Stroke play is played according to the rules of golf with a full handicap. The aim of stroke play is to play all holes in as few strokes as possible.
Determining the winner
The number of strokes made is entered after each hole. At the end, this gives the gross result. The net score is calculated from the gross score minus the player's handicap. For example: With a total score of 100 and a handicap of 36, the gross result is 100 and the net result is 74. The winner is the golfer with the lowest result, i.e. the lowest number of strokes or the lowest score. Depending on the tournament, there can be both gross and net winners.
History of stoke play
The German translation of stroke play is counting game. Stroke play was first mentioned in writing in St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1759. A stroke play round consists of 18 holes to be played. Each hole must be played to the end, so the ball cannot be picked up as in stroke play according to Stableford. This is the reason why almost all amateur tournaments in Germany are counted according to Stableford. Amateurs usually only play one round per tournament. For professionals, a tournament usually runs from Thursday to Sunday over four stroke play rounds. The overall winner is the player with the fewest total strokes after 4 rounds.
