Claudia Laurent
Golf writer, Golf Handicapp · 23 October 2026
The short answer
Four mates, two teams, one Saturday. Name the event, pick the course, choose Team Match Play, invite the other three and split into Reds and Blues. From there the board does the work: every hole moves your match, 2 UP THRU 8, all square, 1 UP on the last, and the team score adds up as the matches close out.
The best golf most of us play is a four with mates and something riding on it. Match play is made for it: every hole is its own contest, a blow up costs you one hole rather than the round, and a team score on top gives the drinks afterwards a result to argue about. Here is how the app runs it, using the game in the film.
Set it up in a minute
New event, name it (Saturday Cup), pick the course and the date, and choose Team Match Play from the pairs and teams formats. Leave the handicap allowance on full handicap so the 6 handicapper and the 15 handicapper have a proper game. Invite the other three by name, then tap R or B against each player to make the teams, add the matches and press Done.
The board does the work
Each player scores their own holes in the app, and the board works out the rest. Win a hole and your match moves to 1 UP, halve it and nothing changes, and the badge in the leader's colour points at whoever is ahead with the holes played underneath, THRU 8. A match ends the moment the lead is bigger than the holes left, which is where 3&2 comes from. Here is how the film's two matches finished.
| Match | Result | How |
|---|---|---|
| Gareth Lewis (13) v Tom Ellis (9) | Reds, 3&2 | Three up with two to play, so the match ends on the 16th |
| Rhys Bevan (6) v Owen Price (15) | Reds, 1 UP | All square playing the last, won on the 18th |
| Reds v Blues | 2 to 0 | Each match won is a point for the team |
Players and course in the film are fictional. The numbers in brackets are playing handicaps.
Where the shots go
With full handicap, the 15 handicapper gets nine shots against the 6, one on each of the nine hardest holes by stroke index. On those holes a 5 against a 4 is a half, not a loss, and that is what keeps a match between a 6 and a 15 alive to the 18th. The WHS allowances for match play are 100 percent for singles and 90 percent for fourball, and the app lets you pick either.
Reds v Blues this Saturday
Joining, scoring and watching the board are free. Hosting the event is Premium, with 30 days free to try it.
More than match play
The same event flow runs Stableford, Stroke Play and Skins for individuals, and Foursomes, Greensomes, Gruesomes, Chapman, Texas Scramble and Ambrose for pairs and teams. Bigger groups get a live leaderboard on a web page you can put on the clubhouse telly, and guests without the app can be scored by a card marker.
Common questions
How does team match play work with four players?+
Split into two teams of two, Reds and Blues, and play two singles matches, or one fourball. Each match is scored hole by hole: win the hole and you go 1 UP, lose it and you go 1 DOWN, halve it and nothing changes. A match ends when one player's lead is bigger than the holes left, so 3&2 means three up with two to play. Each match won is a point for the team.
What handicap allowance should we use?+
Full handicap is the default in the app and the fairest for a casual game, so the 6 handicapper gives the 15 handicapper nine shots on the nine hardest holes. WHS recommends 100 percent for singles match play and 90 percent for fourball. Our handicap allowances cheat sheet has every format.
Does everyone need the app?+
Joining, scoring and watching the board are free, so your mates just install the app and accept the invite. Hosting the event is part of Premium, with 30 days free to try it, and only the person setting it up needs that.
Can we play other formats?+
Yes. Stableford, Stroke Play and Skins for individuals, and Team Match Play, Foursomes, Greensomes, Gruesomes, Chapman, Texas Scramble and Ambrose for pairs and teams. Team match play uses singles or fourball matches.
Keep reading
About the author
Claudia Laurent · Golf writer, Golf Handicapp
Claudia writes about the World Handicap System, golf scoring and getting more from every round for Golf Handicapp. She is a mid-handicap golfer who logs every card, the good ones and the ones she would rather forget.
Last updated 23 October 2026.
