Match play is one of the classic ways to compete in golf. Instead of adding up total strokes for the entire round, players compete hole by hole. The goal is to win more holes than your opponent.
This makes match play exciting because one bad hole only costs you that hole, not the entire round.
This is a simulation, not a live round. Tap the green Start Simulation button to learn the game and watch this made up match unfold one hole at a time. Just like in our app, you'll see a summary of the drama below the holes and a leaderboard.
The scores above are invented, but the scoring is not: this is the same card and the same live leaderboard your group sees on Big Fairways while you play.
Play MATCH PLAY Now! Big Fairways calls dormie and closes the match out properlyIn match play, each hole is a separate contest. The player or team with the lowest score on a hole wins that hole. If both sides make the same score, the hole is tied, or "halved."
The match score is tracked using terms like:
Before the round, decide whether the match is individual or team-based and whether handicaps are used.
On each hole:
If Player A is 3 up with 2 holes left, Player B cannot catch up. The match is over, and Player A wins 3 and 2.
That means Player A was 3 holes ahead with 2 holes remaining.
Another example:
In stroke play, every shot counts toward your total score. A triple bogey can badly hurt your round.
In match play, the worst you can do on a hole is lose that hole. Whether you lose by one stroke or five strokes, it only counts as one lost hole.
That makes match play more strategic. Players may take more risks, concede putts, or play aggressively depending on the match situation.
The lowest score wins the hole.
Tied holes are halved.
The match score is based on holes won, not total strokes.
Players may concede short putts.
Players may concede a hole.
Players may concede the entire match.
Handicaps can be used to create net match play.
If you are new to match play, use this simple version:
Match play is a great golf format because it is simple, competitive, and forgiving. You do not have to play perfect golf for 18 holes. You just need to beat your opponent one hole at a time.
If you want a format that creates strategy, pressure, and momentum swings, match play is one of the best ways to play golf.
Keep score automatically and settle up in the app Holes won, dormie, and a clean 4&3 finish, tracked for youEach hole is its own contest. The lower score wins the hole and you go 1 up, level scores halve the hole, and total strokes never enter into it. A quadruple bogey costs you one hole and nothing more, which is why match play rewards taking on risky shots.
Dormie is when one side is up by exactly as many holes as are left to play, so the player behind can no longer win and can only halve the match by winning every remaining hole. Big Fairways calls it on the card the moment it happens.
It means the winner was four holes up with three left to play, so the match finished on the fifteenth green and the last three holes were never played. The first number is the lead, the second is how many holes remained.
The usual method is to give strokes off the low man: the difference in playing handicaps, allocated on the holes with the lowest stroke index. Some groups play full handicap instead. Big Fairways allocates strokes to the correct holes either way.
In a friendly game it is simply a halved match and the bet is a push. In a knockout, the match goes to extra holes and the first hole won ends it.