Things You'll Need:
- A Scorecard USGA Rules of Golf
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Step 1
Scoring in match play is kept by hole, not by stroke. The most any player or team can score on one hole is one point.
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Step 2
Play the hole until its conclusion. If either player or team in the match has a lower score for a hole, he gets a point. If the players are tied, they halve the hole (both players score 0).
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Step 3
Match play language: The player with more points is "up," the player with fewer points is "down," and if players are tied, they are "all square."
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Step 4
A player or team is "up" by the number of holes a player or team has won relative to the opponent. So, if a match is through seven holes and Player A has won four holes and Player B has won three, then Player A is considered 1 up.
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Step 5
As the match reaches its conclusion, the term "dormie" means that the player in the lead needs only one more halved hole to win.
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Step 6
At the end of the match, if a player is 1 up or 2 up, that means the match went 18 holes and the winning player won by one or two holes.
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Step 7
A player can win the match without playing the full 18 holes if the player is up by more than the number of holes left to play. For instance, if a player wins "3 and 2," that means they were 3 up with 2 holes to play, thus ending the match.
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Step 8
A player also can win in sudden death if the match is tied after regulation.
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Step 9
A player may concede a stroke, hole or match to the opponent at any time.
