Stableford is a scoring system used in the sport of
golf. Rather than counting the total number of strokes taken, as in
stroke play, it involves scoring points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole. Unlike traditional scoring methods, where the aim is to have the lowest score, under Stableford rules, the objective is to have the highest score.
The Stableford system was developed by Dr. Frank Barney Gorton Stableford (1870–1959), to deter golfers from giving up on their round after just one or two bad holes. It was first used informally at the Glamorganshire Golf Club, Penarth, Wales, in 1898, and first used in competition at Wallasey Golf Club in Wallasey, England, in 1932.
Stableford can have the added benefit of speeding up the pace of play, as once it is no longer possible to score a point, a player does not have to complete the hole but can simply pick up their ball and proceed to the next hole. It is a popular form of the game, especially at club level and particularly in the United Kingdom, as it is still possible to record a competitive score despite having the occasional bad hole.
Scoring
The number of points awarded on each hole is determined based on comparison of the number of strokes taken to a fixed score, usually
par. This fixed score is then adjusted in relation to the players
handicap. Once a player has taken two strokes more than the adjusted fixed score, they may pick up their ball as it is then not possible to score any points on that hole. They can then resume play on the next hole. Because of this, it is still possible to be competitive even allowing for a few bad holes. At the end of the round, the number of points scored on each hole is totalled to give a final score. The winner of a Stableford competition is the player with the highest points total.
In the United Kingdom, the fixed score would be adjusted as per the stroke indexes (SI) of the holes, starting at the lowest stroke index 1 hole, through to the highest, stroke index 18. For example, a 12 handicap golfer would increase the fixed score on holes indexed 1 through 12, a 24 handicap player would increase the score by 2 on holes indexed 1 through 6 and by one for the rest, and a plus handicap player would reduce the fixed scores starting at the stroke index 18 hole.
The standard Stableford system can be altered to use different point levels, commonly referred to as a Modified Stableford system, but the number of points awarded per hole as specified by the R&A; and the United States Golf Association are as follows: The event was cancelled in February 2007, after 21 years as part of the tour.
On the European Tour, the ANZ Championship, which ran for three years from 2002, used the same modified Stableford scoring system as The International. The Royal Swazi Sun Open on the Sunshine Tour has used the same system since 2003. Two Champions Tour events also used the modified Stableford system briefly. They were the Royal Caribbean Classic in 2000 and 2001, and the Uniting Fore Care Classic in 2002. In the latter case, it was seen as a final attempt to save the failing tournament.
{|class=wikitable
|-
!Points!!Strokes taken in relation to par
|-
| +8 points || Albatross (3 strokes under par)
|-
| +5 points || Eagle (2 strokes under par)
|-
| +2 points || Birdie (1 stroke under par)
|-
| 0 points || Par
|-
| −1 point || Bogey (1 stroke over par)
|-
| −3 points || Double bogey or worse (2 strokes or more over par)
|}
See also
Variations of golf
References
External links
Origins of Stableford scoring
Sandwedged Guide to Scoring Stableford Golf
Category:Golf terminology
Category:Forms of golf
