Stableford is a golf scoring format where players earn points based on their score on each hole. Instead of counting total strokes, the goal is to score the most points.
This makes Stableford faster and more forgiving than regular stroke play because one bad hole does not ruin the entire round.
How Stableford Scoring Works
In a standard Stableford format, points are usually awarded like this:
This is a simulation, not a live round. Tap the green Start Simulation button to learn the game and watch this made up match unfold one hole at a time. Just like in our app, you'll see a summary of the drama below the holes and a leaderboard.
The scores above are invented, but the scoring is not: this is the same card and the same live leaderboard your group sees on Big Fairways while you play.
Play STABLEFORD Now! Stableford runs in the tournament engine, with the table preloadedStableford keeps players moving because once you can no longer score points on a hole, you can pick up your ball and move on. It also rewards aggressive play because birdies and eagles are worth more points.
This format works well for casual rounds, leagues, tournaments, and groups with mixed skill levels, especially when handicaps are used.
Simple Stableford Rules
Play each hole and record your score.
Convert your score into points.
Use handicaps if the group wants net scoring.
Add up your points after 18 holes.
The player with the most points wins.
Stableford is a great format if you want a round that is competitive, easy to score, and less punishing than traditional stroke play.
Say a 12 handicap plays a par 4 where he gets a stroke.
On the next hole, a par 5 where he gets no stroke, he makes an 8. That is a triple bogey, worth nothing, so he picks up as soon as the points have gone and walks to the next tee. In stroke play that hole costs him three shots he carries for the rest of the round. In Stableford it costs him two points and nothing else.
Over eighteen holes, 36 points is the Stableford equivalent of playing to your handicap, because par on every hole is two points a hole. Anything above 36 is a good day.
Modified Stableford changes the numbers to reward aggression harder, and it usually punishes bad holes with a negative score rather than a zero. The best known version is the one used on tour, where an eagle is worth 5, a birdie 2, a par nothing, a bogey minus 1 and a double bogey or worse minus 3.
The effect is that laying up stops being safe. A par is worth nothing, so the only way to move is to make birdies, and a player who takes on every flag can pass a steady one in three holes.
If you want to run it, set your own table on the round rather than using the official one. The scoring engine does not care which numbers you use.
Stableford is a tournament format in Big Fairways rather than a side game. It is set up in the tournament console, the points table is preloaded with the official numbers above, and it can be edited per round if your event pays birdies differently:
Stableford is the format to reach for when the field is mixed, the round needs to move, or you want a competition that a bad start cannot kill. Nobody is out of it after a nine, and nobody stands over a putt for a nine.
It is also the easiest format for a large field to score, which is why so many club competitions run on it.
Keep score automatically and settle up in the app Points by hole, ordered highest first, for a field of any sizeEach hole is converted into points against your net score rather than counted in strokes. The official table is 5 for an albatross, 4 for an eagle, 3 for a birdie, 2 for a par, 1 for a bogey and nothing for a double bogey or worse. The highest points total wins.
Thirty six points is the benchmark, because a net par on every hole is two points a hole. Thirty six means you played to your handicap. Anything in the high thirties or above is a good day, and most club competitions are won in the high thirties to low forties.
A version that changes the point values to push players into taking risks, usually paying more for eagles and birdies and subtracting points for bogeys and worse. The tour version is eagle 5, birdie 2, par 0, bogey minus 1, double bogey or worse minus 3, which makes a safe par worth nothing at all.
Yes, and you should. Once you cannot score a point on a hole, the hole is over for you and picking up keeps the round moving. That is the main reason large fields and club competitions are run as Stableford.
Yes, in the tournament engine. Set the round format to Stableford and the official points table is preloaded, editable per round if your event uses a modified version. The leaderboard then orders by points, highest first, instead of by strokes.