Rules & How It Works

What is matchplay?

Matchplay is a format of golf where you compete hole by hole rather than adding up total strokes. Each hole is worth one point — you either win it, lose it, or halve it (tie).

• Win a hole — you took fewer net strokes than your opponent on that hole.
• Lose a hole — your opponent took fewer net strokes.
• Halve a hole — equal net strokes. Neither player scores.

The match result is the number of holes up or down — for example "3&2" means one player was 3 holes ahead with only 2 holes left, so they won without needing to finish.

How challenges work

1. Go to Matches and find a player whose availability overlaps yours.
2. Click Challenge, fill in a venue and tee time, and send.
3. The opponent receives the challenge and can Accept or Decline.
4. Once accepted, either player can fill in the scorecard after the match is played.
5. The other player reviews and confirms the card. If they disagree, they can flag it as disputed.

How scoring works

After the match, either player opens the scorecard and enters the number of strokes for both players on each hole. Enter – on a hole to indicate it was conceded.

The other player then reviews the scorecard. If it looks correct, they Acceptand the result is finalised. If there's a disagreement, they can Dispute it — the match is flagged and both players should resolve it directly.

Ratings are only updated once the scorecard is accepted by both players.

How the Matchplay Handicap works

Your Matchplay Handicap is your matchplay handicap. It starts from your WHS handicap when you first play, and adjusts after every 5 completed matches.

The adjustment takes into account:

• Whether you won or lost
• The strength of your opponent (their Matchplay Handicap)
• The margin of victory (e.g. 5&4 vs 1 up)

The Matchplay Handicap can go below 0. A negative handicap is shown as a + handicap(e.g. +2.1), meaning you give strokes to almost everyone you play.

Stroke allowance

Before each match, strokes are allocated based on the difference in Matchplay Handicaps between the two players. The higher-handicap player receives strokes on the hardest holes (by stroke index).

If the difference in Matchplay Handicaps is 2 or less, the match is played stroke-free — no strokes are given to either player.

Code of conduct & fair play

• Concede putts within gimme range graciously.
• Agree on gimme distance with your opponent before the round starts.
• Do not dispute results after confirming the scorecard.
• Sandbagging — deliberately losing matches to inflate your Matchplay Handicap — is not tolerated. It results in an admin review and may lead to removal from the platform.
• Treat opponents with respect. Stablesome is a community.

Disputed matches

If two players disagree on the result of a match, either player can flag it as disputed.

• Either player can flag a match as disputed from the match page.
• The match is escalated to a platform admin for review.
• Matchplay Handicap is not updated until the dispute is resolved.
• The admin's decision is final.

Competition rules

Ladder

• Players are seeded by Matchplay Handicap at the start — lower handicap = higher position.
• You can challenge anyone up to 5 positions above you.
• Matches must be completed before the round deadline.
• If a match is not played before the deadline, neither player advances.
• Winning moves you up; losing moves you down.
• If you haven't played a ladder match in 28 days, you drop one position.
• The player at position #1 when the end date is reached wins the competition and receives a trophy.

Round robin (knockout bracket)

• Bracket is seeded by MP Hcp at the start of the competition.
• Byes are assigned to the highest seeds in odd-numbered draws.
• Each round has a deadline. If a match is not played in time, a coin flip decides the winner.
• The winner advances; the loser is eliminated.
• The last player remaining receives a trophy.

Tiers

Tiers reflect how active you've been in the last 12 months. A higher tier means your Matchplay Handicap is more reliable, since it's based on more matches.

FAQ

Glossary

MP Hcp

Matchplay Handicap — your Stablesome rating, updated after every match based on results and opponent strength.

Provisional

First tier (0–4 matches). Larger adjustments are applied to calibrate your rating quickly.

Established

Second tier (5–19 matches). Normal-sized adjustments as your rating stabilises.

Ranked

Third tier (20–49 matches). Your Matchplay Handicap is well established.

Stroke index

A number assigned to each hole (1–18) indicating its difficulty. Stroke 1 goes to the hardest hole, stroke 18 to the easiest.

Gimme

A short putt that both players agree to concede without playing. Counts as one stroke.

3&2

Match result notation: one player was 3 holes ahead with 2 holes remaining, winning without needing to finish.