Count-back is a golf term defined as a common method used to resolve a tie of points after a competition. Count-back does not involve doing more holes between the tied players, it only looks into the numbers or points recorded by the competition’s secretary using the Stableford points system. After looking into all the numbers being laid out and a tie still persists, then the score made by the players during the final hole is used to break the tie.
The method on how count-backs are calculated can differ according to specific club or competition rules, though there are standards that need to be followed.
Standard Count-back Method
A count-back might have some variations for certain competitions, but it has a standard method. For an 18-hole event, the tiebreaker will be the top score earned during the last nine holes. These are the final holes listed on the scorecard. This means the course’s 10th to 18th holes. It is not the final nine holes per se, which can cause a variation when two-tee starts and shotguns are played.When the result of the calculations for the nine holes still does not break the tie, then the final 6 holes will be used. If this will not result in the identification of the best score, then the final three holes will be calculated. If that fails to give a definite result and a tie still persists, then the final hole is used.
Additional Count-back Processing
What happens when a tie still persists after the final hole is used? The answer to this question is to continue the process using the best score on the most difficult hole of the course. This is usually making the par. If the tie persists, then continue to the 3 most difficult holes and if this does not result in the identification of a winner then move on to the 6 and 9 most difficult holes.If the process still does not result in a winner, the committee in charge can always consider both golfers as the winner or could decide the winner by chance like doing a coin toss. There are several considerations when doing the count-back method and these are usually taken into account by organizers of competitions and placed on the rule book.