Setup and players
- PK Match works with two or more players — every player runs an individual match against every other player, all at once, from one scorecard. In a foursome, each hole is three separate comparisons for each player.
- If handicaps are in play, assign strokes off the lowest handicap in the group, taken on the standard handicap holes (covered below).
- Agree on the dollar value per point. Points arrive one at a time here, so the totals stay modest and steady.
- Play your own ball and hole out — a putt that turns a tie into a win is worth a point in up to three matches at once.
How each hole plays
Every hole is its own complete match against each opponent. Compare your net score with each other player: beat them for +1, lose to them for −1, tie for 0. That's the whole game. Nothing carries over, and the margin never matters — a hole won by five strokes pays the same +1 as a hole won by one, and a quadruple bogey costs the same −1 as a near miss. The totals simply accumulate across the round, hole by hole, pairing by pairing.
Scoring and settlement
Each pairing is zero-sum on every hole — your +1 is exactly their −1 — so the group total is always zero, and the running tally is a who-owes-whom ledger.
| Player | Net score | vs Mike | vs Ken | vs Lina | vs Coco | Hole pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike | 4 | 0 | −1 | +1 | 0 | |
| Ken | 4 | 0 | −1 | +1 | 0 | |
| Lina | 3 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | |
| Coco | 6 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −3 |
Lina's net 3 beats all three opponents: +3 for the hole. Mike and Ken tie each other, lose to Lina, and beat Coco: dead even at 0. Coco's 6 loses everywhere: −3 — and notice that a 9 would have cost exactly the same. The Hole pts column sums to zero, and so does the round total, always.
Handicaps: strokes on the standard index holes
PK Match applies handicaps the traditional way — during the round, on the holes where they fall:
- Everyone plays off the lowest handicap in the group: each player receives strokes equal to their handicap minus the low player's.
- Strokes are taken on the hardest holes by stroke index — a player receiving 5 strokes takes one on each of the five hardest-rated holes.
- Every comparison on every hole uses net scores, which automatically gives each pairing its correct handicap differential — one net scorecard runs every match at once.
The per-hole method matters here in a way it doesn't in stroke play: a stroke that lands on a hole you win by plenty is wasted, and one that turns a loss into a tie is gold. Where your strokes fall shapes which holes are your battlegrounds.
Pace of play
None — no tee order rules, no mid-round decisions, ready golf throughout. Putts still get holed, since tie-versus-win is the whole economy of the game, so agree any concession rule before the round.
Strategy
Disasters are capped — play accordingly
The worst any hole can cost you is −1 per opponent — a quadruple bogey and a one-stroke loss are priced identically. That cap makes aggression cheap: once a hole is slipping away, the downside is already paid, so the recovery gamble or the hero line costs nothing extra. The only shot that's ever truly expensive is the one that turns a winning hole into a losing one.
Ties are half-wins
A tie costs nothing and denies your opponent a point, so steady pars do quiet damage across three matches at once. The player who never makes worse than bogey rarely posts a big single hole, but almost never posts a −3 either — and in a game of accumulated +1s, avoiding the −3 holes is most of the battle.
Know where your strokes live
Your stroke holes are the holes where you're playing offense — a net birdie against everyone straight isn't a hope, it's the plan. Conversely, when a higher-handicap opponent strokes on a hole and you don't, a par may only buy a tie. Glance at the card on the tee: the stroke dots tell you which battles are winnable.
Variations and house rules
Birdie and eagle multipliers
An optional multiplier rewards winning holes in style: beat an opponent with a birdie and the hole pays double — +2 to you, −2 to them — while an eagle pays 5×. The multipliers are adjustable, so groups can tune how much a great hole is worth. It changes the texture of the game: in plain PK Match a birdie only matters if it flips a result, but with multipliers on, closing out a hole with a circled number is worth chasing even when a par would already win it.
Run it alongside PK Stroke
The classic combination: the same round scored both ways at once, a two-front war where steady play wins the match points and low totals win the strokes. Wiz Golf scores both games simultaneously from the one card.
Play it your way: Wiz Golf assigns the strokes off the low handicap, compares every pairing on every hole, and keeps the zero-sum ledger live — you just try to win the next hole.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between PK Match and PK Stroke?
Both are everyone-vs-everyone head-to-head games. PK Match settles each pairing hole by hole — win a hole against an opponent for +1, lose it for −1, tie for 0 — so a blowup hole costs at most one point per opponent. PK Stroke settles on total strokes, where every stroke of the final margin is a point. Wiz Golf scores both.
How do handicaps work in PK Match?
Strokes are taken during the round on the standard handicap holes: each player receives strokes equal to their handicap minus the lowest handicap in the group, applied on the hardest holes by stroke index. Every hole is then compared on net scores, which automatically gives each pairing its correct handicap differential.
Does the margin of victory matter on a hole in PK Match?
No. Winning a hole by one stroke or by five is the same +1 against that opponent, and losing by five is the same −1 as losing by one. Only the win, loss, or tie counts — which is exactly what makes the format forgiving of a single disaster hole.
What happens if a hole is tied in PK Match?
A tied hole between two players is worth 0 points in that pairing — no carryover, since every hole is its own separate battle. Your matches against the other players on that hole still score normally.
Can more than two players play PK Match?
Yes — that is the normal way to play it. On every hole, your net score is compared against every other player: a foursome means three separate comparisons per player per hole, all read off the same scorecard.
Do birdies count extra in PK Match?
They can. An optional multiplier makes a hole won with a birdie pay double (+2/−2 instead of +1/−1) and a hole won with an eagle pay 5×. The multiplier values are adjustable, and Wiz Golf applies them automatically when the option is on.
What does PK mean in golf?
PK comes from "player kill" — the term for player-versus-player combat in online games. A golf PK is exactly that spirit: no teams, no alliances, every player in a head-to-head match against every other player at the same time.
Score PK Match automatically
Wiz Golf applies the strokes, runs every head-to-head on every hole, and nets the whole battlefield into one who-pays-whom sheet.