stroke play

American  

noun

Golf.

1. medal play.

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stroke play British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: medal play.  golf Compare match play Stableford

   1. scoring by counting the number of strokes taken

   2. ( as modifier )

      a strokeplay tournament

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Etymology

Origin of stroke play

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stroke play

Mark Fine, who has co-written a book about bunkers, says the increased use of rakes after World War I was the result of a shift from match play to stroke play.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

With stroke play, he says, “one bad break like that would ruin your chances for the entire event.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

Batting demands relentless stroke play, where even a dot ball is unacceptable.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2024

The first three rounds are stroke play to determine the seedings for match play, which is played over the weekend.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 5, 2024

Players this week are likely to be more conservative in a stroke play event.

From Washington Times ● May 24, 2023