2 October 2026 · 10 min read
Golf match play explained: the rules, the score, dormie and the handicap allowance
Match play means you play for holes, not strokes. The post explains the score from 2 up to dormie, conceding, the rules that differ from stroke play and the allowance with 100 per cent or ¾.
In match play you play against one opponent for holes, not for strokes: whoever takes fewer strokes on a hole wins it, with equal strokes it is halved, and the match goes to whoever leads by more holes than remain to be played (R&A, Rule 3.2). The score is called, for example, “2 up”, and you are “dormie” when your lead equals the number of holes left. The handicap allowance is the difference between the Course Handicaps, the Rules of Handicapping recommend 100 per cent of it for singles, and a club may set less, for example ¾ (Swiss Golf, Handicap Rules 2024).
How a hole and the match are won
You win a hole if you finish it in fewer strokes than your opponent, penalty strokes included, if the opponent concedes it, or if the opponent gets the general penalty, loss of hole. A hole is halved if both need the same number of strokes or if you agree to treat it as halved, which is allowed only after one of you has played the first stroke of the hole. You win the match if you lead by more holes than remain, if the opponent concedes it or if the opponent is disqualified (Rule 3.2a).
A match is normally played over 18 holes (DGV service portal). In the extreme case it is decided after ten holes, if one player wins the first ten. If it is level after the last hole, the match is extended hole by hole until someone wins, unless the terms of the competition allow a tie (Rule 3.2a). Match play is the original form of golf: until stroke play was introduced in the 18th century, that was the only way it was played.
The score: all square, 2 up, dormie, 4 and 3
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| all square | Both have won the same number of holes, the match is level. |
| 2 up (holes up) | You lead by two holes. |
| dormie | Your lead equals the number of holes still to play, for example 3 up with three holes left. You cannot lose any more, the opponent can only level. |
| 4 and 3 | The match is over: you were 4 up after the 15th hole, and only three holes were left. |
The R&A uses “holes up” and “all square” in Rule 3.2d, the examples for “dormie” and “4 and 3” come from the DGV. Both players are responsible for knowing the score. If you mistakenly agree on a wrong score and do not correct it before either of you starts the next hole, the wrong score stands.
Conceded: stroke, hole, match
You may concede the opponent's next stroke, a hole or the match. You concede the stroke before it is made: the opponent has then completed the hole with a score that includes the conceded stroke, and the ball may be removed. You concede a hole as long as it is not completed, even before the tee shot. You concede the match as long as the result is not decided. A concession counts only if it is clearly said or clearly shown, and it is final: the opponent can neither decline nor withdraw it (Rule 3.2b).
You must not agree to concede holes to each other to shorten the match. Anyone doing so knowingly is disqualified.
What is different in match play compared with stroke play
| Topic | Stroke play | Match play |
|---|---|---|
| Who wins | whoever needs the fewest strokes in total | whoever wins more holes |
| Penalty for most breaches | two penalty strokes | loss of the hole |
| Holing out | every hole must be holed out | the stroke can be conceded |
| Order of play | no penalty, “ready golf” is encouraged | whoever plays out of turn must replay the stroke if the opponent wishes |
| Card | the marker keeps it, both certify | usually no card, both know the score |
The Golfclub Obere Alp, which plays under the DGV competition rules, sums it up: the main difference lies in how penalties are treated. The penalties in stroke play are in Out of the bunker for the bunker and in Lost ball, out of bounds, penalty area for the lost ball. The twelve rules for getting started are in Golf rules for beginners.
Who plays first?
On the first hole the draw decides, otherwise an agreement or a coin toss. After that the winner of the previous hole tees off first, after a halved hole the same player as before. After the tee shots the ball farther from the hole is played first (Rule 6.4a). Whoever plays out of turn gets no penalty, but the opponent may cancel the stroke at once, before either of you plays on. Then you play again from the same spot when it is your turn.
Information and penalties
You may ask your opponent at any time how many strokes they took on the hole, even after the hole. They must give the right number. If they do not answer or answer wrongly and do not correct it in time, they lose the hole. You must tell the opponent about your own penalty as soon as reasonably possible, even if you do not know about it. Otherwise you lose the hole, unless you make up for it before the opponent plays on, or the opponent saw the penalty themselves (Rule 3.2d). If you agree not to apply a penalty you both know applies, you are both disqualified.
The handicap allowance in match play
The allowance works on the difference. The player with the lowest Playing Handicap plays off zero, the other receives the difference (Appendix C). The Rules of Handicapping recommend 100 per cent for singles, 90 per cent for four-ball. The Swiss Golf example: with Course Handicaps of 10 and 18 the second player receives 8 strokes. They are given by hole, on the hardest holes, here those with stroke index 1 to 8, and the lower net score wins the hole (Rule 3.2c). On a hole with stroke index 5 the player on 10 needs five strokes, the player on 18 needs six. The player on 18 has one stroke there, his net is five, the hole is halved. On stroke index 12 he gets none, and the player on 10 wins.
If you have heard of the “3/4 allowance”: that is not in Appendix C but a club's decision. The DGV writes that in net match play the full difference does not have to be applied if the committee announces that in the terms of the competition. The Golfclub Obere Alp gives ¾ of the difference for its annual match play and rounds to the nearest whole number. Swiss Golf requires the share to be stated in the terms of the competition.
| Course Handicaps | Difference | 100% | ¾ of the difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 and 18 | 8 | 8 strokes | 6 strokes |
| 19 and 29 | 10 | 10 strokes | 8 strokes (7.5 rounded) |
Before the match you should tell each other your handicaps. If you give one that is too high and do not correct it before the opponent plays, you are disqualified if it changes your strokes. One that is too low has no penalty, you play with it. Everyone is responsible for knowing on which holes they give or receive strokes.
A match does not count for the handicap. In Switzerland only individual stroke-play formats count, match-play results expressly do not (Handicap Rules 2024, Rule 2.1), and the DGV writes the same. How your index comes about is in The golf handicap explained. Team formats in match play use 90 per cent in four-ball and 50 per cent of the difference of the combined handicaps in foursomes, more in Scramble, four-ball and foursomes.
What follows for your game
- A ruined hole costs one hole and no more. Whether you need 6 or 9 strokes when the opponent plays 4, it is the same result. You may also concede it.
- Ask for the opponent's stroke count before you decide how to play the hole. That is what the right is for.
- Whoever is closer to the hole plays second and sees the opponent's shot first.
- Pick up your ball only when a concession has been clearly said or shown.
Big competitions are match play too. In the Ryder Cup, as NBC Sports describes it, the teams play foursomes and fourballs on the first two days, four matches per session, and on the last day all 12 players play singles. A match won gives 1 point, a halved one half a point. Of 28 points, 14.5 are enough to win. How to build a tournament for a group from formats is in Organising a golf tournament.
Match play in the simulator
The software E6 Connect lists a Match Play mode on its site next to Stroke, Scramble, Best Ball and Stableford (E6 Connect). In the directory three indoor venues name E6 Connect: John's Golf in Wiezikon, Swing Easy in Étoy and Indoorgolf Rotkreuz (as of 2 October 2026, our own listings). Whether the venue offers the mode is not in any of these listings. Ask when you book. You can practise a match without the mode too: you play the same holes, compare the strokes after each hole and keep the score yourselves.
For groups, 87 of the 110 indoor venues give details on group bookings (as of 2 October 2026, our own listings). The golf simulator near me page shows the nearest venue, the map all of them by canton. Anyone who wants to learn the game first starts with golf simulator for beginners.
Frequently asked questions
How does match play work in golf?
You play against one opponent for holes: whoever takes fewer strokes on a hole wins it, with equal strokes it is halved. The match goes to whoever leads by more holes than remain to be played, for example 2 up with one hole left.
What does dormie mean in golf?
You are dormie when your lead equals the number of holes still to play, for example 3 up with three holes left. You cannot lose any more, the opponent can only level. That is how the DGV describes it.
What does conceded mean in match play?
You may concede the opponent's next stroke, a hole or the match. It must be clearly said or shown and it is final: the opponent can neither decline nor withdraw it (Rule 3.2b). A conceded stroke counts as holed.
How many strokes do I get in match play?
The Rules of Handicapping recommend 100 per cent of the difference between the Course Handicaps for singles: with 10 and 18 the second player gets 8 strokes. A club may set less, for example ¾: with 19 and 29 that is 8 instead of 10 strokes. The terms of the competition state the value.
Does a match play round count for the handicap?
No. Swiss Golf lists only individual stroke-play formats as counting for the handicap in Switzerland, match-play results expressly not. The DGV also writes that a match cannot be played for handicap purposes. For your handicap you play general play or a stroke-play competition.
Sources
- R&A: Regel 3, Der Wettbewerb (3.2 Lochspiel) (Loch und Match gewinnen, Schenken, Handicap im Lochspiel, Auskunft, Stand)
- R&A: Regel 6, Spielen einer Bahn (6.4a Reihenfolge im Lochspiel) (Ehre, Reihenfolge, Schlag ausser der Reihe)
- DGV-Serviceportal: Lochspiel (Begriffe auf und dormie, Länge, Grundstrafe, nicht handicaprelevant)
- Swiss Golf: Handicap-Regeln 2024, Anhang C, Anhang E und Regel 2.1 (Vorgabe im Einzel-Lochspiel, Beispiele, Matchplay nicht handicapwirksam)
- Golfclub Obere Alp: Matchplay Reglement (Beispiel für die ¾-Vorgabe als Entscheid eines Clubs, Strafen im Matchplay)
- NBC Sports: What is the Ryder Cup format? (Foursomes, Fourballs und Einzel, Punktesystem)
- E6 Connect: Spielmodi (Stroke, Scramble, Best Ball, Stableford, Match Play)
- Swiss Golf Simulators: eigene Einträge (Software und Gruppenangaben der Anlagen, Stand 2. Oktober 2026)