Rule – Definition of a “Stroke”:  We have all seen Tiger stop his downswing right before hitting the ball, how does he do it? I don’t know. I am sure I would hurt myself demonstrating that one, but the question is, "When is it considered a “stroke” as far as the rules are concerned?" The definition of a “stroke” according to the Rules of Golf is, "... the forward movement of the club made with the intention of fairly striking at and moving the ball but if a player checks his downswing voluntarily before the clubhead reaches the ball he is deemed not to have made a stroke." Easy enough, but what if you actually complete the swing but you pull out of it at the last second because of some distraction? The key word is “intention” if you did not intend to hit the ball (remember golf is a game of integrity) you are not deemed to have made a stroke. If a jokester on the first tee makes a “Happy Gilmore” type swing to impress his friends, but swings way above the ball only looking for a laugh not to actually hit the ball, he might look stupid but he is not charged with a stroke. Does that make sense, Shooter?