Tournament formats
How to run the events clubs and societies care about: member-guest, scramble, best-ball, and shamble. The structure, the scoring, and the gotchas. Skins Golf runs all of them.
How to Run a Member-Guest
A member-guest pairs each club member with an invited guest to play as a two-person team, usually over two or three days. It is the marquee event on most club calendars: flighted by handicap, mixing formats day to day, with a Calcutta and plenty of side action.
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Golf Scramble Rules
In a scramble, every player on the team tees off, the team picks the single best shot, and everyone plays their next shot from that spot. Repeat until holed. It is fast, social, and forgiving, which is why charity outings love it.
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Best Ball (Four-Ball) Rules
In best ball, every player plays their own ball for the whole hole, and the team's score is the best individual score on that hole. Unlike a scramble, you always play your own ball — only the scorecard is shared.
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Golf Shamble Rules
A shamble is a hybrid: the team plays a scramble off the tee — everyone hits, you pick the best drive — then each player plays their own ball from there to the hole. The team takes its best one or two scores on the hole.
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How to Run a Stag Day
A stag day is a golf society or club outing: the whole field out for the day on one main format (often Stableford or a scramble), with a stack of side games, prizes, and bragging rights. The goal is a great day where everyone stays in contention.
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How to Run a Club Championship
The club championship crowns the best golfer at the club, usually over two or more rounds of stroke play. Most clubs run a gross champion alongside net flights, so players of every ability have something real to compete for.
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How to Run a Member-Member
A member-member pairs two club members as a team, like a member-guest but without the outside guest. Fixed teams are flighted by combined handicap and play mixed formats over a day or a weekend, with side games throughout.
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Alternate Shot (Foursomes) Rules
In alternate shot, called foursomes in the Ryder Cup, two partners play a single ball and take turns hitting it. One player tees off on odd holes, the other on even holes, and the alternation continues until the ball is holed. It is the most demanding, and most team-defining, format in golf.
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How to Run a Ryder Cup Style Event
A Ryder Cup style event splits your group into two teams under captains and plays match play sessions, four-ball, alternate shot, and singles, with each match worth a point and halves worth a half. The running team score is what makes a buddies trip feel like the real thing.
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How to Run a Golf League
A golf league is a season-long competition, usually 9 holes on a weeknight, where players or two-person teams bank points every week toward a standings table and a playoff. The leagues that survive are the ones where handicaps stay fair and nobody has to chase scorecards on a Thursday.
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Golf Tournament Flights Explained
Flighting splits a tournament field into divisions by handicap so players compete against similar abilities, with prizes in every flight. It is the single best tool for keeping a mixed field engaged: the 18 handicap is playing for something real instead of donating to the club champion.
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How to Run a Charity Golf Outing
A charity golf outing is a scramble with a mission. The fundraising platforms cover donations and sponsorships; this guide covers the golf: the format, the contests, the pace, and live scoring that keeps the whole field engaged instead of wondering when dinner starts.
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