difference between stroke play and match play and posting scores
Simply put, stroke play is the player against the course / field and match player is the player in a head-to-head competition against their opponent.
In stroke play, the player competes against the entire field of players, striving for the lowest score. Every stroke counts and the total number of strokes over the entire round is the total score.For score posting purposes, total scores are posted including any penalty strokes for breaches to the Rules of Golf, and further adjustments (such as a downward adjustment applying Net Double Bogey for a blow-up hole) may be made to the score for Rule of Handicapping - Rule 3 Adjustment of Hole Scores.
In match play, at least two players go head-to-head, and points are awarded for winning individual holes. The player who wins more holes than they lose wins the match. A player can concede a putt, a hole or the match to their opponent. Contrary to one of the many myths about handicapping, players must post their match play scores, even when they concede and holes or even all 18 holes are not completed. While the result is what matters for the event, the players still have scores for handicap purposes so they should always keep a scorecard.
If the player picks up on a hole (concedes), they record their Most Likely Score, which is the number of holes already made, plus the number of holes it would take to finish the hole based on their ability and the difficulty of the green.
An example of a match play scenario to illustrate score posting: Players are on #15 where the match concludes with Player A the winner. Player B loses and concedes, so his recorded score for the match consists of his actual strokes made on holes #1-14, plus his Most Likely Score on hole #15. He leaves holes #16-18 blank so the expected score procedure of the WHS will kick in and "scale up" his score differential to an 18-hole equivalent.