Stroke play
Every shot counts. Add up the strokes for the round; lowest total wins. One disaster hole can cost the whole day, so it rewards consistency.
Match play
You play hole by hole against an opponent. Lower score wins the hole; the same score halves it. The match is won when one player is ahead by more holes than are left — "3 and 2" means three up with two to play. A triple bogey only loses one hole, so it rewards aggression.
Handicaps in match play
The lower handicap plays off zero and the other player gets the difference in strokes, taken on the holes rated hardest by the scorecard's stroke index.
Which should your group play?
Stroke play works for a whole field on its own schedule. Match play is best one-on-one, and it's the better format when two players want a rivalry rather than a table.