Scoring formats: scramble, best ball, Stableford, gross, and net
Quick answer
ScrambleSync supports three play formats — scramble, best ball, and individual stroke — combined with three scoring methods: gross, net, and Stableford. You pick a format and which scoring boards to show when you create the tournament. Scramble is the most common choice for charity and corporate events.
On this page
Play formats
| Format | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Scramble | Every player on a team hits, the team picks the best shot, and everyone plays from there. One team score per hole. | Charity events, corporate outings, mixed-skill groups |
| Best ball | Every player plays their own ball all the way in. The team's hole score is the lowest (or lowest N) of the individual scores. | Competitive partner or team events |
| Individual stroke | Each player plays their own ball. Players are ranked individually on the leaderboard. | Individual stroke-play events |
Scoring methods (boards)
Each format supports up to three leaderboard boards. You can enable whichever combination makes sense for your event.
| Board | What it shows | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gross | Total strokes, no adjustment | Always available. Sorted lowest-to-highest (best to worst). |
| Net | Gross score minus handicap strokes | For scramble: team total minus team handicap. For best ball: sum of each player's net best ball per hole. Requires handicaps to be set. |
| Stableford | Points per hole based on score vs. par | Standard points: albatross or better=5, eagle=4, birdie=3, par=2, bogey=1, double bogey or worse=0. Sorted highest-to-lowest (most points wins). Requires hole pars to be set. |
How to set up your scoring
Create your tournament
From your dashboard, click New tournament. Choose your format (Scramble, Best ball, or Individual) in the setup wizard.
Set up holes
Go to the Holes tab and enter par for each hole. Hole par is required for net and Stableford scoring to work correctly.
Add handicaps (optional)
For net scoring, add a handicap to each team (or each player for best ball). You can enter these on the Teams or Players tab.
Choose your boards
In tournament settings, select which leaderboard boards to display: Gross, Net, and/or Stableford.
Best ball count
For best ball events, you can configure how many balls count per hole — typically 1 (standard fourball: one best score counts) or 2 (two best scores added together). This is set in tournament settings.
Frequently asked questions
Can I mix scramble and best ball in the same event?
No — the format applies to the whole tournament. If you need separate formats, run them as separate tournaments.
What happens if a team has no handicap?
For scramble events, a team with no handicap has net equal to gross (no strokes deducted). For best ball, a player with no handicap contributes their gross score as their net ball.
Does Stableford use the standard point system?
Yes — the default table is: albatross or better = 5 pts, eagle = 4 pts, birdie = 3 pts, par = 2 pts, bogey = 1 pt, double bogey or worse = 0 pts. The point values are fixed; if your event uses a non-standard table, use gross or net scoring instead.