How to play

How to play stroke play golf

Stroke play, also called medal, is golf at its simplest: count every shot, add them up, and the lowest score wins. With handicaps, it’s the lowest net score.

Players
2 or more
Scoring
Total strokes, after handicap
Best for
A proper test, or settling who’s really playing best

How it works

  1. Everyone plays every hole and counts every stroke, penalties included.
  2. Add up your strokes for the round: that’s your gross score.
  3. Take off your handicap to get your net score.
  4. Lowest net score wins.

Against par

During the round it’s easiest to compare scores against par. Two under par after nine holes is written “−2 thru 9”; level par is “E”. A net 70 on a par 72 course is −2.

Handicaps

Each player gets their handicap strokes on the hardest holes (by stroke index), so a net score on each hole is your strokes minus the strokes you get there. Competitions often use 95% of handicaps for stroke play; with mates, full handicaps are usual, and it’s what LiveBirdies uses.

Every stroke counts

Unlike Stableford, a disaster hole costs you the lot: a 9 on a par 4 is five over. In a strict medal you have to hole out. In a friendly round, LiveBirdies counts a pick-up as a net double bogey, the most a hole can cost under handicap rules.

Ties: the countback

Level at the end? The usual tie-break is a countback on net scores: the lower score over the back 9, then the last 6, then the last 3, then the 18th hole.

Every hole counts, so a card with holes missing can’t win: in LiveBirdies it’s ranked below the cards that played the most holes. If the whole group stops early, the result is simply on the holes played. A hole only counts at the end if at least half the group finished it, so if rain stops play halfway through a hole, that hole is left out for everyone.

Scores are shown against each player’s own par, so men and women on cards with different pars compare fairly without extra strokes.

Scoring stroke play with LiveBirdies

Everyone enters their gross score on each hole. LiveBirdies works out the net scores and shows a live leaderboard against par, then the final net totals and countback.