Match play
Two players go head to head hole by hole, and whoever wins more holes wins the match.
How it works
Two players play hole by hole. The lower net score wins the hole; equal scores halve it.
The match ends as soon as one player is more holes up than there are holes left.
Three and two means three up with two to play. Level after the last hole, the match is halved.
Good to know
- Picking up, arriving late or withdrawing: picking up loses the hole, and a late player loses the holes missed. A player who withdraws loses the match from that hole.
A worked round
Net match play. The lower handicap plays off zero and the other gets the difference, with no extra holes. Kasper M. plays Jordan B., who gets two strokes.
The momentKasper was three up with three to play. Jordan needed to win 16 and only halved it, so the match ended 3 and 2.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Kasper | not played | not played | ||||||||||||||||
| Jordan | not played | not played | ||||||||||||||||
| Match | all square | Kasper 1 up | Kasper 1 up | all square | Kasper 1 up | Kasper 1 up | Kasper 1 up | Kasper 1 up | Kasper 2 up | Kasper 2 up | Kasper 3 up | Kasper 2 up | Kasper 2 up | Kasper 3 up | Kasper 3 up | Kasper 3 up | not played | not played |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Kasper | |||||||||
| Jordan | |||||||||
| Match | all square | Kasper 1 up | Kasper 1 up | all square | Kasper 1 up | Kasper 1 up | Kasper 1 up | Kasper 1 up | Kasper 2 up |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Kasper | not played | not played | |||||||
| Jordan | not played | not played | |||||||
| Match | Kasper 2 up | Kasper 3 up | Kasper 2 up | Kasper 2 up | Kasper 3 up | Kasper 3 up | Kasper 3 up | not played | not played |
| Hole | Par | Kasper | Jordan | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | all square | ||
| 2 | 4 | Kasper 1 up | ||
| 3 | 3 | Kasper 1 up | ||
| 4 | 5 | all square | ||
| 5 | 4 | Kasper 1 up | ||
| 6 | 3 | Kasper 1 up | ||
| 7 | 4 | Kasper 1 up | ||
| 8 | 5 | Kasper 1 up | ||
| 9 | 4 | Kasper 2 up | ||
| 10 | 4 | Kasper 2 up | ||
| 11 | 4 | Kasper 3 up | ||
| 12 | 3 | Kasper 2 up | ||
| 13 | 5 | Kasper 2 up | ||
| 14 | 4 | Kasper 3 up | ||
| 15 | 4 | Kasper 3 up | ||
| 16 | 3 | Kasper 3 up | ||
| 17 | 4 | not played | not played | not played |
| 18 | 5 | not played | not played | not played |
Net scores, each player's handicap strokes already off. A circle marks a birdie and a square a bogey. A dot marks the hole's winner. The Match row is where the match stands after each hole: AS is all square, KM3 is Kasper three up. 17 and 18 were not played.
Handicaps
Players get 100% of their handicap. The lowest plays off zero and the others take the difference. The host can change the percentage when setting up.
Why that number? Each format has its own usual handicap allowance, set so a 20 and a 5 both have a fair shot.
House variations
Other ways to play it.
- Extra holes until there is a winner: turn on Extra holes if all square under More options on the Game step, and the host adds each extra hole from the scoring screen.
- Nassau: three matches in one round, the front nine, the back nine and all 18. It's a match play game with its own page.