Ever found yourself watching a professional golf tournament like the Ryder Cup and hearing the announcers say a player won their match 6&5, leaving you to nod along without a clue what it means? You're not alone. This unique scoring language belongs to match play, a format that's different from the standard stroke play most of us are used to. This guide will clearly explain what 6&5 means, how match play scoring works, and give you some actionable advice to try it for yourself.
Before we can make sense of "6&5," it's important to know the difference between the two main ways golf is played. Most rounds you play with your friends are probably stroke play, but the scoring you hear in big team events is almost always match play.
Stroke play is the simplest form of golf. You count every single shot you take over 18 holes. At the end of the round, the person with the lowest total score wins. A great hole (a birdie) helps your total score, and a disastrous hole (a triple bogey) hurts it just as much. Every stroke matters from the first tee to the final putt on the 18th.
Match play, on the other hand, isn't about your total score. It's a head-to-head competition where you try to win individual holes. Think of it as a series of 18 separate one-hole contests.
The beauty of match play is that a single bad hole doesn't derail your entire round. You just lose that one hole and start fresh on the next tee. The winner is the player who wins the most holes, not the one with the lowest total score. And because of this, a match can end long before the 18th hole is completed.
Match play has its own unique vocabulary that can be confusing at first. Instead of saying you're "up by two strokes," you'd use terms like "2 Up." Let's break down the essential terminology.
Up: This means you are ahead in the match. If you have won two more holes than your opponent, you are "2 Up."
Down: This means you are behind in the match. If your opponent has won two more holes than you, you are "2 Down."
All Square (A/S): This means the match is tied. Both players have won the same number of holes.
Halved: This describes a hole where both players had the same score. When a hole is halved, the overall score of the match doesn't change. If you were 1 Up going into the hole and you both make par, you are still 1 Up on the next tee box.
Imagine your match against a friend. Here's how the score might progress:
You continue this back-and-forth for the entire round. The score is updated on the tee box of each new hole based on what happened on the previous one.
Now we get to the heart of it. A score like "6&5" represents the final result of a match that finished early. The formula is actually quite simple: (Holes Up) & (Holes Left to Play).
So, a 6&5 victory means that one player was 6 holes up with only 5 holes left to play.
The reason the match ends right there is a matter of simple math. If a player is ahead by a number of holes greater than the number of holes remaining, it's mathematically impossible for their opponent to catch up.
Since your opponent cannot possibly win or even tie the match, the competition is over. You shake hands on the 13th green and head back to the clubhouse. You won the match, 6&5.
Once you understand the 6&5 formula, you can figure out any match play score. Let's look at a few other results you might see.
There's one more piece of terminology that every match play enthusiast should know: dormie. A match is dormie when a player is leading by the same number of holes that remain to be played.
For example, if you are 3 Up with only 3 holes to play, you are "dormie-3". Your opponent is in a tough spot - they must win every single remaining hole just to tie the match. If they lose or even halve any of the remaining holes, you win. It's the point of "no more room for error" for the player who is trailing.
As a coach, I love match play because it's a completely different mental game. It's not just about hitting great shots, it's about strategy, pressure, and knowing your opponent. Here are a few tips to help you if you decide to try it.
This is the golden rule of match play. If your opponent hits their tee shot out of bounds, you don't need to try for a heroic birdie. A safe bogey might be all you need to win the hole. Adjust your strategy on the fly based on what your opponent does. A boring par can be a beautiful thing if it wins the hole.
Did you just make a snowman (an 8) on a par 4? In stroke play, that can tank your score. In match play, it's just one lost hole. That's a huge mental freedom. No matter how badly you screwed up the last hole, you walk to the next a tee with a clean slate, with the match still at 0-0 for that hole.
If you're 2 down with only three holes to go, it's no time to play it safe. You need to win holes, so it might be time to take on that risky pin location or try to drive the green on a short par 4. You have little to lose and everything to gain by being aggressive when you're behind late in a match.
In match play, you can "concede" a putt to your opponent, meaning you give it to them without them having to stroke it. A "gimme" is a gesture of sportsmanship, but it's also a strategy. Conceding short, nervy putts early in the round might prevent your opponent from building confidence with their putter. Let them know there are no gimmes on the back nine, and watch them sweat over that same 3-footer later!
Match play scoring, with terms like 6&5, might seem complex at first, but it tells a simple story of how a head-to-head golf battle unfolded. It reveals who was leading and by how much at the exact moment the match was decided by becoming mathematically impossible for one player to lose. Understanding this format opens up a fun, strategic, and often more exciting way to compete on the golf course.
As you get into more strategic formats like match play, having sharp on-course guidance becomes a powerful advantage. This is where I've created Caddie AI to serve as your personal strategist. For example, if your opponent is in trouble and you're unsure whether to play it safe or attack, you can get an instant recommendation for the smartest play. When every hole is its own battle, having that expert second opinion helps you make the hole-winning decisions that stack up to a victory.
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