Golf tools
Stableford points calculator
Enter your playing handicap and your score on each hole. The calculator gives you your strokes, net score and Stableford points hole by hole, plus your adjusted gross score for handicap purposes.
How Stableford scoring works
Stableford is a points-based format. Instead of counting every shot, you score points on each hole according to how your net score (your score minus any handicap strokes you receive on that hole) compares with par:
| 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 |
Because the worst you can do on a hole is score zero, one disaster no longer ruins your round. As soon as you cannot score a point, you can pick up and move on, which also keeps play moving.
How handicap strokes are given
Each hole has a stroke index (SI) from 1 to 18, printed on the scorecard. SI 1 is the hole where higher handicappers most need a stroke, and SI 18 the hole where they least need one.
- Playing handicap of 18 or less: you receive one stroke on each hole whose stroke index is equal to or lower than your handicap. A 12-handicapper gets a stroke on SI 1 to 12.
- Playing handicap above 18: you receive one stroke on every hole, plus a second stroke on the holes with the lowest stroke indexes. A 22-handicapper gets two strokes on SI 1 to 4 and one on the rest.
- Plus handicaps: a plus handicapper gives strokes back, starting on SI 18. A +2 player adds one stroke to their score on SI 17 and 18.
For a 9-hole round, the calculator ranks the nine stroke indexes you enter from hardest to easiest, so it works whether your card uses 1–9 or the odd or even numbers of an 18-hole card.
What is a good Stableford score?
36 points over 18 holes means you have played exactly to your handicap: two points, a net par, on every hole. Anything above 36 is a very good day. Most golfers score below 36 most of the time, because a handicap reflects your better rounds rather than your average one. In club competitions, winning scores in the high 30s or low 40s are common.
Adjusted gross score and your handicap
For handicap purposes, the maximum score on any hole is net double bogey: par, plus two, plus any strokes you receive. That is exactly the score at which Stableford points run out, so a zero-point hole always counts as net double bogey. The calculator caps each hole for you and shows your adjusted gross score, which you can take straight to the score differential calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to finish every hole?
No. Once you can no longer score a point, pick up. Enter X on the card and the hole scores zero points, and counts as net double bogey for your adjusted gross score.
What handicap should I enter?
Enter your playing handicap: your course handicap for the tees you are playing, multiplied by the competition's handicap allowance. For individual Stableford this is usually 95%. Use the handicap calculator to work it out.
What is modified Stableford?
Some events use a modified points table that rewards birdies and eagles more and takes points away for bogeys and worse. It encourages aggressive play. The calculator uses the standard table above.
Is my card stored anywhere?
Only in your own browser, so you can come back to it during the round. Nothing is sent to us. Use Reset card to clear it.
Read more: golf formats explained, how golf scoring works, the World Handicap System explained and your first golf competition.