You don't count total strokes — you win holes. One blowup hole costs you nothing more than that single hole.
In match play you compete hole-by-hole. Win a hole by taking fewer strokes than your opponent and you go "1 up." Lose a hole and you go "1 down." Tie a hole (halve it) and the standing doesn't change.
The score is reported as X up or X down — for example "3 up through 10" means you have won 3 more holes than your opponent and 10 holes have been played. It is NOT a stroke count. If the total is equal after any hole, the match is "all square."
Subtract the lower-handicap player's index from the higher-handicap player's index. The difference is the number of strokes the higher-handicapper receives. These strokes are allocated by each hole's stroke index (1 = hardest, 18 = easiest). On those holes, the receiving player's net score is used.
In match play your opponent can concede your putt or your entire hole at any point. A conceded putt is "in" — you do not have to hole out. This is legal and strategic. In stroke play, conceded putts do not exist.
The match ends when one player leads by more holes than the number of holes left to play. A "2&1" result means one player won 2 up with 1 hole remaining. If tied after 18, sudden death playoffs continue hole-by-hole until someone wins a hole.
| Hole | Player A | Player B | Result | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 5 | A wins | A 1 up |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | Halved | A 1 up |
| 3 | 6 | 4 | B wins | All square |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | A wins | A 1 up |
| 5 | 3 | 4 | A wins | A 2 up |
| 6 | 5 | 5 | Halved | A 2 up |
After 6 holes: A is 2 up with 12 to play. Player B needs to close the gap or be dormie by hole 15.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 up | Leading by 1 hole |
| 1 down | Trailing by 1 hole |
| All square (A/S) | Tied in holes |
| Dormie | Up by same number as holes remaining; cannot lose |
| Halved | Hole (or match) tied |
| 2&1 | Won 2 up with 1 hole left — match over |
| AS (after 18) | All square after regulation — sudden death |
| Concede | Give opponent the hole or putt; they don't play it |
The Ryder Cup (USA vs Europe) is the most-watched team match play event in golf. It features foursomes (alternate shot), four-ball (best ball), and singles match play. The WGC Match Play (now Dell Technologies) runs a round-robin group stage into single-elimination match play among the world's top 64 players. The USGA Amateur and British Amateur both use match play for their knockout stages.
"2 up" means that player has won 2 more holes than their opponent. So if 8 holes have been played and they have won 5 and their opponent has won 3, they are 2 up with 10 to play.
Dormie means a player is as many holes up as there are holes remaining — for example, 3 up with 3 to play. At this point the leading player cannot lose (only tie), because the opponent would need to win all remaining holes to tie the match.
All square means the match is tied — both players have won the same number of holes. If the match finishes all square after 18 holes, it goes to sudden death or is declared a halved match depending on the format.
Calculate the difference between the two players' handicaps. The higher-handicapper receives that many strokes, one per hole starting with the hardest stroke-index holes. On a stroke-index-4 hole, if you receive a stroke, your net score is your gross minus 1.
A halved hole is when both players take the same number of strokes. The hole is split — neither player gains or loses in the standings. The match status stays the same.
No. Concessions are a match play rule only (R&A Rule 3.2). In stroke play every putt must be holed out. Accepting a conceded putt in stroke play results in disqualification.
"3&2" means the winning player was 3 up with only 2 holes left — more holes up than holes remaining — so the match ended early. The winning player won 3 more holes than needed for a tie.
Stroke play totals every stroke across all 18 holes; the fewest wins. Match play only cares who wins each individual hole; one catastrophic hole only costs you that hole, not the entire round. This radically changes strategy — aggressive plays that risk a big number are safer in match play.