Stroke play¶
What it is¶
Stroke play is the purest test in golf: you count every shot you take over the round, and the lowest total wins. It's the format of medal rounds and serious competition, where every stroke matters and there's nowhere to hide — one runaway hole can sink an otherwise good card.
How scoring works¶
- Record your gross score on every hole.
- Add them up for your gross total for the round.
- For a net competition, subtract your handicap strokes — allocated on the hardest holes by stroke index — to get your net total.
- The lowest total wins (gross for a scratch result, net once handicaps are applied).
- If two players tie, the result is decided on countback — the better back nine, then the last six holes, then the last three, then the final hole.
Worked example¶
A three-hole stretch, gross scores shown:
| Hole | Par | Player A | Player B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Total | 12 | 14 | 15 |
Player A leads on gross, 14 to 15. If Player A receives one handicap stroke on the hardest of these holes, their net total drops to 13 and the gap widens to two.
When to use it¶
The format for competitive, official-feeling rounds — club medals, order-of- merit events, anything where a definitive lowest score is the point. Works for any field size, but it's less forgiving than Stableford: a single disaster hole stays on the card. Net stroke play lets players of different handicaps compete on level terms.
Variations¶
- Gross or net. Play for the lowest gross score (a scratch result), or apply handicaps and play for the lowest net. The same round can be ranked either way.
Last updated: 2026-04-21