Everything you need to know about Sweep Golf.

Sweep Golf is a points-based competition you play on top of a normal scramble. You still play the scramble exactly as you would — everyone tees off, the group picks a ball, and everyone plays their next shot from there. Alongside that, you're scoring points on every shot.

Each hole is worth its par in points par 4 = 4 pts, and those points are won shot by shot for hitting the best ball in the group. It turns every shot of a casual round into something that counts — without changing the pace or the format you already know.

No. Because you're playing a scramble, the group always advances from the best ball, so nobody gets stuck grinding out a disaster hole. Beginners hit their next shot from a good lie instead of from the trouble, which keeps the round fun and moving.

There's also a Casual variant built for groups with a wide range of skill levels, so the low handicaps don't simply run off with every point.

It shouldn't. The scoring happens as you play — you're not stopping to do math on every green. If anything, the scramble format tends to speed groups up: weak shots get discarded and everyone plays from the same good spot instead of hunting for four separate balls. More on pace of play below.

Yes. Pair up into two teams of two, play scramble style within each team, and keep points the same way. It's one of the most natural ways to run the game — two teams, one card, points on every hole. You don't need a big field or an event; a regular Saturday foursome works.

Especially for you. The whole appeal for newer players is that you're always hitting from the better lie instead of from wherever your last shot ended up. More good shots, fewer demoralizing ones — and you still get a real, scored competition out of it through the points rather than a card full of blow-up holes.

Yes — that's what the Casual variant is for. It keeps the game fun and competitive when the group mixes low handicaps with first-timers, so the stronger players don't win every single point by default. Agree to play the Casual variant on the first tee.

Two reasons: pace and experience. Pointing slower or beginner groups toward Sweep Golf nudges them into a scramble, which naturally moves faster than four players each grinding their own ball — better for pace of play across the whole course.

And it gives newer golfers a better first day out, which is the thing that turns a one-time visitor into a repeat customer. Courses can also stock and sell the scorecard notepads in the pro shop.

Yes. The pads are made to sit at a counter or in a pro shop and hand to a group on the first tee. For stocking or wholesale, get in touch — or see the scorecards page.

Yes — same idea. It lets a new golfer play from good positions, stay with the group ahead instead of falling behind, and still finish with a scored, competitive round rather than a frustrating one. Learning the game and keeping pace usually pull against each other; the scramble format lets you do both.

These can be two different balls — and that's the point of this nuance. The point is awarded to the best ball, meaning the best result of that shot. But the ball you actually want to play your next shot from isn't always that same one: a ball ten yards back in the fairway can offer a better lie or a better angle than one that's closer but sitting in the rough.

So you tally the point to the winning shot, then play the scramble from whichever ball gives the team the best next shot. Keep the point, play the smarter position.

Every hole carries a pool of points equal to its par par 5 = 5 pts. Points are won shot by shot for hitting the best ball in the group as you work the hole. The running tally is what you're competing over across the round.

When you finish a hole decisively, you can take the points that are still on the table. The first genuine putt to drop takes the remaining points in that hole's pool. And holing out early from off the green — chipping in, or dropping a long one from distance — sweeps the hole's points to par.

The mechanic rewards actually finishing the hole rather than just getting close and leaving points behind. It's also where the game gets its name.

In most golf, the player farthest from the hole goes first. Sweep Golf flips it on the green: whoever's leading putts first. It's a deliberate balancing mechanic — the leader has to commit to their putt first, without the benefit of watching the others' lines, which offsets advantages the trailing players pick up over the course of the hole.

A gimme is a tap-in inside one putter-length. Rather than making everyone putt out the short ones, the gimme's point goes to whoever won the approach shot onto the green. That keeps things moving — and, just as importantly, it stops players from farming easy tap-in points. The reward flows back to the shot that actually set up the tap-in.

Yes. No practice swings is the standard rule — it keeps pace up and adds a little pressure — but it's optional. Decide as a group before the round whether it's on or off.

Yes. The standard gimme is one putter-length, but for a group of newer players you can widen it — say, two putter-lengths — so short putts don't bog down the round. Set the distance before you tee off so everyone's playing the same game.

Within reason, yes. The core scoring — par-point pools, best ball wins the points, sweeps on holing out — is what makes it Sweep Golf, so leave that intact. But the surrounding rules like practice swings and gimme distance are meant to be dialed to your group. Just agree on any changes on the first tee so nobody's surprised on the back nine.