Out-In-Total Golf Match Explained

"Out-In-Total" is the name for a type of golf match that is really three matches in one. It is usually played by two golfers going head-to-head, but it can also be played by a group of four golfers pairing off for 2-vs.-2 team play.

In Out-In-Total, the front nine is the first of the three matches, the back nine is the second match, and the full 18-hole round is the third match. Three matches means you can have three separate wagers, if you are betting on the outcome. (In the case of wagering, Out-In-Total is a nassau.)

Match play, in which players compete to win the most holes, is the format most commonly used for Out-In-Total. Here is an example of possible scores for such a match:

• On the front nine, Player A wins 3 holes, Player B wins 2 holes, the other holes are halved.
• On the back nine, Player A wins 1 hole, Player B wins 4 holes, the other holes are halved.
• For the full 18, Player A won 4 holes, Player B won 6 holes, the other holes were halved.

What is the outcome in this example? Player A won the front-nine match, Player B won the back nine match, and Player B won (6 to 4, or 2-up) the overall, 18-hole match. The Out-In-Total champion in this showdown, then, is Player B, because he won two (back nine and total) of the three matches played.

In the name of the game, Out refers to the front nine and In refers to the back nine. These terms are used on most scorecards to refer to the front and back nines, and derive from the routing of many of the oldest Scottish seaside links (on which holes went out in a straight line from the clubhouse starting with No. 1, then turned and played back in to the clubhouse starting with No. 10).

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• How to play the Odd Fellows game
• Russian Stableford format explaining
• How 'the Waltz' golf game works