Golf Scoring Formats: The Ultimate List
Golf can be played with many different scoring formats including stroke play, match play, a scramble, fourball, and many more.
Table of Contents
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘A’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘A’.
Golf Scoring Format: “Alternate Shot”
Definition
Alternate shot, a popular Ryder Cup golf format, is when two golfers take turns hitting the ball every other shot. For example, player 1 hits the tee shot, player 2 hits the approach shot, and player 1 hits the putt. This continues until the hole is completed.
Usage
“For today's match, we will be playing the alternate shot format.”
Deep Dive
Want a deep dive on the term “Alternate Shot”? Check out my full article below!
Golf Term
Alternate Shot
Alternate shot, a popular Ryder Cup golf format, is when two golfers take turns hitting the ball every other shot.
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘B’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘C’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘C’.
Golf Scoring Format: “Chapman System”
Definition
A team format where both players tee off, then they switch balls and play each other's second shot. After that, they choose the best ball and alternate shots until the hole is completed.
Usage
“Let's play a similar game to alternate shot called the Chapman system.”
Deep Dive
Want a deep dive on the term “Chapman System”? Check out my full article below!
Golf Term
Chapman System
A team format where both players tee off, then they switch balls and play each other's second shot.
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘D’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘E’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘F’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘F’.
Golf Scoring Format: “Fourball”
Definition
Also known as "better ball" or "best ball", each golfer on a team plays their own ball, and the lowest score among the team members is recorded for each hole.
Usage
“For today's round, we will play the fourball format.”
Deep Dive
Want a deep dive on the term “Fourball”? Check out my full article below!
Golf Term
Fourball
Also known as "better ball" or "best ball", each golfer on a team plays their own ball, and the lowest score among the team members is recorded for each hole.
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘G’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘H’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘I’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘J’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘K’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘L’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘M’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘M’.
Golf Scoring Format: “Match Play”
Definition
In this golf format, golfers compete against each other on a hole-by-hole basis. The golfer who wins the most holes wins the match. The most popular examples of this include the Solheim Cup (women) and Ryder Cup (men). Second to these well-known tournaments, the Presidents Cup and WGC Match Play are also popular pro tournaments that use this format.
Usage
“The Ryder cup is one of the most exciting match-play tournaments in golf!”
Deep Dive
Want a deep dive on the term “Match Play”? Check out my full article below!
Golf Term
Match Play
In this golf format, golfers compete against each other on a hole-by-hole basis. The golfer who wins the most holes wins the match.
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘N’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘O’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘P’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘P’.
Golf Scoring Format: “Peoria System”
Definition
A handicapping system where a golfer can allocate their handicap strokes on any hole before the round starts. The golfer can choose when to use these strokes during the round.
Usage
“Let's play the Peoria system today so I can get some strokes on my least favorite hole!”
Deep Dive
Want a deep dive on the term “Peoria System”? Check out my full article below!
Golf Term
Peoria System
A handicapping system where a golfer can allocate their handicap strokes on any hole before the round starts.
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘Q’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘R’:
Golf Scoring Formats Beginning With ‘S’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘S’.
Golf Scoring Format: “Scramble”
Definition
A team format where all players tee off, then they choose the best shot and all play their next shots from that spot. This continues until the ball is holed. A scramble is the most common format for corporate and charity golf tournaments where there are lots of players on the course of all different skill levels. This helps speed up play and make the round more fun for everyone!
Usage
“Do you want to play in my company's annual golf scramble next week?”
Deep Dive
Want a deep dive on the term “Scramble”? Check out my full article below!
Golf Term
Scramble
A team format where all players tee off, then they choose the best shot and all play their next shots from that spot. This continues until the ball is holed.
Golf Scoring Format: “Shamble”
Definition
Similar to a scramble, but in this golf format, after selecting the best drive, each player plays their own ball for the remainder of the hole.
Usage
“A shamble is a bit harder than a scramble because a player must play their own ball for most of the round!”
Deep Dive
Want a deep dive on the term “Shamble”? Check out my full article below!
Golf Term
Shamble
Similar to a scramble, but in this golf format, after selecting the best drive, each player plays their own ball for the remainder of the hole.
Golf Scoring Format: “Stableford”
Definition
In this golf format, points are awarded based on the number of strokes taken on each hole. Golfers earn more points for fewer strokes, with the goal of achieving the highest point total.
Usage
“Want to play stableford for our match today?”
Deep Dive
Want a deep dive on the term “Stableford”? Check out my full article below!
Golf Term
Stableford
In this golf format, points are awarded based on the number of strokes taken on each hole.
Golf Scoring Format: “Stroke Play”
Definition
Also called "medal play", this golf format requires each golfer to play their own ball the entire round. The total number of strokes taken is recorded, and the golfer with the lowest total wins. Most professional and competitive golf tournaments are played in this format.
Usage
“We are playing stroke play format for this tournament.”
Deep Dive
Want a deep dive on the term “Stroke Play”? Check out my full article below!
Golf Term
Stroke Play
Also called "medal play", this golf format requires each golfer to play their own ball the entire round.