Match play has a completely different character and was the only form of play in golf until 1759 before the introduction of the counting game. Match play offers completely different conditions than any other golf game, as a match or an individual player does not have to play against the course but against an opponent.
Basic rules of match play
In match play, is played hole by hole. It is sufficient to have a better stroke score than the opponent on each individual hole in order to win the hole or receive a point. If both players or parties achieve the same score on a hole, the hole is "shared" and both competitors receive half a point. The winner is the player or players who win the most holes on the predetermined round. If there is a tie after all holes have been played, a play-off must take place. The winner of the match is the player who wins the first hole. If a player has an unassailable lead before the end of the round, the match play is over. For example, if a player has a 4-point lead but there are only 3 holes left to play, the result at the end is "4 and 3" or "4 on 3". This means 4 strokes up and 3 holes left to play. In the case of match play in net mode, the player with the lower handicap receives additional handicap strokes. This means that a handicap 36 player competing against a handicap 0 player may need 2 strokes more on a hole in order to share it. The handicap 0 player must even be 3 strokes better on a hole in order to win it. If there is an odd number of handicap strokes, these are distributed in order from the most difficult to the easiest hole. In match play in particular, you can give your opponent a hole or a shot as a gift. A gifted hole is considered won, a gifted shot is considered potted.
Penalties in match play
The game is played according to the official rules of match play, which mainly differ from the rules of the counting game in terms of penalties: If an official rule is broken, penalty strokes are simply added to the score in the counting game - in the hole play, a breach of the rules results in a hole loss.