As one of the most common ways to play golf, stroke play entails playing on a course with 18 holes. It is a cumulative score competition where the player with the best overall score after all 18 holes wins. In stroke play, you go up against the course and try to outplay your competitors. Stroke play is the opposite of match play, as you are competing against the entire 18-hole course instead of having a hole-by-hole competition. You are playing a whole round of golf against your competitors and trying to beat them by having a better score.