How to Play Köpenhamnare — The Swedish 3-Player Golf Format
Learn how Köpenhamnare works — a Swedish golf format for three players, splitting 6 points per hole. Includes a worked example.
What is Köpenhamnare?
Köpenhamnare (literally "the Copenhagener") is a Swedish golf format built specifically for three players in one group. Rather than a straight win/lose/tie result, every hole splits 6 points between the three players based on where each finishes relative to the others — rewarding sharp, consistent play across all 18 holes rather than any single big moment.
How Köpenhamnare scoring works
Scored using net strokes per hole (handicaps applied as normal, using stroke index). Points are split 6 ways per hole, depending on the result:
- One player alone has the best net score: they get 4 points. The other two, tied for second, split the rest: 1 point each. (4-1-1)
- Two players tie for best, one is clearly worst: the two leaders get 3 points each, the other gets 0. (3-3-0)
- All three players tie: everyone gets 2 points. (2-2-2)
Add up points across all 18 holes — most points wins. Handicaps: the two higher-handicap players get strokes equal to the difference from the lowest-handicap player in the group, who plays off scratch (0).
Worked example
On a hole, Player A nets a 4, Player B nets a 5, Player C also nets a 5. Player A is alone in first, and B and C tie for second — so the points split 4-1-1: Player A gets 4, Players B and C get 1 each.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the exact point splits for tied results — 4-1-1, 3-3-0, and 2-2-2 are the only three possible outcomes, and mixing them up changes who's actually ahead.
- Not applying handicap strokes correctly before comparing net scores — the whole points system depends on accurate net results per hole.
- Trying to play it with four players without adjusting the points system — Köpenhamnare is designed specifically for three; a fourth player needs the point split modified to avoid ties being impossible to resolve fairly.
Track your Köpenhamnare round automatically
Working out net scores and splitting 6 points three ways, hole after hole, adds up fast by hand. Golf with Mates calculates the points split automatically as you play, so nobody has to do the math mid-round.
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Six points per hole, no mental math.
Köpenhamnare scoring and 3-player pots updated live.