Page type: Glossary / definition
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Meaning
A Scratch Competition is played using scratch, or gross, scores only. Each player’s score is the total strokes taken, including penalty strokes, and no handicap strokes are applied. It may be organised as stroke play or match play, subject to the Terms of the Competition.
How it matters in match play
In Individual Match Play, a Scratch Competition compares each player’s gross score on every hole: the lower number of strokes wins the hole, and a tie is a Halved Hole. No Handicap Stroke is given or deducted. The match is settled by holes won, lost or tied, rather than by adding the full-round scores, although gross scores can be recorded for reference.
Table
| Quick reference | Detail |
|---|---|
| Term | Scratch Competition |
| Category | scoring |
| Applicable rule | Rules of Golf, Rule 3.1c(1); Rule 3.2a(1) for match-play hole results |
| Related concepts | Gross Score, Net Score, Scratch Player, Handicap Competition, Individual Competition |
Worked example
In an 18-hole scratch stroke-play competition, Alex returns 76 gross strokes and Ben returns 81, so Alex wins by 5 strokes; neither player’s Handicap Index changes the result.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf, Rule 3.1c(1); Rule 3.2a(1) for match-play hole results
Sources: www.randa.org , www.randa.org , www.usga.org
Common questions
Does a Scratch Competition use handicaps?
No. For a scratch competition, handicaps are not applied to scoring. The result uses gross scores only. A competition’s Terms may still set an entry eligibility limit by handicap, but that is different from using handicaps to calculate scores or settle a tie.
Is a Scratch Competition the same as Stroke Play?
No. Scratch describes how scores are treated: gross rather than net. Stroke Play describes how the result is decided by total strokes. A scratch competition can be stroke play, while a scratch match can decide each hole separately in match play.
Can a Scratch Competition be match play?
Yes. In scratch match play, players compare their gross strokes on each hole, with the lower score winning that hole. The match result is recorded by holes, such as 2 up, rather than by the difference between their 18-hole totals.
Can one event have scratch and handicap divisions?
It can, if the Terms of the Competition separate the divisions into distinct competitions. The scratch division must use gross scoring only; a division using net scores or handicaps for scoring is a handicap competition. The committee’s Terms should explain the divisions and tie procedure.
Does scratch mean every player has a zero handicap?
No. Scratch competition refers to the competition’s scoring method, not necessarily each entrant’s Handicap Index. A field may include players with different handicaps, provided handicaps are not used for scoring or other scoring-related functions in the scratch competition.
What is the difference between gross and net in a scratch competition?
Gross Score is the strokes actually taken, including penalty strokes. Net Score adjusts gross score with handicap strokes. A scratch competition uses gross scores, so there is no net-score adjustment when ranking players or deciding holes.