- Rule 4.3 Use of Equipment
- Rule 5.6a Unreasonable Delay
- Rule 5.7b-c When Committee Suspends Play and Play Resumes
- Rule 6.2b Teeing Area Rules
How to score match play golf?
- Players or teams have one opponent they are playing against in their match.
- Each team is trying to score better than their opponent for an individual hole.
- The winning team on each hole is considered to be “1 Up”, while the losing team is considered to be “1 Down”.
- If the two teams tie, the teams move onto the next hole as no one has won the hole.

How do you mark a match play scorecard?
Match Play So mark your scorecard "AS" for "all square" so long as the match remains tied. Once someone wins a hole, you'll mark the card "-1" if you lost the hole, or "+1" if you won the hole. This means you are 1-down or 1-up, respectively, in the match.
What does 4 and 3 mean in golf match play?
You won the 17th, putting you 2 holes ahead with only 1 left to play. 4: 3 & 1. You are 2 Up after 16 holes. At this point, your opponents can win the last 2 holes and force a playoff. In this example, you won the 17th, putting you 3 holes up with just 1 hole to play.
What does 3 and 1 mean in golf matchplay?
3 & 1: This means that one player had a two-shot lead going into the 17th hole, and won that hole — so they won by three and there was just a single hole to play. They played 17 because had their opponent won the last two holes, the match could have ended in a draw.
What does +3 mean in golf?
Course and tournament scores If a course has a par of 72 and a golfer takes 75 strokes to complete the course, the reported score is +3, or "three-over-par" and takes three shots more than par to complete the course. If a golfer takes 70 strokes, the reported score is −2, or "two-under-par".
What does 2 and 1 mean in golf match play?
The first number in such a score tells you the number of holes by which the winner is victorious, and the second number tells you the hole on which the match ended. So "2 and 1" means that the winner was 2 holes ahead with 1 hole to play (the match ended after No.
What does 4 and 2 mean in golf match play?
For example, if one team has a four-hole lead after 16 holes, it means there is no way the second team can win and the match is over. The final score is stated and “4 and 2,” meaning the first team had a four-hole lead with only two holes remaining.
What does 5 & 4 mean in match play?
The score of a match play match is rendered relationally. Here's what we mean: Let's say you've won five holes and your opponent has won four. The score is not shown as 5 to 4; rather, it's rendered as 1-up for you, or 1-down for your opponent.
What does F mean in golf score?
“FinishedWhat Does F Mean On A Golf Leaderboard? Sometimes, in the blue circle on the image above, you will see the letter “F” instead of a number like a 65 or 1-18. This simply means “Finished” and is another way of saying that player has completed their round for the day.
What does 4 & 2 mean in match play?
For example, if one team has a four-hole lead after 16 holes, it means there is no way the second team can win and the match is over. The final score is stated and “4 and 2,” meaning the first team had a four-hole lead with only two holes remaining.
What does 3 & 2 mean in match play golf?
For instance, if Player A is 3-up with two holes to play, then Player B cannot catch up. Therefore the match is complete, and the final score would be 3-and-2. The first number represents the lead, while the second number signifies how many holes remained.
What is 4 ball match play in golf?
In a match play competition, a four-ball consists of two teams of two players competing directly against each other. All four golfers play their own balls throughout the round (rather than alternating shots); each hole is won by the team whose member has the lowest score.
What is match play?
Unlike in stroke play, where a player aims to post the lowest score over 18 holes, golfers in match play have to try to win more holes than their opponent.
How does the scoring work?
Whichever player, or team, completes the hole in the fewest strokes wins the hole, and therefore wins a point. If both scores are identical, the hole is halved, resulting in no change to the overall score.
Anything else?
When a player is in a position where they can still halve the match but cannot lose, this is known as “dormie”. So if Player A is 2-up with two holes to play, they are “dormie 2”.
Playing with handicaps
In a handicap match, it is the lowest net score that wins each hole. The golfer with the highest handicap receives extra shots according to the difference between each players’ handicaps.
Match play on tour
The Ryder and Solheim Cups are both match play golf events. Both are played over three days between teams of 12, with a variety of fourball, foursomes and singles matches.
What is match play scoring?
In match play scoring, the number of holes won determines the winner rather than total strokes. Match play is a variation of the more traditional scoring method of stroke play in golf. More emphasis is placed on the result of each hole as opposed to accumulating the lowest number of strokes for the entire round.
What is the final score in golf?
The final score is stated as a function of the margin of victory. For example, if one team has a four-hole lead after 16 holes, it means there is no way the second team can win and the match is over. The final score is stated and “4 and 2,” meaning the first team had a four-hole lead with only two holes remaining.
What is four ball golf?
Fourball match play occurs when teams of two are pitted against each other. Each golfer plays his own ball throughout the hole, and the score of the player with the lowest total for the hole is used. A variation of this game involves players alternating shots. For example, the first player hits the tee shot, the second player hits the next shot, the first player hits third shot, and so on until the hole is completed.
How does match play differ from stroke play?
Match play differs from stroke play in that the scoring is based on the number of holes that are won during the round as opposed to the number of strokes accumulated. As a result, the number of strokes it takes to win a hole becomes virtually irrelevant. In effect, this type of play can be viewed as a series of 18 separate games within a round.
Why is golf so aggressive?
Because of the nature of the scoring system, golfers in match play can often be more aggressive. Because the total number of strokes does not necessarily matter, a player can take a more risky shot, knowing an errant result will not have a large impact on the final score. In team match play, one method of play is for one golfer to take an ...
What is the meaning of the hole in a tie?
In match play, the player or team with the lowest total score for the hole wins the hole and is awarded a point. In the event of a tie, each is awarded a half-point, meaning the hole is “halved.” At the end of the round, the player or team with the most points is declared the winner. In team play, the lowest score on each team is often used to determine the winner of each hole.
How does match play golf differ from stroke play?
Match play golf differs from stroke play in that one side or team plays another over the course of a round competing on each hole. Whichever golfer or team that holes the ball in the fewest number of strokes wins the respective hole. If handicaps are applied, the side or person with the lowest net score wins the hole.
How does match play scorekeeping work?
Unlike stroke play, match play scorekeeping maintains a record of the relative score of holes won between two sides independent of how many strokes are used to win the respective hole.
What does "AS" mean in golf?
Enter “AS” for “All Square” if the relative score between the two sides is tied. For example, if the first hole in match play results in both sides scoring par on the hole, the score card would be annotated “AS” for each side.
What happens when you tie a hole in golf?
If a hole is tied during play, it is considered to be “halved” and the score remains the same. Match play concludes when one side leads the other by a total score greater than the number of holes remaining in the match.
What is a round in match play golf?
A round in match play golf will see two golfers competing head to head against each other and not against the rest of the field. Rather than trying to post the lowest score for the round golfers are here trying to win (or not lose) more holes than their opponent.
What happens to the golfer with the highest handicap?
The golfer with the highest handicap will be awarded an extra stroke on as many holes as that calculated difference number.
What happens if you hit your own ball in golf?
The golfer with the lowest score is said to have won that hole. If both scores are identical then no points (or holes won) are awarded for that hole.
When is a winner declared?
Or in other words, a winner is declared when his opponent can no longer tie or win the match even if he were to win all of the remaining holes.
How does scoring work in golf?
Golf scoring works by counting the number of purposeful swings, accounting for penalties, and totaling with handicaps and par. Although it may seem like a complicated system, once you understand the basics, scoring for golf becomes effortless.
What is match play in golf?
Match Play. According to Golf Rules and Etiquette, match play scoring for golf puts more of an emphasis on each hole, rather than the course as a complete system. To score using the match play method, a point is given to the player who had the least amount of strokes per hole.
What is a stroke in golf?
Mark all the strokes for each player – In a game of golf, a stroke is understood to be an intentional swing at the golf ball. Even if the ball doesn’t move, if a player swings at it, that counts as a stroke. You can add or subtract the par and handicap at the end of the game.
How many strokes to score if you hit the ball with a club?
When it comes to marking penalties in golf scoring, follow these twenty rules: If you ask another golfer what club they used to hit the ball with: Add two strokes to your score for that hole. If the ball moves after you put your club behind it: Add one stroke to your score for that hole, unless it falls off the tee.
How to fill out a golf scorecard?
According to Golf Week, here are the six steps to filling out a golf scorecard correctly: Name of each player – You should have a list of all the players on each scorecard, as well as the name of who is keeping track of your points (also known as the “scorekeeper”).
What is handicap in golf?
According to American Golf, a handicap for golf simply means the variable number of the player’s level of experience that helps people of different levels play together. Another way to think of a handicap for golf is in the context of playing tag with small children. You, a full-grown adult, wouldn’t run as fast as you actually can to give the kids a chance to catch you. It’s the same idea for a golf handicap; it’s so people of any level can play the same field.
How to play golf in numerical order?
Usually, you play in numerical order, but if the course is busy, players can start at the halfway point and wrap back to the starting hole after playing the highest-numbered hole. (e.g., from holes 1-18, start at hole ten and play until hole 18, then go to holes 1-9).
What is match play in golf?
Match play is a head to head round of golf where typically one golfer competes directly with another golfer. While stroke play scoring is designed to allow a tournament to compare many golfers on the same course within a 1-4 day period of time typically. Different match play tournaments will typically use a bracket or pool play as golfers advance ...
How many points does a golfer get in a match?
Golfers compete directly against another golfer and receive one point if they score lower than their opponent on that hole. For example, if golfer A scores a 4 and golfer B scores a 6, golfer A receives one point. The difference in the total number of strokes doesn’t matter, as only one point can be gained ...
What is the best way to keep score in golf?
The traditional method that many play is stroke or medal play. One of the alternatives is match play. Match play is a head to head round of golf where typically one golfer competes directly with another golfer.
Is the President's Cup played in the Ryder Cup?
The President’s Cup is played in opposite years of the Ryder cup. The United States team competes against golfers throughout the world (international team) that don’t live in the US or in Europe. If you opponent hits one in the water, you may consider a more conservative aim point in match play.
Can you concede a putt in golf?
Yes, the opponent is able to concede a putt or a hole in match play. In stroke play this is not allowed as the golfer is often competing against the “field.”. Oftentimes, when a putt is withing 2 putt, the typical play is to concede the putt unless it is really late in the match and the ball is in borderline gimmie range.
