Even though golf is quite a simple game, there is no shortage of variations on the concept and different ways to play.
The basic golf game is generally referred to as stroke play – tournaments work using the stroke system, and it is the most widely-played version of the game. In this game, for every shot you make under or over the par of each hole, you have one point either subtracted from or added to your score. For example, if hole 1 is a par 4 and you take five shots, then your score is +1. If you then move on to hole 2, a par 5, and take 3 shots, scoring an eagle, your new score is –1 – that’s one minus two.