Alternate Shot can be played as stroke play or match play.
Odds and Evens and Scotch Foursomes are two very slight variants of Alternate Shot. Also Known As: Foursomes, Scotch Foursomes, Scotch Doubles
If the scramble is called an "Ambrose," it means that handicaps are used in play, with a fraction of the total handicaps of the group members serving as one handicap for the group.
For example, if it's a 2-person scramble, the handicaps of the two players are added together and divided by 4. For a 3-person scramble, divide by 6; for a 4-person scramble, divide by 8.
The arithmetic produces one group handicap which is used during play. Also Known As: Scramble, 2-man scramble, 3-man scramble, 4-man scramble
Best ball is usually played as stroke play with the total score added up at the end of the round. It can be played as match play, but best-ball match play with more than 2-person teams results in a lot of halved holes.
A 2-person best ball match play competition is also known as Four Ball.
Also Known As: With 2-person teams, "better ball." With 2-person teams in match play, "four ball."
In the Chapman System, both players on a side tee off, then they switch balls. Player A plays Player B's drive, and vice-versa. Each player hits his or her second shot. They then select the best of the second shots, and from that point until the ball is holed they play only one ball in an alternate shot format. Got it?
Switch balls after the drive, select the one best ball after the second shot, play alternate shot until the ball is holed. The player whose second ball was not chosen gets to play the third shot (so teams might sometimes choose the best ball after two shots based on who will get to hit the third).
Chapman (or Pinehurst, or American Foursomes, or whatever you want to call it) can be played as stroke play or match play.
If playing your team against my team with all four players of equal abilities, play it at scratch. But it's a great game for twosomes of varying abilities, or husbands and wives.
Handicap allowances for Chapman System competitions can be found in the USGA Handicap Manual, Section 9-4 (www.usga.com).
Also Known As: Pinehurst, American Foursomes
Say a player has a handicap of 14. Rather than applying the handicap in the proper manner, the player is instead given 14 free shots to use at any point on the course, at any time. Hit a bad shot off the second tee? Hit it again. Now you've got 13 left.
The game can be played with full handicaps (as in the example above) but it most common to use only three-fourths or two-thirds of handicaps. That forces the player to be judicious in using his replay strokes.
Two other conditions usually apply: The first tee shot of the day may not be replayed, and no shot can be replayed twice.
Also Known As: No Alibis, Wipe Out, Play It Again Sam, Replay
The basics are this: In Devil Ball, groups of four tee off in a competition. On each hole, two scores are combined to create one team score. One of those scores is from the person playing the "devil ball." So when it's your turn to play the Devil Ball, the onus is on you to come through for the team because your score is going to count.
The second score used is usually the low ball of the other three players on the team (however, the other three players might be required to play a scramble or best ball or any other format to produce the second score).
The two scores are added together for the team score. Before teeing off in Devil Ball, players are designated A, B, C and D, and the devil ball rotates among players throughout the round (A on the first hole, B on the second, and so on).
See the Money Ball definition for a few more variations.
Also Known As: Money Ball, Lone Ranger, Pink Ball, Yellow Ball, Pink Lady
That's because points are "awarded" for bad shots. Hit a ball out of bounds, that's a point.
Points in Disaster can be given any value, and what earns a point can vary from group to group - it's up to you. But a common point system is as follows:
Also Known As: Trouble
Here's an example: Players A, B, C and D tee off on Hole 1. Player A is the low-ball on the first hole. All players move on to Hole 2, but Player A's score can't be used; Players B, C and D are eligible. On the second hole, Player B is the low-ball. All players move on to Hole 3, but the scores of A and B are now ineligible; only C and D have a chance to provide the team score. On No. 3, Player C is the low score. And that leaves Player D as the lone survivor - his or her score must be used on the fourth hole. On Hole 5, the rotation starts over, with all four team members eligible to have their score counted.
A variation of Eliminator is that all players who tie for low score are eliminated for the next hole. For example, two members of the team score 5s, while two score 6s. On the next hole, the two who tied for low score can't provide the low score again; the other two players must provide the team score. But all players are eligible again the next hole. If the low score comes via a birdie, however, or all four players tie, then all four players remain eligible on the following hole.
Also Known As: In the Bucket
Common Misspellings: Eliminater
And you'd be right. A "Five of Clubs" tournament is one in which each golfer has to choose only give of his or her clubs to use during the tournament. In most cases, the putter counts as one of those five.
A scramble works this way: Each player on the team (usually groups of four, but groups of three work also) tees off. The best of the four shots is selected, all players move their balls to that spot and play their second shots. The best of the second shots is selected, all players move their balls to that spot and play their third shots; and so on until the ball is holed.
In a Florida Scramble, the twist is that the player whose shot is selected doesn't get to play the next shot. So in a Florida Scramble with teams of four, all four players tee off, the best shot is selected, then only three players hit their second shots. The best of the second shots is selected - and the player who hit it sits out the third shots; and so on until the ball is holed.
A Florida Scramble can help spread the "best shots" around among teammates, but it does mean that one player has to sit out every shot.
Also Known As: Dropout Scramble, Step Aside
All four players play their own ball throughout; at the end of each hole, the low score between the two partners on each team is that team's score. For example, Players A and B form one team. On the first hole, A scores a 5, B scores a 6, so the team score is 5.
Four Ball can be played as stroke play or match play and is one of the formats used at the Ryder Cup.
Handicap allowances for various Four Ball competitions can be found in the USGA Handicap Manual, Section 9-4 (www.usga.com).
Tournaments called 2-Person Best Ball are similar but not exactly the same. A Four Ball is team vs. team; a Best Ball tournament might be team vs. team or team vs. field.
On the first hole (cha), the one low ball counts as the team score. On the second hole (cha cha), the two low balls count as the team score. On the third hole (cha cha cha), the three low balls count as the team score. The rotation starts over on the fourth hole.
For a similar format, see Irish Four Ball.
Alternate Spellings: 4-Man Cha Cha Cha
In regular foursomes, the 2-person team would play alternate shot for the full hole, i.e., only one tee ball would be hit.
Greensomes is essentially a 2-person scramble off the tee, then alternate-shot into the hole.
Also Known As: Canadian Foursomes
In Gruesomes, both members of the team tee off - and then the opposing team selects which drive they have to play. Needless to say, the opposing team is likely to select the worst - or most gruesome - of the two drives.
Following selection of the tee ball, the teams play out the hole in alternate shot fashion. The player who hit the "gruesome" tee ball also plays the second shot.
Also Known As: Yellowsomes
In Hate 'Em, which can be a tournament format or just a betting game among friends, you get choose three of those holes and, before the round starts, write down a par on each.
A stipulation that usually (but not always) applies is that the three holes must be comprised of one par 3, one par 4 and one par 5.
Hate 'Em is usually played with full handicaps. At the end of the round, add up the strokes (including the three pars on your Hate 'Em holes), deduct your handicap strokes, and the low player (or group) wins.
There are many variations to an Irish Four Ball (sometimes called Irish Stableford). Many Irish Four Balls use the two low balls per hole throughout the tournament. A more popular variation calls for the number of scores per hole to vary throughout the round in this fashion:
Holes 1-6: One low ball
Holes 7-11: Two low balls
Holes 12-15: Three low balls
Holes 16-18: All four scores
(Some using the above format eliminate the one-low ball option, and play six holes each using two low balls, three and four.)
Another variation determines scores based on the type of hole being played:
Par 3 Holes: Two low balls
Par 4 Holes: Three low balls
Par 5 Holes: All four scores
Another common Irish Four Ball variation is to stipulate that teams consist of two men and two women.
So there are many variations, but the basics are that teams consist of four, a Stableford system is used, and a pretermined number of low scores per hole make up the team score.
Also Known As: Irish Stableford
Alternate Spellings: Irish 4-Ball, Irish Fourball
Before play begins, assign a number from one to four to each member of your 4-person team. At each tee, all four members tee off, then the 6-sided die is thrown or rolled. Check the number that comes up on the die. If it is a 1, 2, 3 or 4, then the drive of the team member whose number matches must be used on that hole. (Example: On the first hole, all four team members hit drives. Then the number 3 is rolled. The drive hit by the team member who is designated No. 3 is the drive that must be played on this hole.)
If the die comes up 5 or 6, then the team can choose the best drive among the four.
Whether the die chooses your drive for you (rolling 1 through 4), or allows the team to choose the next drive (rolling 5 or 6), the hole is then played out as a normal scramble.
There is a lot of luck involved in a Las Vegas Scramble. The key point to remember is that the die is rolled only after each player has hit his drive.
In regular Pinehurst, the team members would switch balls after the drives, each play a second shot, and only then begin alternate shot.
The difference is: you get to choose your three holes AFTER you golf instead of before. The three holes must be a par 3, a par 4 and a par 5.
The difference is this: In Alternate Shot, the players alternate hitting tee shots. In Odds and Evens, one player hits the tee shot on even holes, the other hits the tee shots on odd holes.
But wait, you say, isn't that the same thing? Almost. In traditional alternate shot, the players on a team get to choose who tees off on No. 1, and alternate from there. In Odds and Evens, the player who tees off on No. 1 is chosen by some random method.
It's a very, very small difference that really just takes one decision out of the hands of the players.
When "Par Is Your Partner" is in place, you pick up your ball and move on when you can no longer beat a score of net par on the hole you're playing (net par is the maximum score, so that's what you write on the scorecard if you pick up).
Par Is Your Partner can be used in conjuction with just about any format but is especially popular in scrambles. A tournament using Par Is Your Partner can be scored at stroke play using handicaps, or sometimes a point system is employed.
When the point system is used, Par Is Your Partner works this way: a net birdie is worth 1 point, a net eagle 2 points, a net double eagle 3 points. Since net par is the maximum score, pars are worth 0 points. In this case, total points rather than strokes is what determines the winner.
Example: After A wins the first hole, B removes A's pitching wedge from play. For the rest of the round, A cannot use that pitching wedge.
Any club can be chosen, but most players give immunity to the putter (otherwise it would be the first club to go, and putting is hard enough without having to do it without a putter).
The strategy - well, aside from the strategy of not losing holes - is to first remove from your opponent's bag the clubs which he's most comfortable and best with.
When playing Pick Up Sticks, make sure you carry the maximum allowed 14 clubs at the start of the round.
This can be a good game for learning creative shots and practicing draws, fades, punch shots and the like. Because by the turn - unless you're winning every hole - you'll be playing shots for which you may no longer have the appropriate club.
Also Known As: Bag Raid
In the Pinehurst System, both players tee off, then they switch balls. Player A plays Player B's drive, and vice-versa. Each player hits the second shot. They then select the best of the second shots, and from that point until the ball is holed they play only one ball in an alternate shot format. Got it?
Switch balls after the drive, select the one best ball after the second shot, play alternate shot until the ball is holed. The player whose second ball was not chosen gets to play the third shot (so teams might sometimes choose the best ball after two shots based on who will get to hit the third).
Pinehurst (or Chapman, or American Foursomes, or whatever you want to call it) can be played as stroke play or match play.
If playing your team against my team with all four players of equal abilities, play it at scratch. But it's a great game for twosomes of varying abilities, or husbands and wives.
Handicap allowances for Pinehurst competitions can be found in the USGA Handicap Manual, Section 9-4 (www.usga.com).
Also Known As: Chapman System, American Foursomes
All golfers tee off from the white (middle) tees on their first hole. After that, the tee used depends on the golfer's score on the previous hole. Golfers who make a birdie tee off from the blues (back tees) on the next hole; golfers who make par, from the whites (middle tees); golfers who score bogey or higher, from the reds (forward tees).
A Red, White and Blue tournament can be played with or without handicaps, although if it is played without - and the tournament field has a mix of skill levels - many players will spend most of their day teeing off from the reds.
As you might guess, a reverse scramble is, well, the reverse of that: the worst of the tee balls is chosen, and that's where the second shot is played. The worst of the second shots is chosen, and the third stroke is played from that location; and so on, until the ball is holed.
We strongly recommend against using reverse scramble as the format for a tournament. This game requires many more strokes to complete a round, and takes a lot of time to play for groups of golfers.
Instead, treat reverse scramble as a practice game. Play it when you're on the course alone, hitting two balls off each tee. Or play it against one friend in a twosome, with each of you hitting two balls on each hole.
Because of the added time a reverse scramble adds to a round, it's recommended that you play it only when your course is uncrowded and golfers behind won't have to wait on you.
Reverse scramble is a good practice game because choosing the worst of two balls will allow you to hit many more shots of different varieties, shots you probably don't otherwise practice very often.
However, Scotch Foursomes can have a twist, not found in Foursomes, relating to the tee ball. In Foursomes, players on a team alternate hitting the tee ball so that each player hits nine tee shots.
However, if a tournament is advertised as "Scotch Foursomes" rather than just "Foursomes," that might mean that the alternate shot carries over from hole-to-hole. If Player A made the last putt on the preceding hole, then Player B tees off on the next hole.
So while Scotch Foursomes is often just another term for regular Foursomes, it can mean something slightly different and it's a good idea to clarify the rules before teeing off.
Also Known As: Foursomes, alternate shot, Scotch doubles
In a scramble, each player tees off on each hole. The best of the tee shots is selected and all players play their second shots from that spot. The best of the second shots is determined, then all play their third shots from that spot, and so on until the ball is holed.
When played as a foursome, teams are usually constructed with an A player, B player, C player and D player, with those players designated based on handicaps. The A player would the low-handicapper, the D player the high-handicapper.
A scramble might require A and B players to tee off from the back tees and C and D players from the middle tees; or A's from the back, B's and C's from the middle and D's from the front; or the tournament organizers might specify that all players play from the same set of tees.
For variations on the Scramble, see Texas Scramble and Ambrose Competition.
Also Known As: Ambrose Competition when a group handicap is in use; Texas Scramble when at least four tee balls of each group member must be used. "Fort Lauderdale" is a synonym.
Like in a scramble, all members of a team (usually four) tee off and the best ball of the four tee shots is selected. All players move their balls to the spot of the best ball. From this point, the hole is played out at stroke play, with all members of the team playing their own ball into the hole.
So: select the best shot off the tee, move all balls to that spot, then play individual stroke play until each member of the group has holed out.
Shamble tournaments are also known as "brambles." Shambles should be played with full handicaps to make sure weaker players contribute to the team score. (Scoring, as with scrambles, can be done any number of ways, such as using one low ball per hole as the team score, or using two or three low balls per hole. Shamble scoring is only limited by the tournament director's imagination.)
Also Known As: Bramble
Example: Players A, B, C and D tee off. Player B's drive is chosen as the team drive. Player B has to "step aside" - to sit out - on the next shot.
See Florida scramble
Also Known As: Step Aside Scramble, Florida Scramble, Dropout Scramble
Also Known As: Medal play
For example, Players A and B tee off. Player A now switches to B's ball and vice-versa. Player A continues playing that ball he's switched to until it is holed, as does B.
Switch can be played as stroke play or match play; the total strokes for both players can be used, or just the better ball of the two.
A T and F tournament can be played using just about any scoring format (scramble, best ball, individual stroke, etc.). There are two ways the format is played most commonly:
Scrambles involve 4-person teams playing four balls, but with each shot coming from the same spot (the best of the four drives is chosen and all four team members then hit from that spot, and so on).
The variation in a Texas Scramble is that at least four drives of each member of the team must be used during the course of the round: At least four drives hit by Player A, four by Player B, and so on. In a regular scramble, a great driver might have his tee ball used on every hole. A Texas Scramble eliminates that possibility and allows even the weakest driver on the team to get into the action.
Three Club Monte is a good game to play in order to learn and practice half-shots, knock-downs and so forth.
Alternate Spellings: 3 Club Monte
In Whack and Hack, the four team members each play their own ball for four individual scores. Two of those scores are combined to make up the team score on each hole. The two scores that are used are the low ball and the high ball. So if the four players score 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively, the team score is 11 (4 + 7).
But there's an exception. If the low ball for the team is a birdie or better, then the team gets to use its two low balls on that hole.
Alternate Spellings: Whack 'N' Hack
Each player plays his or her own golf ball throughout the round, and on each hole the high score - or "worst ball" - of the group serves as the team score. Player A gets a 5, B gets a 4, C gets a 6, D gets a 5, then the team score for that hole is 6, because the high score of the group was C's 6.