Match play golf rules — how to play and score it
2 sides — any size
Match play is golf reduced to its purest question: did you beat the other player on this hole? Win holes, go "up"; the match ends when you’re up more than there are holes left — the famous 3&2. Blowup holes cost exactly one hole, which is why match play stays fun when your swing doesn’t.
The rules
Each hole: lower score (gross or net) wins the hole; ties halve it. The score is the running difference — 2 up, 1 down, all square. The match closes when the lead exceeds the holes remaining.
Teams play better ball: each side counts its best score on the hole. Handicaps typically stroke off the low man — the best player plays off scratch and everyone else takes the difference where the card says.
Making it a game
Put a per-man stake on it, add presses when someone goes down, and layer junk on top — greenies, sandies, birdies. One match with trash riding is the default Saturday game for a reason.
How Swilkin runs it
Swilkin scores the match live off the group’s scores — who’s up, thru how many, strokes marked on the exact holes they fall — and layers presses, junk and side bets on the same card. The match’s hole-by-hole story is saved forever for the rivalry record.
Play Match play this weekend
One scorecard, every bet settled to the penny — free for golfers.
Start playing — it’s free