In golf, how you keep score depends on the format of play. In standard stroke play, you add up your strokes and penalty strokes. In Stableford, your result on each hole is converted into points against a reference score, usually par.
Strokes and penalties on each hole
Count the strokes you take to finish each hole and add any penalty strokes that apply. Write that total on your scorecard, even when the competition then converts it into points.
Par is the reference score given for the hole. For example, finishing a par four in five strokes gives a score of one over par. This result is called a bogey.
The Stableford scale
When the reference score is par, the usual scale is as follows:
- Two or more strokes over: no points.
- One stroke over: one point.
- Par: two points.
- One stroke under: three points.
- Two strokes under: four points.
- Three strokes under: five points.
- Four strokes under: six points.
The R&A sets out how Stableford works. Check which format has been announced, as there are variations. The winner is the player with the most points under that format.
Gross score and net score
Your gross score is the total of your strokes and penalties, before any strokes received are taken into account. To get your net score, you subtract the strokes received, which are set according to your handicap and the terms of the competition.
An example: on a par four, you take six strokes and receive two strokes on that hole. Your net score is four; with the standard scale, that is worth two net Stableford points.
Your handicap index alone does not tell you how many strokes you receive on each hole. Use the information on the scorecard and the playing handicap set for the round. The marker records the scores as instructed, then the committee or the scoring system carries out the calculation.