Best Golf Society Competition Formats
Golf society days are all about friendly competition, great golf, and enjoying time with friends. Choosing the right competition format can make your event more enjoyable for golfers of every ability.
Here are some of the most popular golf society competition formats.
Stableford
What Is Stableford Scoring? — TrackPar
Stableford is one of the most common society formats because every hole offers a fresh start.
Players score points based on their net score against par, making it ideal for golfers of mixed handicaps.
Best for:
Large golf societies Mixed ability groups Friendly competitions
Medal (Stroke Play)
What Is Stroke Play? — TrackPar
Every stroke counts throughout the round, making Medal the simplest format.
The player with the lowest total score wins.
This format rewards consistency but can be less forgiving after a bad hole.
Best for:
Competitive golfers Club championships Serious society events
Fourball Better Ball
What Is Fourball Better Ball? — TrackPar
Teams of two compete together, with the best score on each hole counting towards the team's total.
It keeps everyone involved and creates plenty of excitement.
Best for:
Team events Weekend golf trips Friendly competitions
Texas Scramble
What Is a Golf Texas Scramble? — TrackPar
Every player tees off before the team chooses the best shot. Everyone then plays from that position until the hole is completed.
It's one of the most enjoyable formats for golfers of different abilities.
Best for:
Corporate golf days Charity events Golf trips
Match Play
What Is Match Play? — TrackPar
Players or teams compete hole by hole rather than counting total strokes.
Winning a hole earns one point, with the overall winner being the player or team ahead after 18 holes.
Best for:
Knockout competitions Ryder Cup style events Head-to-head matches
Nearest the Pin
A simple side competition on selected par 3s.
It's quick to organise and always adds a little extra excitement.
Longest Drive
Choose one fairway and award a prize to the longest drive that finishes in the fairway.
Simple, fun, and popular at every society day.
Which Format Is Best?
There isn't a single "best" format.
If your golfers have a wide range of handicaps, Stableford and Fourball Better Ball are usually the fairest options.
For golf trips, combining several formats across multiple days keeps everyone interested until the final round.
Organise Your Society with TrackPar
TrackPar makes it easy to organise golf societies by tracking handicaps, logging scores, creating private Circles, and comparing leaderboards throughout the season.
Whether you're running a weekly fourball or an annual golf trip, TrackPar helps keep every competition organised in one place.
Related reading
Golf Society Scoring Explained - Leaderboards, handicaps and competition formats for societies.
What Is a Golf Handicap? - Understand handicaps so your society comps stay fair.