How does Stableford scoring work in golf?

Golf offers many ways to play a round and mark a scorecard. You may know strokeplay, and now you keep hearing the word ‘stableford’. In this PGA Play article, we explain the format so you can get to grips with it before your next round.

For our full golf scoring explainer, click here.

Key takeaways

• Stableford awards points per hole instead of counting total strokes. The highest point total wins.
• Playing a hole in your target score earns two points.
• Scoring two points on all 18 holes gives you 36 points, which means you played to your handicap.
• Your target score on each hole depends on your playing handicap, so it can differ from the hole’s par.
• The Stroke Index on the scorecard shows which holes give you extra strokes. Lowest-numbered holes come first.
• A bad hole costs you at most the points you would have earned there. Once you cannot score, you can pick up your ball.

Stableford is one of the most popular scoring formats in amateur golf. Instead of adding up every shot played during a round, golfers earn points on each hole according to their score.

The player with the most points at the end of the round wins.

In a standard Stableford competition, two points are awarded for playing a hole in your target score. Scoring two points on every hole would give you 36 points, which generally means you have played to your handicap.

Here is how the Stableford points system works:

How does your handicap affect Stableford scoring?

Your target score on each hole depends on your playing handicap, so it will not necessarily be the same as the hole’s par.

Your playing handicap determines how many strokes you receive during the round. These are allocated using the Stroke Index shown on the scorecard, with the lowest-numbered holes receiving strokes first.

A player with a playing handicap of six receives one stroke on holes with a Stroke Index of one to six. A player with a playing handicap of 18 receives one stroke on every hole.

Players with a playing handicap above 18 receive a second stroke on some holes. For example, a player with a playing handicap of 21 receives one stroke on every hole and an additional stroke on holes with a Stroke Index of one, two and three.

Stableford scoring example

Imagine you have a playing handicap of 18 and are playing a par-four hole. Because you receive one handicap stroke on every hole, your target score is five.

If you complete the hole in five shots, you score two Stableford points. A four earns three points, a six earns one point and a seven or higher earns no points.

Stableford can be a particularly suitable format for beginners because one bad hole does not ruin the entire round. Once you can no longer score a point on a hole, you can pick up your ball and move on to the next tee.

The aim is simply to earn as many points as possible, with the golfer recording the highest total at the end of the round declared the winner.