Lesson 4: Fair Play and Equal Chances
Math can help us think about fairness. In golf, several rules and systems exist to make the game as fair as possible — and most of them rely on math.
The tee order on the first hole might be decided by a “tee flip” (toss a tee in the air and whoever the tee points to, hits first, this is done two more times if there is a foursome to determine the order of play on the first hole) — that is probability. Each player (in a foursome) has a 25% chance of going first. That is the fairest random way to decide.
The handicap system we learned about in Week 4 is a math system for fairness. So is the format of match play, where instead of adding up all your strokes, you simply compete hole by hole — the winner of each hole earns a point, and whoever wins the most holes wins the match.
Understanding the math behind golf’s fairness systems helps you appreciate why the game has such a strong tradition of integrity. The rules and systems are designed so that skill and honesty — not luck alone — determine who wins.
Many of golf’s rules and formats are designed to be mathematically fair — giving every player an equal opportunity for success based on skill.
Match play counts holes won rather than total strokes. Stroke play counts total strokes. Both are fair but in different ways.
Role-play a 9-hole match play competition with your parent. On each hole, the player with the lower score wins the hole. Write down who wins each hole. After 9 holes, count who won the most holes — that player wins the match. Then compare: what was the total stroke count for each player across all 9 holes? Could the match play winner have a higher total stroke count than the match play loser? (Often they can!) What does this reveal about how the format changes strategy?