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Stableford scoring, explained and counted

Stableford is the format where a blow-up hole costs you nothing more than a zero. Here is how the points work under the Rules of Golf, and a scorer that counts them for you from your handicap and the stroke index.

Short answer: you score each hole against your net par. Net par is 2 points, net bogey 1, net birdie 3, net eagle 4, net albatross 5; net double bogey or worse is 0 (Rule 21.1b). 36 points is playing to your handicap. Pick up once the hole is worth 0.

By Morris, by Badgie Golf · Updated

HoleParSIPlayer 1Pts
10
20
30
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100
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180

Player 1 · hcp 0

0 pts

Front 0 · Back 0 · 0/18

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The points table (Rule 21.1b)

Your net score on the holePoints
Net double bogey or worse, or picked up0
Net bogey1
Net par2
Net birdie3
Net eagle4
Net albatross5

Net means after the strokes you receive on that hole. A 20 handicap on a par 4 with stroke index 3 gets two strokes: a 7 is a net 5, a net bogey, 1 point. On a hole with index 15 the same player gets one stroke: a 6 is a net bogey, a 7 is zero.

Why Stableford suits a club golfer

In stroke play one 9 ruins the card; in Stableford it is a zero and the round goes on. That changes how you should play. On a hole worth nothing already, pick up and walk: it keeps the pace and your head. On a hole where you have a stroke, a bogey is a par for you, so play the safe side of the green and take the 2 points. The game rewards not losing holes more than it rewards heroics.

How to use the scorer

Type each player’s Playing Handicap (your Index converted to the tee and the format: the handicap calculator does it), the par and stroke index of each hole from the card, then the gross scores. The points, the front and back nines and the total update as you type. Copy the link to send the card to the group; nothing is stored anywhere else. More games for the same four-ball: golf games to play with friends.

Sources

Stableford questions

How does Stableford scoring work?

Each hole is scored against your net par (par plus the strokes you receive on that hole). Net par is 2 points, net bogey 1, net birdie 3, net eagle 4, net albatross 5; net double bogey or worse is 0. Highest total wins. 36 points means you played to your handicap.

What is a good Stableford score?

36 is playing exactly to your handicap. Under the WHS most golfers score below that most days, since the Handicap Index reflects your best 8 of 20 rounds, not your average. Low 30s is a normal day; 40 or more is a round that will likely move your handicap.

Do I pick up in Stableford?

Yes, once you can no longer score on the hole: when you have taken net double bogey, the hole is worth 0 whatever happens, so pick up and keep the pace. The Rules of Golf encourage it (Rule 21.1c).

How do I know how many strokes I get on each hole?

From your Playing Handicap and the hole's stroke index: a 20 gets two strokes on index 1 and 2 and one on the rest. The calculator does it from the handicap and the index you type; our handicap calculator gives you the Playing Handicap from your Index.

What handicap allowance is used in Stableford?

95% of the Course Handicap in individual Stableford, 85% in four-ball Stableford, per Appendix C of the Rules of Handicapping. The competition's terms can set a different one.

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