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Stableford Scoring Explained
Stableford is a way of scoring golf in which you earn points on each hole based on your score against par, instead of adding up your total strokes. The highest points total wins.
Its big advantage: one disaster hole can't ruin your round. A 9 on a par 4 scores zero points, exactly the same as a 6, so you can pick up your ball and move on.
The Stableford points table
| Score on the hole | Points |
|---|---|
| Double bogey or worse | 0 |
| Bogey (+1) | 1 |
| Par | 2 |
| Birdie (−1) | 3 |
| Eagle (−2) | 4 |
| Albatross (−3) | 5 |
| Condor (−4) | 6 |
The easy way to remember it: par is worth 2, and each stroke better or worse adds or takes away a point, down to zero.
How handicaps work in Stableford
Most club Stableford competitions are played off net scores: your handicap strokes are taken off on the holes where you receive them, before working out the points.
- Work out your course handicap (or playing handicap) for the tees you're playing. See golf handicap explained.
- Each hole on the card has a stroke index from 1 (hardest) to 18 (easiest).
- You receive one stroke on every hole whose stroke index is less than or equal to your handicap. With a handicap over 18, you get two strokes on the hardest holes.
- Take those strokes off your score on each hole, then score the net result with the table above.
A player with a handicap of 18 gets one stroke on every hole, so a bogey becomes a net par and scores 2 points.
36 points over 18 holes means you played exactly to your handicap. Anything above 36 is a good day.
Worked example: a 9-hole Stableford
A player with a 9-hole playing handicap of 5 gets one stroke on stroke index 1 to 5.
| Hole | Par | Index | Strokes | Stroke received? | Net score | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | Yes | 4 (par) | 2 |
| 2 | 3 | 9 | 3 | No | 3 (par) | 2 |
| 3 | 5 | 1 | 7 | Yes | 6 (bogey) | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Yes | 3 (birdie) | 3 |
| 5 | 3 | 7 | 6 | No | 6 (triple) | 0 |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | 5 | Yes | 4 (par) | 2 |
| 7 | 4 | 6 | 5 | No | 5 (bogey) | 1 |
| 8 | 3 | 8 | 2 | No | 2 (birdie) | 3 |
| 9 | 5 | 4 | 6 | Yes | 5 (par) | 2 |
| Total | 35 | 43 | 16 |
The triple bogey on hole 5 cost them only the 2 points a par would have earned. In stroke play it would have cost them three shots on the total.
Modified Stableford
Some professional events have used a modified Stableford, which rewards aggressive play by making birdies and eagles worth far more and penalising bogeys:
| Score | Modified points |
|---|---|
| Double bogey or worse | −3 |
| Bogey | −1 |
| Par | 0 |
| Birdie | +2 |
| Eagle | +5 |
| Albatross | +8 |
Where Stableford came from
The format was invented by Dr Frank Stableford, a member at Wallasey Golf Club near Liverpool. The first official Stableford competition was played there in 1932. He wanted a format in which golfers weren't put off by strong winds on the long holes, and in which one bad hole didn't end a card.
Why Stableford is great for casual golf
- Faster play: once you can't score a point, you pick up.
- Less frustrating: one blow-up hole costs a few points, not the round.
- Fairer for mixed abilities: with handicaps, everyone has a chance.
- Easy to keep: just write the points next to each hole.
Play a Stableford round in Mashy
Mashy scores in strokes, but its scorecard shows every hole against par, so you can work out Stableford points in seconds: 2 for each green par square, 3 for a yellow birdie, and so on. Play the daily course with a friend, score it Stableford-style, and the highest points total wins.
New to the scoring words? What is a birdie in golf? and what is an eagle in golf? explain them.