Choosing a format

Every Big Show Golf format, how it's won, and when to use it.

The format decides how the game is won. All formats work with any number of players unless noted.

Format	How it's won	Good for
Stroke Play	Lowest total score	Any group; the simplest
Match Play	Head to head; most holes won	Two players or a grudge match
Stableford	Most points; points per hole for your score against par	Mixed abilities; one bad hole doesn't ruin your day
Quota	Most points over your quota	Regular groups with handicaps
Front / Back / Overall	Tee-time teams play each other for the front 9, back 9 and overall	Bigger groups split into foursomes
Team game	The team's score counts	Best ball, alternate shot, scramble
6/6/6	Fewest dots buys the beer	Exactly 4 players
Sets	Lowest total for each 3- or 6-hole set takes its pot, plus junk	Groups who like lots of small bets (how Sets works)

Stableford points

Score on a hole	Standard	Modified
Albatross or better	5	8
Eagle	4	5
Birdie	3	2
Par	2	0
Bogey	1	−1
Double bogey or worse	0	−3

You can also set your own points. In a net game, points use your score after handicap strokes. An X (DNF) scores the double-bogey points.

Quota

Every hole earns points: albatross 16, eagle 8, birdie 4, par 2, bogey 1, double bogey or worse 0. Your quota is 36 minus your course handicap (18 for 9 holes). The player who beats their quota by the most wins. The organizer can change the points, the target and the handicap allowance.

Front / Back / Overall

Each tee time is a team. Every foursome plays every other foursome for three bets: the front 9, the back 9 and the overall 18. If skins or close-ups are on, the buy-in is split evenly across all the bets.

Threesomes: when some tee times have four players and one has three, the threesome gets a Blind so every team counts the same number of players. If every tee time has three (for example, a game set to 3 players per tee time), teams play as threes with no blind.

A/B/C/D teams by handicap

To make even teams, use A/B/C/D teams on the tee sheet (website: the game's Tee sheet; app: Manage Tee Times). Players are ranked by handicap, lowest first, into tiers the size of the number of tee times: with 4 tee times and 16 players there are 4 A players, 4 B, 4 C and 4 D.

Draw teams by handicap puts one player from each tier in every tee time, at random. If a tier is short, the tee times that go without are picked at random, and a blind fills the spot from the same tier: a team missing its D player gets a Blind D, drawn only from D players in other tee times (or, with blind holes, each hole from a D player). The same goes for A, B and C.
Set tiers only labels everyone A, B, C or D and leaves the tee times to you.
Change anyone's tier from the box beside their name, and drag or move players to another tee time after a draw.
If there are more players than spots, add a tee time or spots first. With sign-ups open, anyone past the limit goes on the waitlist.

The tiers show beside names on the team leaderboard and the printed tee sheet. Players without a handicap are ranked last.

Team game

Players are split into teams and the team's score counts:

Best Ball / Four-Ball: everyone plays their own ball; the best score on each hole counts.
Alternate Shot: partners take turns hitting one ball.
Scramble: everyone hits, the team picks the best shot each time.

6/6/6

For exactly 4 players. Partners rotate every six holes, so everyone partners everyone once. Win a hole and both partners get a dot. At the end, the player with the fewest dots buys the beer. The organizer can turn on a playoff for a tie.

Gross or net?

Every format can be gross (strokes as taken) or net (handicap strokes off), except 6/6/6 and Quota, which use gross scores (Quota already builds handicaps into the quota). Net uses each player's handicap index and the tee they play, by the USGA handicap rules.

When a handicap index changes

Each player's handicap index is saved in the game when they join.

Before the round starts (no scores entered yet): if a player updates the handicap index on their profile, every game they're in that hasn't started picks up the new index automatically.
During the round (tee time less than 24 hours ago, not finished): the game takes the new index too, strokes and net scores update, and a note in the gallery tells everyone. If the manager turned on Lock handicaps once play starts, only a player who started with no handicap is updated.
After the round: finished games never change. The organizer can still change a player's index: in the app, open the game's Players screen and tap the player's handicap.

Updated October 28, 2026