Tournaments & handicaps
Round Robin Member-Guest Scoring, Explained
How to score a round robin member-guest: six-team flight schedules, stroke allocation with allowances, points per hole or per match, tie-breaks and shootouts.
By Tim Lenahan, Founder, Bubs · Updated
Round robin member-guest scoring is the most popular way to run a private club's member-guest, and the easiest to get wrong on the day. Every team plays every other team in its flight, points accumulate match by match, and the standings change after every nine. Getting the schedule, the stroke allocation, the points and the tie-breaks right before the first tee shot is what makes the weekend feel fair. This guide works through each piece, with a six-team schedule, worked stroke and points examples, and the decisions a golf committee should publish in advance.
How a flighted round robin works
- Teams are flighted by handicap into groups of similar ability, usually six teams per flight.
- Every team plays every other team in its flight once, in a short match, typically nine holes.
- Each match awards points. The points carry into a flight standings table.
- The team with the most points wins the flight. Ties are broken by a published rule.
- Flight winners often meet in a shootout for the overall championship.
A six-team flight means five matches per team, which fits neatly into a weekend: for example, three nine-hole matches on Friday and two on Saturday, played as a round robin of nine-hole matches around the course.
The schedule for a six-team flight
Using the standard rotation method, a six-team flight plays five rounds of three matches. Each match is one group of four players (two teams of two).
| Round | Match 1 | Match 2 | Match 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team 1 v Team 6 | Team 2 v Team 5 | Team 3 v Team 4 |
| 2 | Team 1 v Team 5 | Team 6 v Team 4 | Team 2 v Team 3 |
| 3 | Team 1 v Team 4 | Team 5 v Team 3 | Team 6 v Team 2 |
| 4 | Team 1 v Team 3 | Team 4 v Team 2 | Team 5 v Team 6 |
| 5 | Team 1 v Team 2 | Team 3 v Team 6 | Team 4 v Team 5 |
Every pair of teams meets exactly once. For flights of four teams, play three rounds; for eight, seven rounds, which usually means shorter matches or an extra day.
Placing matches on the course
With several flights, each round's matches are spread across the course, for example a shotgun start with each match on its own starting hole, or matches split between the front and back nines. Keep each match on a consistent nine where possible, so no team plays the hardest holes in every match. Some clubs rotate nines so every team plays both.
Formats within the round robin
Every match can use the same format, or the format can change by round. A common design varies the format so the whole partnership is tested:
| Round | Format | Allowance (example) |
|---|---|---|
| Friday morning | Four-ball match play | 90%, strokes off the low player in the group |
| Friday midday | Foursomes (alternate shot) | 50% of combined team handicap, strokes off the low team |
| Friday afternoon | Singles match play | 100%, strokes off the low player in each match |
| Saturday morning | Four-ball match play | 90%, strokes off the low player in the group |
| Saturday midday | Singles match play | 100%, strokes off the low player in each match |
In singles rounds, each team's two players play the opposing team's two players in separate matches, and the two results roll up into the team match result.
The allowances shown follow the USGA's recommendations in Appendix C of the Rules of Handicapping: 90% for four-ball match play, 100% for singles match play, and 50% of the combined playing handicaps for foursomes. The committee may set others in the terms of the competition, but should publish them before play. See handicap allowance.
Working out the strokes
Strokes in match play come from each player's Course Handicap, which is calculated from their Handicap Index® and the Course Rating™ and Slope Rating® of the tees they play. The allowance is applied to produce the playing handicap, and then strokes are taken off the lowest player.
A four-ball example
Four players in a four-ball match with a 90% allowance:
| Player | Course Handicap | × 90% | Playing handicap | Strokes received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team A, member | 8 | 7.2 | 7 | 0 |
| Team A, guest | 14 | 12.6 | 13 | 6 |
| Team B, member | 10 | 9.0 | 9 | 2 |
| Team B, guest | 20 | 18.0 | 18 | 11 |
The lowest playing handicap in the group (7) plays off zero, and everyone else receives the difference. Strokes fall on the holes ranked hardest on the scorecard's stroke index.
Nine-hole matches
For nine-hole matches, the committee must decide how strokes are derived and where they fall. Common approaches are to use a nine-hole Course Handicap calculated under the Rules of Handicapping from the nine-hole ratings, or to use half of the eighteen-hole figure. Strokes are then allocated on the nine being played by stroke index. Whatever the method, write it down and apply it to every match, because stroke disputes on a nine-hole match are almost always about this.
Foursomes
For alternate shot, add each side's two playing handicaps, take 50%, and give the higher side the difference in strokes. For example, sides with combined playing handicaps of 20 and 31 become 10 and 15.5 (rounded to 16); the higher side receives six strokes.
Choosing a points system
The points system shapes how the weekend plays. Pick one and publish it.
Points per match
A win earns 1 point, a halve half a point, a loss nothing. It's simple and every match matters equally, but many teams finish level, so tie-breaks decide flights more often.
Points per hole
Each hole is worth a point: won holes earn 1, halved holes half a point each. Over nine holes, the two teams share 9 points. Every hole matters to the end, even after a match is decided, which rewards consistent play across the whole weekend and produces fewer ties.
Hole points plus a match bonus
Each hole is worth a point, with a bonus (for example 1 point) for winning the match. It combines the steady value of every hole with a reward for closing out the match.
Front, back and overall (for eighteen-hole matches)
For longer matches, points for the front nine, the back nine and the overall match (often called a Nassau) are common.
A points example
Using points per hole, suppose Team 3 and Team 4 play nine holes in round 1. Team 3 wins four holes, Team 4 wins two, and three are halved:
- Team 3: 4 + (3 × 0.5) = 5.5 points
- Team 4: 2 + (3 × 0.5) = 3.5 points
After five rounds, a flight table might look like this:
| Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team 3 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 24.5 |
| Team 1 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 6.0 | 24.5 |
| Team 5 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 24.0 |
| Team 6 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 21.0 |
| Team 2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 20.5 |
| Team 4 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 20.5 |
Each match's two scores sum to 9, and every round sums to 27 across the flight (three matches of 9 points), which is a useful check when entering results by hand. Teams 1 and 3 are tied at the top, which brings in the tie-break.
Tie-breaks
Publish the tie-break chain before play. A common chain:
- Head-to-head result between the tied teams (only works for two teams).
- Most matches won.
- Total holes won across all matches.
- Result of the final round against a common opponent.
- Sudden-death playoff or shootout.
For three-way ties, head-to-head rarely resolves anything, so move straight to the next step. In the table above, Team 3 beat Team 1 in round 4 (5.5 to 3.5), so Team 3 wins the flight on head-to-head.
The shootout
Many clubs finish with a shootout between flight winners, played on a finishing hole in front of the gallery. A common design has all flight winners play the hole with a set allowance; the team with the highest net score on each hole is eliminated until one remains. Decide the format, the allowance and the tie rule (for example, a chip-off) in advance.
Scoring logistics on the day
- One scorecard per match, signed by both teams, or live scoring entered hole by hole by a player in each group.
- Results in after every nine. Standings posted before the next match starts are half the fun of a round robin.
- A rules official on the course to settle disputes during play, not afterwards.
- A clear process for concessions. Conceded holes and matches should still be recorded for per-hole points.
- Pace monitoring. Five matches in two days leaves little slack; see pace of play at private clubs.
Byes, withdrawals and substitutes
Plan for the unexpected:
- Odd numbers. A five-team flight means one team has a bye each round. Decide how many points a bye earns (commonly the average points of the team's other matches, or a fixed number).
- Withdrawals mid-event. Decide whether completed matches stand and how remaining opponents are credited.
- Substitute guests. Set the handicap rules for a late substitute and whether the team moves flight.
Before the event checklist
- Flights set from Handicap Index® figures taken on a fixed date
- Schedule for each flight, with starting holes by round
- Format and allowance for each round published
- Nine-hole stroke method written down
- Points system and tie-break chain published
- Bye and withdrawal rules decided
- Shootout format decided
- Scoring method tested with staff
For the broader choice of format, see member-guest tournament formats, and for posting individual scores afterwards, USGA handicap posting at private clubs.
How Bubs handles round robin member-guests
Bubs tournaments build flighted round robins with the schedule, starting holes, a different format and allowance per match, singles matches that roll up into the team result, points per hole or per match, and a tie-break chain validated when the event is set up. Players score hole by hole on their phones, match results come from the scores rather than being typed, and flight standings update as each match finishes. Byes, forfeits and substitutes are handled as part of the competition, and shootouts are built in. Handicap Index® figures come from the USGA; see handicaps.