Guides

Golf tournament formats & side games: the complete guide (2026)

Whether you're planning a charity scramble, a member-guest, or a Saturday money game, the format decides how the day feels. This guide covers every common tournament format and side game — what it is, how scoring works, and when to pick it — with a full rules article for each.

Scramble

The workhorse of charity and corporate golf. Everyone on the team tees off, the team picks the best shot, and all four play their next shot from that spot — repeat until the ball is holed. One team score per hole, fast pace, and no golfer ever feels like they ruined the day. If your field has beginners in it, this is your format.

Full guide: Golf scramble rules: the complete guide

Best ball

Every player plays their own ball the whole hole, and the team records the lowest individual score. More golf than a scramble — everyone putts everything out — while still hiding a blow-up hole behind a partner's par. Common for two-person events and league play.

Full guide: Best ball vs scramble: what's the difference?

Four-ball

The USGA's formal name for two-person best ball, played as a match: two teams of two, each golfer plays their own ball, and the better score on each side counts. It's the format you see in the Ryder Cup — and the term organizers mix up with best ball most often.

Full guide: What is four-ball in golf?

Alternate shot (foursomes)

Two partners play one ball, taking turns — one drives the odd holes, the other the even, and they alternate strokes until it's holed. The hardest team format to play well and the fastest to finish, which is why it shows up at member-guests as a change of pace. The Chapman system below is its friendlier cousin.

Full guide: Chapman system (Pinehurst) explained

Stableford

Instead of counting strokes, you earn points per hole — more for birdies and eagles, zero for a blow-up — and the highest point total wins. One bad hole costs you two points instead of a quintuple bogey, so casual players stay in it to the 18th. Big in member play and season-long leagues.

Full guide: Stableford scoring explained

Match play

You win, lose, or halve each hole; the player (or team) who wins more holes wins the match. Score relative to your opponent is all that matters — a 9 on one hole loses that hole and nothing more. The format behind brackets, club championships knockouts, and the Ryder Cup.

Full guide: Match play vs stroke play

Stroke play

Count every stroke on every hole; lowest total wins. The purest test in golf and the default for club championships and qualifying — but unforgiving for high handicappers unless you play it net. Most one-day outings pair it with handicaps and flights.

Full guide: Match play vs stroke play

Quota (point quota)

Every player gets a personal point target based on their handicap (commonly 36 minus handicap), earns Stableford-style points during the round, and the winner is whoever beats their quota by the most. Self-leveling and beloved in member games because a 22-handicap and a 3 compete straight up.

Full guide: Quota golf explained

Chapman (Pinehurst)

The couples-tournament classic: both partners tee off, they swap balls for the second shot, pick the better ball, and alternate shots from there. More forgiving than pure alternate shot but still a real partnership format.

Full guide: Chapman system (Pinehurst) explained

Skins

The most popular side game in golf. Every hole is worth a skin; the outright lowest score on the hole wins it, and ties carry the skin over to the next hole — which is how a $2 game produces a $16 hole on the back nine. Runs happily on top of any main format.

Full guide: What is a skins game in golf? Rules, carryovers, and examples

Nassau

Three bets in one: the front nine, the back nine, and the overall 18, each worth a set amount. Losing the front doesn't end your day — you can still win the back and the total — and pressing adds new bets when a side gets out of reach. The standard Saturday-morning wager.

Full guide: Nassau golf bet explained: front, back, overall, and presses

Wolf

A rotating-captain game for four players. The Wolf tees off last on their hole, watches the other drives, and either picks a partner or goes Lone Wolf against the other three for double (or more) the points. Equal parts golf and negotiation.

Full guide: Wolf golf game rules: how to play, Lone Wolf, and strategy

Vegas

A two-versus-two game where each team's scores are paired into a number — a 4 and a 5 make 45 — and the difference between team numbers changes hands in points. Birdies flip the other team's digits (a 45 becomes 54), so swings get big fast. Not for the faint of wallet.

Full guide: Vegas golf game rules: how the numbers work

Bingo Bango Bongo

Three points on every hole: first ball on the green (bingo), closest to the pin once everyone's on (bango), and first ball holed (bongo). Because the points reward order of play rather than raw score, a 20-handicap can beat a scratch player. Ideal for casual outings.

Full guide: Bingo Bango Bongo rules: golf's great equalizer

Calcutta

An auction, not a format: before play, teams are sold to the highest bidder and the pool pays out to whoever owns the winning teams. A member-guest tradition that can dwarf the entry fee — and one with real legal footnotes worth reading first.

Full guide: Calcutta golf auction explained: how it works and how it pays out

How to choose

Match the format to the field, not the other way around. Mixed abilities and a party atmosphere: scramble, with mulligan sales if it's a fundraiser. Real golfers who want their own ball: best ball or Stableford, played net. A competitive bracket: match play. And almost any of them improves with a skins pot on the side.

Two supporting decisions matter as much as the format: how you apply handicaps (gross vs net, and what percentage allowance the format calls for) and whether you flight the field so mid-handicappers compete against their peers. Get those right and every group has something to play for on the 17th tee.

• Charity or corporate outing → four-person scramble, net or flighted, plus skins and closest-to-pin
• Member-guest → four-ball or Chapman with a match-play bracket, Calcutta optional
• Club event with real golfers → stroke play or Stableford, net with flights
• Saturday foursome → Nassau or Wolf, with skins riding on top

Full guide: Golf tournament handicaps explained

Score any of these live

ScrambleBoard runs scramble, best ball, stroke play, and Stableford events with gross or net scoring, flights, and skins built in — players scan a QR code and score on their phones, and the leaderboard updates live on every phone and the clubhouse TV. No app to install, no accounts, about five minutes of setup.

Full guide: How to run a golf scramble (a simple checklist)

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular golf tournament format?

The four-person scramble, by a wide margin. It's fast, social, and forgiving of beginners, which is why most charity and corporate events use it. Best ball is the runner-up for events where golfers want to play their own ball.

What's the difference between a format and a side game?

The format (scramble, stroke play, Stableford, match play) decides the main competition and the leaderboard. Side games — skins, Nassau, wolf, closest-to-pin — run on top of the format for separate stakes, and most events run both at once.

Which format is best for beginners?

Scramble for team events (nobody's bad shot ever counts) and Stableford for individual scoring (a blow-up hole costs a couple of points, not ten strokes). Both keep new golfers engaged all day.

Do these formats work with handicaps?

Yes — every format here has a standard net version, usually via a percentage allowance of course handicap (for example, 25/20/15/10% of each player's handicap in a four-person scramble). See our handicaps guide for the allowances by format.