How to Use Stableford Scoring in Golf: Beginner's Guide

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Learn how points and scoring works in this alternative golf system

Co-authored by Miguel Delgado and Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: November 19, 2024 Fact Checked

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What is Stableford scoring?

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Using Stableford

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Modified Stableford

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Stableford Strategy

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Stableford History

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Team Play

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Tips

Stableford scoring is an alternative to the usual golf scoring system. It’s designed to be forgiving to newer players, who tend to take many more strokes than more experienced golfers. While it looks a little different than a standard game, it’s simple enough to pick up and learn. We’ll explain what it is, how it works, and some strategy tips, plus give you a little golf history, too.

Stableford Scoring: Quick Overview

The Stableford scoring system converts strokes to points, instead of simply counting strokes. The fewer strokes per hole, the more points you get, and the player with the most points wins the game. Double bogeys are worth 0 points, bogeys are 1, par is 2, birdies are 3, eagles are 4, and albatrosses are 5.

Section 1 of 6:

What is Stableford scoring?

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Stableford scoring awards points for each hole, instead of counting strokes. When playing a standard game of golf, the aim is to take as few strokes as possible. With Stableford, though, the aim is to get as many points as possible. The number of strokes you take are converted to points. Fewer strokes make for more points.^{[1]
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- The idea is to make golf a bit more fair in every situation, whether new players are playing against skilled players, bad weather makes the course trickier, or a player is just having an off day.
- Stableford also makes games quicker, and encourages less-skilled players to keep playing, even if they’re taking lots of strokes.

Section 2 of 6:

How does Stableford scoring work?

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Each hole, compare your strokes to the indicated par to earn points. Just like with standard scoring, each hole has a par, or a certain number of strokes that players try to finish the hole in. Finishing on par is good, below par is great, and above par is less than ideal. Count your strokes during the hole, then use the following rubric to award yourself points:^{[2]
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- Double bogey (2+ strokes over par): 0 points
- Bogey (1 stroke over par): 1 point
- Par: 2 points
- Birdie (1 stroke under par): 3 points
- Eagle (2 strokes under par): 4 points
- Double eagle/Albatross (3 strokes under par): 5 points
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Subtract a stroke from the hardest holes if you’re playing with a handicap. Just like standard scoring, some players receive a handicap. A player’s “handicap index” is calculated after they’ve played several games already. Your handicap index determines on which holes you can subtract strokes, thus potentially earning more points. Your gross score is your actual number of strokes, while your net score is the number of strokes after the handicap is applied.
- Hole difficulty is indicated by the handicap rating on the course’s scorecards. A rating of 1 is the most difficult, and 18 is the least difficult.
- For example, if your handicap index is 12, you’d subtract a stroke from the holes rated 1-12.
- If your handicap index exceeds the number of holes, subtract 2 strokes from the hardest holes according to the difference. For example, if your index is 23, subtract 2 strokes from the holes rated 1-5, and 1 stroke from every other hole.
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Win the game by having the most points after the last hole. After you’ve played through every hole, apply any handicaps to the holes on the scorecard. Then, tally the points for each hole based on the above point system. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.^{[3]
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- For each hole, your Stableford scorecard will likely include spaces for your handicap (which you indicate with dots), gross score, net score, then the converted Stableford score.
- Scores of 25 or higher are generally considered good scores, while a score of 36 or more would be considered a great score.

Section 3 of 6:

What is Modified Stableford?

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Modified Stableford aims to make the game more competitive. It’s basically Stableford scoring, but the numbers are tweaked slightly to award even more points for good play, and subtract points for poor play. These numbers can vary by course or competition, but they’re often scored like this:^{[4]
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- Double bogey (2+ strokes over par): -3 points
- Bogey (1 stroke over par): -1 point
- Par: 0 points
- Birdie (1 stroke under par): 2 points
- Eagle (2 strokes under par): 5 points
- Double eagle/Albatross (3 strokes under par): 8 points

Section 4 of 6:

Stableford Strategy

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Stableford provides a safety net for new players, while allowing skilled players to earn big points for good play.^{[5]
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Research source} You won’t be punished too much for finding yourself in a sand trap or off in the weeds, so now’s the time to challenge yourself, swing big, and take those shots you might not risk in a standard game.
Since Stableford gives the least amount of points for going 2 or more strokes over par, and you can’t lose any more points after, there’s no need to take any more strokes after that. If you hit 2+ strokes above par, save your energy and frustration by picking up your ball and moving on to the next hole.^{[6]
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Stableford scoring is designed to let new players enjoy the game alongside the pros, so it’s best to have a level head and a healthy sense of sportsmanship. This keeps things enjoyable for everyone. If you’re a new player, focus on making par, but don’t sweat it if you fall short. If you’re more of an expert, use this opportunity to experiment with your game and coach the newer players. More than anything: have fun!

Section 5 of 6:

History of Stableford Scoring

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Stableford scoring was invented by Dr. Frank Stableford around 1890. Stableford wanted to encourage less skilled players to keep playing, even if they racked up a high number of strokes on a single hole, which can be incredibly frustrating. He formulated the system, then it was first used in official competition in 1932 at Wallasey Golf Club in Wallasey, England.^{[7]
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- Since then, Stableford has been used in many pro competitions, like The International, the ANZ Championship, and the Sunshine Tour.

Section 6 of 6:

Can you play Stableford with a team?

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Yes, team Stableford uses only the team’s lowest score per hole. Teams are often 2-4 players, organized by division, or similar handicap indexes. Every player takes a crack at each hole, but only the score of the player with the fewest strokes is used to calculate the score for that hole.^{[8]
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- For example, say Player A and Player B are on a team. On the first hole, Player A hits par, and Player B hits birdie. Only Player B’s score is used for that hole, and the team gets 2 points.

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Tips

Stableford scoring does not count toward calculating your handicap index. Only standard scores are used to calculate handicaps.

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