Gross
Gross is your result without deduction of your course handicap — the purely counted strokes.
Gross is the bare stroke number of your round, without any specification. Whoever plays 84 strokes stands gross on 84, no matter which Handicap Index he has. The gross scoring is the hardest format in tournament golf, because there is no compensation. The strongest golfer of the field almost always wins there. Club championships and open tournaments therefore always crown a gross winner besides the Net winners. Among the professionals there is exclusively gross.
For your handicap counts by the way not the raw gross sum but an adjusted value. The World Handicap System caps bad single holes: per hole counts at most net double bogey. An example: you play a 12 on a par 4 and have two handicap strokes there. For the handicap calculation this becomes an 8. This cap protects your index from outliers. From your adjusted result the system then calculates the Score Differential of the round, which makes it comparable with rounds on other courses.
One misconception is the assumption that gross is only something for very good players. Also as a beginner the look at the gross number is worthwhile, because it shows your honest development. The net points flatter, the gross stroke number measures. Both together give the complete picture of your round.
FAQ
What is the difference between gross and net scoring?
Gross is the purely counted stroke number of your round without any deduction, net subtracts your handicap strokes. In the gross scoring almost always the strongest golfer of the field wins, therefore club championships and professional tournaments crown their winners there. The net scoring runs in parallel and makes the comparison between different playing strengths fair.
Does my gross stroke number count directly towards my handicap?
Not one to one. The World Handicap System caps bad single holes: per hole counts at most net double bogey, no matter what you actually played. From a 12 on a par 4 with two handicap strokes an 8 becomes therefore the value for the calculation — this cap protects your index from outliers.
Is looking at the gross result also worthwhile for beginners?
Yes, especially so. The net points flatter because they include your specification, but the gross stroke number shows your honest development over the months. If your gross number falls from round to round, you are getting better — independently of what the specification is currently doing.