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Golf · Calculator
Stableford calculator: points per hole from your strokes and Playing Handicap
Stableford scores each hole with points rather than strokes: two for a net par, one for a net bogey, three for a net birdie, and nothing once a hole goes worse than net bogey. The highest total wins, and one disastrous hole costs at most two points.
Enter the card — par, stroke index and your strokes for each hole — and your Playing Handicap. The calculator gives your handicap strokes on each hole by stroke index, then scores every hole by the points table in Rule 21.1 of the Rules of Golf.
By Reign Creative LLCPublished More in the Golf hub
Score a Stableford card
One number per hole, in hole order, separated by spaces. Type x for a hole where you picked up.
Stableford points30
- Against net par (36)
- −6
- Handicap strokes
- 0 received
- Holes with no points
- 3
- Gross score
- 76par 70
- Net score
- 76
| Hole | Par | Index | Hcp | Score | Net | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| 2 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | |
| 4 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | |
| 6 | 5 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 0 | |
| 7 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 1 | |
| 8 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| 9 | 5 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 2 | |
| 10 | 3 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 11 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| 12 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 0 | |
| 13 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 14 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| 15 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 16 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| 17 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| 18 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
Index is the hole’s stroke index; Hcp is the handicap strokes on it, + received or − given back.
The points table
| Score on the hole | Points |
|---|---|
| More than one over, or no score returned | 0 |
| One over the fixed score | 1 |
| The fixed score (par, unless the Committee sets another) | 2 |
| One under | 3 |
| Two under | 4 |
| Three under | 5 |
| Four under | 6 |
The same table as a formula
points = max(0, 2 + fixed score − net score)
In a handicap competition the handicap strokes are applied to each hole’s score before the points are worked out, so the table is read against your net score. The Rules of Handicapping make the link the other way too: net double bogey, the most that counts on a hole for handicap purposes, is “the lowest score on a hole for which the player would achieve zero Stableford points”.
Where your handicap strokes fall
Strokes on a hole, Playing Handicap PH over 18 holes
floor(PH ÷ 18), plus 1 more if the hole’s stroke index ≤ (PH mod 18)
Appendix E of the Rules of Handicapping gives strokes in stroke-index order, and above 18 the order repeats: stroke index 1 counts again as 19, 37 and 55. A Playing Handicap of 20 therefore gives one stroke on every hole and a second on the holes with stroke index 1 and 2. For nine holes, strokes are taken in ascending order of the holes’ 18-hole stroke indexes, and a plus-handicap player gives strokes back starting at the hole with the highest index — Appendix E says this for nine-hole play, and the calculator applies the same order over 18 holes.
Worked examples
The R&A illustrates scratch Stableford in the Rules of Golf with a full card: a par-70 course played in 76 strokes. Scored hole by hole it comes to 14 points out and 16 in — 30 in all, as the R&A’s diagram shows. The six over par costs exactly six points against the 36 that net par on every hole would earn.
The same card with a Playing Handicap of 12, using an illustrative stroke index laid out as Appendix E recommends — odd numbers on the front nine, even on the back:
| Hole | Par | Stroke index | Strokes | Score | Net | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 7 | +1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | 3 | 15 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| 4 | 4 | 11 | +1 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | +1 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | 5 | 13 | — | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 7 | 4 | 9 | +1 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| 8 | 4 | 5 | +1 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 9 | 5 | 17 | — | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| 10 | 3 | 16 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 11 | 4 | 8 | +1 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 12 | 4 | 4 | +1 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 13 | 3 | 14 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 14 | 5 | 2 | +1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 15 | 3 | 18 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 16 | 5 | 10 | +1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 17 | 3 | 12 | +1 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 18 | 4 | 6 | +1 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Twelve strokes on stroke index 1 to 12 turn 30 points into 42: 20 out and 22 in, 6 better than net par. Hole 6 still scores nothing: with no stroke there, a 7 on a par 5 is a net double bogey.
What it does not do
- Work out your Playing Handicap. Use the course handicap calculator for that, then enter the figure here.
- Apply a different fixed score. If your Committee sets a target other than par on a hole, enter that target as the hole’s par.
- Penalties that cost a hole’s points under Rule 21.1c — enter an x for that hole instead.
- Team and four-ball Stableford, which combine players’ scores in ways a single card cannot show.
For how Stableford compares with other formats, read golf tournament formats; to turn a Handicap Index into a Playing Handicap, use the course handicap calculator.
Golf Career Simulator Pro Tour is a golf career game decided by course management: you choose how to play each hole from the lie, the distance and the wind, across multi-round events with cuts, leaderboards and playoffs.
Reign Creative LLC makes Golf Career Simulator Pro Tour, so we have a commercial interest in it. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any league, team, players’ association or athlete.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
How are Stableford points worked out?
Rule 21.1b compares your score on each hole with a fixed target score, which is par unless the Committee sets another: two points for the fixed score, one for one over, three for one under, four for two under, five for three under and six for four under. More than one over, or no score at all, earns nothing. In a handicap competition your handicap strokes come off each hole’s score first.
How are handicap strokes given out?
By stroke index, as Appendix E of the Rules of Handicapping describes. With a Playing Handicap of 12 you receive a stroke on the holes with stroke index 1 to 12. Above 18, the order repeats — stroke index 1 counts again as 19 — so a Playing Handicap of 20 gives one stroke on every hole and two on stroke index 1 and 2.
What does a score of 36 points mean?
It is what net par on every hole scores over 18 holes: two points a hole. Finishing above 36 means you played better than net par overall; below 36, worse. Over nine holes the equivalent figure is 18.
What happens if I pick up on a hole?
You score zero points for it. Rule 21.1b says a player who does not hole out gets no points for the hole, and encourages players to stop once their score can no longer earn a point. Enter an “x” for that hole.
Does it work for nine holes and plus handicaps?
Yes. For nine holes, Appendix E takes the strokes in ascending order of the holes’ 18-hole stroke indexes, which the calculator does whether you enter those indexes or a 1–9 allocation. A plus handicap gives strokes back from the hole with the highest stroke index; Appendix E says so for nine-hole play, and the calculator uses the same order over 18 holes.
Sources
- Rules of Golf, Rule 21 — Other Forms of Individual Stroke Play and Match Play (21.1 Stableford) (opens in a new tab)The R&A — accessed
- Rules of Handicapping — Appendix E: Stroke Index Allocation (opens in a new tab)The R&A — accessed
- Rules of Handicapping — Rule 3: Adjusting Hole Scores (net double bogey) (opens in a new tab)The R&A — accessed
League, governing-body and team names appear here only to identify the formulas and rules being used. Reign Creative LLC's sports games and calculators are not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by any league, team, players' association or athlete, and all names and marks belong to their owners.
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