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Team Match Play Golf Rules
Two teams battle hole by hole.
Also known as Four-Ball, Foursomes, Scramble.
- Players
- 4 players
- Complexity
- Easy
- Explaining it
- Everybody already knows this one
The Ryder Cup format, with the scoring nobody at your club can ever quite agree on.
How it works
Team Match, explained
Two teams of two, hole by hole. Win a hole and your team goes one up. The size of the win does not matter — a 4 beating a 9 is worth exactly the same as a 4 beating a 5.
The format
- Four-Ball is the common one: everyone plays their own ball and the better score of each pair counts.
- Foursomes is alternate shot — one ball per team, hit in turn. Fast, and a real test of a partnership.
- Scramble: both partners hit, the team plays the better shot, one score per team. Friendly to higher handicaps.
- Whichever you choose, each hole is its own contest and the lowest team score wins it.
Reading the match
- Level is ALL SQUARE, shown as AS.
- One hole ahead is 1 UP. Two ahead is 2 UP, and so on.
- Ahead by exactly as many holes as are left is DORMIE — from there the leading team cannot lose.
- The match ends the moment one team is up by more holes than remain. Nobody plays the last two holes of a match that is already over.
How results are written
- 3 & 2 means three holes up with two to play — the match finished on the 16th.
- 4 & 3 means four up with three to play, finished on the 15th.
- 1 up means it went all the way to the 18th and was won by a single hole.
- Level after 18 is a halved match by default. Switch to sudden death and you play on until a hole is won.
Concessions
- A hole can be conceded when it is clearly gone — no need to hole out for a nine.
- A whole match can be conceded too. That is normal golf etiquette, not giving up.
- The app records a concession as a hole won, so the notation stays correct.
Worked example
Hole 8 · Four-Ball
Bitzi takes six, which does not matter at all. Phil’s four is the team’s score.
| Phil | 4 |
|---|---|
| Bitzi | 6 |
| Team Green counts | 4 |
| Thierry | 5 |
| Nico | 5 |
| Team Sand counts | 5 |
Result
Team Green win the hole · 1 UP
See it
How the match is written.
AS, 1 UP, dormie, 4 & 3 — the notation every match-play result is written in.
- ASAll square. The match is level.
- 1 UPOne hole ahead.
- DORMIEUp by exactly the holes remaining. Cannot lose from here.
- 4 & 3Four up with three to play. Finished on the 15th.
Adjustable rules
Set it up the way your group plays.
Nobody plays Team Match exactly the same way. Rather than pick a winner, the app makes every one of these a setting you change before the round — and saves it as a preset for next time.
Format
DefaultFour-Ball, Foursomes or Scramble.
Teams
DefaultSame all round, or rotate every six holes so everyone partners everyone.
A halved hole
DefaultHalved as standard, or carried so the next hole is worth two.
Concessions
DefaultAllow a hole or the whole match to be given to the other side.
Level after 18
DefaultA halved match, or sudden death until a hole is won.
Points for the win
DefaultWhat each player on the winning team gets.
Points per hole won
Optional. Some groups also pay for each hole on top of the match.
Handicaps
Shots given on the hardest holes by stroke index, off the low player.
Why use the app
What the app works out while you play Team Match.
None of this is hard. It is just tedious, and it is tedious at exactly the moment you want to be hitting your next shot.
- Compares the two team scores and moves the match on, hole by hole.
- Writes the status in correct notation — AS, 2 UP, dormie — and says who is up.
- Closes the match the instant it is mathematically decided, and writes the result as 4 & 3.
- Rotates the pairings every six holes when rotation is on.
- Carries halved holes forward when that rule is switched on.
- Runs sudden-death extra holes and keeps the numbering right.
Vocabulary
Team Match words worth knowing
The words that get used on the tee as though everyone already knows them.
- AS
- All square. The match is level.
- Dormie
- Up by exactly the number of holes left.
- 4 & 3
- Four up with three to play. The match is over.
- Halved
- A tied hole, or a tied match.
- Concede
- Giving a hole, a putt or the match to the opposition.
- Four-Ball
- Both partners play their own ball; the better score counts.
FAQ
Team Match questions
What is team match play in golf?
Two teams of two playing hole by hole rather than counting total strokes. Win a hole and you go one up. How much you win it by makes no difference.
What is the difference between four-ball and foursomes?
In four-ball everyone plays their own ball and the better score of each pair counts. In foursomes the pair shares one ball and alternates shots. The app supports both, plus scramble.
What does 4 & 3 mean?
Four holes up with three to play. The trailing team cannot catch up, so the match ends on the 15th green. The app writes results this way automatically.
What does dormie mean?
A team is dormie when it is ahead by exactly the number of holes remaining. From there it cannot lose the match — the worst outcome is a half.
Can we play 2v2 match play with handicaps?
Yes. Turn handicaps on and shots are given on the hardest holes by stroke index, off the lowest handicap in the group. The app shows exactly what each player will receive before anyone tees off.
Play Team Match this weekend.
The app explains it to whoever needs it and keeps the score for everybody.