First Golf Competition

The first mention of golf in relation to Leith dates from a reported dispute in 1552 between ‘the cordiners (cobblers) of the Cannongate and the cordiners and gouff ball makers of North Leith’. This implies the use of stitched golf ball and more modern golf rather than just ‘kolf’ with wooden balls.
One traditional derivation of the term “Fore!” derives from the use of two defensive cannons of Leith fort.  The embankment, seen in the picture to the left of the cairn, is allegedly one of two gun emplacements used by the attacking forces in 1560, when the Links were the scene of the Siege of Leith by the English. Click picture for larger image.

 Leith was the site of some of the first attacks and injuries in golf. The first of these was 1575 when golfers were attacked and fought back successfully. On a later occasion, in 1690, Sir Robert Sibbald was crossing the Links when a young boy who did not hear him approach, apparently hit him on the backswing with his club. Sir Robert required medical attention, but the name of the golfer is not mentioned, nor whether he carried any insurance.

As elsewhere, Edinburgh Burgh records of 1593 bemoan the fact that Edinburgh churchgoers were playing golf in Leith instead of going to church. On 16th February 1610, South Leith Kirk Session proposed a fine of 20 shillings (one pound) to be paid ‘to the poor’ by anyone found playing golf (or bowls or archery) between sunrise and sunset on Sunday. Apart from the fine, they would also have to confess their sins in church. This persecution continued until 1724, which year marks the last official Kirk prosecution in Scotland for Sunday golfing, when the Leith innkeeper John Dickson was accused of giving victuals to Sabbath golfers.
Tradition has it that the Bishop of Galloway was playing golf on Leith Links in 1619 when he suffered a deadly premonition of two men attacking him. So he threw down his ‘arma campestria’ (golf clubs), took to his bed and died. Another much repeated story is that King Charles I was playing in Leith in 1641 when he heard about the Irish Rebellion. Some say he finished the match; some that he broke off the match to attend to the matter; and others that he used it as an excuse to terminate the match because he was losing. This is depicted in a famous, but much later, etching by Sir John Gilbert in 1875/6. Both these Victorian tales must be interpreted carefully.
Sir John Foulis of Ravelston, who was Keeper of the Register of Sasines (legal title deeds) and who kept copious personal records, played golf in Leith in 1672. So too did the medical student Thomas Kincaid in the winter of 1687-8. Both record the return coach journey from Edinburgh to Leith as 10 shillings. (There were 20 shillings in a pound). This shows how highly Edinburgh golfers rated playing at Leith Links compared to Bruntsfield Links.
More significant is the record of the first ‘international’ golf match in 1681, between Scotland and England on Leith Links. The Duke of York, who was the brother of the King Charles II and who would succeed him as James VII of Scotland / II of England, was then in residence as the King’s Commissioner at Holyroodhouse. Two English nobleman of his circle claimed that golf was an English game. The Duke disagreed and challenged them to a golf match to settle the matter, choosing John Patersone as his playing partner. Patersone was a ‘champion’ golfer, but a common ‘cordiner’ (cobbler). Not surprisingly, the Duke and his champion won for Scotland and it is said that Patersone bought a house at 77 Cannongate with the lion’s share of the winning purse that the Duke generously split with him. The house was called ‘Golfers Land’, shown below, and the Duke had an escutcheon affixed to the outside with a heraldic design and the golfers’ motto ‘Far and Sure’ inscribed on it.  When John Patersone died, he also owned a house in Leith, from which he supplied golf equipment to the gentry.
Cannongate is part of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and Patersone’s Golfers Land was demolished in 1960. It is now the site of Jenny Ha’s pub (also shown above) and remembered only by a plaque. It would rival any prize money today for a single golf game. It is also reported that the man who carried the clubs of the Duke of York was Andrew Dickson, , the future clubmaker, who thus became the world’s first recorded caddy.  It is not recorded whether Andrew Dickson got the caddie’s usual percentage.
In 1724, ‘a solemn match at golf’, the first reported in a newspaper, took place on Leith Links, between the Honourable Alexander Elphinstone and Captain John Porteous of the City Guard for a stake of 20 guineas (22 pounds). Both men would be further reported in the press. Alexander Elphinstone fought a duel at Leith Links in 1729. Then in 1736, Captain Porteous gave his name to the Porteous Riots, as a result of which several Edinburgh citizens were shot and he was lynched later by a mob when he was pardoned for his part these deaths.
Of course, the most famous single golf event on the Links was on 2nd April 1744; the occasion of the first golf competition anywhere in the world arranged by a group of golfers who were to become known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. In 1994, there was a 250th anniversary match, duly commemorated on a plaque on the cairn that can be seen in the pictures at the top of the page.
Another commemorative plaque on the cairn is an outline drawing, shown above, of the five holes used by 1744 on the course. The course begins in the bottom left and is played clockwise. Not shown is the ‘practice’ hole, played before the first round but not in subsequent rounds. We do not know when the first holes were laid out. There is a second cairn at the site of the second hole, in the grounds of the old White and Mackay bond store, which is currently being redeveloped for housing.
The Honourable Company built a clubhouse called the ‘Golf House’ in 1768, and played at Leith until 1831 when the Links became too crowded. After an interlude of five years, they recommenced playing at Musselburgh in 1836.
The ‘Golf House’ no longer exists.  It was beside the first tee and is now under the building on Duke Street, originally constructed for Leith Academy, but which has become part of Queen Margaret’s College. The links are split in two by a road. There are two cricket pitches on one side and a bowling green and children’s play area on the other. Apart from the cairn, you would never know that international and competitive golf started here.
It’s not an isolated neglect. The Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh has only nine artefacts of golf in one corner of one cabinet. They comprise 3 clubs, 4 medals, a box of gutta percha balls and a cup.
Thus do the Scots honour their national game in their national capital.

The History of Golf

Golf as we know it was invented in Scotland, but its roots stretches back into Flanders. The first record of “Chole” is from 1353 and portrays a something that could be described as a mix between hockey and golf played in Flanders (Belgium). The game was preferably played on ice and the players used sticks curved at the bottom to move balls from starting point to finish point. Since Scottish and Dutch merchants traveled a lot between the two regions and traded with each other, the game played in Flanders soon spread to Scotland where it developed on the grassy Scottish fields and soon ceased to be a winter game. It was the Scots that started to dig holes in the ground instead of simply selecting a finishing point. Digging a hole in the Dutch ice had naturally not been a good idea.
Even though the game changed a great deal after being introduced in Scotland, the balls where still often imported from Flanders. The more patriotic Scots claim that golf instead evolved from different stick-and-ball games that we know were played all over the British Isles as early as the Middle Ages. These games were inspired by a stick-and-ball game introduced to the British Isles by the Romans.
The first record of the term golf is from 1457 when King James II of Scotland outlawed golf as well as soccer, since the games were so popular that they made the king’s archers skip their practice and play golf and soccer instead. James III re-issued this law in 1471, and James IV followed in his footsteps with a new ban in 1491. Golf did however continue its development in Scotland despite the ban. Even during these early days, all the essential parts of golf had already been invented. The players used a club to swing a ball into a hole in the ground. The player that managed to get the ball into the hole using the least amount of strokes won.
The word gold is derived from the Old Scots words “goff” or “glove”, and these words in turn derive from “kolf” or “kolve”, medieval Dutch words that simply meant club. When the words kolf and kolve were imported to Scottland, the old Scottish dialect transformed the letter K into G, and the game was called Goff, Glove, Golve and Gowl. During the 16th century, the word Golf became established.
The ban on golf had been issued in a time when Scotland was preparing to defend itself from the English. In 1502, the Treaty of Glasgow made it possible for James I of England (King James IV) to lift the ban. He even began to play himself and turned into a keen golf enthusiast. The game became highly fashionable and its popularity spread over the British Isles during the 16th century, partly thanks to King Charles I who loved to play golf. Mary Queen of Scots had French roots and she introduced the game to the French while she attended school in France. The word “caddie” actually steams from a French word – cadet. The cadets of the French Military helped Mary Queen of Scots when she played golf.
Two of the oldest golf courses in the world are Leith and the Old Links. Leith is located close to Edinburgh and the Old Links is found at Musselburgh. When King Charles I received the news about the Irish rebellion in 1641 he was actually standing at Leith. The Old Links was founded in 1672. The first international golf match took place at Leith in 1682. The Duke of York and George Patterson (playing for Scotland) managed to beat two English players. Strangely enough, it wasn’t until 1744 that the first known golf rules were written down and published in Edinburgh.
The game of golf has of course changed a lot over the years that it has been played and more and more technology is involved in and surrounding the game. An example among many of such technologies that has affected the experience of golf is golf carts.
It was in Scotland, however that the game really developed.  Up and down the east coast, it apparently became so popular a pastime that in 1457 King James II, in an Act of Parliament, banned golf – and soccer too – because they were interfering with archery practice.  Skill with the bow and arrow was crucial to keeping the English out of Scotland.  The game remained uniquely – perhaps with its Dutch counterpart of kolf - until James VI of Scotland also became King of England and took the game south with him.  At Blackheath in South London, the Scottish noblemen laid out a seven-hole course so they could continue playing their beloved game.
The early courses in Scotland bore little resemblance to those of today.  The game was played over public land – as in places it still is – with natural hazards and obstacles to negotiate   Not only were walls and ditches part of the game, but players often had to thread their way through others out enjoying their various recreations – horse racing, cricket, picnicking and so on.
Caddies were hired by the golfers, not just to carry the clubs – golf bags were not invented until around 1870 – but to help make a way through the other activities on the links and presumably to watch out for the ball.
Courses were natural, manicured only by sheep and rabbits.  There were no formal tees as such; players simply teed up a few feet from the previous hole.
Rules, of course, developed over the years, and golf clubs were formed.  The oldest of these, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers – now based at Muirfield – was founded in 1744, while ten years later the Society of St. Andrews’ Golfers was created.
The rules of various clubs and courses were standardized, following St. Andrews’ lead in using 18 holes.  Before 1764, the course at St. Andrews consisted of 22 holes, others had as few as 6 and as many as 25.  But by 1858 it had been agreed.  the Society of St. Andrews Golfers, having become the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in 1834 now ruled that a round of golf should be 18 holes.  And so it has remained.
The game developed rapidly and began to be played professionally in the mid-1800′s.  Allan Robertson, the first great professional golfer, died in 1858.  Some say that his death prompted the first professional championship at Prestwick in 1860 to find a new national champion.  This competition was opened to amateurs in 1861 to become the first Open Championship.  In 1863 it attracted prize money for the winner of just 10 pounds.   And from there, the game of golf developed to the game we now know today.

Golf Match Play

Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes. In professional golf, a small number of notable match play tournaments use the match play scoring system. Scoring system Unlike stroke play, in which the unit of scoring is the total number of strokes taken over one or more rounds of golf, match play scoring consists of individual holes won, halved or lost. On each hole, the most that can be gained is one point. Golfers play as normal, counting the strokes taken on a given hole. The golfer with the lowest score on a given hole receives one point. If the golfers tie, then the hole is halved, e.g. in an 18 hole match, the first hole is a par-4 and player ‘A’ scores a 3 (birdie) and player ‘B’ score a 4 (par); player ‘A’ is now 1-up with 17 to play. In the same match on the second hole, a par-5, player ‘A’ takes 8 strokes and player ‘B’ takes 5 (par); player ‘B’ wins the hole and the match is now all square with 16 to play. On the third hole, a par-3, both players take 3 strokes and the match is ‘all square’ with 15 holes to play. Once a player is ‘up’ more holes than there are holes remaining to play the match is over. i.e., if after 12 holes player ‘A’ is 7-up with six left to play, player ‘A’ is said to have won the match ’7 and 6′. A team that is leading by ‘x’ holes with ‘x’ holes remaining is said to be “dormie-x”, or simply “dormie”, meaning that they need one more halved hole to win the match (or that the other team must win all the remaining holes in order to halve the match). For example, if player ‘A’ is 2-up with 2 to play, he is dormie; the worst outcome for player ‘A’ at that point is a tie, unless the format calls for extra holes to determine a winner. In a tournament event where the score is all square after the last hole, usually 18 or 36, the players will play on until a player wins a hole (sudden death). In the Ryder Cup and other similar team events, the match is not finished this way, and the teams each receive a half point. In such events there are points accumulated over several days, playing different formats, and the total determines the winner. Scoring using handicaps Scoring match play using handicaps is not done exactly the same way it is done in a stroke play event. In 18-hole stroke play where player ‘A’ is a -10 handicap and player ‘B’ is a -19 handicap, player ‘A’ gets one stroke off his score on the ten hardest holes (by handicap rating on scorecard); player ‘B’ gets two strokes off his score on the hardest hole and one stroke off on the other 17. In match play, player ‘A’ would play as ‘scratch’ (zero handicap) and player ‘B’ would get one stroke off his score on the nine hardest holes. In other words, the 10 handicap becomes zero and the 19 handicap becomes a 9. In team match play competition, where team ‘A’ consists of player ‘A1′ (a -10 handicap), and player ‘A2′ (a -15 handicap); where team ‘B’ consists of player ‘B1′ (a -19 handicap) and player ‘B2′ (a -30 handicap). Player ‘A1′ plays as ‘scratch’; ‘A2′ gets one stroke off his score on the five hardest holes; player ‘B1′ gets one stroke off his score on the nine hardest holes; ‘B2′ will take 2 strokes off the 2 hardest holes and 1 stroke of the other 16. Exception: the USGA does not restrict the handicap of the low partner but some local clubs and organized tournaments do. i.e., in team play, if no player can have a handicap more than 8 strokes higher than his partner, ‘B2′ would play as if his or her handicap were -27 (high partners handicap of 19 + 8 = 27). Tournaments featuring match play Currently, there are few professional tournaments that use match play. They include the biennial Ryder Cup played by two teams, one representing the USA and the other representing Europe; the biennial Presidents Cup for teams representing the USA and International (non-European) players; the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship; and the older Volvo World Match Play Championship, an invitational event which is now part of the European Tour. Formerly, the PGA Championship, one of the majors, used match play, but it changed to a stroke play event in 1958. Women’s professional golf had no event directly comparable to the Accenture Championship until the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship was introduced in 2005. After it was canceled in 2007, the LPGA was without a match play event until the Sybase Match Play Championship was started in 2010. Women’s golf also has the biennial Solheim Cup staged between two teams, one including USA-born players and one including players born in Europe. From 2005 to 2008, women’s golf held the Lexus Cup, an event pitting an International Team against an Asian Team. The U.S. Amateur Championships for both men and women are conducted with two rounds of stroke play to cut the field to 64, and then proceed to a single-elimination match play tournament. All elimination matches are 18 holes except for the final, which is 36 holes. Strategy Golfers can employ a slightly different strategy during a match play event, since the scoring is different. The situation in the match and the outcome of each shot already played on a hole will both be taken into account. On the whole match play encourages more aggressive play, especially at the professional level, where a par is not usually good enough to win a hole. Since a very poor result for a hole is no worse than a slightly-below-average result when playing against an opponent with an average score, it often makes sense to accept the higher risk connected with aggressive tactics. However, in some circumstances players will be especially cautious in match play. For instance, a player may choose to play more conservatively if the opponent has hit a poor tee shot or is otherwise under pressure to compensate a poor start on a particular hole, reasoning that there is a good chance to win the hole with an average result.

Tournament Formats/Side Games

Every sport seems to be have a variety of “mini games” associated with them. Basketball has “horse”, baseball has “hot box/pickle”, and golf has more than all the other sports combined. This section will provide some information on a few of the tournament formats and side games that the Gurus enjoy.

• ALTERNATE SHOT:  Also known as Foursomes, alternate shot is just what is sounds like. Teammates play just one ball between them and take turns hitting alternating shots until the ball is holed. Prior to playing the first hole, the teammates determine which player will tee off on the odd numbered holes leaving the other player with the even numbered holes.
• BEST BALL:  Also known as Four Ball when competing in match play, each player on the team plays their individual ball until holed. The best individual score made on the hole is posted as the team’s score.
• BINGO, BANGO, BONGO:  In this side game a point is given to the first ball on the green, a point for closest to the hole, and a point for the first ball that is holed. This game is great when you have a wide spread of handicappers playing together in a foursome.
• CHAPMAN:  Also known as Pinehurst, this 2 man-team format requires teammates to both tee off and then switch balls. After playing the second shots, the best ball is selected and an alternate shot format is played until the ball is holed with the player whose second shot was not selected hitting the teams third stroke.
• CHICAGO:  In a Chicago format players start the round with a negative number of points based on their handicap. Scratch golfers start at -39 with each handicap stroke over scratch adding one point to the starting figure (i.e. 5 handicapper would start with -34, 8 handicapper -31, etc.). Golfers then try to get out of the hole by adding one point for a bogey, two points for par, four points per birdie, and eight points for an eagle. This fun format encourages players to take risks trying to score under par; especially considering a double bogey or worse is all worth zero points and doesn’t bring down your score further. The player with the highest score (negative or not) wins.
• DEFENDER:  Defender is a great three player game that is especially effective when playing with guys of similar handicaps. Prior to teeing off the group must establish an rotation; Player A defends hole one, Player B defends hole two, Player C defends hole three, Player A defends hole four and so on. If the defender successfully defends his hole by having the lowest score of the threesome then he is awarded three points while the other players are deducted one point each. If the defender is defeated by one of the other players then he loses three points while the other players each gain one point. If there is a tie between the defender and one of the other players then the defender gains one and a half points while the other players lose a half point each. Obviously this game can be played with four players as well, but it is one of the few games out there that works really well as a three player game.
• LAS VEGAS:  Las Vegas is a fun game that really rewards birdies and at the same time can softenen the blow of a weaker player’s score. Played in teams of two, the players scores are paired rather than combined in order to determine a team score. So if one teammate scores a six on the hole and the other teammate scores a four, the team score is a 46 (lowest score is always posted as the front number). If the other team scores a pair of fives, their score would be 55. The differential is calculated (55 – 46 = 9) and points are tracked throughout the round in order to determine the winning team; or points can have a monetary value (5 or 10 cents each for example) in which to pay out bets on.
• LONE RANGER:  This game requires 3-4 players per team, minimum of two teams, to play in a best ball format. Each player plays their own ball with the twist being that each player takes turns (in a predetermined rotational order) being the ‘Lone Ranger’ for the hole. Two scores are recorded for the team; the Lone Ranger’s score as well as the best ball score from the other teammates. The Lone Ranger rotation would work as follows: Player A is the Lone Ranger for holes 1, 5, 9, 13, and 17; Player B for holes 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, etc. It is a great game that puts some pressure on individual players and the format can be mixed in with a Las Vegas or Chicago scoring style for an added twist.
• MODIFIED STABLEFORD:  Most well known as the format used in the PGA Tour event held at Castle Pines Golf Club near Denver, The International, a Modified Stableford awards extra value to strokes under par:
• -3 points for Double Bogey or worse
• -1 point for Bogey
• 0 points for Par
• 2 points for Birdie
• 5 points for Eagle
• 8 points for Albatross

Handicaps can be employed into the system by grouping similar handicapped players together and modifying the scoring chart for each group to reflect the skill level according.

• NASSAU:  Nassau is a very simple, yet popular game. It consists of three matches; the front nine, the back nine, and the entire 18. The contest can be played using stroke (medal) play or match play.
• SCRAMBLE:  In a scramble all the players on the team tee off. The team selects the best shot and the other players pick up their balls and everyone on the team plays within one club length (no closer to the hole) of the best tee shot. After everyone hits their second shot, the best shot is again selected from which point everyone again plays within one club length (no closer to the hole) from the best spot. This is repeated until the ball is holed.
• SCRAMBLE DESCRAMBLE:  This is the game everyone hates me for coming up with. The same concept as a scramble is used, however the WORST shot each time has to be selected to play from. Therefore, if everyone on a team holes a putt except one guy then the putt is no good and you play from the missed shot. This format is better suited for two man teams as opposed to four, espeically considering bogey is a good score here.
• SHOOT OUT:  Shoot out is played with one more player/team than holes being played (any number of holes can be played). For example, 19 players/teams would participate in an 18 hole match and ten players/teams in a nine hole match. After each hole, the player/team with the highest score is eliminated. In the case of a tie (which will often happen while the field is large) a “chip off” is done and the player/team furthest from the hole is eliminated. Obviously the goal is to be the last player/team standing on the final green and declared champion. When played in teams, alternate shot is generally the format. Obviously this game takes quite a bit of time early on in the match, but is a very fun format to compete in.
• SPLIT SIXES:  Another great game for a threesome to employ. Six points are available on each hole with four points being awarded to the player with the best score, two points for the second best score, and zero points to the player with the worst score. If there is a tie for the best score then the points are divided evenly 3-3-0 or 2-2-2 depending on the whether it was a two or three player tie. If there is a tie for second place then the points are divided up 4-1-1.
• STABLEFORD:  Not quite as popular as the Modified Stableford format, Stablefords encourage players to accumulate points using the following scoring format:
• 0 points for Double Bogey or worse
• 1 point for Bogey
• 2 points for Par
• 3 points for Birdie
• 4 points for Eagle
• 5 points for Albatross

This format can be taken a step further by incorporating the handicap system. If a 24 handicap player were participating, they would be given 24 strokes during the round – one stroke on each of the 18 holes and two stokes on the six most difficult rated holes on the course (holes with a handicap rating of 1-6). A 10 handicap player would receive strokes on the ten most difficult holes (holes handicap rated 1-10) and no extra stokes on the other eight holes. The net score when then be applied to the scoring system above.

• WOLF:  Wolf is a popular betting game played in a best ball format with each player in the foursome taking turns being the Wolf for a hole. As the Wolf you always tee off first and have three options for the hole: 1. Before teeing off you can go “Lone Wolf” and take on the other three players with the Wolf winning or losing triple the points. 2. After your tee shot you can decide to take on the other three players with the Wolf winning or losing double the points. 3. After hitting your tee shot you watch as each player tees off and try to decide on a partner for the hole. The catch is you have to select your partner after you have seen his tee shot but prior to seeing the next player’s tee shot. If you don’t like what you see from the first two players you automatically get the third players as your partner. These matches are worth one point or whatever the base bet is.

Match Play Golf Tournament

“The International Golf Club & Resort” is New England’s Premier Golf, Dining & Lodging Destination. The International is located in picturesque Bolton, the apple capital of Massachusetts. During the short ride out to The International, you feel the city, the job and all the stresses of life just melt away. And when you pull into the picturesque property, you have arrived, a million miles from anywhere, but only 45 minutes from Boston. The Lodge & Spa at The International is open to the public. During a stay at The International Lodge, you are privileged to play either, or both, of our championship courses during select tee times. Other amenities at The International include day and evening dining at The Fireplace Room featuring Chef Joseph Brenner, relaxation and yoga in our Spa, and golf conditioning with the latest training equipment in our Fitness Center. The International Golf Club continues to be recognized as one of the most innovative and forward thinking clubs in New England. We are now offering creative and flexible membership programs, making The International more accessible than ever before. Our newest offering caters exclusively to corporate executives, with an entirely new approach to corporate membership! To be clear, there are exactly five ways play the Golf Courses at The International. You can join as a Golf Member, stay in the lodge, host an event of some kind, social or business, or be our guest at the Rick Smith Golf Academy or be a guest at the Taylor Made performance lab. The Fireplace Room restaurant is open to the public for both lunch and dinner. Chef Brenner serves as Culinary Director of the resort and Executive Chef of the Fireplace Room restaurant. Chef Brenner spent the last 16 years working side by side world renowned, celebrity chef Todd English, launching successful brands and restaurant concepts around the world. Our goal with Chef Brenner is to create a true culinary destination as part of our world class golf destination vision. World class golf deserves world class instruction. We are pleased to announce the arrival of the Rick Smith Golf Academy to The International, arriving this Spring 2011. Rick has been recognized as one of the top instructors in the world and we are pleased to have him open only his third golf academy in the US, here at The International. And for something completely different, check out the Taylor Made Performance Lab for a state of the art golf club fitting experience. The Rick Smith Golf Academy and the Taylor Made Performance Lab are available to Lodge guests and open to the public. Anyone can host an event at The International, as we continue to make The International accessible to more people than ever before. For your next special event, our professional team will custom design your function to your exacting standards. From wedding celebrations, to corporate retreats, corporate board meetings and of course, golf tournaments. The International is the go-to destination for successful events, especially charity golf tournaments. And the “piece de resistance,” all event and meeting guests have golfing privileges during select tee times, while here on property. The International offers a variety of Golf, Spa and/or Dining Vacation Packages, year-round. Find out more about Guest Packages and overnight Lodging at The International. Match play and stroke play are considered the most popular and essential forms of scoring in a golf tournament. In match play the number of strokes the player needs to hole out is not important, the factor that does matter is that they use fewer stokes to hole the ball when compared to the person/team they are competing against. There are literally hundreds of variations on this type of play, after all golf has been around for a very long time which has given players plenty of attempts at developing new scoring systems. Since there are so many variations on this type of play the important thing is to grasp the basic idea of match play, discussing two different types of match play should help most people get the general idea of how a round should go. Singles match play is a type of competition involving two players, each players tries to make hole out in the fewest number of strokes on a given hole, the player with the least amount of strokes on a hole wins that hole. For example, player A shoots 5 on a hole while player B shoots 4, player B would be awarded this hole and take a one nothing lead in the round. Many times both players will have the same score on a hole, in this scenario the hole is “halved”, basically each player is awarded half a hole meaning they have tied. The player who wins the most holes during the course of the round is declared the winner, in the event of a tie, or the match being “all square, after eighteen holes of golf the two people would then go to extra holes. The first person to win a hole after the initial eighteen is then declared the winner. Fourball match play allows a two person team to compete against another two person team. Each player on the two person team will play their own ball, the lowest score of the team will be the one recorded, the team with the lowest score on each hole is awarded the hole, the team winning the most during the round is considered the winner. For example Tom and Bob are playing against Dick and Jane, Tom records a 5 and Bob shoots a 4, the score for the first team is 4. Dick proceeds to score a 6 and Jane shoots a 5 on the same hole, the score for team two is 5. Since the first team score was a 4 and the second team shot a 5 the hole is awarded to the first team. Just like singles match play if the situation arises where both teams use the same number of strokes the hole would be halved between the two teams. Fourball match play can also be modified to allow for teams to use the alternate shot method of play. With this format player 1 hits the tee shot, player 2 hits the second shot, player one hits the third shot and so on until the ball is holed. The same rules apply however this adds an interesting twist. People familiar with the professional golf tournaments will recognize this format from the Ryder Cup.