Page type: Format comparison (two named formats)
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When each fits
Choose stroke play when an individual field should be ranked by total gross or net strokes over the round, without inventing a team betting mechanism. Choose Vegas when four players want a head-to-head, two-team points game with paired scores, agreed dollar values and written house rules.
stroke play in brief
Players compete against the field on total gross or net strokes.
Vegas in brief
A two-team game pairing each side's hole scores into a two-digit number.
Table
| Comparison | stroke play | Vegas |
|---|---|---|
| One line | Players compete against the field on total gross or net strokes. | A two-team game pairing each side's hole scores into a two-digit number. |
| Players | Minimum 2 competitors; ideal for an individual field of 4 or more; two players can compare totals, but it is not head-to-head match play. | Minimum 4: two teams of two; ideal 4 in one foursome. It is a head-to-head team game, not an individual field format. |
| Scoring unit | Strokes: add each player's hole scores, including penalty strokes, for the round or rounds; use gross scores without handicap strokes or net scores after handicap strokes. | Points per hole, calculated as the difference between the two teams' paired two-digit scores; the agreed dollar value per point converts the running total to money. |
| Handicap method | For an individual stroke-play net competition, the WHS recommended allowance is 95%. Apply the allowance to the unrounded Course Handicap as the final step in calculating Playing Handicap, then use that Playing Handicap for the competition. The Committee should state the allowance in the Terms of the Competition, and field size or composition can justify an adjustment. | Vegas has no demonstrated Vegas-specific WHS allowance. If the group uses net hole scores, state that house rule before play. A defensible option for a structured two-team match is the WHS four-ball match-play recommendation: apply 90% to the difference between each player's unrounded Course Handicap and the lowest player's unrounded Course Handicap, then round to Playing Handicaps. This is an adopted four-ball benchmark, not an official rule for the casual Vegas game. |
| Money settles how | Stroke play has no built-in money settlement. If a group agrees stakes, settle at the end of the round or event from the final agreed gross or net ranking; write the pot, ties and payment rules before play. | Agree a value per point before teeing off. Add each hole's point difference to a running team total and settle the final difference at the end; presses, birdie or eagle multipliers and payment splits are optional house rules and must be agreed first. |
| Pace | Same as the stroke-play baseline: every player completes the round and records a total, so there is no inherent hole-by-hole concession to shorten play. Actual pace depends on field size, grouping and course conditions, not the format label alone. | Slower than ordinary stroke play in practice because each hole requires two-digit pairing, possible score flips and point arithmetic; this is an editorial tendency, not a measured statistic. |
| Best for | An individual competition that should reward the lowest total over the whole round, with gross or handicap-adjusted net results that can rank the whole field. | A balanced foursome that enjoys a volatile team betting game, accepts large swings and is willing to write down house rules before starting. |
| Weakness | One poor hole remains in the total unless the Terms of the Competition use a different authorised form such as maximum score; a large field can also make the round feel less direct than match play. | A single birdie flip or high score can create a very large swing, and different groups use different rules for handicaps, 10-plus scores, eagles and presses. |
Worked example
Illustrative inputs and selected terms, not historical results. Across three illustrative holes, Alex records 4, 5 and 3 for 12; Ben records 5, 4 and 4 for 13. Alex has the lower aggregate by 1 stroke. Under a selected no-flip Vegas rule, Alex 4 and Ben 5 form 45; Chris 5 and Dana 6 form 56. At $1 per point per side, the 11-point difference pays $11 from the second side to the first. Agree caps and multi-digit-score handling.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf Rule 3.1a(1) and Rule 3.3a; WHS Appendix C; R&A Rule 23 (four-ball context only, not a Vegas rule)
Sources: www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.golfmonthly.com , golf.com , www.thefriedegg.com , www.randa.org
Common questions
How do stroke play and Vegas score differently?
For stroke play: Strokes: add each player's hole scores, including penalty strokes, for the round or rounds; use gross scores without handicap strokes or net scores after handicap strokes. For Vegas: Points per hole, calculated as the difference between the two teams' paired two-digit scores; the agreed dollar value per point converts the running total to money.
How do handicaps apply in stroke play vs Vegas?
stroke play: For an individual stroke-play net competition, the WHS recommended allowance is 95%. Apply the allowance to the unrounded Course Handicap as the final step in calculating Playing Handicap, then use that Playing Handicap for the competition. The Committee should state the allowance in the Terms of the Competition, and field size or composition can justify an adjustment. Vegas: Vegas has no demonstrated Vegas-specific WHS allowance. If the group uses net hole scores, state that house rule before play. A defensible option for a structured two-team match is the WHS four-ball match-play recommendation: apply 90% to the difference between each player's unrounded Course Handicap and the lowest player's unrounded Course Handicap, then round to Playing Handicaps. This is an adopted four-ball benchmark, not an official rule for the casual Vegas game.
When should I choose stroke play instead of Vegas?
Choose stroke play when an individual field should be ranked by total gross or net strokes over the round, without inventing a team betting mechanism. Choose Vegas when four players want a head-to-head, two-team points game with paired scores, agreed dollar values and written house rules.