GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Can an opponent concede a putt in golf stroke play, or is that only match play?
Under the R&A’s 2023 Rules, a player may concede an opponent’s next stroke in match play before it is made, and that concession is final. In regular stroke play, an opponent cannot turn an unholed putt into a completed stroke; a player generally must hole out. Rule 21 formats have their own scoring limits and stopping points.
For Golf viewers comparing a conceded putt in match play with a stroke-play scorecard. · Updated
A match-play concession is a clear, final action
In match play, a player can concede the opponent’s next stroke at any time before that stroke is made. The concession must be clearly communicated, such as by words or a clear gesture. It counts as the opponent’s next stroke for the hole, and it cannot be declined or withdrawn. A social “gimme” is not the same thing unless the format and Rules make it a valid concession.
Regular stroke play still requires the player to hole out
In ordinary stroke play, each player competes on the total number of strokes. If a player lifts an unholed ball, the player must correct the failure to hole out before making a stroke to begin another hole—or, on the final hole, before returning the scorecard. If the player does not correct it in time, the penalty is disqualification. Another player saying “that’s good” does not replace that stroke under the regular format.
Stableford and Maximum Score use their own limits
Rule 21 does not create an opponent’s concession. In Stableford, the player may stop when the score can no longer earn more than zero points on that hole. In Maximum Score, play may stop once the Committee-set cap is reached; the hole is complete when the player holes out, chooses not to, or reaches that maximum. Check the event format and its stated target or cap.
A conceded tap-in and a stroke-play pickup
Match play: In a fictional match, Lee has made three strokes and has a short putt remaining. Before Lee starts the next stroke, the opponent clearly says, “That one is conceded.” Lee’s hole is complete with the conceded stroke included as stroke four. The opponent cannot later withdraw the concession. Regular stroke play: In a separate fictional round, Lee has made three strokes on a par-four and lifts a short but unholed putt after a playing partner says “good.” Unless a Rule 21 scoring limit already lets Lee stop, Lee must replace the ball and finish the hole within Rule 3.3c’s correction window. The partner’s words do not count as a match-play concession.
Related questions
Can a player stop after reaching a maximum score?
In a Maximum Score competition, the Committee sets a cap and Rule 21 allows the player to stop once that maximum is reached. That is the format’s scoring rule, not a concession from another player.