organiser · 30 June 2026 · By Simon Berriman, Founder of Caddie Live

Golf Day Formats Explained: A Guide for Event Organisers

The format you choose is the single biggest decision in how your golf day feels. Get it right and a field of mixed abilities all stay engaged to the 18th, with the result in doubt and everyone enjoying themselves. Get it wrong and your high handicappers have given up by the turn while the low handicappers wonder why it took six hours.

This guide explains the formats you'll actually use, in plain English: what each one is, who it suits, and — the bit organisers most often get wrong — the handicap allowance that keeps it fair. If you're planning the whole day, start with our complete guide to organising a golf society day; this post goes deep on the format choice itself.

A quick note on allowances before we start: the World Handicap System publishes recommended handicap allowances for different formats. These are designed to produce equitable competitions, but the committee running the event sets the Terms of Competition and may adjust an allowance for factors such as field size. The standard recommendation is listed under each format below. (For the underlying handicap basics, see our guide to handicaps for mixed-ability golf days.)

Individual Stableford — the safe default

What it is: You score points on each hole based on your net score against par. A net par is 2 points, a net birdie 3, net bogey 1, and anything worse than a net double bogey scores zero — so a blow-up hole costs you that hole and nothing more. Highest points total wins.

Who it suits: Almost everyone. This is the default for society days and the right choice if you have a wide spread of handicaps. Because a disaster hole just means you pick up and move on, slow play is reduced and nobody is mathematically out of it after one bad start.

Handicap allowance: 95% of Course Handicap. For smaller fields (under about 30 players) the organising committee may choose to use 100%.

Why organisers love it: It's simple to explain, forgiving, and keeps everyone playing all 18. If you only ever learn one format, learn this one.

Stroke play / Medal — the purest test

What it is: Count every shot. Your total gross strokes minus your handicap gives your net score; lowest net wins. "Medal play" is the same thing.

Who it suits: Better, more committed fields who want a proper test. It's less forgiving than Stableford — one ruinous hole (you must hole out on every hole) can wreck a card — so it's not ideal for big mixed societies, and it tends to be slower because nobody can pick up.

Handicap allowance: 95% of Course Handicap.

Texas Scramble — the team day winner

What it is: Teams of (usually) four. Everyone tees off, the team picks the best shot, and all four then play from that spot — repeating until holed. One team score per hole. Many organisers also require a minimum number of tee shots from each player — often three or four over 18 holes — to ensure everyone contributes.

Who it suits: This is the best format for a fun, social, mixed-ability team day. Weaker players contribute without holding anyone up, and the team format takes the pressure off — there's always a teammate's ball in play. Great for corporate days and charity events.

Handicap allowance: For a four-person scramble the common allowance is 25% / 20% / 15% / 10% of each player's Course Handicap from lowest to highest, added together for the team. (For a two-person scramble, 35% of the lower and 15% of the higher.)

Fourball Better Ball — pairs, individually scored

What it is: Players compete in pairs. Each person plays their own ball all the way round, and on each hole the side records the better of the two scores — whether the competition is being played as stroke play, Stableford or match play.

Who it suits: A nice middle ground — you keep the individual feel of playing your own ball, but with a partner to lean on when you have a bad hole. Popular for member-guest days and friendly society pairings.

Handicap allowance: 85% of Course Handicap for stroke play / Stableford better ball (90% for the match play version).

Matchplay — head to head

What it is: Instead of counting total strokes, you play hole by hole. Win the hole, go one up; the match is won when you're more holes up than there are holes left. Scores reset every hole, so a 9 on one hole costs you only that hole.

Who it suits: Knockout competitions, club championships, and grudge matches. It's dramatic and forgiving of disasters, but it pairs two players at a time rather than ranking a whole field, so it's better as a season-long ladder or a knockout bracket than a one-day society outing — though a matchplay "shootout" can be a fun finale.

Handicap allowance: 100% of Course Handicap in singles, with the higher handicapper receiving the difference in strokes off the lower. (Fourball matchplay uses 90%.)

Foursomes & Greensomes — share a ball

What it is: In Foursomes ("alternate shot"), a pair shares one ball and takes turns hitting it, alternating tee shots too. In Greensomes, both players tee off, you pick the better drive, then alternate from there. Both are quick to play and a proper test of partnership.

Who it suits: Experienced golfers and team match events (it's a Ryder Cup staple). It can be tough on nervous players — you're hitting your partner's wayward shots — so it's not one for a casual mixed society.

Handicap allowance: For Foursomes, 50% of the partners' combined Course Handicaps. For Greensomes, 60% of the lower-handicap player's Course Handicap plus 40% of the higher.

Fun add-ons for any day

You can layer these on top of the main competition to keep things lively:

Nearest the pin on the par 3s and longest drive on a chosen hole — the classic on-course contests (more in our golf day prize ideas guide). Yellow ball / team ball: in a team, one nominated player's ball must count each hole, and the "yellow ball" gets passed around — keeps everyone involved. Beat the pro or a hole-in-one prize for charity days.

So which format should you choose?

A quick decision guide:

Big mixed society, want it simple and fair: Individual Stableford. Fun team day, corporate or charity: Texas Scramble. Pairs who want their own ball but a safety net: Fourball Better Ball. Serious competition, strong field: Stroke play / Medal. Knockout or season-long ladder: Matchplay.

Many societies run two competitions at once — an individual Stableford for the main prize plus a team Scramble or "team of the day" — so there's something for everyone, as long as your scoring can handle it.

Know which format you want to play? Set up the competition, add your players and organise the groups in Caddie Live. [Create your golf day free →]

The catch: scoring all this by hand

Here's the rub. Every one of these formats has its own scoring quirk and its own handicap allowance — 95% here, 85% there, 25/20/15/10 for the scramble, alternate-shot maths for foursomes. Run it on paper and you're hunched over a calculator in the clubhouse cross-checking cards while everyone waits for the result. Run two formats at once and it's twice the work and twice the chance of an error.

This is where Caddie Live does the heavy lifting. You choose the format and allowance when setting up the event, and Caddie Live applies them consistently across the whole field — scoring Stableford points, net scores and team totals automatically — with the leaderboard updating live on players' phones and the clubhouse TV as scores come in. Whether you're running individual Stableford, Better Ball or a team Scramble, the scores and leaderboard are calculated for the format you selected. No spreadsheet, no disputes, and the winners are known the second the last group finishes.

It's worth getting your players onto it too: once a group has played a day with a live leaderboard, going back to paper cards feels like a chore.

[Set up your next golf day in Caddie Live — any format, scored automatically →]

Pick the format for the field in front of you: Stableford when in doubt, Scramble when you want a team buzz, and save the purer tests for the stronger players. Then let the scoring take care of itself.