A COACH’S BREAKDOWN FROM JPGA
Stroke Play vs. Match Play: What's the Difference?
by Keith Bach · PGA Member, President and Director of Instruction JPGA (Also called JRPGA)
I still remember the first time a member at my club asked me the difference between match play and stroke play. We were standing on the practice green, and he’d just lost a friendly bet because he assumed the guy with the lower total score won. Really, they were playing match play, and the holes told a completely different story. He was annoyed, then a little embarrassed. I’ve seen that same mix up happen more times than I can count over the years I’ve spent as a PGA member coaching junior golfers through JPGA.
So here’s how I explain the difference between match play and stroke play to my students. Not a textbook definition, just the breakdown I’d give a parent or a new player standing next to me on the first tee.
Golf has more types of golf scoring than almost any sport I’ve coached or played. There are well over a dozen you’ll run into eventually, but two show up everywhere: stroke play and match play. Both start from the same basic idea, get the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible. How a winner gets decided is where they completely split.
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What is Match Play in Golf? (Explained Simply)
Match play is the older format. It’s built around head to head competition, either one player against another, or one pair against another pair, like in four ball or foursomes.
Here’s the part that trips people up:
You’re not adding up your total score for the round. You’re only comparing your score to your opponent’s score, hole by hole.
Whoever scores lower on a hole wins it. Doesn’t matter if it’s by one stroke or five, a win is a win. Same score on a hole? That’s called a half, and neither player gains ground.
Here’s an example from my own rounds. I’m playing my friend Dave.
- Hole 1: I shoot a 5, Dave shoots a 7
- I win the hole
- The match goes to 1 up in my favor
It genuinely doesn’t matter that Dave took two extra strokes. All that matters is he scored higher than me on that one hole.
How a Match Ends
- All 18 holes get played, and whoever’s ahead in holes wins, or
- A player clinches it early once their lead in holes equals or beats the number of holes left
You’ll hear that early finish called going dormie. You’ll also see results reported like “3 and 2,” meaning a player was three holes up with only two left to play. The outcome was already decided.
If the match is tied after 18, it moves into extra holes, played sudden death style. First player to win a hole outright takes the match.
Why I teach this format to my juniors?
Match play rewards courage. A blow up hole only costs you that one hole, it doesn’t follow you around for the rest of the round. I’ve watched kids attempt shots over water in match play they’d never try in stroke play, simply because the damage stays contained.
What Is Stroke Play in Golf? (Explained Simply)
Stroke play, sometimes called medal play, came along to let bigger groups of golfers compete at once instead of limiting everyone to head to head matches. It’s the format most people know, and it’s what you see in nearly every professional tournament broadcast, including all four majors.
Every single stroke counts toward your total, and penalty strokes get added in too. There’s no winning or losing an individual hole. You record your actual score, add it to your running total, and move to the next tee.
Back to Dave. Same hole, same scores:
- I shoot a 5
- Dave shoots a 7
- My score is 5, his is 7
That two stroke gap follows us for the rest of the round. Every shot matters, the whole way through.
Once all 18 holes are finished, the scores get totaled. Lowest number wins.
Why stroke play is different to coach?
It rewards patience and consistency over aggression. A rough hole, an 8 or a 9, doesn’t just cost you that hole like it would in match play. It inflates your entire scorecard, and it’s genuinely hard to recover from.
If two or more players tie after 18, most tournaments settle it with a playoff. That might be a full extra round, a set number of holes, or most commonly at the pro level, sudden death.
Match Play vs. Stroke Play Golf: The Difference at a Glance
Stroke play, sometimes called medal play, came along to let bigger groups of golfers compete at once instead of limiting everyone to head to head matches. It’s the format most people know, and it’s what you see in nearly every professional tournament broadcast, including all four majors.
Other Types of Golf Scoring I Teach My Players
Match play and stroke play get most of the attention, but they’re not the only ways to keep score. A few other formats, including Stableford, I cover with my junior golfers:
- Bogey competition: scored against a fixed target on each hole instead of par
- Skins: each hole carries a value, won outright by whoever scores lowest on it
- Nine point: a points based format usually played among three golfers
- Stableford: a points system that rewards good scores and limits how much a bad hole can hurt
- Foursomes: a team format where two players share one ball and alternate shots
- Fourball: a team format where each player plays their own ball, and the better score counts for the team
I’ll break each of these down in future posts.
Which Format Should You Play?
It comes down to what you enjoy. Like head to head competition, and want one bad hole to be forgivable? Match play is a lot of fun. Prefer testing yourself against the course, with every shot carrying equal weight? Stroke play is the more traditional measuring stick.
Most golfers I know play a mix of both. Stroke play for weekend rounds and league nights, match play for money games, club championships, and anything with a little bragging rights on the line.
Knowing the difference isn’t just trivia. It changes how you approach the round itself, when you lay up, when you go for the green, and how much risk you’re willing to take on any given hole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between match play and stroke play?
Match play is decided hole by hole, whoever scores lower on a hole wins it. Stroke play is decided by adding up every stroke across the full round, and the lowest total wins.
What is stroke play in golf?
Stroke play is a scoring format where every stroke you take, including penalty strokes, counts toward one running total for the round. Whoever finishes with the lowest total score wins. It’s the format used in almost every professional tournament, including the majors.
Is match play or stroke play better for beginners?
I usually start new players on stroke play so they get comfortable counting every shot and understanding penalties. That said, match play can actually be less intimidating for a nervous beginner since one bad hole doesn’t ruin the whole round.
Can a match play round end before 18 holes?
Yes. Once a player’s lead in holes is equal to or greater than the number of holes left to play, the match is over. You’ll see this reported as something like “3 and 2.”
What happens if players are tied at the end of the round?
In match play, a tie after 18 holes usually goes to sudden death, first player to win a hole wins the match. In stroke play, a tie at the end usually goes to a playoff, which could be extra holes, sudden death, or in some events, a full extra round.
Is Stableford the same as stroke play?
No. Stableford is scored with points instead of strokes, and it’s designed to limit how much a single bad hole can hurt your overall score. Stroke play has no such cushion, every stroke counts.
Which format is used on the PGA Tour?
The vast majority of PGA Tour events, including all four majors, are played as stroke play. Match play does show up on tour, most notably in the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup, and events like the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
Have a young golfer at home who’s serious about the game, or just starting to fall in love with it? I’d love to have them out with us this summer. If you have questions about which track is right for your child, reach out directly. I read every inquiry myself.
BUILD SKILLS. BUILD CONFIDENCE. LOVE THE GAME.
Join us at JPGA this summer in Orlando, Florida. We work on fundamentals, course strategy, and tournament experience across formats like match play and stroke play, so your junior golfer is prepared no matter how an event is scored. Reach out today to learn more about admission and get them enrolled.
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