Last Updated: Oct 31, 2023
Golf Scoring Formats: 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.
Written By: Zach Gollwitzer
Posted in: Golf Scoring Formats
Term Overview
A brief overview of the term including definition, usage, origins, helpful visuals.
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.
The Ryder cup is one of the most exciting match-play tournaments in golf!
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.
This format is a superset of other formats. Fourball and alternate shot formats are common types of match play.
In my opinion, match play is the most exciting type of golf to watch because rather than playing 4 hours of golf and adding it all up at the end, each hole can be won or lost, making things exciting. Just watch this video of the Ryder Cup and you'll see what type of energy I'm talking about:
About the author: Zach Gollwitzer
Hey, I‘m Zach, the founder of The DIY Golfer! I created this site while playing D1 collegiate golf with a simple mission—I wanted to learn the golf swing and get better at golf myself.
Fast forward a few years, and my “journal“, The DIY Golfer, has been viewed by millions of golfers worldwide looking to do the same with their games. my mission is to make golfers more consistent in just a few hours a week through advanced practice strategies and timeless, first-principle golf instruction.