Purpose of Rule: Rule 3 covers the three central elements of all golf competitions:
Playing either match play or stroke play,
Playing either as an individual or with a partner as part of a side, and
Scoring either by gross scores (no handicap strokes applied) or net scores (handicap strokes applied).
3
The Competition
3.2
Match Play
Purpose of Rule: Match play has specific Rules (particularly about concessions and giving information about the number of strokes taken) because the player and opponent:
Compete solely against each other on every hole,
Can see each other’s play, and
Can protect their own interests.
3.3
Stroke Play
Purpose of Rule: Stroke play has specific Rules (particularly for scorecards and holing out) because:
Each player competes against all the other players in the competition, and
All players need to be treated equally under the Rules.
After the round, the player and the marker (who keeps the player’s score) must certify that the player’s score for each hole is right and the player must return the scorecard to the Committee.