Read a club fixture list and you will find Four-Ball, greensomes, a Texas scramble, a skins night and an American foursomes. Two of those are defined in the Rules of Golf, two are described by the R&A as adaptations, and one is entirely a club invention. Knowing which is which tells you what governs any dispute, and which format is quietly giving you fewer strokes.
The three tiers, and why the distinction matters
Every format at your club sits in one of three groups, and the group decides who settles an argument about it.
| Tier | Formats | Governing text |
|---|---|---|
| In the Rules of Golf | Stroke play, match play, Stableford, Maximum Score, Par/Bogey, Foursomes, Four-Ball, team events | Rules 3, 21, 22, 23 and 24 |
| Recognised adaptations | Modified Stableford, greensomes, scramble, best two of four | Committee Procedures, Section 9 |
| Club invention | Skins, Wolf, shotgun starts, betting games | Terms of the competition only |
Rule 3 of the Rules of Golf sets out the three choices every competition makes: match play or stroke play, individual or partners, and gross scores or net. Every format below is a combination of those three, wrapped in a scoring method. What the rulebook covers in general is in the rules hub.
The formats the rulebook defines
Regular stroke play counts every stroke across every round and the lowest total wins. In a handicap competition it is the lowest net total. It is the format almost every professional event and every club medal uses.
Match play compares scores hole by hole. You win a hole with fewer strokes, tie it with the same number, and win the match when you lead by more holes than remain. Handicap strokes are applied by hole, and the lower net score wins the hole. Concessions exist only in match play, and Rule 3.2b makes a concession final the moment it is clearly communicated, verbally or by a gesture.
Stableford awards points against a fixed target score per hole under Rule 21.1, with nothing at all for two or more over that target. It is the standard weekend club format, and the full points ladder is in how Stableford points work.
Maximum Score caps each hole at a number the committee sets, such as double par or net double bogey. Par/Bogey scores holes as won, tied or lost against a fixed target and adds them up. Both live in Rule 21 alongside Stableford.
Foursomes, which the rulebook calls alternate shot, has two partners playing one ball in alternating order. Rule 22 requires partners to alternate who tees off from each hole and to alternate every stroke afterwards, and it is specific that penalty strokes do not change whose turn it is.
Four-Ball has two partners each playing their own ball, with the lower of the two scores counting for the side. Rule 23.2b requires both partners' scores to go on a single card and every score to be clearly identified as belonging to the individual who made it. Failing to identify whose score is whose disqualifies the side.
The adaptations the R&A recognises but does not codify
Committee Procedures, Section 9 describes four other forms of play. They are guidance for organisers rather than rules, which is why versions differ between clubs.
Greensomes is described as a variation of Foursomes where both partners tee off, one tee shot is selected, and the partner whose shot was not selected plays the next stroke. Everything after that alternates to the hole.
The R&A names two greensomes variants. Pinehurst Foursomes has both players tee off and then swap balls, so each plays the other's drive, before choosing one to continue with in alternate shot. Chinese or St Andrews Greensomes has the pair decide before the round which of them plays the second stroke on odd holes and which on even, regardless of whose drive was chosen.
Scramble has the team select the best shot at every stage and everyone play from there. It is far and away the most common society and charity format, and the variations and allowances are covered in the scramble format guide.
Best two of four scores to count is a four person team event where only two members' scores count on each hole. Best one of four, best three of four and all four are the same idea at different settings.
The ones with no rules at all
Skins puts a value on each hole. The lowest score wins the skin, and a tie carries it forward so the pot grows. There is nothing about skins anywhere in the Rules of Golf or Committee Procedures, and the details that cause the arguments, whether skins carry over, whether handicap strokes apply and whether a tie between two players lets a third steal it, are entirely local.
Wolf, Vegas, nassau and the rest of the betting games are in the same position. They are scoring conventions layered over an ordinary round, and the round underneath still has to be played by the rules if you want anything from it.
Shotgun starts are not a format at all. Every group starts simultaneously from a different hole so the field finishes together, which is why society days use them. It affects nothing about scoring, and there is one useful consequence worth knowing.
The allowance changes with the format, and it is not small
This is the practical reason to know which format you have entered. Appendix C of the Rules of Handicapping sets recommended handicap allowances designed so that in a medium sized field every player has a similar chance of finishing in the top ten percent when playing well.
| Format | Recommended allowance |
|---|---|
| Individual stroke play, Stableford, Par/Bogey or Maximum Score | 95% |
| Individual match play | 100% |
| Four-Ball stroke play or Four-Ball Stableford | 85% |
| Four-Ball Par/Bogey | 90% |
| Four-Ball match play | 90% |
| Foursomes | 50% of the combined side handicap |
| Greensomes and Pinehurst or Chapman | 60% of the lower, 40% of the higher |
| Best 1 of 4 stroke play | 75% |
| Best 2 of 4 stroke play | 85% |
| Best 3 of 4 or all 4 of 4 stroke play | 100% |
The Four-Ball drop from 95% to 85% is the one that surprises people. A 20 handicap entering a Four-Ball loses two strokes against the same player in a singles competition, and in a pair with a low handicap partner that is often the difference in the result. Appendix C also notes that a field of fewer than thirty players might reasonably use 100% in individual stroke play instead of 95%, so a small club event is not necessarily wrong when it does.
Choosing a format for a day you are running
Match the format to the field rather than to what sounds serious.
A field with beginners in it needs a scramble or a Four-Ball, because both let a bad hole cost the side nothing. A mixed field of club golfers is best served by Stableford, which is why almost every club defaults to it. A small field of committed players can handle a medal, and only a small field with time should be given foursomes, because alternate shot with a beginner in the pair is a long and uncomfortable afternoon for both of them.
Pace is the other input. Four-Ball is the slowest common format because four balls are in play on every hole, and a full field of it will run well beyond the times described in how long a round takes. Foursomes is the fastest by a distance, since one ball moves down the hole. A scramble sits in the middle and is usually run off a shotgun start to control the finish.
Whichever format is on the sheet, the scoring underneath is the same set of numbers being counted differently, and the vocabulary for those numbers is in golf scoring explained. The one thing every format has in common is that your handicap has to exist first, which is covered in what a handicap is.
Key takeaways
- Stroke play, match play, Stableford, Maximum Score, Par/Bogey, Foursomes and Four-Ball are all defined in the Rules of Golf.
- Greensomes, scrambles, Modified Stableford and best two of four are described in Committee Procedures as adaptations, not rules.
- Skins, Wolf and the betting games have no codification anywhere. The organiser's sheet is the only authority.
- Foursomes is one ball played in alternating order, with partners also alternating who tees off on each hole.
- Four-Ball is two balls all the way round, with the lower score counting and both scores identified by name on one card.
- Greensomes takes the best drive, then the other partner plays the second shot and it alternates from there.
- A shotgun start is a scheduling device. Playing the holes out of order does not stop a score counting for handicap.
- The recommended allowance is 95% for individual stroke play, 100% for singles match play and 85% for Four-Ball.
- Foursomes uses 50% of the combined side handicap, and greensomes 60% of the lower plus 40% of the higher.
- Allowances are applied to the unrounded course handicap, because rounding twice produces a wrong answer about a quarter of the time.
Common questions
What are the main golf tournament formats?
Stroke play and match play are the two underlying forms, and Stableford, Maximum Score and Par/Bogey are alternative ways of scoring stroke play. Foursomes and Four-Ball are the two partner formats in the rulebook. Everything else, including scrambles and greensomes, is an adaptation of those.
What is the difference between Four-Ball and foursomes?
In Four-Ball each partner plays their own ball for the whole round and the lower score counts for the side. In foursomes the two partners share one ball and alternate every stroke, including alternating who tees off on each hole.
What is a greensome in golf?
A variation of foursomes where both partners tee off, the better drive is selected, and the partner whose drive was not chosen plays the next shot. Play then alternates until the ball is holed, and both players tee off again on the next hole.
What is a skins game?
A format where each hole has a value and the outright lowest score wins it. If two or more players tie the hole, the skin normally carries to the next hole and the pot builds. Nothing about skins appears in the Rules of Golf, so the carry over and handicap rules are whatever the organiser sets.
What is a shotgun start?
An arrangement where every group starts at the same time from a different hole, so the whole field finishes together. It is a scheduling device rather than a format, and a round played that way still counts for handicap purposes.
What is an American foursomes?
Usually the format the R&A calls Pinehurst, where both players drive, then each plays the other's ball, and after the second shots the pair chooses one ball and finishes the hole alternate shot. Names for it vary by club, so confirm before you start.
What handicap allowance applies in Four-Ball?
Eighty five percent of each player's course handicap in Four-Ball stroke play or Four-Ball Stableford, and ninety percent in Four-Ball match play. Both are lower than the 95% used for individual stroke play, which costs a higher handicap player real strokes.
Which format is best for a society day?
A scramble if the field includes beginners, because nobody can wreck the team score or hold anyone up. Stableford if the field is mostly club golfers with handicaps. Avoid foursomes unless the pairs are evenly matched and the field is small.
Which tournament format is fastest?
Foursomes, comfortably, because only one ball is played down each hole. Four-Ball is the slowest common format since four balls are in play. Scrambles sit between the two and are usually run off a shotgun start to control when the field finishes.
Do all these formats count for my handicap?
Not all. A score is only acceptable if the round was played in an authorized format of play and by the Rules of Golf, and each national association selects its authorized list. Individual eighteen hole stroke play and eighteen hole Stableford are the only two every association must accept.
What is Par/Bogey scoring?
A form of stroke play scored like match play. You win, tie or lose each hole against a fixed target score, and the result is the holes won minus the holes lost. It behaves much like Stableford, in that a wrecked hole simply costs you that hole.
Tom Ashworth
Tom Ashworth is a PGA Professional who has taught golf since 2012, working mainly with beginners and mid-handicappers at club level in Surrey. He reviews the instruction guides on Learn Golf for technical accuracy before they publish.
Most of his teaching is with players in their first three years of the game, and most arrive having been told too much: six swing thoughts collected from videos, half of them contradicting each other. His approach is to check the grip and the alignment before touching the swing, on the basis that most bad ball flight is decided at address.