How it works
ScoreSure Golf Pro takes care of all the tricky score-keeping rules and supports all the popular golf scoring methods including:
Match play, Stroke play, Par play and Stableford rules
ScoreSure Golf Pro supports solo play, two player head-to-head, foursome and four ball (best and worst ball) play types and can even be used as an electronic scorecard for 2-, 3- and 4- player team events.
Match play
Players compete on a hole-by-hole basis. At the end of 18 holes, the player/team that has won the most holes is the winner.
Scoring is carried out on a "moving" scale. If, for example, team one wins the first hole, their score is "one-up". Should they win the second hole, they go "two-up". If team two win the second hole, the score is "all square". On any hole where both teams/players acheive the same nett score, the hole is said to be "halved" - the overall score is not affected.
A round played using match play rules can end prematurely, once one player or team has an unassailable lead. For example, if one team is "five-up" and there are only three holes left to play, the game ends, with player one the winner with a score of 5-and-3.
Handicapping
Handicaps for match play are calculated as follows:
For head-to-head games, the higher handicapped player "receives" a number of strokes from the lower handicap player. The number of strokes is the difference between the two players handicaps. So, for example, if a player with a handicap of 12 plays someone with a handicap of 18, the player with the higher handicap "receives" 6 shots. This means that the lower handicapped player receives no strokes on any hole (plays off scratch) while the receiving player plays the round as if playing off a handicap of 6.
In foursomes (each team of two share one ball) each pair adds up their handicaps and the lower handicap pair "gives" strokes to the other, based on the full difference between the two.
In four-ball games (better ball, worst ball) the lowest handicap player gives strokes to the other three players based on three quarters of the difference between the lowest handicap and that of each player. For example:
Player A - handicap 4
Player B - handicap 8
Player C - handicap 16
Player D - handicap 20
Player A plays the round off zero (scratch) while giving 3 shots to Player B (8-4=4, three-quarters the difference = 3)
Likewise, Player C receives 9 strokes (16-4 = 12, three-quarters of 12 = 9) and Player D receives 12 shots.
Stroke play
Stroke play is the most commonly recognized form of scoring, even with non-golfers. The total number of strokes taken per hole are added for each player/team and, after adjusting for handicaps, the player/team with the lowest score is the winner.
Handicapping
Unlike match play games, each player in a head-to-head game receives their full handicap for each hole.
For foursomes, the average handicap for each team (half the sum of the two players handicaps) are used by both players on each team.
For four-ball games, each player receives three-quarters of their own handicap, with fractions rounded up or down as necessary.
In stroke play games, where players score for each hole played, the players handicap is distributed across the holes using the course stroke index. Each players adjusted handicap is compared to the stroke index for the hole to be played, and the player is awarded zero, one, or more shots for each hole. For example, a player with a handicap of 10 is awarded one free shot on each hole with a stroke index of 1-10. Their nett score for these holes will be one less than the number of shots taken to complete the hole. On hole 11-18 they do not receive any free shots. Players with a handicap of more than 18 will be given two shots on some holes. For example, a player with a handicap of 20 will receive two shots on hole with a stroke index of 1 or 2, and one shot on the remaining holes 3-18.
Par play
In par play, each player/team competes against their own handicap to acheive a score for the hole.
Each team/player compete to get a better nett score than the par for the hole, once handicap stroke allowance (see above) has been factored in. A player gets a plus(+) if they complete the hole under par, a zero(0) if they score par, and a minus(-) if they finish the hole over par. The player/team with the most pluses wins the game.
Par play helps keep the game flowing and reduces slow play, since a score is obtained for completing the whole under par, and no score is available once a player has gone over par. This means that once a player, after adjusting for their handicap, has exceeded the par score for the hole, cannot improve their score and can simply collect their ball and move on to the next hole.
Handicapping
The same rules for handicapping stroke play games are used for par play games.
Each player in a head-to-head game receives their full handicap for each hole.
For foursomes, the average handicap for each team (half the sum of the two players handicaps) are used by both players on each team.
For four-ball games, each player receives three-quarters of their own handicap, with fractions rounded up or down as necessary.
Stableford
Stableford is a form of par play, where points are awarded to each player for completing a hole using the following rules:
1 over par = 1 point
par hole = 2 points
1 under par = 3 points
2 under par = 4 points etc.
Nett scores are used to calculate the points scored for each hole. Each players' handicap scores can award an allowance of one or more shots at each hole, depending on the hole stroke index. Unlike most golf scoring systems, at the end of the round, the player/team with the higher score is the winner.
Because of its seemingly complex scoring system, some amateur players are reluctant to play using Stableford rules, but the scoring device with invented to help less-consistent players to compete with "better" players. Because of the scoring structure, a player can record a shocking score on one hole, and lose relatively few points, allowing them to concentrate on the rest of the round!
Handicapping
Stableford uses the same rules for handicapping as stroke play games.
Each player in a head-to-head game receives their full handicap for each hole.
For foursomes, the average handicap for each team (half the sum of the two players handicaps) are used by both players on each team.
For four-ball games, each player receives three-quarters of their own handicap, with fractions rounded up or down as necessary.
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