How to Calculate Stableford Points

Stableford points come from your net score on each hole against par. Under Rule 21.1 of the Rules of Golf, net par is 2 points, one over is 1, one under is 3, two under is 4, three under is 5, four under is 6, and anything worse than one over (or no score) is 0. Take your handicap strokes off each hole by stroke index, score the points, then add them up, or let the Stableford calculator do the sum for you.

New to the format? Start with what is Stableford. This page is just the maths.

The Stableford points table (Rule 21.1b)

This is the official table from the Rules of Golf. The "fixed target score" is par unless the Committee sets something different.

And the pick-up rule, straight from Rule 21.1b: "A player who does not hole out under the Rules for any reason gets zero points for the hole. To help pace of play, players are encouraged to stop playing a hole when their score will result in zero points."

So once you can't score, pick up. You get 0 for that hole either way, and your group will thank you.

How to calculate Stableford points in 5 steps

1. Get your handicap for the day. In Australia that's your Daily Handicap. Elsewhere it's the Playing Handicap the Committee sets for the comp.
2. Find your strokes on each hole from the stroke index. Strokes go to the lowest stroke index holes first.
3. Work out your net score on each hole. Gross score minus the strokes you get on that hole.
4. Turn each net score into points using the table above.
5. Add up the points. Highest total wins.

Step 1: Get your handicap for the day

Australia. Golf Australia says: "The Daily Handicap is the handicap to be used in handicap competition play." Your GA Handicap is not the number you play off. It feeds into the Daily Handicap calculation.

Golf Australia also says that in Australia a "Handicap Allowance" is known as "the Multiplier", and "The standard Multiplier in Australia is 0.93 (or 93%)". That 0.93 is already inside the Daily Handicap formula. So you play off the Daily Handicap as it comes. Grab it from the club's look-up chart (Golf Australia "provides every club with easy-to-use Daily Handicap look-up posters") or the Golf Australia Official App. Don't run a US Course Handicap formula on it, and don't stack another allowance on top. If your comp's conditions say something different, check with your club.

USGA line (US-style Course Handicap). You start from your Course Handicap for the tees. The course handicap calculator does that sum. For Individual Stableford, the USGA Rules of Handicapping list a recommended handicap allowance of 95%, and "the Committee should specify the handicap allowance within the Terms of the Competition." So it's the Committee's call. Use whatever Playing Handicap the comp sheet gives you.

Step 2: Work out your strokes on each hole

Every hole on the card has a stroke index from 1 to 18. The Rules of Golf (Rule 3.2c, written for handicap matches) put it on each player to know where their strokes fall, "based on the stroke index allocation set by the Committee (which is usually found on the scorecard)." The USGA's Individual Stableford guidance is short: "Players use full Playing Handicap, and strokes are taken according to the stroke index allocation."

Strokes go to the lowest stroke index holes first. Golf Australia's own example: a player with a Daily Handicap of 5 gets strokes on the holes with stroke index 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Over 18 strokes, you go round again. The Rules of Handicapping (Appendix E) say: "When a player receives more than 18 strokes, the same allocation order is used with stroke index 1 repeating as stroke index 19, 37 and 55, with all additional strokes going up sequentially."

Plus handicap? It runs the other way. Golf Australia: golfers with a plus Daily Handicap "give strokes back to the course, beginning at the hole with stroke index 18."

Steps 3 to 5: Net score, points, total

Net score on a hole = your gross strokes (including penalty strokes) minus the strokes you get on that hole. Compare that net score with par, read the points off the table, and add them up.

One handy check. If you've already hit your net double bogey, you're on 0 points. Pick up and move on.

Worked example (made-up numbers)

Example only. Made-up player, made-up course, made-up handicap for the day of 22. With 22, this player gets 2 strokes on stroke index 1 to 4 and 1 stroke on every other hole. Front nine shown.

A few things to notice:

• Hole 3. A gross par on a hole where you get a stroke is a net birdie. That's 3 points, not 2.
• Hole 4. Two strokes on the hardest hole still weren't enough. Net 6 on a par 4 is two over, so 0.
• Hole 8. Picked up. "No score returned" is 0 points under Rule 21.1b, same as a blow-up.

Want the back nine done without the mental maths? Punch your card into the Stableford calculator. It does the sum for you.

Who adds it up on comp day

Rule 21.1b says: "The Committee is responsible for calculating how many points the player gets on each hole and, in a handicap competition, for applying handicap strokes to the score entered for each hole before calculating the number of points." Your job is to write down the right gross score on each hole. Where a hole would score 0, the rule says the card "must show either no score or any score that results in zero points being awarded."

Still worth doing the sum yourself so you know where you stand on the 18th.

Stableford isn't a scramble card

A team scramble or Ambrose score is not a Stableford card for anyone. Rule 21.1 Stableford is written for individual play, with adaptations for Foursomes, Four-Ball and team comps. In a scramble, the team picks the best shot every time. For the handicap side of that, see does a scramble count for handicap. More on team-day scoring in gross vs net scramble and golf scramble formats.

How do you calculate Stableford points?

Take your handicap strokes off each hole by stroke index to get a net score. Compare it with par: net par is 2, net bogey 1, net birdie 3, net eagle 4, three under 5, four under 6. Worse than net bogey, or no score, is 0. Add the holes up. The Stableford calculator will do it for you.

How many points is a par in Stableford?

A net par is 2 points. That's the "fixed target score" line in Rule 21.1b. If you get a stroke on the hole, a gross par is a net birdie and scores 3.

How do handicap strokes work in Stableford?

They go hole by hole using the stroke index on the card, lowest number first. Handicap of 10 gets a stroke on stroke index 1 to 10. Past 18, you start again at stroke index 1, as Appendix E of the Rules of Handicapping says. On comp day, the Committee applies the strokes before the points are worked out.

What handicap do I use for Stableford in Australia?

Your Daily Handicap. Golf Australia says it's "the handicap to be used in handicap competition play", and the 0.93 Multiplier is already in it. Get it from the club chart or the Golf Australia Official App. Don't convert it with a US Course Handicap formula. If your club runs something different for a comp, check with your club.

Keep reading

• Stableford calculator
• What is Stableford
• Golf handicap calculator
• How to calculate a score differential
• Course handicap calculator (US-style Course Handicap)
• Does a scramble count for handicap
• How to run an Ambrose golf day
• Ambrose handicap calculator
• Gross vs net scramble
• Golf scramble formats
• Golf scramble scoring app

Got a team day coming up

If it's a team Ambrose or scramble, Scrambled Eggs keeps the team score, whose shot got used and each player's shot contribution on one phone per group, works out the Team Ambrose handicap, and saves the round to history. For handicap rounds, use your own card.

Download Scrambled Eggs on the App Store