Stableford Scoring: Higher is Better

Since getting into golf when I was a kid, it was driven into my head that it was unlike any of the other sports I played or watched. The less you score, the better your round was, and the lowest score wins tournaments!

Well, there is a format in golf where the less strokes you take the better it is for your score, however with Stableford scoring, the points go higher the better you play. 

This format is unlike stroke play or match play golf, and I will get into the main principles of stableford scoring along with what makes it so fun.

Let’s get into it! 

Key Takeaways

• The higher the score, the better. Highest score at the end of the round, or multiple rounds for a tournament, wins.

• Scoring is based on an allotment of points that increase with fewer shots taken on a hole. 

• Zero is the least amount of points you can score on a hole, which is double bogey or worse.

Stableford Scoring in Golf

Points are awarded based on corresponding  performance on each hole against par. 

Unlike traditional stroke play, where the lowest score wins, Stableford assigns point values to different outcomes on each hole. The more points a player gets, the better! 

Stableford Scoring Chart

• Double Eagle (3 under par): 5 points

• Eagle (2 under par): 4 points

• Birdie (1 under par): 3 points

• Par: 2 points

• Bogey (1 over par): 1 point

• Double Bogey or worse: 0 points

What is cool about this scoring system is that it really rewards players (or teams)  who play aggressively, like those who are trying to go for par 5s in two and aiming for eagles (easier said than done). 

There is, what I call, a mercy addition to Stableford scoring because you can’t get any worse than zero so once you miss that double bogey putt the golf gods basically say to pick it up. At least you don’t have to write down a triple bogey on the scorecard. 

Modified Stableford Scoring 

The PGA Tour version of the modified stableford scoring makes it VERY enticing to be going for all those par 5s in two and really emphasizes the eagle putts and just being aggressive overall. 

Modified Stableford Scoring Chart

• Double Eagle: 8 points

• Eagle: 5 points

• Birdie: 2 points

• Par: 0 points

• Bogey: -1 point

• Double Bogey or more: -3 points

This can be seen mainly at the Barracuda Championship on the PGA Tour. It's a great tournament to watch because of such fantastic players being rewarded for aggressiveness.

Local Rules and Adjustments

Some golf clubs or regions might have their unique alterations to the Stableford system. There will be certain nuances to understand for the different local adjustments regarding points allocation, handicaps, and stroke index.

Handicaps: Handicap allowances can generally be applied in Stableford scoring, leading to a modified version called "Net Stableford." This version allows golfers of different skill levels to compete fairly against one another. When calculating Net Stableford, you subtract the relevant stroke index from each player's scores according to their handicap.

Stroke Index: Golf courses typically assign a stroke index to each hole, indicating the relative difficulty level. Higher stroke index values represent easier holes, while lower indices represent more challenging ones. In Stableford competitions, stroke indices are used to allocate handicap strokes to specific holes. For example, if your handicap is 18, you will receive one extra shot on each hole. If your handicap is 9, you will receive an extra shot only on the nine holes with the lowest stroke index values.

Variations in Point Allocation: Depending on local rules or player preferences, the point allocation for different scores in Stableford might vary slightly. For instance, a club might decide to award additional points for hole-in-ones or albatrosses. This is obviously seen in the modified stableford as part of the Barracuda Championship on the PGA Tour.

Advantages of Stableford Scoring

One major advantage is that it helps to lower how long a round of golf takes and makes the game more enjoyable.

Since the Stableford scoring focuses on a per hole basis, it is similar to match play where you can quickly move on from a bad hole without feeling the pressure to recover lost strokes.

My favorite advantage is that it just takes any inclination of being conservative out of the strategy, as you should be as aggressive as possible when trying to get eagles and birdies especially. It’s a cool wrinkle to golf scoring overall that makes it fun and different. 

I haven't seen any personally, but I would love to see a scramble golf tournament playing stableford to see what kind of scores turn in.

What is a Good Stableford Score?

A total score of 36 points (2 points per hole on average) is considered playing to par. If you get a score above 36 you are probably playing pretty damn well.  

What is the History of Stableford Scoring System?

The Stableford Scoring System was named after its creatorm Dr. Frank Barney Gorton Stableford, and originated in England.

Dr. Stableford was a member of Wallasey Golf Club, where he first introduced this unique scoring system in 1932.

The primary aim of this system was to encourage golfers to maintain an aggressive playstyle and to speed up the game by reducing the impact of poor performance on individual holes.

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