Match Play Vs Stroke Play: How The Rules And Penalties Differ

There are some important differences to note in The Rules when it comes to match play vs stroke play formats. There are some things you can do in one that you can’t in the other.

Golfers teeing off
Match Play Vs Stroke Play
(Image credit: Kevin Murray)
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In match play, a player and opponent compete against one another based on holes won, lost or tied. There are some important Rules differences between match play and stroke play.

The general penalty in match play is loss of hole rather than two strokes in stroke play.

In match play, you can concede the next stroke, a hole or the entire match to your opponent. You can do that at any time. Normally it's when you concede a stroke on the green, a "gimme" putt. Once a concession is offered, it cannot be withdrawn, nor can it be declined.

An interesting one in match play is that you can, if you wish and for whatever reason, disregard a Rules breach by your opponent. But you can't agree with your opponent to deliberately fail to apply the Rules or a penalty you are aware of. If you do that, you're both disqualified.

In stroke play, "ready golf" is now encouraged and players can play out of turn if it is prudent and safe to do so. Ready golf doesn't apply to match play. The reason for that is that playing in turn is of tactical importance in match play.

That said, there is no penalty for playing out of turn in match play, but your opponent is quite at liberty to ask for the stroke to be cancelled and replayed should he or she so wish. This will depend on how good or bad the shot was!

If you play from outside the teeing area in stroke play, or if you play from the wrong tee markers, you have to play again from the correct markers with a two stroke penalty.

But in match play, there is no penalty. Your opponent can choose to cancel the stroke and ask you to play again from inside the correct teeing area. Or, they may allow the shot to stand if you've hit one straight into a bush!

In stroke play, if you play a shot from on the putting green and your ball hits another ball at rest on that putting green, you get a two-shot penalty. But, in match play, there is no penalty. You must replay the stroke and the ball that was moved must be replaced on its original spot.

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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