How to Play Scotch in Golf
Fixed 2v2 teams, both play their own ball — 6 points a hole.
What is Scotch?
Scotch pairs everyone into two fixed teams of two for all 18 holes — both players play their own ball, not alternate shot. Every hole splits 6 points across four categories.
Low Ball (2 points) goes to whichever team has the better individual score. Low Total (2 points) goes to the lower combined team score. Birdie (1 point) goes to a team with either player at 1-under or better. Proximity (1 point) goes to whichever team the scorekeeper tags as closest to the pin. A tied category simply awards nobody that point.
How scoring works
- Exactly 4 players, fixed 2v2 teams, own-ball scoring.
- Low Ball (2 points): best individual score on the hole.
- Low Total (2 points): lower combined team score.
- Birdie (1 point) and Proximity (1 point): a tied category awards nobody.
Scoring example
One par-4 hole, $1 a point. Team A: Alex 4, Beth 5. Team B: Casey 4, Deion 6.
| Category | Team A | Team B |
|---|---|---|
| Low Ball (4 vs. 4) | 0 | 0 |
| Low Total (9 vs. 10) | 2 | 0 |
| Birdie | 0 | 0 |
| Proximity (tagged to Team A) | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 |
Low Ball ties (both teams' best score is a 4) — nobody gets that point. Team A takes Low Total and the tagged Proximity point, 3–0. At $1 a point, Team B owes Team A $3 for the hole, split evenly across the four player pairs.
Own ball, not alternate shot
It's easy to confuse Scotch with alternate-shot formats since it's fixed 2v2 teams — but every player plays their own ball the whole way. The "team" part is only in how the points get scored, not how you hit it.
See it in the app — pick from all 12 games, set your stakes, and Buddies scores it live.
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