Golf Betting Games

Round Robin

Pairs rotate through matchups throughout the round.

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Best: 4Difficulty: ModerateHandicaps: optional

Round Robin Golf Game

Round Robin is a rotating partner golf game where players switch teams throughout the round. It is a great format for a regular foursome because every player gets a chance to partner with every other player.

Instead of keeping the same teams for all 18 holes, the partnerships rotate by segment. This keeps the game balanced and makes it harder for one strong team to dominate the whole round.

Best for

Round Robin works best with 4 players.

It can be adapted for 5 players, but the classic version is built for a foursome.

Handicaps

Handicaps are optional.

Round Robin can be played gross or net. If the group has mixed skill levels, net scoring usually works better.

When handicaps are used, each player receives strokes based on their course handicap and the course handicap row on the scorecard.

How Round Robin works

In a 4-player Round Robin, the round is split into three six-hole matches.

Each player partners with every other player once.

Example players:

  • Player A
  • Player B
  • Player C
  • Player D

The partnerships could be:

Holes 1-6

  • Team 1: Player A and Player B
  • Team 2: Player C and Player D

Holes 7-12

  • Team 1: Player A and Player C
  • Team 2: Player B and Player D

Holes 13-18

  • Team 1: Player A and Player D
  • Team 2: Player B and Player C

By the end of the round, every player has been paired with every other player.

Scoring the matches

Each six-hole segment is usually played as a small team match.

Common scoring methods include:

  • best ball match play
  • combined net score
  • low ball / low total
  • points per hole

The simplest version is best ball match play.

In best ball match play, each team uses the best net score from its two players on each hole.

Example:

Team 1:

  • Player A net 4
  • Player B net 5
  • Team score: 4

Team 2:

  • Player C net 5
  • Player D net 4
  • Team score: 4

The hole is tied.

Simple Round Robin example

Four players are playing Round Robin for $5 per six-hole match.

Holes 1-6:

  • Team A/B beats Team C/D
  • Player A wins $5
  • Player B wins $5
  • Player C loses $5
  • Player D loses $5

Holes 7-12:

  • Team A/C beats Team B/D
  • Player A wins $5
  • Player C wins $5
  • Player B loses $5
  • Player D loses $5

Holes 13-18:

  • Team B/C beats Team A/D
  • Player B wins $5
  • Player C wins $5
  • Player A loses $5
  • Player D loses $5

Final totals:

  • Player A: +$5
  • Player B: +$5
  • Player C: +$5
  • Player D: -$15

Why Round Robin is balanced

Round Robin is popular because the partners rotate.

In a normal team game, one strong pairing can dominate all day. In Round Robin, every player has to play with each other player.

That makes the format feel fairer over a full round.

Common Round Robin format

The most common format is:

  • 4 players
  • 3 matches
  • 6 holes per match
  • rotating partners
  • each match worth the same amount
  • best ball or net best ball scoring

This is sometimes also called Sixes, because the round is split into three six-hole segments.

Round Robin vs Sixes

Round Robin and Sixes are very similar.

The difference is mostly naming.

  • Round Robin focuses on rotating through every partner combination.
  • Sixes focuses on splitting the round into three six-hole matches.

For a foursome, they usually describe the same basic format.

Match scoring options

Groups can score Round Robin several ways.

Best ball match play

Each team uses its best score on each hole. The team with the better score wins the hole.

This is the easiest casual version.

Combined score

Each team adds both players' scores together.

Example:

Team 1:

  • Player A net 4
  • Player B net 5
  • Team total: 9

Team 2:

  • Player C net 5
  • Player D net 6
  • Team total: 11

Team 1 wins the hole.

Combined score makes both players matter on every hole.

Low ball / low total

This version compares both the best score and the team total.

A team can win points for:

  • low individual score
  • low combined team score

This adds more action but is harder to track.

Points per hole

Some groups award points each hole instead of match-play status.

Example:

  • 1 point for winning the hole
  • 0.5 points for tying the hole
  • most points after six holes wins the segment

Handicaps in Round Robin

If handicaps are used, each player gets strokes on the holes where their course handicap allows.

Example:

  • Player A handicap: 4
  • Player B handicap: 10
  • Player C handicap: 14
  • Player D handicap: 18

Depending on the group's method, players may use full course handicaps or play off the lowest handicap player.

The simplest casual version is to use each player's course handicap and apply strokes hole by hole.

Playing off the low handicap

Some groups play off the lowest handicap player in each match.

Example:

  • Player A: 4
  • Player B: 10
  • Player C: 14
  • Player D: 18

If Player A is the lowest handicap, Player A plays at 0.

Adjusted strokes:

  • Player A: 0
  • Player B: 6
  • Player C: 10
  • Player D: 14

Each player receives strokes on the appropriate holes.

This works well when the group wants a cleaner match-play handicap setup.

Payout styles

Round Robin can be paid a few ways.

Per segment

Each six-hole match is worth a fixed amount.

Example:

  • $5 per segment
  • win the segment, win $5 from each losing player or from the opposing team

This is the cleanest version.

Per hole

Each hole is worth a fixed amount.

Example:

  • $2 per hole
  • winning team wins $2 per player on each hole

This creates more frequent payouts.

Points total

Each hole is worth points, and the team with the most points after the six-hole segment wins the bet.

This works well if the group wants ties and half-points.

Ties

Groups should agree how tied segments are handled.

Common options:

  • tied segment pushes
  • tied segment carries over to next segment
  • tied segment is decided by the last hole
  • tied segment is decided by total score
  • tied segment is split

The simplest rule is:

  • tied segments push

5-player Round Robin

Round Robin can be adapted for 5 players, but it is less clean than the classic 4-player version.

With 5 players, one player may sit out of a team match each segment, rotate as a floater, or play against the field.

Because of that, 5-player groups often use Wolf, Skins, Stableford, or Banker instead.

If using 5-player Round Robin, the group should clearly agree on:

  • who sits or floats each segment
  • whether the floater can win money
  • how teams rotate
  • how payouts are split

Common Round Robin rules

Before starting, the group should agree on:

  • partner rotation
  • segment length
  • bet amount
  • gross or net scoring
  • best ball or combined score
  • whether ties push
  • whether handicaps are full or adjusted
  • how plus handicaps are handled
  • whether any side bets are included

Strategy

Round Robin rewards steady team play.

Because partners change every six holes, players need to adapt quickly. A player may be paired with the best player in the group for one segment and the highest-handicap player for the next.

In best ball scoring, one player can rescue the team with a good hole. In combined score, both players need to avoid big numbers.

Why use a Round Robin scorecard app?

Round Robin is easy to understand, but it can be annoying to track manually because partnerships change during the round.

A scorecard app can track:

  • rotating partners
  • six-hole segments
  • team scores
  • match status
  • handicap strokes
  • segment winners
  • total money won or lost

Golf Betting Games keeps the rotating teams and payouts organized so the group can focus on the round.

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