How to play match play: rules, strokes and examples
Match play is a head-to-head game where every hole is its own contest: the lower score wins the hole and equal scores halve it. The match is over as soon as one side leads by more holes than are left to play.
- Players: 2 to 5 players
- Also called: head to head, singles, four-ball match play
- Teams: Played in teams or pairs in some versions
- Scores needed: Every player's score on each hole
Each golfer's score on every hole. Nothing else.
Win more holes than the other side.
How to play Match play
- Pick the sides: two players, or two pairs in four-ball. Three or five players can play a separate match against each other.
- Agree strokes before the first tee. The usual way is off the low: the better player plays scratch and the other receives the difference on the hardest holes.
- On each hole the lower net score wins the hole. Equal scores halve it and nobody moves.
- Keep the match status as holes up or down, or all square. Three up with two to play is called 3 and 2, and the match ends there.
- Settle at the end. By default one stake is paid per match; a group can instead pay the stake for every hole up.
A worked example with numbers
Ann plays to a 10 handicap and Bo to a 14, so off the low Bo receives 4 strokes, one each on the four holes with stroke index 1 to 4. On the par-4 third hole, which is stroke index 2, Ann makes a 5 and Bo makes a 5 gross. Bo gets a stroke there, so his net is 4 and Bo wins the hole.
Later on the par-5 fourteenth, which is stroke index 11, Ann makes 5 and Bo makes 5. Bo has no stroke on that hole, so the nets are equal and the hole is halved. After sixteen holes Ann leads by 3 holes with 2 left to play, so Ann wins 3 and 2 and the other holes no longer change the result.
Options and defaults
These are the rules groups change. The first column is the setting, the second is what Hole19Tally starts with, and the last says what it changes.
| Option | Default | Choices | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team scoring (4 players) | best ball | best ball, aggregate, high low | Best ball: lower ball counts. Aggregate: both balls added. High-low: a point for the better low ball and one for the better high ball. |
| Strokes | off the low | off the low, pairwise, agreed | Off the low: lowest handicap plays scratch. Pairwise: each match uses only the difference between its players. Agreed: you type the strokes. |
| Handicap allowance % | 100 | 100, 95, 90, 85, 75, 50, 0 | Percent of the course handicap used. When unset, four-ball uses 90 and everything else 100. |
| Teams (4 players) | 1&2 v 3&4 | 1&2 v 3&4, 1&3 v 2&4, 1&4 v 2&3 | Which batting-order positions are partners. |
| Match tied after last hole | push | push, sudden death | Push: no money moves. Sudden death: you name the winner after the playoff. |
| After the match is decided | keep scoring | keep scoring, stop | The match result is frozen either way; keep scoring means remaining holes are still scored for other games. |
| Payout basis | flat | flat, per hole up | Flat: one stake per match. Per hole up: stake times the holes up at the finish. |
| Round cut short | void | void, standings | Void: an undecided match pays nothing. Standings: settle on the lead after the last completed hole. |
Common disputes
Does the match stop when it is decided?
The result is frozen the moment a side leads by more holes than remain. By default the app keeps scoring the remaining holes so any other game you are playing at the same time still works.
What happens if the match is tied after 18?
By default it is a push and no stake moves. If your group plays a sudden-death playoff, the app lets you name the winner afterward.
What if the round is cut short by weather?
The default is that an undecided match is void. You can instead settle on the lead after the last completed hole.
Are strokes taken off the low or from the full handicap?
Match play almost always uses strokes off the low, which is the default. See the guide on how handicap strokes work in match play for the arithmetic.
Frequently asked questions
What does 3 and 2 mean?
The winner was 3 holes up with 2 holes left to play, so the match ended on the 16th green.
What does dormie mean?
A side is dormie when it leads by exactly as many holes as remain. It cannot lose the match, only halve it, but it can still win.
How is four-ball match play scored?
Each player plays their own ball and the better net score on each team counts for the hole. Other team formats, such as adding both scores, are options.
How many strokes does the higher handicap get?
Off the low, the difference between the two Playing Handicaps. A 14 playing a 10 receives 4 strokes.
Is Hole19Tally a betting app?
Hole19Tally is a scorekeeper. It records scores, works out strokes and shows who owes whom, but it never holds, moves or takes a share of money, and it is not a gambling service. Players settle up directly with each other.
Score it in Hole19Tally
Hole19Tally keeps the score for Match play, applies the handicap strokes and shows who owes whom. Hole19Tally is a scorekeeper. It records scores, works out strokes and shows who owes whom, but it never holds, moves or takes a share of money, and it is not a gambling service. Players settle up directly with each other.
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