Competition Formats

TeeTime supports 10 competition formats covering individual stroke play, points-based formats, and team events.

Individual formats

Stableford

Points-based scoring where higher is better. Most common club competition format.

Net Score	Points
Net Double Bogey or worse	0
Net Bogey	1
Net Par	2
Net Birdie	3
Net Eagle	4
Net Albatross+	5

Use case: Weekly club competitions, social rounds, high-handicap friendly.

Stroke (Medal)

Traditional stroke play where lowest net score wins.

• Gross strokes recorded per hole
• Net score = Gross - Course Handicap
• Lowest total net wins

Use case: Monthly medals, club championships, qualifying rounds.

Par/Bogey

Match play against the course. Each hole is won (+1), lost (-1), or halved (0) against par.

• Calculate net score per hole
• Compare to par: under = +1, over = -1, equal = 0
• Sum all holes for final score

Use case: Alternative to stableford, emphasizes consistency.

Matchplay

Head-to-head hole-by-hole competition.

• Holes won/lost, not total strokes
• Match ends when lead exceeds holes remaining (e.g., "3&2")
• Bracket/knockout progression

Use case: Club championships, knockout competitions, inter-club matches.

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Team formats

Four-Ball Better Ball (4BBB)

Two-player teams, each plays their own ball.

• Better net score of the two counts
• Common in pairs competitions

Configuration:

{
  isTeamEvent: true,
  teamSize: 2,
  format: 'FOUR_BALL_BETTER_BALL'
}

Foursomes

Two-player teams, alternate shots.

• Partners alternate shots on each hole
• Alternate tee shots (A tees odd holes, B tees even)
• Single ball per team

Use case: Inter-club matches, Ryder Cup format.

Greensome

Hybrid of four-ball and foursomes.

• Both players tee off
• Select best drive
• Alternate shots from there

Use case: Social team events, mixed competitions.

Scramble

Team format, all play from best position.

• All players hit from each position
• Best shot selected
• Repeat until holed

Use case: Corporate days, charity events, social golf.

Texas Scramble

Scramble with minimum drive requirements.

• Each player's drive must be used minimum number of times
• Typically 3-4 drives per player over 18 holes
• Prevents one player dominating

Configuration:

{
  isTeamEvent: true,
  teamSize: 4,
  format: 'TEXAS_SCRAMBLE',
  // minDrivesPerPlayer tracked in local rules
}

Ambrose

Team scramble with combined handicap calculation.

• Scramble format play
• Team handicap = sum of individual handicaps ÷ team size × factor
• Factor varies (commonly 0.1 for 4-person teams)

Use case: Corporate events, mixed-ability teams.

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Format comparison

Format	Players	Scoring	Best For
Stableford	1	Points (higher)	Weekly comps
Stroke	1	Net strokes (lower)	Championships
Par/Bogey	1	+/- vs par	Consistency focus
Matchplay	1v1	Holes won	Knockouts
4BBB	2	Better ball	Pairs events
Foursomes	2	Alternate shot	Inter-club
Greensome	2	Best drive + alternate	Social
Scramble	2-4	Best shot	Corporate
Texas Scramble	4	Best shot + min drives	Charity
Ambrose	2-4	Scramble + team hcp	Mixed ability

---

Configuration

Create competition with format

await competitionsService.create({
  clubId: 'club-123',
  name: 'Club Championship',
  format: 'STROKE',
  isTeamEvent: false,
  isHandicapQualifying: true,
  handicapAllowance: 100,  // Full handicap
  rounds: [
    { roundNumber: 1, date: new Date('2025-03-01'), courseId: 'course-123' },
    { roundNumber: 2, date: new Date('2025-03-02'), courseId: 'course-123' },
  ],
});

Team event configuration

await competitionsService.create({
  clubId: 'club-123',
  name: 'Corporate Day',
  format: 'TEXAS_SCRAMBLE',
  isTeamEvent: true,
  teamSize: 4,
  isHandicapQualifying: false,
  rounds: [{
    roundNumber: 1,
    date: new Date('2025-06-15'),
    courseId: 'course-123',
    startType: 'SHOTGUN',
    shotgunTime: new Date('2025-06-15T08:00:00'),
  }],
});

---

Format-specific scoring

The ResultsService automatically adjusts sorting based on format:

// Higher is better (Stableford-style)
case 'STABLEFORD':
case 'FOUR_BALL_BETTER_BALL':
case 'FOURSOMES':
case 'GREENSOME':
case 'SCRAMBLE':
case 'TEXAS_SCRAMBLE':
case 'AMBROSE':
  return stablefordPoints;

// Lower is better (Stroke-style)
case 'STROKE':
case 'PAR_BOGEY':
  return netTotal;

// Separate handling
case 'MATCHPLAY':
  // Uses bracket/match results

---

Handicap allowances

Common allowance percentages by format:

Format	Typical Allowance
Stableford	95% or 100%
Stroke	95% or 100%
4BBB	85% or 90%
Foursomes	50% of combined
Greensome	60% low + 40% high
Scramble	10% of combined (4-person)

Configure via handicapAllowance (0-100):

{
  format: 'FOUR_BALL_BETTER_BALL',
  handicapAllowance: 85,  // 85% of course handicap
}