Fourball, Scramble & Best-Ball

Fourball

            Like foursome, fourball is also played with two player teams.  During the round, all four players will hit their individual ball for each entire hole.  At the end of the hole, the lowest score between the two partners is used as the team score.  Therefore, this is a version of stroke play because of the focus on the number of strokes.  Unlike foursome, fourball puts less of a focus on challenging each member of the team.  If a team is comprised of one great player and one less-skilled player, the great player could have the lower score for each hole.  These scores would be used throughout the entire round and the less-skilled player would not have an effect on the game. Fourball is used in several professional tournaments including the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup.

Scramble

            The scramble format is mostly used with four person teams, however, two person teams are popular as well.  During a scramble, every player from the four or two person team tees off from each hole.  The team then selects the best shot and each player hits from within one club length from that spot.  This continues until the ball is in the hole. As you can imagine, round scores during scrambles can be quite low.  With teams being able to choose the location they hit from after every shot, teams post a greater number of birdies and eagles.  Constructing a team for a scramble takes more expertise than other games.  Most teams try to ensure that they have a player that specializes in each part of the game.  For instance, a player that can drive the ball very far and a player that is an accurate putter are both quite valuable.  Scramble formats are very popular in charity events.      

Best-Ball

            Best-ball is a combination of scramble and fourball.  Teams are composed of four players, but instead of choosing a best shot to hit from, each player hits their own ball for the entire hole.  After the hole is over, the team chooses the lowest score and takes that for the designated hole.  Best-ball is also popular in many charitable events and amateur tournaments.  Teams are sometimes constructed with two or three players as well, depending on the skill and people participating.  Although match scores are very good for best-ball tournaments, scramble scores are still lower. 

Match Play & Foursome

Match Play

            As opposed to stroke play, match play is focused on the player or team that wins the hole.  The winner of each individual hole is awarded a point.  Only one point is given out for each hole and if the players tie, no point is given.  The game is played as it is for a normal stroke play tournament, each player tallies up his or her strokes for each hole and then the point is awarded.  For example, if the first player wins the first two holes, he is considered “2-up”.  If the second player wins the third hole, player one is now “1-up”.  When the two players are tied with the same holes won, the match is considered “all square”.  Once a player is leading another by more points than there are holes remaining, the match ends.  In golf terms, a player leading by 5 points with 4 holes to play is said to have won “5 and 4”.  If the two players are tied after the normal 18 holes, they continue to play until one player wins a hole.    

Foursome

            Foursome is a form of match play where, as the name suggests, four players are split into two teams.  Each player on the two person team takes turn hitting the ball, alternating after every shot.  The players continue to switch off hitting the ball until the ball is in the hole.  The team that takes the least amount of strokes to get the ball in the hole is awarded a point.  Beyond just switching off for every shot, the two players switch off teeing off for each hole as well.  This ensures that each player must play well on every aspect of the game in order to win. 

 

Stroke Play & Skins

Stroke Play

            Stroke play is the most popular version of golf.  The stroke play system is simple, it entails counting the strokes for each player on each hole and adding it together.  The player with the least amount of strokes is the winner of the round. 

            The majority of professional tournaments are played using the stroke play format.  This makes it easy for fans of all ages and skill to follow.  However, several tournaments take on other game formats.  This variety and change of pace makes the game of golf much more exciting.

            In matches that involve handicapping, each player would subtract their handicap from their total strokes.  Once again, the player with the least strokes is the winner. Calculating a player’s handicap is performed using several methods.  But in the end, the handicap is the golfer’s average number of strokes over par.  Utilizing a handicap evens up the playing field for all individuals.  Better players have a small handicap while less skilled players have a higher handicap.  At the end of the match, every golfer has an equal chance of winning. 

Skins

            Skins is a form of golf that is centered around an amount of money assigned to each hole.  In professional competitions, a designated amount of money is assigned to each hole.  In amateur and less competitive matches, the players decide on a fair amount of money for each hole.  Sometimes the amount varies for each hole depending on the difficulty and length.  No matter if it’s professional or amateur, the player with the least amount of strokes on each hole wins the money for that hole.  If all players tie on one hole, the money carries over to the next hole until someone wins.  If the players tie on the final hole, all players or only the tying players will play another hole until there is a winner.