Golf Formats Explained

One player against one, decided hole by hole. The purest match-play format and the anchor of every Ryder Cup Sunday.

Two-player teams, every golfer plays their own ball, and the team's best score on each hole is the one that counts.

Four ball with a twist. When both teams' best balls tie on a hole, the second-best ball breaks it.

Two players, one ball, taking turns. The most demanding team format and a classic Ryder Cup morning.

Everyone hits, the team picks the best shot, and all players play from that spot until the ball is holed.

Both partners count. Each team adds its high and low ball, and the lower combined total wins the hole.

Count every stroke. Lowest total wins. The format that runs most of the tournaments in the world.

Score points against par on every hole. Highest total wins, and a blow-up hole costs you almost nothing.

The aggressive cousin of Stableford. Eagles pay big, birdies pay well, and blow-ups actually cost you points.

A rotating game of nerve. Each hole one player is the Wolf, choosing a partner off the tee or going it alone for a bigger payout.

A pot on every hole. Win the hole outright and the skin is yours. Tie it and the skin carries forward, worth more.

On every par 3, whoever stiffs it closest to the flag wins that hole's pot. Simple, and it makes every tee shot count.