A golf Derby, often called a Shoot-Out or a Horse Race, is an exciting, elimination-style competition that makes every hole feel like a final. It's one of the best formats for turning a casual weekend round into a high-pressure, incredibly fun event. This guide will walk you through exactly what a Derby is, how to set one up, the different ways you can play, and most importantly, the strategies that will help you survive and be the last player standing.
At its heart, a Derby is a game of survival. You start with a group of golfers, and on each hole, the player with the highest score is eliminated. This process repeats hole after hole until only one golfer remains. This player is crowned the Derby champion.
Imagine teeing off on the first hole with ten players. Everyone is trying to just make a solid score - a par, a bogey, anything but the dreaded double bogey that might be the highest score in the group. As soon as the hole is finished, scores are tallied, and the player with the worst score has to pack it in for the day (or at least for the rest of the Derby). Now, nine players head to the next tee, and the pressure mounts slightly. This continues until two players face off on the final hole in a head-to-head battle for the title.
The beauty of the Derby is that it rewards consistency over momentary brilliance. You don't have to shoot the round of your life to win. You just have to avoid being the worst on any given hole. This makes it a fantastic game for golfers of all skill levels, especially when handicaps are used correctly.
Setting up a Derby is straightforward, but getting a few key details sorted out beforehand will make the game run smoothly and keep everyone happy. Here’s how to do it.
The ideal number of players depends on how many holes you're playing. For a nine-hole Derby, the perfect number is 10 players. This allows for one player to be eliminated on each of the first eight holes, leaving two players to duel it out on the ninth. If you want to play a full 18-hole Derby, you would need 19 players.
What if you don't have the perfect number? No problem. If you have fewer players, you can simply have "warm-up" holes. For example, with eight players in a nine-hole Derby, no one gets eliminated on the first hole. It's just a regular hole to get everyone started before the eliminations begin on the second hole.
A Derby is just as fun when you're playing for bragging rights, but adding a little money to the pot definitely adds to the excitement. A common approach is to have every player contribute an equal amount to a prize pot (e.g., $10 or $20 each). The winner - the last person standing - takes the entire pot. Another option is to pay out the top two or three finishers to spread the winnings a bit.
This is the most important rule to agree on. The fairest and most common way to play is by using net scores. This means each player's handicap is used to determine their score on a hole, leveling the playing field between scratch golfers and higher handicappers. Playing a Derby with gross scores (without handicaps) just becomes a competition for the best players in the group.
The easiest method is to use each hole's handicap rating (found on the scorecard, ranked 1 through 18). Let's say a player has a 12-course handicap. They would get one stroke on each of the 12 most difficult holes (those rated 1 through 12). If that player makes a 5 on the 7th-hardest hole, their *net score* for that hole is a 4. This is the score used for elimination.
You will inevitably have ties for the highest score on a hole. What happens then? You need a clear rule, and this is where a Derby really gets exciting. Here are the most popular tie-breaker methods:
Once the rules are set, it’s time to play. Let's walk through an example on Hole 1 of a ten-person Derby:
Winning a Derby isn’t about playing aggressive, highlight-reel golf. It's about playing smart, conservative golf. Think of it as a game of chess where your only goal is to not make a blunder.
This is the most important mindset shift. You do not need to make birdies. You do not need magnificent pars. You just need to avoid the big number. A bogey is your friend in a Derby. A double bogey is your enemy. Play every shot with the goal of eliminating trouble. Aim for the middle of greens, lay up short of hazards, and take the low-risk option every single time. Let someone else be the hero who tries to thread a 3-wood through a tiny gap, your job is to keep your ball in play and give yourself a chance to make no worse than a bogey.
Before you tee off, look at the scorecard and circle the holes where you get a stroke. These are your "safety net" holes. On these holes, you can feel a bit more comfortable, knowing a bogey will become a net par. On holes where you *don't* get a stroke, you need to be extra cautious. Plan your strategy around these holes, making sure you play them as safely as possible to avoid a big number.
More than anything else, a Derby comes down to nerves on and around the green. Many professional tournaments are won or lost inside 10 feet, and it's no different in a Derby. The pressure of standing over a four-foot putt knowing that making it keeps you in the game (and missing it sends you to a chip-off) is immense. Before you play, spend 15 minutes practicing from this distance. A simple drill is to place four balls in a circle around the hole, about 3-4 feet out, and try to make them all in a row. This builds the confidence you need when the pressure is on.
You will almost certainly find yourself in a chip-off at some point. Knowing this, being decent at chipping is a massive advantage. When it's your turn to chip, don't try to be a hero. Hitting a perfect flop shot isn’t the goal. The goal is simply to be closer than your opponent(s). Pick the highest-percentage shot you can play - often a simple bump-and-run with an 8-iron - and focus on getting it somewhere on the putting surface and close enough to survive.
Once you've played the classic version, here are a few fun twists you can add to spice things up for your next outing.
The golf Derby is one of the most engaging and nerve-wracking formats you can play. It's a game of steady strategy and guts, where avoiding that one costly mistake is all that matters. It forces you to think about course management on every shot and transforms a regular round into an unforgettable competition.
A huge part of a successful Derby strategy is making smart, conservative decisions under pressure. Knowing when to lay up versus going for it, or how to play a tricky lie in the rough to avoid a blowout score, can be the difference between staying in the game and going home early. At Caddie AI, we built our app to act as your on-course expert for these very moments. You can get instant strategy for any hole or even snap a photo of a difficult lie to receive a professional recommendation on how to play it, helping you commit to every shot with the confidence needed to survive and advance.
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