Page type: Result notation (illustrative worked fixture)
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Read the dormie state
Dormie 7 means Alex is 7 up with 7 holes to play. Alex is not yet the winner because the lead is equal to the holes remaining, not greater than them.
What can happen next
A tied or Alex-won next hole makes the lead greater than the holes left and decides the match. Dormie does not mean the leader cannot lose an extended match: Ben can win all 7 scheduled holes, and an extension can follow where the Terms do not permit a tie.
Illustrative gross-score fixture
The table uses invented 4 and 5 gross scores to create a live dormie state without an earlier decision. It is instructional data only, not historical scoring or a handicap calculation.
Table
| Hole | Alex gross | Ben gross | Hole result | Cumulative match lead after hole | Holes remaining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 17 |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 16 |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 15 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 14 |
| 5 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 1 up | 13 |
| 6 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 2 up | 12 |
| 7 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 3 up | 11 |
| 8 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 4 up | 10 |
| 9 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 5 up | 9 |
| 10 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 6 up | 8 |
| 11 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 7 up | 7 |
Worked example
Illustrative live-state fixture only: Alex is 7 up with 7 left, so the match is dormie but not decided.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 3.2a(1), (3) and (4)
Sources: www.randa.org
Common questions
Does dormie 7 mean Alex has already won?
No. At dormie 7 in this 18-hole match, Alex leads by exactly 7 with 7 to play -- the same number of holes as remain -- so Rule 3.2a(3) (a lead greater than the holes left) has not yet been met; Alex has not already won.
What result ends the match from dormie?
From dormie 7 in a 18-hole match (Alex 7 up with 7 to play), any hole Alex ties or wins on holes 12 to 18 makes Alex's lead exceed the holes left and ends the match under Rule 3.2a(3); only Ben winning every one of those final 7 holes avoids that and brings the match back to all square.
Can the player who is dormie lose?
Yes. If Ben wins all 7 of the remaining holes from dormie 7, the match reaches all square at hole 18. Where a tie may not stand under the Terms of the Competition, Rule 3.2a(4) sends the match to extra holes, and Alex -- who was dormie 7 -- can still lose from there.
Is dormie the same as being 1 up?
Not necessarily. Dormie 7 specifically means 7 up with 7 holes remaining in this 18-hole match (hole 11 onward); being "7 up" alone says nothing about how many holes are left, while dormie 7 fixes both numbers to the same value.
Are the scores in this card historical?
No. This dormie-7 card's Alex, Ben and every gross score through hole 11 are invented teaching data built to land on exactly 7 up with 7 to play in a 18-hole fixture, not an account of a real round.
Do handicap strokes change this example?
This fixture uses simple gross scores with no handicap strokes applied anywhere in the 18-hole card. A handicap match reaching dormie 7 would need the applicable strokes allocated by hole first (see the stroke allocator), since a stroke on one of the remaining 7 holes can change which player actually needs to win it.