What is stroke play in golf?

Anybody who's ever played golf will know how immensely satisfying and frustrating the game can be.

And there is no more frustrating format of the game than stroke play. Unlike in match play or Stableford, where bad holes can be quickly put behind you, in stroke play, you carry every shot of a round with you the whole way around.

How does stroke play work?

Perhaps the simplest format of golf, stroke play sees players count every stroke in the course of a round. To make scoring easier to follow, a par score is attached to each hole, which indicates the number of strokes a hole should be played in.

For example, a par-5 should be played in five strokes. If it is, the player would be said to have made a par on the hole. If they play the hole in four strokes, one fewer than par, they would be said to have made a birdie.

Here are the scores used in stroke play:

Par - A score of par is attained when taking the number of strokes equal to a hole's par score.
Birdie - A score one stroke lower than par. For example, taking three strokes on a par-4.
Bogey - A score one stroke higher than par. For example, taking five strokes on a par-4.
Eagle - A score two strokes lower than par. For example, taking two strokes on a par-four or, more commonly, taking three strokes on a par-five.
Double-bogey - A score two strokes higher than par. For example, taking six strokes on a par-4.
Albatross - Also known as a double-eagle, a score three strokes lower than par. Exceedingly rare, an albatross typically requires a hole-in-one on a par-4 or taking two strokes on a par-5.
Triple-bogey - A score three strokes higher than par. For example, taking seven strokes on a par-4

Pros and cons of stroke play

The biggest pro of stroke play is that you can identify your exact score easily, and use it to compare directly with other golfers. In Stableford, you could record a double-bogey or quadruple-bogey and technically make the same score, whereas in stroke play, every shot counts.

The biggest con is that it makes the game harder and more time-consuming for less skilled players. In other formats, holes can be abandoned, whereas in stroke play, every shot must be taken to complete a hole. It can also mean that one bad hole can ruin a round, making a good round of golf look worse than it was.

Liam Williams

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