How to play

How to play match play golf

In match play you play hole by hole against an opponent, or a pair against a pair. Each hole is won, lost or halved, and the side that wins more holes wins the match. Total strokes don’t matter, so a bad hole only costs you one hole.

Players
2 (1 v 1) or 4 (2 v 2)
Scoring
Holes won
Best for
Head-to-head rivalries

Winning holes

  • The lowest net score on a hole wins it.
  • The same net score halves (ties) the hole.
  • The score is how many holes one side is ahead: “2 UP”, or “all square” when level.

When the match ends

The match is over as soon as one side is further ahead than there are holes left. Three up with two to play is a win “3 & 2”. A side that’s as many holes up as there are holes left is “dormie”: they can’t lose. Level after 18 and the match is halved (or play extra holes if you like).

Handicap strokes: off the low

The lowest handicap plays off scratch and everyone else gets the difference. If Sam is 14 and Alex is 6, Sam gets 8 strokes, one on each of stroke index 1 to 8, and Alex gets none.

Plus handicaps count below scratch: if Sam is +2 and Alex is 10, Alex gets 12 strokes.

Men and women on different cards? If the women’s card has a higher par (say 74 against 72), each woman gets the difference as extra strokes, as the World Handicap System says. LiveBirdies does this for you once both cards’ pars are filled in.

An example

Hole 1 is a par 4, stroke index 7. Sam takes 5 but gets a stroke, so his net 4 halves the hole with Alex’s 4. Hole 2 is a par 5, stroke index 1. They both take 6, but Sam’s stroke makes it a net 5 and he wins the hole: Sam 1 UP.

2 v 2: best ball

With four players it’s two pairs (also called four-ball). Everyone plays their own ball and the better net score in each pair counts on every hole. Strokes are given off the lowest handicap of all four.

Conceding and picking up

You can concede a putt or a whole hole at any time. Picking up loses you the hole, unless your partner’s score is still counting for your side.

In LiveBirdies, concede a hole by tapping Pick up: the hole goes to the other side straight away, and they don’t need to enter a score. If both sides pick up, it’s halved. A conceded putt is just part of your score: enter the total as normal.

In pairs, a hole is settled as soon as the missing score can’t change it. If your 3 beats both their scores, you’ve won it, whatever your partner was going to make.

Scoring match play with LiveBirdies

Enter scores as you go. LiveBirdies gives the strokes off the low, decides every hole and shows the match live, like “Sam 2 UP with 5 to play”.