Most golfers learn one way to play: hit the ball, count your strokes, add them up at the end. That’s stroke play, and it’s what you see on TV every weekend. But it’s far from the only way to play a round.
Golf has dozens of formats, and the one you choose changes the whole feel of the outing. Some are team-based. Others pit you against the course or each other. And a few exist specifically so that the worst player in your group doesn’t spend three hours apologizing.
If you’ve ever shown up to a league night or group event and had no idea what “skins” or “shamble” meant, this is the guide for you.
Stroke play
This is the format most people think of when they think of golf. You play 18 holes, count every stroke, and your total is your score. Lowest score wins. Simple as that.
Stroke play is how professional tournaments are scored, and it’s the format that handicaps are built around. Every shot counts equally, which means one bad hole can wreck an otherwise solid round. That’s what makes it both fair and frustrating.
For groups, stroke play works best when everyone is at a similar skill level. If one player is shooting 80 and another is shooting 120, the round can feel lopsided. That’s usually when people start looking at team formats instead.
Scramble
The scramble is probably the most popular group format in recreational golf, and there’s a good reason for that. Everyone on the team hits a tee shot. The group picks the best one. Everyone moves to that spot and hits again. You keep picking the best shot until the ball’s in the hole.
Nobody’s individual score matters. If you top your drive, no problem. Your teammate’s ball is sitting in the fairway, and the team plays from there. Scores tend to be low because you’re always working from the best position someone hit.
If you’ve ever played in a company outing or charity event, you’ve played a scramble. It’s the go-to for events because it accommodates all skill levels and keeps pace of play manageable.
We have a deeper breakdown of how scrambles work if you want the full picture: What is a scramble in golf?
Best ball
Best ball sounds like it could be the same thing as a scramble, but it’s not. In best ball, every player plays their own ball from tee to green. At the end of the hole, the team takes the lowest individual score as the team score.
The difference is that you’re playing your own round the entire time. There’s no picking up your ball and walking to someone else’s shot. If you triple-bogey a hole and your partner birdies it, the team takes the birdie. But you still had to grind through your own ball to get there.
Best ball works well for twosomes and foursomes where everyone wants to play a full round but still have a team element. It rewards consistency. The player who avoids blowup holes tends to contribute the most, even if they’re not making birdies.
Skins
Skins is where things get interesting. Each hole is worth one “skin.” Lowest score on the hole wins it. If two players tie, nobody wins, and the value carries over to the next hole.
That carry-over is the whole game. Three tied holes in a row and suddenly the fourth hole is worth four skins. You could play steady pars all day and lose to someone who went birdie on one hole at the right time. It rewards going for it, and it creates the kind of moments people talk about in the parking lot afterward.
Most groups play skins with a small wager per skin, but bragging rights work just as well.
Match play
In match play, you’re not counting total strokes. You’re counting holes won. If you shoot a four and your opponent shoots a five, you win that hole. The player who wins more holes wins the match.
The big difference from stroke play: a bad hole doesn’t follow you. Put up a nine on a par four, and you only lose that one hole. Those five extra strokes don’t haunt the rest of your scorecard. You move on.
This format works best for two players or two teams going head-to-head. It’s the format used at the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, and it tends to produce more dramatic swings in momentum than stroke play.
Alternate shot
Alternate shot (also called foursomes) is a team format where two players share a single ball. One player tees off on odd holes, the other tees off on even holes, and they alternate shots in between.
Simple concept. Stressful in practice. If your partner leaves you in a greenside bunker, guess who’s hitting the next shot. You’re always playing from wherever your teammate put you, so trust matters more here than in any other format. It can also test a friendship pretty quickly.
Alternate shot isn’t common at casual outings, but if your group wants something different, it moves fast. Only one ball in play per team means the round flies by.
Shamble
A shamble is what you get when you cross a scramble with stroke play. Everyone tees off, the group picks the best drive, and from there each player plays their own ball in. Think of it as a scramble off the tee, then best ball for the rest of the hole.
It takes the pressure off the tee shot, which is where most casual players struggle the most. You’ll see shambles a lot in league play and mid-level tournaments for exactly that reason.
Stableford
Stableford flips the scoring. Instead of counting total strokes, you earn points based on your score relative to par. A bogey is worth one point, a par is two, a birdie is three, and an eagle is four. The highest point total wins.
The advantage: a disaster hole doesn’t ruin your round. Double-bogey or worse? Pick up your ball, take zero points for that hole, and move on. Your triple on the seventh doesn’t erase the birdie you made on the fifth.
It’s a great format for groups with mixed skill levels because higher-handicap players can still rack up points with steady bogey golf. If you’re working on breaking 100, Stableford is a forgiving way to keep score while you improve.
Picking the right format for your group
It depends on your group.
Beginners and mixed-skill outings? Scramble. Nobody feels singled out, and the pace stays quick. Competitive foursome where everyone carries a handicap? Best ball or match play. Want something low-key with a little gambling energy? Skins.
At X-Golf Frisco, you can play several of these formats on the simulator across 100+ courses. The game modes built into the system include scramble, stroke play, skins, and nearest to pin, so your group can switch formats between rounds without any setup.
If you’re not sure what to play, come in and try a few. That’s the advantage of the simulator. You can run through a quick scramble round, then switch to skins for the second round, and figure out what your group likes best.
Book a tee time at X-Golf Frisco or call us at (214) 308-9011 to set up your next group outing.
