Types of Golf Play
Published on 20th April 2023 in New to GolfTypes of Golf Play
The two basic forms of playing golf are MATCH PLAY and STROKE PLAY, and at club level STABLEFORD (which is a form of Stroke Play), is the most popular way of scoring. Another form of Stroke play is called PAR.
The Stableford system was developed by Dr. Frank Barney Gorton Stableford (1870–1959), to deter golfers from giving up on their round after just one or two bad holes and was first used at the Glamorganshire Golf Club, Penarth, Wales, in 1898.
Stroke Play: All strokes are counted. Every player (or team) competes for all 18 holes and counts the total number of strokes per hole. The winner is the party with the lowest nett score over 18 holes. The nett score is the total number of strokes (gross) less the player (or team) handicap.
Match Play: In Match play, two players (or teams) play every hole as a separate contest against each other. The party with the lower score wins the hole. If the scores on the hole are equal the hole is “halved”. The winner is the party that wins the most holes. Matchplay is a popular form of competition at club level.
Stableford: Rather than counting the total number of strokes taken, as in stroke play, in Stableford it involves scoring points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole, relative to your handicap. The objective for Stableford is to earn as many points as possible.
Par: This is a form of Stroke play that uses scoring as in Match play (Rule 21.3). It can be played as an individual or team format. If the party scores the equivalent of their “fixed par” they “halve” the hole (0), if the score is more than their “fixed par” it is a “loss” (-), if the score is less than the “fixed par” it is a “plus” (+). The winning score will be the best aggregate over the holes played.
Apart from the four types of play, as above, there are others played quite commonly at club level:
Foursomes: (Rule 22) is played by 2 players in a team against another pair. Each pair plays one ball with alternate shots from tee to green. One player tees off on all odd-numbered holes and the other player tees off on all even-numbered holes. The other shots are played in turn until the hole is finished. Penalty shots do not affect the order of play. Foursomes can be played as either Match play or Stroke play.
Four Ball: A team of 2 players, each playing their own ball. The lowest score of the pair counts. The game can be played as Match play, Stroke play.
Ambrose: This is an extremely social format played by either 2, 3, or 4 players to a team. Each player in the team tees off, after which the designated captain of the team selects the best drive, marks its position using a tee. All other players pick up their balls and play their second shot by placing their ball within a handspan of that tee marker. This format continues until the balls are on the green where the again the best ball is selected and all other players putt until the ball is in the hole. One score is thus recorded on each hole. This is the sum of the best shots used throughout the hole.
In Ambrose, scoring is as for Stroke play – gross score, less handicap. The team’s handicap is calculated by adding all handicaps as an aggregate total and then dividing by twice the number of players in a team e.g. divide by 8 for a team of 4, divide by 6 for a team of 3…
Watch out for Twilight Games, played over the Summer and Autumn months. These nights are great fun and usually start around 4:30pm – 5pm, played on 9 holes and followed by a delicious dinner at the clubhouse.
