Games within golf are something every player comes into contact at some point. Besides stroke play (the standard way of playing golf - each stroke counts for a total score) there are numerous formats to play. From Skins play to Best Ball, every golfer should know the major formats.

Following is a glossary for the most common golf formats.

Alternate Shot:

Most commonly used with two-player teams, it is what it sounds like - players alternate taking shots for their team. For instance, "Bob" will tee off on the first hole, and "Joe" will hit the next shot. The rotation continues until the ball is holed. Usually, in order to prevent a stronger player from hitting more drives, the players will also alternate who hits the tee shot, so if "Bob" teed off on the first hole, then "Joe" will tee off on the second hole. This format can be used in stroke play and match play*.

Best Ball:

Often mistaken as a "scramble," the best ball format consists of each player of the team playing their own ball on each hole with the team taking the lowest individual score. Example: Players A, B and C make par and player D shoots a birdie, then the team will score a birdie for that hole. This format can also be called "fourball" (as in the Ryder Cup) when two 2-player teams are playing a best ball match against each other.

Handicap:

Perhaps the most confusing aspect of golf, handicaps are used to level the playing field between golfers of different ability. The official handicap indexes established by the USGA utilizing their Golf Handicaps and Information System (GHIN) are based on a complicated formula based on the players' last 20 rounds of golf. There are however, many web sites and programs which can offer you an approximate handicap calculation though they are not recognized by official governing bodies.

In stroke play, the lesser player subtracts the strokes given against their actual - or gross - score to get their net score. (If Player A shot 90 and gets 15 strokes, then his net score would be 75. If Player B - a scratch player - shot a 76, Player A would win the round).

In match play, strokes are applied to the hardest holes on the course - so noted on the scorecard under the "handicap" column, with the "1" hole being the hardest and "18" being the easiest. So on the hardest holes on the course, a par would be good for a "net birdie." This means better golfers would have to also make a birdie in order to halve (or tie) the hole.

*Match Play:

Probably the second-most popular tournament format (behind standard stroke play), match play is played between two players (or teams) attempting to make the best score on a single hole, thus "winning" that hole. If two players make the same score, then they "halve" the hole. Whoever wins the most holes wins the match.

The terminology used to describe the scoring can be confusing. Beginning the round, both players are "All Square." When Player A wins the first hole, he is "1 Up" and Player B is "1 Down." On the second hole, both players shoot a par and "halve" the hole, so Player A stays "1 Up." On the third hole, Player Bwins the hole, and the match returns to "All Square." With only three holes to play, Player A is "3 Up". If Player A wins the 16th hole he wins the match, because Player B does not have enough holes left to catch up. The final score reads, Player A wins "4 and 2" (or 4 Up with 2 holes to play). Golfers who win on the final hole win the match "1 Up." If extra holes are needed, they are simply listed as winning in the number of holes it took to win.

Medal Play:

Another term for stroke play (see first paragraph for description).

No Scotch:

A two-man format, no scotch combines alternate shot with scramble. In this format, the two team members tee off, and then switch balls, playing their second shots from where their partner's tee shot came to rest. Beginning with the third shot, the partners play the rest of the hole as a scramble, recording the team score on the scorecard.

Scramble:

This is the most popular format for charity events or local amateur tournaments. The scramble format can be played in teams from 2 to 4 players. Each team member hits a tee shot, and then the team determines which shot was the best. From that spot, each team member hits their next shot. This continues for every shot (including putts) until the ball is holed. (The PGA has promoted a One-Man Scramble where individuals hit two shots from every location and decide which ball to play, thereby helping speed up play on non-tournament days on busy public courses).

Shamble (or Bramble):

Similar to a scramble, a shamble has each team member hitting their tee shots. After determining which spot to play from, each player plays individual stroke play from that point forward until all putts are sunk.

Skins:

Probably the most popular betting format in golf skins are similar to match play in that skins are played from hole to hole. A standard amount of money is bet per hole per player, from 25 cents to several dollars (let's say $1). The lowest score on any hole takes the money for that hole (so in a foursome, the winner would collect $4). If two or more players tie for a given hole, the skin carries to the next hole which would be worth $8.

The skins format is best known from the "Skins Game", a PGA Tour postseason event where tour players play for thousands of dollars per hole. The event is recognized by the PGA Tour, but does not count towards the money winners list.

Stableford:

A format where a specified number of points are awarded for a given score on a hole. The USGA has a standard scoring system and used a modification of it at the International, a former PGA Tour event. At the International, players received 8 points for a double eagle, 5 for an eagle, 2 for a birdie, 0 for par, -1 for bogey and -3 for a double bogey or worse. Tournament officials can assign any scoring system they wish, and can even have different scoring values for different ability levels or flights.

The main advantage of using a Stableford or modified Stableford format is, players can simply pick up their ball if they're going to make worse than a double bogey, since they won't do any better or worse than what the system allows.

6-6-6:

No it's not the sign of the Devil! 6-6-6 combines aspects of any of the above formats where in an 18 hole tournament 6 holes are played in each of three different formats, such as: 6 holes of best ball, 6 holes of scramble and 6 holes of alternate shot. Nine hole golf courses, can use a 3-3-3 system.