Golf Games for Different Handicaps: Fair Formats

Golf games for different handicaps: a 5 handicap vs a 25 handicap, with recommended allowances for Stableford, Four-Ball and a 2-person scramble

The best golf games for different handicaps either use net scoring with a fair handicap allowance, such as Stableford, Four-Ball and High & Low, or take handicaps out of play with points any golfer can win, such as side games like Animals and Marks. Both approaches keep a 5-handicap and a 25-handicap in the same game until the last hole.

This guide explains what makes a game fair when abilities are far apart, which net games work best and how many strokes to give, which games need no handicap at all, and how to pick one for your group.

TheGrint works out net strokes and points for six games on the Free membership, so a mixed group can set up a net game in TheGrint and let the app do the math.

What makes a golf game fair for mixed handicaps?

A game is fair for mixed handicaps when every player has a similar chance of winning on a good day. Groups get there with two levers: strokes, which level the scores, and format, which limits how much one bad hole or one great player can decide the result.

Strokes: each player gets strokes from their Course Handicap^™, applied on the hardest holes by stroke index. The handicap allowance then trims those strokes to suit the format.
Points instead of total strokes: in Stableford, Skins and Match Best Ball a disaster costs one hole, not the whole round.
Partners: pairing a low handicap with a high handicap gives both teams a strong ball and a weaker ball on every hole.
Event points: side games such as Animals and Marks reward things any golfer can do on a given hole, such as a sand save.

Which golf games work best for different handicaps?

Stableford, Four-Ball (best ball), High & Low, Niners and a 2-person scramble are the most reliable golf games for groups with a wide range of handicaps. Each one either caps the damage from a bad hole or makes every player's score matter on every hole.

Game	Players	Why it works for mixed handicaps	Recommended allowance
Individual Stableford	Any	A double bogey or worse scores 0 points, so one bad hole can't sink a round	95% in stroke play
Four-Ball (best ball), stroke play	Pairs	Each team counts its better score on the hole	85%
Four-Ball (best ball), match play	Pairs	Each hole is a fresh contest for 1 point	90%
High & Low	4, in two pairs	The two weaker scores play each other for their own point	Not listed; the group decides
Niners	3	9 points are shared on every hole by finishing order	Not listed; the group decides
2-person scramble	Pairs	The team plays the best shot every time	35% of the lower, 15% of the higher
Individual match play	2	Strokes are given only on the gap between players	100%

These are the recommended allowances from Appendix C of the USGA^® Rules of Handicapping (Appendix C, Handicap Allowances). They are set so each player or team has about the same chance of winning in match play and team formats. For the full table and worked examples, see how golf handicap allowances work.

Tree-lined parkland fairway with autumn colors, bunkers and a pond short of the green

How to give strokes in a match

In a match, the lowest handicap plays off zero and everyone else gets the difference. For example, player A has a Course Handicap of 10 and player B has 18. In singles match play, A gets 0 strokes and B gets 8. In Four-Ball match play at 90%, B gets 7, a player with 27 gets 15 and a player with 39 gets 26.

USGA Format (TheGrint default): the best player plays as scratch and everyone else gets the full difference in Course Handicap.
Modified Format: every player gets their full Course Handicap on the hardest holes, whoever they are playing against.

Which golf games don't need a handicap at all?

Games that award points for events rather than total strokes don't need a handicap, because a 25-handicap can win any point on any hole. Bingle Bangle Bongle (a point each for first on the green, closest once all balls are on and first in the hole), Rabbit and Shoot-Out are the best known. They aren't built into TheGrint, so groups keep them on a scorecard.

Inside TheGrint, the Pro side games work the same way: Animals, Marks and Hot Potato hand out points for events like a 3-putt, a sand save or the longest drive on a par 5, so a high handicap is never out of them, and the app keeps the points for you.

How do you choose a game for your group?

Choose by how many players you have and how far apart the handicaps are. A wider spread calls for a format with partners or points; a closer group can play straight net stroke play.

Three players: Niners, so every hole hands out 9 points and the round stays close.
A foursome with one strong and one weak player: High & Low, or Four-Ball with the strong and weak players on the same team.
Several foursomes or an outing: net Stableford on a shared leaderboard, which ranks everyone together.
Beginners in the group: a 2-person scramble, so nobody has to count every stroke.
Players without a handicap: a skill-neutral points game, or an estimated handicap from a few posted rounds. An estimate in an app is not an official Handicap Index^®.

For game-by-game rules, see Stableford scoring, how skins works and best ball vs scramble.

How does TheGrint score games for mixed handicaps?

TheGrint calculates net strokes and game points while you enter scores, using each player's Course Handicap and the format you choose. Six games are included for every member: Medal, Stableford, Best Ball, Skins, High & Low and Niners.

Net or gross: choose net scoring, then USGA Format or Modified Format for how strokes are given.
Linked Scorecards: each player can keep their own score on their own phone, or one player can keep score for the group.
Bigger groups: a live Leaderboard ranks several foursomes in one competition and is free for every member.
Pro: adds Vegas, Wolf, Animals, Marks and Hot Potato, and Multi-Games to run more than one game at a time.

TheGrint games are points-based. See all 11 golf games on TheGrint.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fairest golf game for a group with very different handicaps?

Individual net Stableford is the fairest simple choice for most mixed groups. In a small group, full Course Handicap strokes are reasonable; the recommended allowance is 95% for fields of 30 to 100 players. Points are scored against net par, and a blow-up hole costs zero points at most. For a foursome in pairs, High & Low and Four-Ball match play at 90% are close behind.

How many strokes should a high handicapper get against a low handicapper?

In match play, the higher handicap gets the difference between the two Course Handicap values. If one player's Course Handicap is 10 and the other's is 18, the 18 receives 8 strokes, one on each of the 8 hardest holes by stroke index. In Four-Ball match play, the recommended allowance is 90% of that difference.

Can you play a golf game without handicaps?

Yes. Points games that reward events rather than total strokes, such as Bingle Bangle Bongle, Rabbit and Shoot-Out, need no handicap, but they aren't built into TheGrint, so you keep them on a scorecard. Inside TheGrint, the Pro side games Animals, Marks and Hot Potato work the same way, handing out points for events like a 3-putt, a sand save or the longest drive on a par 5.

Which golf games are free on TheGrint?

Six games are free for every member: Medal, Stableford, Best Ball, Skins, High & Low and Niners. TheGrint works out the net strokes and points as you enter scores. Pro adds Vegas, Wolf, Animals, Marks and Hot Potato, plus Multi-Games to run more than one game at a time.

Is High & Low good for a foursome with one weak player?

Yes. High & Low awards one point for the better low score and one for the better high score on each hole, so the weaker player in each pair is playing for a point on every hole. On TheGrint the app describes it as the game for four players with big handicap differences, played in pairs.

Set up your next mixed-handicap game with TheGrint

Pick a format, add your group and TheGrint applies the strokes and keeps the points on every hole, so the 5-handicap and the 25-handicap can play the same game without a calculator. Stableford, Best Ball and High & Low are free. Get started with TheGrint.