Forms of play

Match Play
Match Play is a hole by hole duel between two players or teams of two players. The player with the fewest strokes on a hole wins and scores 1 point. This means that he will be at 1-0 or "1 up". If the players make the same number of strokes, no one scores and the score stays the same until the next hole. We say that we are "SQUARE".

At the end of the 18 holes, if the players are tied "SQUARE", it is the moment of the "sudden death": the first player scoring 1 point wins the match.

Stroke play
This formula consists in counting all the shots played on the course. The winner is the player with the lowest score. This formula can be played in teams. In this case all the scores of each player are counted. The team with the fewest strokes wins. However, in this type of game it is not possible to pick up the ball or you will be disqualified.

Stableford
Stableford is a formula that consists in scoring points according to the number of strokes played in relation to the par on each hole. The winner is the player with the most points over the whole game. Unlike Stroke Play, Stableford is more forgiving. It is possible to make a few "mistakes" and not be penalized. The fact of raising the ball will not disqualify the player. In gross, the points per hole are calculated in the following way:

Score for the hole -> Points scored

  • More than one stroke above the set score -> 0
  • One stroke above the set score -> 1
  • Equal to the set score -> 2
  • One stroke below the set score -> 3
  • Two strokes below the set score -> 4
  • Three moves below the set score -> 5
  • Four moves below the set score -> 6 

In net the handicap is taken into account to calculate the score to be made. It is therefore necessary to add the strokes returned for each hole. This allows to balance the scores between players of different levels. Thus if a player has 2 received strokes on a hole, his Stableford points will be the following:

  • 5 points if he played a shot under par (birdie);
  • 4 points if he played the par;
  • 3 points if he played one shot over par (bogey);
  • 2 points if he played two shots over par (double bogey);
  • 1 point if he played three shots over par (triple bogey);
  • 0 points if he/she played four (or more) shots over par.

The points given can either increase or decrease depending on the number of strokes made per hole. To calculate the number of strokes received, the following formula is applied: (Index x Slope) / 113 + ( SSS - Par). However, during competitions, golf clubs will give you a score card adapted to your index with the number of strokes you scored per hole.

Counter Par Stabelford
A Stableford competition is a form of Stroke Play in which the event is played against a set score for each hole, this score being the Par for the hole.

The way of counting is the same as in match play:

  • A hole is won if the side makes a score lower than the Par
  • A hole is shared if the camp makes a score equal to the Par
  • A hole is lost if the side makes a score higher than the Par

In competition with received strokes, it is the net score which is compared to the Par

Official forms of the game

Single
The camp is composed of one player.

Foursome
The foursome is a formula of play by teams of two. The players alternate playing the same ball until the end of the hole. One player on the team will start play on all even holes, the other on the odd holes. There is a variation of this form of play called Threesome, where an individual player competes in Match Play against a side of two partners who play alternately according to the rules of the foursome.

Four-Ball
This form of the game is played in teams of two. Each player plays his or her own ball to the hole, and the best score on that hole is recorded. This mode of play can also be played by team of four players, will be taken into account the two best scores established on the hole.

Three ball match play
Match play competition where 3 players each constitute a side, each playing their own ball. Each player plays two separate matches.

Four ball match play
The 2 players of each "camp" play a ball each and the best score realized on each hole is taken into account.

Match play with the best ball
Identical to "4 ball", but one side is composed of only one player, the other side can be composed of 2 or 3 players.

Four-ball stroke play
The 2 players of each "camp" play each a ball and the best score realized on each hole is taken into account.

UNOFFICIAL FORMS OF THE GAME

Scamble
Scamble is a game that can be played in teams of two, three or four players. At the start of each hole, all the players on the team play a ball, then the team chooses the ball it considers to be the best. It is marked and the players successively play their own ball from that location. The team chooses again the best ball and so on until the hole is finished.

Greensome
The 2 players of the "camp" each play a ball from the tee, choose the one that suits them best and finish the hole by playing alternately this ball.

Chapman
The 2 players of the "camp" play each one a ball of the departure, then exchange them for the 2nd blow, and then choose the one which is appropriate to them to finish the hole by playing alternately.

Patsome
The first 6 holes are played in 4 balls, the next 6 in Greensome, the last 6 in Foursome. The counting of the received strokes is done as in Foursome.

Flag race
Each player has a personalized flag, which will be planted at the place where his ball will be when he has used up all his shots. The total number of strokes is calculated for each player by adding his playing handicap to the S.S.S. (example: player whose playing handicap is 24, S.S.S.: 71 => the player has a credit of 95 strokes). The player who has planted his flag the farthest will be declared winner.

String race
Each competitor receives a string, the length of which depends on the player's playing handicap (as a rule 50 cm per point of playing handicap, but the Event Committee may fix this length itself). This allows the competitor to extend the course of his ball into the hole, or to get it out of a dangerous position when it is difficult to play. The player then cuts the end of the string and continues with the remaining length of string.

Eclectic
A form of play that consists of playing the course several times, retaining only the best score achieved on each of the eighteen holes. Competition with a minimum of 2 rounds and a maximum of 4 rounds played consecutively. (Over several weeks or months see Ringer score).

Ringer score
It is a form of game very close to the Eclectic, but whose bases are either a significant number of cards, or a number of cards carried out in a certain calendar period. It is often played in winter with 9 or 10 cards, to help the players train during this season. Over the course of the game, each player keeps the best score obtained on each hole. The best possible card is gradually built up until the end of the event.