The best golf formats for your trip

The Stableford format is a stroke play tournament that can be played as an individual or team event using a points system in which the goal is to gain the highest score. Stableford uses a points system established in the Rules of Golf as follows:

• More than 1 over fixed score (or no score returned) – 0 points [Double Bogey or Worse] • One over fixed score – 1 point [Bogey] • Fixed score – 2 points [Par] • One under fixed score – 3 points [Birdie] • Two under fixed score – 4 points [Eagle] • Three under fixed score – 5 points [Double Eagle] • Four under fixed score – 6 point

Remember to apply a player’s handicap to workout the correct points total for each hole. For example, getting an actual Par on a hole where you receive a handicap shot is in fact a net birdie, which means you add 3 points to your rolling Stableford score. Lovely!

Match play is a hole-by-hole competition where the golfer who makes the best score on the individual hole wins that hole. If one player becomes more holes ahead than is left within the 18-holes, then they are the winner. For example, if a player goes 3 hole wins ahead of their opponent with only 2 holes remaining the leading player wins 3&2.

Being all square after 18 is always fun. Do you shake hands and accept an honourable halve? Or do you go to a play-off to decide the winner in front your friends!?

Texas Scramble is a form of team competition – normally 3 or 4 players in each team. On every hole each player tees off but only one drive/tee shot is chosen to be used for the next shot and all members of the team play a second shot from this spot.

From these second shots, one is chosen and all members of the group play a third shot from there – and so on until the ball is holed. Each team returns one score for each hole and the team within the field of competitors with the lowest score for the round wins. You should find that, with numerous attempts at the same shot/putt, the scores are impressive and there are birdies aplenty! This is a great format for your next group golf break.