Page type: Glossary / definition
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Meaning
A score return is a submitted score record, usually a scorecard or electronic equivalent. In regular stroke play, player and marker certify hole scores and the player promptly returns the card to the Committee. Handicap submission can also update a player's scoring record.
How it matters in match play
Score return is not the usual way of deciding an individual match: the result is based on holes won, lost or tied, and the Committee’s Terms of the Competition say when that result becomes final. Players should still keep an accurate Hole-by-Hole Score and report the Match Result as required. A club may ask for a scorecard or result sheet, but that local procedure is not a universal Rule of Golf requirement for every match.
Table
| Quick reference | Detail |
|---|---|
| Term | Score Return |
| Category | general |
| Applicable rule | Rules of Golf Rule 3.3b (stroke-play scorecard certification and return); Rule 3.2a(5) (when a match result becomes final) |
| Related concepts | Scorecard, Score Verification, Stroke Play, Match Result |
Worked example
Alex returns a stroke-play card showing 5, 4 and 6 on the first three holes, for 15 strokes; in a match, Alex instead reports that Ben won the first hole and Alex won the next two, so the Match Score is 1 up to Alex.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf Rule 3.3b (stroke-play scorecard certification and return); Rule 3.2a(5) (when a match result becomes final)
Sources: www.randa.org , www.englandgolf.org
Common questions
Is a score return the same as a scorecard?
Often, yes: a paper scorecard is the traditional score return. A Committee or handicap system may instead accept an electronic submission or another approved result process, so the Terms of the Competition and local handicap procedures control the exact method.
Who checks a score return in stroke play?
The marker certifies the hole scores, and the player checks them, ensures the marker has certified them, certifies the card and promptly returns it to the Committee. The player must not change it afterwards except through the applicable Committee process.
Do I return a scorecard after a match-play round?
Follow the event’s Terms of the Competition. Match play is decided by holes won, lost or tied, and the result becomes final in the way stated by the Committee. A club may request a scorecard or result sheet for administration, but that is an event procedure rather than a universal requirement for every match.