Concessions do not apply in strokeplay – you (and your fellow competitors) must hole out at each hole to return a score for that hole.
In matchplay, a player may concede their opponent’s next stroke, a hole, or the match at any time. Concessions must be clearly communicated and are final – they cannot be declined or withdrawn, so there is no issue if, for example, you miss a putt that has been conceded. You can also agree to halve a hole, but only after at least one player has started play of that hole.
There are a couple of things you specifically aren’t allowed to do:
- agree to concede holes to each other to deliberately shorten a match
- agree that all putts within a certain length (e.g. a putter grip) will be conceded (you may only concede the next stroke)
In strokeplay, if you are uncertain how to proceed under the rules you can play more than one ball (having declared which one you wish to count before playing any strokes after the uncertainty arose) and seek a committee decision after the round. You do not have this option in matchplay.
In matchplay you must decide how you want to proceed. If you follow your opponent’s advice then the result of the hole will stand. If you choose to follow your own decision you will need to seek a decision from the committee after the round. If you have proceed correctly under the rules then the result of the hole will stand. However, if you followed a procedure that was not allowable under the rules you will have lost the hole. This can lead to the strange situation of not knowing whether you are 1 up or 1 down playing the last hole!
In summary, when playing a match it is your responsibility to protect your own interests under the rules – if you do not know the rules (and the local rules), or have access to some help (I recommend the R&A Rules App) then you simply can’t do it!
Golf Rules Guru 
If a player ignores a concession in match play, is it loss of hole?
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Hi Kym.
No. Once a concession is made it cannot be declined or withdrawn. So if a hole or the match is conceded the result of that hole or match is finalised. If the next stroke is conceded then the hole has been completed as if that next stroke had been holed – any further play would be practice (which is not forbidden in match play, but should be done without undue delay).
Kind regards
Stuart
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Going into the last hole of match play I hit a perfect drive down the middle. My opponent claimed I was tee’d up on front of the marker but the tee had flown away and we couldn’t verify if I was in front or not. His vantage was behind me so difficult to tell, I am convinced though not certain I was not in front of the marker as I am very meticulous about where I tee up. We disagreed with no conclusive way to tell who was right, what’s the result?
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Why didn’t he stop you before you made the stroke? With no conclusive way to determine I would give you the benefit of the doubt if I was called to that situation as a referee. (NB If any of the ball is inside the teeing area then the ball is within the teeing area – you only need the thickness of the paint on the ball to be OK!)
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If I am playing a high handicap opponent in match play, am I able to concede and tell my opponent to pick up their ball from the fairway, and still win the hole? Say they are hitting their 5th shot from the fairway on a par 4, and I’m already on the green in 2 (and confident I can make par or better). Would I still win the hole and be within the rules if I tell them to pick up from the fairway, while I finish the hole?
Reason would be to speed up play, and potentially lower their handicap (sand baggers in league)
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Hi
Yes. You can concede any stroke at anytime, and once made the concession can neither be refused or withdrawn. A matchplay round would not count for handicap however as the player will not hole out on every hole.
Kind regards
Stuart
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My father was playing in a match play tournament. On the 16th tee his opponent told him he was conceding the 14th hole because he improved his lie in a bunker. Are you allowed to concede a prior hole later in a match?
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A concession must be made before a hole is completed. However the opponent is admitting to a penalty imposed that they did not tell your father about in time and so they would get the general penalty (loss of hole). Same result but technically not a concession.
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