We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Stableford Scoring System

L

lanoxrehab

Active member
Joined
Mar 6, 2017
Messages
409
Reaction score
49
Location
Salt Lake City
Handicap
17.7
Playing in Winterchamps tournament in St. George Utah March 14-15th. They use the Stableford scoring system (1 point for a bogey, 2 for a par, 4 for birdie and 8 for an eagle. Net Double you just pick up the ball). Wanted to see what you all think of that format.

I played last year and loved it. A really bad hole does not destroy your tournament.
 
In the UK we use stableford for a lot of comps and most people use it for friendly matches for sure. The scoring is a bit different (net bogey 1, par 2, birdie 3, eagle 4 etc) but it is a great way to play across handicaps as it means high handicappers who have a blow up hole can still be in the competition, whereas a medal you're basically out of it.
 
I've been pushing for my work league to switch to Stableford or Quota for years. I think it's a fantastic format for amateur golf, and even better for more casual environments.
 
I think it's a fun format for the occasional change of pace
 
A lot of competitions here in the UK will use the Stableford scoring as mentioned by @chrism_s

I play in one of the leagues and that is also Stableford and it makes for better competition in my opinion as one bad hole doesn't necessarily ruin your round like a stroke-play tournament can
 
I really like the Stableford format. As others have said it lets you have a blow up hole and doesn't really penalise you that much, makes me feel like I can be a lot more aggressive on shots that I might ordinarily be when counting individual shots. Lots of Stableford competitions over here as well, which I really enjoy, and tend to play more than medals. We're only 3 for a birdie and 4 for an eagle though, but happily will take the US points, not that I will ever make any 8 pointers.
 
HarlettoScara said:
I really like the Stableford format. As others have said it lets you have a blow up hole and doesn't really penalise you that much, makes me feel like I can be a lot more aggressive on shots that I might ordinarily be when counting individual shots. Lots of Stableford competitions over here as well, which I really enjoy, and tend to play more than medals. We're only 3 for a birdie and 4 for an eagle though, but happily will take the US points, not that I will ever make any 8 pointers.
Click to expand...
I have made a few nett eagles in league matches and even had an eagle with a shot for a 5 point nett albatross in a mixed competition at my home club last summer :cool:
 
TheDoctor said:
I have made a few nett eagles in league matches and even had an eagle with a shot for a 5 point nett albatross in a mixed competition at my home club last summer :cool:
Click to expand...
Actually you're exactly right, had forgotten about net eagles! I've had a couple of those, tend to be the ones that rescue a round, never to actually put the icing on the cake of a belting round. Only ever had one eagle in my life though, to do it in a competition is bang on!
 
HarlettoScara said:
Actually you're exactly right, had forgotten about net eagles! I've had a couple of those, tend to be the ones that rescue a round, never to actually put the icing on the cake of a belting round. Only ever had one eagle in my life though, to do it in a competition is bang on!
Click to expand...
Always nice to write 4 points on a scorecard

The annoying thing for me is that of the three par 5 holes at my home course, I have had eagles on 2 of them, but the only hole I haven't had an eagle on is the one I have been on the green in 2 the most :banghead:
 
1, 2, 4, 8 makes much more sense.

A birdie should be twice as valuable as a par and an eagle is easily twice a birdie and 4 times a par. Maybe more.
 
TheDoctor said:
Always nice to write 4 points on a scorecard

The annoying thing for me is that of the three par 5 holes at my home course, I have had eagles on 2 of them, but the only hole I haven't had an eagle on is the one I have been on the green in 2 the most :banghead:
Click to expand...
Well that makes sense, because as an amateur, if you drive the green on a par 4, or get home in 2 on a par 5 it's part of the rules that you must then at least 3 putt to walk off as a little ball of rage :LOL:
 
lanoxrehab said:
Playing in Winterchamps tournament in St. George Utah March 14-15th. They use the Stableford scoring system (1 point for a bogey, 2 for a par, 4 for birdie and 8 for an eagle. Net Double you just pick up the ball). Wanted to see what you all think of that format.

I played last year and loved it. A really bad hole does not destroy your tournament.
Click to expand...

I like the idea of it. Those of you in the UK that use it in a league - does it speed up play at all?
My first thought was it might help our league where we have 4-6 guys that are pretty bad & regularly shooting 8 or higher on a lot of holes. They could pick up once they get to zero points.

But then I bet we'd still use handicaps, right? So they might not ever be out of a hole with HC's as large as theirs.
 
When I play with the Senior league guys, that is the system they use. It works quite well.
 
It makes sense but I don't see it around here at all, but then I am not in touch with any tournaments much.
 
OGputtnfool said:
1, 2, 4, 8 makes much more sense.

A birdie should be twice as valuable as a par and an eagle is easily twice a birdie and 4 times a par. Maybe more.
Click to expand...
It's not though, in golf a shot is a shot is a shot. Otherwise your handicap can't apply either. Does a net birdie on a hole you get a handicap stroke on count for 8,even though you got a stroke, but a hole you net birdied with no stroke only 4? It has to be a point per extra shot.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 
OGputtnfool said:
1, 2, 4, 8 makes much more sense.

A birdie should be twice as valuable as a par and an eagle is easily twice a birdie and 4 times a par. Maybe more.
Click to expand...
This would be fun. I'd get my ass handed to me, but it would be fun!
 
chrism_s said:
It's not though, in golf a shot is a shot is a shot. Otherwise your handicap can't apply either. Does a net birdie on a hole you get a handicap stroke on count for 8,even though you got a stroke, but a hole you net birdied with no stroke only 4? It has to be a point per extra shot.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

A birdie is a birdie. If you're playing a net tournament, then a net birdie is still a net birdie even if you didn't get a stroke on the hole. It just so happens, for that hole, as determined by your handicap, you didn't get a stroke so your gross birdie is the same as your net birdie.

I think most would agree that gross birdies are at least twice as plentiful as gross eagles and gross pars are at least twice as plentiful as gross birdies. I'd be willing to guess that would hold true when carried over to net scores, too.
 
We use a modified Stableford scoring system in my Senior Golf league: 3 points for a birdie, 2 points for a par, 1 point for a bogey, and pick up, with no penalty at double bogey. We can't use any minus scoring or most of the members would score in negative numbers, and we need the pick up rule after double bogey or we'd be out on the course way too long. We play to a Stableford index, much like a regular handicap.

I miss regular scoring and handicaps.
 
We do it every Sunday in a low money game. It is a lot of fun to do things a little different and makes you appreciate scoring a lot more.
 
Used to play stable ford all the time on society days out. 3 points for a birdie though, 2 for a par, 1 for a bogey.
 
Grins said:
I like the idea of it. Those of you in the UK that use it in a league - does it speed up play at all?
My first thought was it might help our league where we have 4-6 guys that are pretty bad & regularly shooting 8 or higher on a lot of holes. They could pick up once they get to zero points.

But then I bet we'd still use handicaps, right? So they might not ever be out of a hole with HC's as large as theirs.
Click to expand...
I would say that for me it does, as when anyone in the group is having a nightmare hole they just pick up as they can't score, but my league is for handicaps 8-15, so we only have a single shot allowance on a hole anyway
So if you are playing a par 4 with no shot, and you end up having to play 3 off the tee, you get a chance to play your approach and then a single putt to make a 5 and score a point, and if you miss then you are picking up - miss the green with your approach and then you have to sink a chip

I can't comment on the higher handicaps, as depending on how high they go, you could have someone potentially able to take a 9 on a par 5 and still score a point if they get 3 shots on a hole
 
I love stuff like this. IMO golfers as a whole are way too enamored with stroke play. If scoring systems were golf clubs stroke play would be a blade 2 iron. It is demanding and unforgiving. The vast majority of us would enjoy golf so much more if we ditched the idea that we should be counting every stroke and instead played more games like this. It would have a ton of fringe benefits above and beyond simple enjoyment of the game as I think it would speed up play as well.
 
We use points in a couple games I play. One after work group is one for bogey, two for par, three for birdie. This is a far more casual group of golfers, and there are times when people come in with no points at all after 9 holes. My other, bigger, game is one for double bogey, two for bogey, three for par, five for birdie, eight for eagle. Quotas in that game range from mid 20s to mid 60s. There's some real sticks in that game who are mainly out there for skins and side bets, because if you need to pull 63 points, you need to play some really good golf in the same group as people who can make a birdie or two and go plus seven or eight.
 
DataDude said:
I love stuff like this. IMO golfers as a whole are way too enamored with stroke play. If scoring systems were golf clubs stroke play would be a blade 2 iron. It is demanding and unforgiving. The vast majority of us would enjoy golf so much more if we ditched the idea that we should be counting every stroke and instead played more games like this. It would have a ton of fringe benefits above and beyond simple enjoyment of the game as I think it would speed up play as well.
Click to expand...

I'm suprised how little it seems to be used in America. Is it more common with youth/junior players? When I was a kid it was what we played more often than not, apart from the 'majors' which were always stroke play.

Even now at my local there's just an many stableford events as there are strokeplay. Personally I'd be less interested in playing in competitions if they were always stroke play.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top