Guides · Updated 12 October 2026

Stableford vs stroke play

Both formats count your play against par and your handicap. They differ in how a bad hole is treated.

Stroke play

You count every stroke on every hole. The lowest total wins. In a handicap competition you subtract your Playing Handicap from your gross total to get a net score. One very bad hole stays in your total, and it can decide the result.

Stableford

You score points on each hole by comparing your score with a fixed target, normally par adjusted for the shots you receive. The highest total of points wins. A bad hole costs you at most the points you would have won on it, because the lowest score is zero.

Net score on the hole	Points
Net double bogey or worse, or no score	0
Net bogey	1
Net par	2
Net birdie	3
Net eagle	4
Net albatross	5

"Net" means after the handicap strokes you receive on that hole. Playing to your handicap exactly, with a net par on every hole, gives 18 × 2 = 36 points.

Example: a par 4 where you receive 1 stroke. A gross 4 is a net 3, a net birdie, worth 3 points. A gross 5 is net par, 2 points. A gross 6 is 1 point. A gross 7 or more is 0 points.

When each is used

• Stroke play is the standard for medal and championship golf, where every stroke counts.
• Stableford is common in club competitions and weekend events. It keeps the pace up, because once a hole can no longer score points you can pick up.
• Handicap allowances differ between formats. The committee sets the allowance in the conditions of the competition.

How net double bogey and Stableford relate

For handicap purposes the most you can count on a hole is net double bogey: par + 2 + your handicap strokes on the hole. That is the exact score at which a Stableford hole stops earning points. So if you pick up in a Stableford once you are out of points, it costs you nothing in your handicap record. The cap on a hole for handicap and the zero-point line in Stableford sit in the same place.

That is also why a Stableford card and a stroke play card can both go into your Handicap Index. The system uses the capped hole scores in either case.

Sources

• Rule 21, Other forms of individual stroke play and match play (R&A, Rules of Golf)
• Rule 3, Acceptable scores and holes (R&A, Rules of Handicapping)

Rules summarised from the 2024 edition of the Rules of Handicapping. Your national association and club handicap committee have the final word.