One of the great things about golf is that there isn't just one way to play. Whether you're heading out for a casual round with friends, entering a club competition, organising a golf society day or planning an annual golf trip, there's a format to suit every occasion.

From traditional Stroke Play and Stableford to team events like Fourball, Foursomes and Texas Scramble, each format offers a different challenge and a different way to enjoy the game.

In this guide, we'll explain the most popular golf formats, how they work, when to play them and which are best suited to different types of golfers.

Golf Formats at a Glance

Format	Team Size	Match Play	Stroke Play	Best For
Stroke Play	Individual			Club competitions & casual rounds
Stableford	Individual			Golfers of all abilities
Match Play	Individual			Friendly competitions
Fourball	2 vs 2			Golf trips & Ryder Cup events
Foursomes	2 vs 2			Team competitions
Greensomes	2 vs 2			Mixed-ability pairs
Better Ball	2+			Club & society events
Best Ball	2-4			Team competitions
Texas Scramble.	Teams of 4			Charity & corporate golf days
Skins	Any		—	Friendly games

Individual Golf Formats

Stroke Play

Stroke Play is the most traditional form of golf and the format used in most professional tournaments and club medal competitions.

Every stroke counts, with the winner being the player who completes the course in the fewest total shots.

Best for

• Club competitions
• Handicap qualifying rounds
• Casual golf

Pros

• Easy to understand
• Used worldwide
• Great for measuring overall performance

Cons

• One bad hole can significantly affect your score.

Stableford

Stableford rewards golfers with points rather than simply counting strokes.

Points are awarded based on your net score on each hole after handicap strokes have been applied.

The standard points system is:

• Double Bogey or worse – 0 points
• Bogey – 1 point
• Par – 2 points
• Birdie – 3 points
• Eagle – 4 points
• Double Eagle – 5 points

Stableford remains one of the most popular formats for club competitions because one poor hole won't ruin your entire round.

Best for:

• Club competitions
• Society golf
• Mixed handicap groups

Match Play

Match Play is one of golf's oldest and most exciting formats.

Instead of counting total strokes, players compete to win individual holes.

Win a hole and you go one up. Lose the next and you're back to all square.

If you're three holes ahead with only three left to play, the match is dormie, meaning you cannot lose.

If the match is tied after 18 holes, it finishes all square unless extra holes are required to determine a winner.

Best for

• Friendly matches
• Club knockout competitions
• Ryder Cup-style events

Team Golf Formats

Fourball (Better Ball)

Fourball is one of the most popular team formats.

Each golfer plays their own ball throughout the round.

On every hole, the lowest score from each pair becomes the team score.

For example:

• Player A scores 5
• Player B scores 4

The team's score is 4.

Fourball can be played as both Stroke Play and Match Play and is one of the formats used in the Ryder Cup.

Best for

• Golf trips
• Four-player groups
• Ryder Cup competitions

Foursomes (Alternate Shot)

Often considered the ultimate test of teamwork.

Two players share one golf ball.

One player tees off on the odd holes, the other on the even holes, before alternating shots until the hole is completed.

Communication, trust and strategy become just as important as good golf.

Best for

• Ryder Cup events
• Club team matches
• Experienced partnerships

Greensomes

Greensomes is a variation of Foursomes.

Both golfers tee off before selecting the better drive.

From that point onwards the team plays alternate shots using the chosen ball.

Because every hole begins from the better drive, Greensomes is generally more forgiving than traditional Foursomes.

Best for

• Mixed handicap pairs
• Golf societies
• Friendly competitions

Better Ball

Better Ball is essentially Fourball played as a Stroke Play competition.

Each golfer plays their own ball throughout the hole, with the better score from the pair counting as the team score.

Many clubs use Better Ball formats for pairs competitions throughout the season.

Best Ball

The terms Best Ball and Better Ball are often confused.

Best Ball generally refers to teams of three or four players, with the lowest individual score on each hole becoming the team score.

For example, if four teammates score:

• 4
• 5
• 5
• 6

The team's score is 4.

Best Ball is commonly used for society days and larger team events.

Texas Scramble

Texas Scramble is one of the most popular formats for charity golf days and corporate events.

All four players tee off.

The team selects the best drive before all four players hit from that position.

This continues until the ball is holed.

Most Texas Scrambles also require every player to contribute a minimum number of tee shots throughout the round, ensuring everyone plays an important role.

Best for

• Charity golf days
• Corporate golf
• Beginners
• Mixed ability groups

Skins

A Skins game gives every hole its own value.

Instead of counting total strokes, each hole is worth a point, prize or cash value.

If nobody wins the hole outright, the "skin" rolls over to the next hole.

This means later holes can become extremely valuable and create plenty of excitement.

Best for

• Friendly competitions
• Golf trips
• Side games

Which Golf Format Should You Choose?

Different formats suit different occasions.

Golf Formats Used in Professional Golf

Many of golf's biggest events use formats other than traditional Stroke Play.

Ryder Cup

Uses:

• Fourball
• Foursomes
• Singles Match Play

Solheim Cup

The women's equivalent of the Ryder Cup uses the same formats.

Presidents Cup

Again features Fourballs, Foursomes and Singles.

LIV Golf

Combines individual Stroke Play with a season-long team competition.

Professional golf demonstrates just how varied and entertaining different formats can be.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most popular golf format?

Stroke Play is the traditional format used in most competitions, while Stableford is the most popular format for amateur club golf because it suits golfers of all handicap levels.

What's the difference between Fourball and Foursomes?

In Fourball, every golfer plays their own ball throughout the round.

In Foursomes, two partners share one golf ball and play alternate shots.

What's the easiest golf format for beginners?

Texas Scramble is usually the most beginner-friendly format because every player benefits from the team's best shot.

Which golf format is best for a golf trip?

A combination of Fourballs, Foursomes and Singles creates a Ryder Cup-style competition that works brilliantly for annual golf trips and society weekends.

Can different handicap golfers play together?

Absolutely. Formats such as Stableford, Fourball and Greensomes all work exceptionally well for golfers of mixed abilities when handicaps are applied correctly.

Make Scoring Easy with Golfshake

Whatever format you're playing, keeping track of scores doesn't need to be complicated.

The Golfshake website and mobile app support many of the game's most popular formats, making it easy to record scores, compare performances and analyse your golf.

With Golfshake you can:

• Record Stroke Play and Stableford rounds.
• Automatically calculate Stableford and net scores.
• Track handicap progress.
• Create Golfshake Groups for golf trips and societies.
• Compare statistics across every round.
• View leaderboards for multi-player competitions.
• Keep a permanent record of annual golf events.

Whether you're organising a Ryder Cup-style golf weekend, entering your club's Better Ball competition or simply enjoying a casual round with friends, Golfshake provides an easy way to score, track and improve your golf.