| Stableford scoring systems are stroke-play formats in which
the high total wins, not the low. That's because in Stableford, your final
score is not your stroke total, but rather the total points you have earned
for your scores on each individual hole.
For example, a par might be worth 1 point, a birdie 2. If you par the
first hole and birdie the second, you've accrued 3 points.
As a format for club tournaments, Stableford formats are more popular in
the U.K. than in the U.S. On the pro tours, both the U.S. PGA Tour and the
European Tour have a Modified Stableford tournament: The International on
the PGA Tour and the ANZ Championship on the European Tour.
Stableford in the Rule Book
Stableford Competitions are addressed in the
Rules of Golf under
Rule 32
(Bogey, Par and Stableford Competitions).
The rulebook also sets forth points totals for a Stableford competition
(Stableford tournaments that award points on a different scale than this are
known as Modified Stableford):
- More than one over fixed score or no score returned - 0 points
- One over fixed score - 1 point
- Fixed score - 2 points
- One under fixed score - 3 points
- Two under fixed score - 4 points
- Three under fixed score - 5 points
- Four under fixed score - 6 points
The "fixed score" in question is set by the tournament committee. If the
fixed score is set as bogey, then a triple bogey is worth 0 points, a double
bogey 1 point, a bogey 2 points, a par 3 points, and so on (the committee
might also set the fixed score as a numerical value - say, 6 strokes - as
opposed to a relative value).
The rules differences for Stableford as compared to normal stroke play
have to do with the penalties applied for breaking rules. In some instances
(for example, exceeding the 14-club maximum), points are deducted from the
competitor, as opposed to a stroke penalty. There are also a number of
violations that result in disqualification. The rundown of rules differences
in Stableford can be found in the notes to Rule 32-1b and in Rule 32-2. |
