How does Stableford scoring work?

Stableford is one of the most popular ways of playing a round of golf, and a great chance to diversify your round if you’re eager for a challenge away from stroke play or match play. To fully appreciate and play the format, you’ll need to understand Stableford scoring.

Similarly to match play, in Stableford, you compete for points based on your performance on each hole. But that’s really where the similarities end, because Stableford scoring has more caveats than simply winning a point for a hole.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to score in Stableford, how your handicap will affect proceedings, and why it’s such a good way to diversify your playing experience.

How does Stableford scoring work?

In a round of Stableford, you’ll compete with your playing partner for points on each individual hole. Unlike in stroke play, where the winner of the round is the golfer with the lowest score, you’ll actually be competing for the most points and the highest score.

As a general rule, the points in Stableford scoring are as follows:

• Six points: four under par
• Five points: three under par
• Four points: two under par
• Three points: one under par
• Two points: level par
• One point: one stroke over
• Zero points: more than one stroke over

Ultimately, it’s the event committee that is responsible for the specific number of points available. However, you’ll likely find that this is the most common Stableford scoring format.

Handicaps in Stableford

As is standard in lots of golf formats, your golf handicap can have an effect on Stableford scoring.

It’s up to you whether you play for a gross score – without the inclusion of handicaps – or for a net score, where handicaps are included. This might be the preferable option if you’re playing against someone whose skillset differs noticeably from yours.

When handicaps are included, players receive extra shots on some holes as determined by the stroke index. Typically, the most difficult holes are given low scores on this stroke index, and so those are the ones which you’d receive extra shots on.

• For example, a player with a handicap of 10 would receive one extra shot on each of holes 1-10 on the stroke index. So, if one of these holes typically had a par of four, you can now consider it as having a par of five, giving you a little more leeway if you were to play a scratch golfer.
• A player with an even higher handicap, such as 28, would receive two extra shots on holes 1-10 and then one extra shot from holes 11-18.

It’s important to remember that the holes where you get extra shots are in accordance with the corresponding stroke indexes (unless you have a handicap of 18 or 36, which would result in receiving one or two additional shots, respectively, on every single hole), not where they’re located on the course.

This means that a higher handicap could give a golfer a significant advantage when it comes to Stableford scoring. Still, it’s essential to remember that handicaps are in place for the sake of fairness. One or two additional shots may equate to a real boost, but ultimately, a scratch golfer will still have more than a good enough chance to win the round against someone with a higher handicap.

With your handicap included, a respectable and expected score would be 36. However, in other formats, such as modified Stableford, this wouldn’t be the case.

What is modified Stableford?

There are instances where points differ noticeably from the standard scoring system. This is known as modified Stableford. For example, a game involving higher handicap players may offer more points for bogeys (one over par), such as two instead of one.

Alternatively, for a competition involving scratch golfers or those with lower handicaps, points can be made harsher. At the professional level, minus points are awarded for anything below par. An example of a modified Stableford is as follows:

• Eight points – three below par
• Five points – two below par
• Two points – one below par
• Zero points – level with par
• Minus one point – one above par
• Minus three points – more than one above par

You’ll see modified Stableford once a year on the PGA Tour in the Barracuda Championship.

If you and your playing partner are of a similar ability, modified Stableford scoring could offer a slightly different challenge, and one which is more suited to your needs.

The history of Stableford

Dr Frank Stableford was the man who invented Stableford all the way back in 1898. It was first played at Glamorganshire Golf Club in Wales and has only grown in popularity since.

Stableford’s intentions when coming up with the scoring system were to ensure one or two bad holes didn’t put off golfers. The beauty of Stableford scoring is that one poor hole can’t derail an entire round, because you have 17 other chances to pick up as many as six points each.

This is one of the key differences between a regular game of stroke play and Stableford. In stroke play, one bad hole can have a significant impact on your final score. Whereas, if you use Stableford scoring, you can shrug off one poor hole and move on.

Stableford has been used in competition since 1932, and it remains a popular scoring system throughout the UK and the world to this day.

FAQs

Can Stableford be played in groups?

Yes. The four-ball better-ball format is commonly used in tandem with Stableford. Here, each golfer uses their own ball, and only the best performance counts towards the final score.
Can Stableford contribute towards a handicap?

Yes and no. After a round, you can still post your score for your handicap, but not in Stableford scoring terms. Instead, convert your score back to what it would’ve been as a standard round of stroke play, and it can be used for your handicap.

Why should I play Stableford?

Stableford scoring offers a distinct ethos compared to match play or stroke play. There’s an element of forgiveness, whereby parity and speed of play are at the forefront of the experience.

It’s a more straightforward way of calculating who wins. All you need to do is add up your points and see who has more. One bad hole won’t wreck your round, and if you can no longer win any points on a hole, you don’t have to finish it.

With the inclusion of handicaps, any game is a fair game, and you’re all but guaranteed to have a fun and competitive experience on the course.

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