Games & Rules

Stableford assigns points to each hole based on how many strokes you take relative to par, after handicap strokes are applied. A horrible hole costs you 0 points — not a round-ruining double-bogey that wrecks your stroke total.

• Eagle or better: 4 points
• Birdie: 3 points
• Par: 2 points
• Bogey: 1 point
• Double-bogey or worse: 0 points
• Pick-up (forfeit): 0 points — allowed at any time

• Full handicap allowance (100 %). Strokes distributed by stroke index — the hardest holes get strokes first.
• Highest cumulative points wins.
• Pick-up is allowed: if you can't score better than 0 points on a hole, just pick up and move on.

Your default social round — fast, forgiving, and works perfectly with handicaps.

You get a stroke on hole 7 (SI 11, par 4). You make 5 gross → 4 net → 1 Stableford point. Your opponent makes 4 gross → 3 net → 2 points.

Classic stroke play: total up every gross stroke taken across all 18 holes. Lowest total wins. Net stroke play subtracts the playing handicap from the gross total.

• Gross: count every stroke on every hole.
• Net: gross total minus playing handicap.
• Pick-up is NOT allowed — minimum score of 1 per hole is required.

• No pick-up. A hole left unfinished voids the scorecard in strict play.
• Ties are broken by a count-back (last 9, last 6, last 3, last hole).
• Handicap allowance: 100 % for individual stroke play.

Competitions, club days, or any time you want a single definitive gross or net total.

You shoot 84 gross. Playing handicap 12. Net score: 72 — level par.

Match play is played hole by hole. Win a hole (net lowest score), and you go '1 up'. Lose a hole, you go '1 down'. The match ends when one player leads by more holes than there are holes remaining.

• Win a hole: take the lead (or extend it) by 1.
• Halve a hole: no change in standing.
• Concede a hole: opponent wins it — common to concede short putts.

• Net scores used: lower handicap player gets 0 strokes, opponent gets the difference on the hardest holes.
• A match that ends in a tie after 18 goes to sudden death extra holes.
• With carryover enabled, tied holes roll their value to the next hole — this becomes Skins.

Head-to-head rivalry matches, or the singles rounds of a team event.

After 10 holes you are '2 up'. Your opponent needs to win 3 of the last 8 to take the match.

Each hole is worth one 'skin' (usually a money stake). Win the hole outright and you take the skin. If two or more players tie, the skin carries over and the next hole is worth double — building tension until someone wins it clean.

• Win a hole outright: collect the skin for that hole.
• Tie: skin carries over to the next hole.
• Pick-up: forfeit the hole — you cannot win a skin.

• Gross or net variants. Net skins use the stroke-index handicap difference method.
• Carryover can create big swings late in the round.
• With 4 players, a 3-way tie still carries over; only a clean win collects.

Adding a bit of edge to a social round — every hole has something riding on it.

Holes 1–3 all tie. Hole 4 is worth 4 skins. You birdie it cleanly — you pocket all four.

All In — known as Fuldnyborg in Danish golf circles — is a 4-player team format where Team Skins is the headline game: the two-vs-two team that wins the most skins takes the round. Stableford, Four-Ball, Split Points, and Dots run simultaneously as secondary scoring layers, keeping every hole interesting across multiple dimensions.

• Team Skins (primary): each hole is a skin for the team. Ties carry over — a tied hole adds to the next hole's value.
• Stableford: individual points per hole, per standard rules.
• Four-Ball: best net score from each 2-player team counts per hole.
• Split points: per-hole points distributed by net score rank.
• Dots: bonus points for greenies, sandies, chip-ins, and penalties for 3-putts.

• Team Skins decides the round winner — the team collecting the most skins wins.
• All secondary formats run simultaneously and settle independently.
• Player handicaps apply to each format using its own allowance.
• Exactly 4 players required, split into two teams of 2.
• Common in Danish social golf clubs; ParTracker was originally built for this format.

Your regular Danish Saturday group that wants one round to settle everything — with Team Skins at the top of the table.

Holes 1–3 all tie between the teams. Hole 4 is worth 4 skins. Team A wins hole 4 clean — they pocket all four. Meanwhile, Stableford, Dots, and Split Points keep scoring throughout.

Fourball (also called Best Ball) is a team format for four players split into two pairs. On each hole, both partners play their own ball and the team's score is the lower (better) of the two net scores.

• Both players play their own ball the entire round.
• Best net score from each team on each hole counts.
• Team with the most holes won takes the match (match play scoring).

• Handicap: each player uses their full handicap applied to the stroke index.
• One partner can pick up once the other has secured a score.
• Available with exactly 4 players (two teams of two).

Team match play — popular in club competitions and Ryder Cup-style events.

You make net 4, your partner makes net 5. Opponents both make net 5. Your team wins the hole.

In Foursome, each two-player team plays a single ball in alternate shots. One player tees off, the other plays the second shot, and so on until the hole is completed.

• One score per team per hole — the alternating strokes count as one total.
• Match play scoring: win, halve, or lose each hole.

• Partners alternate on tee shots throughout the round — if one tees on odd holes, the other tees on even holes.
• Combined playing handicap: add partners' handicaps and divide by 2; lower handicap team gets 0 strokes.
• One pick-up ends the hole for the whole team.

The fastest team format — half as many shots, double the communication required.

You tee off on hole 1. Your partner plays shot 2. You play shot 3 (from the bunker). Your partner holes out for a 4.

Greensome is a team format where both players hit a tee shot, then the team picks the better drive and plays alternate shots from there to the hole. It gives each player influence on every hole from the start.

• Both players tee off.
• Team chooses the preferred drive.
• The player whose drive was NOT chosen plays the second shot; partners alternate from there.
• Team score is the strokes taken from tee to hole.

• Combined handicap: typically 60 % of the lower handicap + 40 % of the higher.
• If the better drive is from the rough, you must play it from there.

A kinder team format than Foursome — both players contribute from the first swing.

You drive it 240 down the middle. Your partner's drive is in the rough. Team picks yours. Your partner plays shot 2. You hole out in 4 total.

In a scramble (2–4 players), every player hits a tee shot. The team picks the best shot, then everyone plays their next shot from that spot. Repeat until the hole is done. It creates low scores and high spirits.

• All players hit each shot.
• Best shot selected after each stroke.
• All players play from the chosen spot.
• Team score is the total strokes taken.

• Each player must have their drive selected at least a set number of times (e.g. twice per 18 holes) in some formats.
• Combined handicap: sum the team's handicaps, typically at 10–25 % per player.
• ParTracker applies a fixed percentage based on team size.

Corporate days, charity events, large groups — everyone stays in every hole.

On a par-3, three players miss the green. The fourth is 10 feet away. Everyone chips from 10 feet. One makes it → team makes a birdie.

Irish Rumble is a 4-player team format where every player scores Stableford on each hole, but only the two best scores per hole contribute to the team total. It rewards consistency while protecting against one bad hole.

• Each player scores Stableford per hole.
• Best 2 of 4 Stableford scores count on each hole.
• Team total is the sum of those top-2 scores across 18 holes.

• Full individual handicaps apply — Stableford strokes distributed by stroke index.
• A player may pick up once they can't improve the team's top-2 score.
• Higher team total wins.

4-player groups wanting a team dynamic without pure alternate shot or best-ball.

Hole 12: scores are 3, 2, 1, 0 points. Best two: 3 + 2 = 5 points for the team on that hole.

Split Sixes is a 3-player format. Each hole is worth 6 points, distributed between the players based on their finishing rank. The distribution changes depending on whether there's a clear winner, a tie for first, or a three-way tie.

• Clear winner + clear second + third: 4 – 2 – 0
• Clear winner + two tied for second: 4 – 1 – 1
• Two tied for first + third: 3 – 3 – 0
• Three-way tie: 2 – 2 – 2

• Net scores used (Stableford). Full handicap allowance.
• Points accumulate over 18 holes; highest total wins.
• Common in groups of 3 that need something richer than simple Stableford.

Any three-player round — it keeps all three players invested on every single hole.

Hole 5: you make net par (2 pts), one opponent birdies (3 pts), another bogeys (1 pt). Split: 4–2–0.

Split Twelves is the four-player version of Split Sixes. Each hole is worth 12 points, split among all four players by rank. The exact split depends on ties, following a fixed distribution table.

• Clear 1st–2nd–3rd–4th: 6 – 3 – 2 – 1
• Ties adjust the split proportionally — e.g. two tied for first share the 1st + 2nd allocation.

• Net Stableford scores determine rank on each hole.
• All points are distributed every hole — no hole goes unsplit.
• Highest accumulated points over 18 wins.

4-player groups who want a per-hole points game with more granularity than a simple skin.

Hole 8: two players tie for 1st (share 9 pts → 4.5 each), one gets 3rd (2 pts), one gets 4th (1 pt). ParTracker rounds to whole points using standard tie rules.

Dots are opt-in side events that award or penalize points for specific feats during a round. They run alongside any primary format. Each event is worth an agreed number of dots (often 1 per dot = a small stake).

• Greenie: closest to the pin in regulation on a par-3 — and you hole out in par or better.
• Sandie: par or better from a greenside bunker.
• Polly: par or better after hitting a power line or pole.
• Barkie: par or better after hitting a tree.
• Arnie: par or better on a hole where your ball never touched the fairway.
• Chip-in: hole out from off the green for par or better.
• 3-putt: −1 dot penalty for any 3-putt green.

• Each dot event can be toggled on or off when setting up the round.
• A single hole can earn multiple dot types simultaneously.
• 3-putt penalties deduct from your dot total — a player can finish with negative dots.

Any round that wants to reward spectacular or unfortunate moments beyond the main score.

On hole 6 (par 3) you hit it to 4 feet, then hole the putt. You claim the greenie + chip-in for 2 dots.

Nassau divides the round into three separate contests: front 9, back 9, and overall 18. Each is a standalone match worth an equal stake. You can win one, two, or all three of the legs.

• Front 9 winner: player with more holes won on holes 1–9.
• Back 9 winner: player with more holes won on holes 10–18.
• Overall winner: player with more holes won across all 18.
• Each leg is worth one unit. A clean sweep earns 3 units.

• Optional press: if you go 2 down in any leg, you can 'press' — starting a new side bet within that leg.
• 1-on-1 singles or 2v2 best ball. Handicap difference method applies.
• Ties in a leg result in a push — neither player wins that unit.

Classic 2-player or 4-player wager format — adds structure and multiple win opportunities.

You win the front 9, halve the back 9, and lose the overall. Net result: you win 1 unit.

Wolf is a 4-player game where the role of 'Wolf' (captain) rotates each hole in a fixed order. The Wolf tees off first and watches each opponent hit in turn. After each drive, the Wolf must immediately decide whether to partner with that player — or wait to see the next drive. If the Wolf partners with nobody, they go 'Lone Wolf' for double points.

• Team of 2 (Wolf + chosen partner) beats the other two: Wolf and partner each win 1 point.
• Lone Wolf beats all 3 opponents: Wolf wins 2 points from each (3 × 2 = 6 total).
• Lone Wolf loses: each of the 3 opponents wins 2 points from the Wolf.

• Wolf rotation is fixed: players take turns 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 across 18 holes.
• The Wolf MUST decide to partner before the next player tees off — no going back.
• Handicap strokes applied: net score of each player counts per the stroke index.
• Lone Wolf can only be declared before any opponent tees off.

4-player groups who want a game with real stakes and strategy on every tee box.

You are Wolf on hole 7. Player 2 hits it stiff. You call them as partner. You both make net birdies. You collect 1 point each from players 3 and 4.

Bingo Bango Bongo awards three distinct points on every hole, so even a slow player or high-handicapper has a chance to collect. Points are available regardless of who is winning the hole overall.

• Bingo: first player to get their ball onto the green.
• Bango: closest to the hole once all players are on the green.
• Bongo: first player to hole out.

• Play is conducted strictly in order of farthest from hole (rules of golf order) — no gimmes for Bingo or Bango.
• Bingo is about getting on the green first from any lie — even a bump-and-run counts.
• Bango is judged after everyone is on the putting surface.
• Each point can be worth an agreed stake.
• Handicap strokes can optionally apply to each point, making it net.

Mixed-ability groups — the format spreads points around more evenly than straight scoring.

You are 240 yards out but lay up to the front edge. Nobody else is on yet — you claim Bingo. One opponent drains a 30-foot putt first — they claim Bongo.