A

Allowance

The percentage of a handicap used for a format. Typical allowances are 95% for individual stroke play and 100% for individual match play, but your committee or group decides. Apply the allowance first and round last. Handicap strokes calculator

Alternate shot

A team format, also called foursomes, where two partners play one ball and take turns hitting it, with one partner teeing off on the odd holes and the other on the even holes.

Automatic press

A press that starts by itself when a side falls a set number of holes behind, usually two, with nobody needing to ask for it. Nassau

B

Back nine

Holes 10 to 18. In a Nassau it is the second of the three bets. Nassau

Banker

A game where one golfer each hole is the banker and plays against everyone else, who each play the banker for a stake that can be raised. Banker

Best ball

A team format where each player plays their own ball and the best score on the team counts for each hole. Also called four-ball when played as a match. Scramble vs shamble vs best ball

Bingo bango bongo

A points game with three points per hole: one for the first ball on the green, one for the ball closest to the pin once all are on, and one for the first to hole out. It rewards order of play, so it suits mixed abilities. Bingo bango bongo

Birdie

A score of one under par on a hole.

Bogey

A score of one over par on a hole.

C

Carryover

When a hole is tied in skins, its value rolls to the next hole instead of being lost, so the next outright winner collects more than one skin. Skins carryover calculator

Closest to the pin

A contest on a par 3 where the ball nearest the hole, on the green, wins a prize or points. It is usually a side contest in an outing.

Course Handicap

Your Handicap Index converted for the course and tee you are playing: Index x Slope Rating / 113, plus (Course Rating minus Par). How handicaps work in group games

Course Rating

The number of strokes a scratch golfer is expected to need on a course from a given tee. It is printed on the scorecard next to the Slope Rating.

Cup mode

A team event between two sides, such as captains' teams, played over sessions of four-ball, foursomes and singles with a running team score. Ryder Cup-style trips

D

Dormie

In match play, leading by exactly as many holes as remain. The leader cannot lose the match but has not yet won it. Match play

Double bogey

A score of two over par on a hole.

E

Eagle

A score of two under par on a hole.

Exposure

The most a golfer can lose in a game if every hole goes as badly as the rules allow. It is a worst case, not a forecast, and it is worth knowing before the first tee. Nassau press calculator

F

Flight

A group of players of similar ability, or playing the same format, who compete against each other for their own prizes. How to set fair flights

Flip

In Las Vegas, when a team makes a birdie, the other team's two-digit number is reversed (a 45 becomes 54), which usually costs them points. Las Vegas

Four-ball

Two partners each play their own ball and the better score of the two counts for the team on each hole. Scramble vs shamble vs best ball

Foursomes

See alternate shot.

Front nine

Holes 1 to 9. In a Nassau it is the first of the three bets. Nassau

G

Gimme

A short putt that the group agrees to count as holed without playing it. Agree what counts as a gimme before the round; the official rules of golf do not allow them in stroke play.

Gross score

The number of strokes you actually took on a hole or a round, before handicap strokes come off.

H

Halved

In match play, a hole where both sides score the same, so nobody wins it. A whole match can be halved too. Match play

Hammer

A game where either side can "throw the hammer" on a hole to double the stake, and the other side must accept it or concede the hole. Hammer

Handicap Index

The official number that measures a golfer's demonstrated ability, calculated by a handicap authority from the best of your most recent scores and not tied to any one course. How the numbers are worked out

Honors

The right to tee off first. The player with the best score on the previous hole has the honor.

House rules

The options a group agrees on before the round, such as how presses work or whether a tied skin carries. Most disputes are about house rules, so agree them on the first tee. Game rules and options

J

Junk

Side points a group awards for extra feats, such as a greenie (closest on a par 3 and par or better), a sandie (up and down from a bunker) or a birdie. Also called dots or trash. Junk

L

Las Vegas

A team game where each side's two scores on a hole are combined into one two-digit number, lowest first. The gap between the numbers is the points won. Las Vegas

M

Match play

A format where each hole is its own contest. The lower score wins the hole, and the player or side that wins more holes wins the match. Match play

Mulligan

A free extra try, usually off the tee. Not part of the rules of golf, so use it only if your group has agreed it.

N

Nassau

Three bets in one: the front nine, the back nine and the overall eighteen, usually at the same stake, often with presses added when a side falls behind. Nassau

Net score

Your gross score minus the handicap strokes you receive on the hole or in the round.

Nines

A three-player game where nine points are shared on each hole according to the finishing order. Nines

O

Off the low

Strokes given relative to the best golfer in the game: the lowest handicap plays at zero and everyone else receives the difference. Also written strokes off the low. Strokes off the low calculator

P

Par

The number of strokes an expert golfer is expected to need on a hole, set by the course.

Pick up

To stop playing a hole and take no score, usually because you cannot make a score that matters. In Stableford a picked-up hole scores no points. Stableford

Playing Handicap

The number of strokes you actually receive in a particular game: your Course Handicap with the format's allowance applied and rounded. How handicaps work in group games

Plus handicap

A handicap better than scratch, written with a plus sign (+2.1). A plus golfer gives strokes back instead of receiving them.

Points builder

A way for an outing organizer to define their own point system: points per place, per contest, per day or per team, with bonuses. Outings

Press

A new bet started partway through an existing one by the side that is behind, usually for the remaining holes of that bet and usually at the same stake. Nassau

Press the press

Pressing a press: a new bet started on top of an earlier press. Whether it is allowed is a house rule and it changes the most you can lose. Nassau press calculator

Q

Quota

A points game where each golfer has a target based on their handicap and scores points toward it, so every ability has an equal chance. Quota

R

Rabbit

A game where one golfer at a time holds the "rabbit" by winning a hole outright, and whoever holds it at a set point (the end of the nine or round) wins the pot. Rabbit

S

Sandbagger

A golfer whose handicap is higher than their real ability. Fairness tools such as handicap reviews exist because of the argument about them. How to set fair flights

Scramble

A team format where every player hits, the team picks the best shot and everybody plays from there, repeating until the ball is holed. Scramble vs shamble vs best ball

Scratch

A handicap of zero. A scratch golfer plays to the course rating without receiving strokes.

Settle up

Working out who owes whom at the end and paying each other directly. A scorekeeper shows the amounts; it never holds or moves the money. Who pays whom calculator

Shamble

A team format where everyone hits a tee shot, the team picks the best drive, and then each player plays their own ball in from there. Scramble vs shamble vs best ball

Sixes

A four-player game where partners change every six holes so that everyone partners everyone once. Sixes

Skins

Each hole is worth a skin, won by the lowest score outright. If the low score is tied, the skin is lost or carries over, depending on the house rule. Skins

Slope Rating

A number from 55 to 155 that shows how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer. 113 is the standard.

Snake

A side game where the last golfer to three-putt holds the snake and pays when the round ends. Snake

Stableford

A points format where each hole scores points against par instead of counting strokes, so one bad hole cannot ruin a round. Stableford

Stroke index

The number printed on the scorecard that ranks each hole from hardest (1) to easiest (18). Handicap strokes are given on the lowest-numbered holes first. Handicap strokes calculator

Stroke play

A format where every stroke over the whole round counts and the lowest total wins.

Strokes received

The handicap strokes a golfer takes off their gross score on a particular hole. On a scorecard they are often marked with dots.

T

Tee sheet

The list of tee times and who plays in each group, used by organizers to start an event. How to run a golf outing

W

Wolf

A game where the golfer who is "wolf" on each hole chooses a partner after seeing each tee shot, or goes alone for double. Wolf

Z

Zero-sum

A property of money games in which every dollar won is a dollar lost by someone else, so all balances add up to nothing. A correct tally is always zero-sum. Settle a trip without a spreadsheet

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 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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