ScorchSuomeksiGolf game formats
The same round can be counted several ways, and the format decides both the result and the mood. These are the ones you actually meet on a Finnish course.
Stroke play
Every stroke counts and the holes are added up. Lowest total wins. This is the base format of competitive golf and the only one where a single disaster hole can decide the round. Scorch totals stroke play directly.
Match play
Hole by hole: the lower score wins the hole, a tie halves it. The score is given in holes, so 2 UP is a two-hole lead. The match ends when the lead is greater than the number of holes left, for example 3&2. A bad hole costs one hole and no more, which changes when a risk is worth taking. Scorch tracks match play hole by hole.
Stableford
Points per hole from your net score: two for a par, three for a birdie, one for a bogey and none for two over. Highest total wins. It is the most common club competition format because it keeps play fast and keeps weaker players in the round to the end.
Scramble
A team format: everyone tees off, the best ball is chosen, and everyone plays their next shot from there, on to the hole. One score is recorded for the team per hole. Ability gaps stop mattering, which is why scrambles are the standard for corporate days and season openers. Scorch scores scrambles by team.
Greensomes and foursomes
Pair formats. In a greensome both partners tee off, one drive is chosen, and from there they alternate shots. In foursomes the pair alternates from the tee onwards, with the tee shots split between odd and even holes. Both are demanding, because you are always playing from wherever your partner left it.
Scorch scores stroke play, match play and scrambles. A greensome or foursome is marked in Scorch as a single player’s card, since the pair plays one ball.
Which format for which group
| Situation | Format |
|---|---|
| Measuring your own game | Stroke play |
| Two players, a close match | Match play |
| Club competition, mixed handicaps | Stableford |
| Corporate day or beginners in the group | Scramble |
| Pairs, a quick round | Greensome |
Common questions
- What format do most club competitions use?
- Stableford. It keeps the round fast, because a player can pick up once no points are available, and handicap strokes level out the differences between players.
- What does 3&2 mean in match play?
- The match finished three holes up with two holes left to play. A match ends as soon as the lead is greater than the number of holes remaining.
- How is a scramble scored?
- One score per hole for the team: the number of strokes it took the chain of selected balls to reach the hole. The holes are added up as in stroke play.
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