You like playing golf with friends but it's cold!

Do you need motivation?

We share with you game formulas to add a little fun to your games!

Let's start by explaining the most classic game formulas.

THE STROKE PLAY

You count all the strokes played between the start of hole number 1 and the final putt of the 18th. In this impossible to put a cross game format, you must play all the strokes. The winner is the player with the fewest strokes.

THE STABLEFORD

With this formula you take into account what are called "strokes given" . The number of strokes given depends on your handicap and the difficulty of the course.

During an official competition, the club will give you a score card adapted to your index at the start of the game on which you can see your shots made.

Let's take an example:

on a par 4 you have a stroke returned so your par is 4+1 or 5.

You score points based on the number of strokes taken relative to par on each hole.

You must stop playing the ball on a hole as soon as the “net stableford score” = 0 (i.e. beyond PAR + strokes received + 1) and put a cross in the hole box.

For a net calculation, adjust it by each hole according to your index.

• 5 points if he played three shots under par (albatross);
• 4 points if he played two shots under par (eagle);
• 3 points if he played a shot under par (birdie);
• 2 points if he played par;
• 1 point if he played a shot over par (bogey);
• 0 points if he played two or more shots over par (double bogey).

The winner is the player with the most Net points at the end of the course.

THE MATCH PLAY

Match Play is a hole-by-hole duel between players. The player who takes the fewest strokes on a hole wins the hole. He scores 1 point. He is said to be "1 up". The player who lost the hole is "1 down".

In case of a tie on the hole no one scores a point, the players are said to be "square".

We continue to count the points hole by hole.

The game ends as soon as a player wins, that is to say when his number of points ahead no longer allows his opponent to catch up.

After 18 holes if the players are still tied they will have to continue in what is called "sudden death". The first player to score a point wins the match.

Few professional tournaments use this formula but we can cite the Ryder Cup which pits an American team against a European team, the President Cup between an American team and a team from the rest of the world (non-European), the Solheim Cup (equivalent to the Ryder Cup for women) or the World Match-Play Championship.

THE SCRAMBLE

This is an ideal formula for beginners.

This is not an official form of play under the Rules of Golf.

At the start, all players play their ball and then they choose the ball that seems to them to be in the best position.

This location is marked on the side. The order of play is free. All players on a team must then play from this location by placing their balls within one scorecard of the reference location, without approaching the hole, and in as similar a lie as possible (staying in the rough or on the fairway if that were the case).

When all players have played their second shot, players again choose the best ball and so on until the hole is completed.

The winning team is the one that completes the 18 holes in the fewest number of strokes. Shots played from the same chosen area only count as one stroke in the count.

Team playing handicap

• 2-player scramble: total playing handicaps divided by 4
• 3-way scramble: total playing handicaps divided by 7
• 4-player scramble: total playing handicaps divided by 10

SHAMBLE

In this format, each player hits his ball from the tee and the team then chooses the best ball to continue playing in a scramble until the ball is in the hole. However, from this point on, each player plays his own ball until the end of the hole.

TEXAS SHAMBLE

In this format, each player hits his ball from the tee and the team then chooses the best ball to continue playing in a scramble until the ball is in the hole. However, each player must use at least one of his shots on each hole.

THE FOUR BALLS

This game formula is played in teams of two.

Each player plays his own ball to the hole, the best score achieved on that hole is counted.

This game mode can also be played by teams of four players, the two best scores established on the hole will be taken into account.

THE FOURSOME

Each team of 2 players has only one ball that they will play in turns. One player will start the even tee times and the other the odd ones.

Example: Player A tees off at hole number 1, player B plays the second shot, player A plays the third, etc.

It is a game formula that requires good understanding between players.

THE GREENSOME

Close to the Foursome, both players of the team will tee off. The best of the two balls will be chosen to be played alternately throughout the hole.

THE CHAPMAN

Derived from Greensome, both players tee off at the hole. On the second shot, player A will play player B's ball and vice versa. From the third shot onwards, the better of the two balls is chosen to be played alternately by A and B.

THE PATSOME

Patsome is a formula played in doubles. It is a mix of 3 other game formulas:

• The first 6 holes are played in 4 balls,
• The next 6 in Greensome,
• The last 6 in Foursome

THE ECLECTIC

A form of game consisting of playing the course several times, retaining only the best score achieved on each of the eighteen holes.

Competition with a minimum of 2 rounds and a maximum of 4 rounds played consecutively (over several weeks or months see Ringer score).

THE RINGER SCORE

It is an unofficial game formula very similar to Eclectic, but whose bases are either a large number of cards, or a number of cards made in a certain calendar period.

Often played in winter on 9 or 10 cards, to encourage player training during this season.

As the games progress, each player keeps the best score obtained on each hole.

The best possible map is gradually built up until the end of the event.

THE SKINS

In this formula, each hole has a cash value (called a "skin"). The player with the lowest score on a hole wins the "skin". If multiple players have the same low score on a hole, the skin is carried over to the next hole. The player with the most skins at the end of 18 holes wins.

THE STRING RACE

Before the start, each player receives a ball of string corresponding to their index finger (50cm per point or 10m for an index finger of 20) which they can use at any time during the 18 holes.

The string will allow him to move the ball without playing.

Useful for sinking a putt that is too short or getting out of a bunker!

THE FLAG RACE

Each player has a personalized flag, which will be planted where his ball will be when he has used up all his shots.

The total strokes are calculated for each player by adding his playing handicap to the SSS

(Example: player whose playing handicap is 24, SSS: 71 -> the player has a credit of 95 strokes).

The player who has planted his flag the furthest will be declared the winner.

THE TAKE OFF

In Match Play, the winner of the hole played removes the club of his choice from his opponent's bag. If his opponent wins the second hole, he may either recover his club or remove one from his opponent's bag.

FRIENDLY FORMULA WITH REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF CLUB

Series consisting of Driver, Hybrid, 5 iron, 7 iron, 9 iron, Wedge, Putter

To get players to play more tactically and imagine other moves that could be useful to them in particular situations.

This is a good training exercise.

“PRISONER” CLUBS

After each hole, the winner (or team) - if there is one - removes a club from his/her opponent(s) bag. This club can therefore no longer be played by the player (or team) until the end of the game. The latter ends according to the usual principle of match play.

3 LESS

Each player plays his ball and records his score on each hole.

At the end of the game, each player removes their 3 worst holes, so the winner is decided on the total score of the remaining 15 holes.

BINGO-BANGO-BONGO

On each hole, there are 3 points at stake.

• 1 point (Bingo) for the first player to put his ball on the green.
• 1 point (Bango) for the player who has his ball closest to the flag when all the balls are on the green.
• 1 point (Bongo) for the player who is the first to hole out his ball.

NO ERROR

At the start of the game, players determine the number of points associated with a “mistake.”

For example,

• ball in a bunker (1 point),
• ball in water (2),
• ball out of bounds (3),
• green not touched in regulation(1),
• three putts (1),
• four putts (4)…

The winner is the one with the lowest total points after 18 holes.

BISQUE

Each player uses the total number of strokes given (according to his index) on the holes he wishes.

For example, a player who has 15 strokes returned in total (therefore 1 stroke on the 15 most difficult holes) can decide to distribute these 15 strokes differently by using, for example, 2 strokes on the 5 handicap holes 1 to 5 and his 5 "remaining" strokes on other holes.

2 criteria to respect:

• make the announcement of changes to strokes returned before playing the hole
• and you cannot use more than 2 strokes returned on the same hole.
• The winner is the one with the best result in Stableford with the new distribution of strokes given.

5-3-1

9 points are at stake on each hole.

• 5 for the best score,
• 3 for the 2nd and
• 1 point for 3rd.

In the event of a tie at 2 on a hole, each player wins.

• (5+3)/2 = 4 points for 1st place or
• (3+1)/2 = 2 points for a tie for 2nd place.
• A 3-way tie gives 3 points to each player.

3 IN 1

Played by teams of 2, Stroke-Play or Match Play

Teams are formed by balancing indexes.

Holes 1 to 6 are played in “4 Ball, Best Ball”),

Holes 7 to 12 are played in “Foursome”

and 13 to 18 are played in Scramble

HOLLYWOOD

The teams are changed every 6 holes.

Each player will play with the other 3 and score the points (or the score) achieved during their 3 duos according to the formula chosen at the start.

YELLOW-WHITE-RED

Initially, all players start from the “yellow” tees.

Then, and for each following hole, 3 scenarios:

If birdie (or better) its author will play the next hole from the "white" tees. If bogey (or worse): the next tee is from the "red" tees.

If Par, the start is from the “yellow” tees.

Another variation

The holes are divided into three groups according to their color (red, white and blue). Players play the first nine holes from the red tees, the second nine from the white tees, and the last nine from the blue tees. The goal is to achieve the best possible score on each group of nine holes.

WOLF

In this format, players play in teams and designate one player as the "Wolf" for each hole. The Wolf tees off first and must choose whether he wants to play alone against the other players or team up with one of the other players.

If the Wolf chooses to play alone, he must beat the other players to win the hole.

If the Wolf chooses to team up with one of the other players, they share the hole points.

The player with the most points at the end of the 18 holes is the winner. For the same game format, it is possible to encounter different names.

It's up to you to choose and HAVE FUN!!