How it plays
- 1Play each hole normally, then convert the score to points instead of writing down strokes.
- 2The moment you can no longer score a point on a hole, pick up. This is the fastest format in the rotation.
- 3Add the nine hole points together. Highest total wins.
Scoring and handicaps
- The Sandbaggers League scale: bogey 1 point, par 2, birdie 3, eagle 4.
- The traditional club scale runs one higher (double bogey 0, bogey 1, par 2, birdie 3, eagle 4, albatross 5) — both reward the same behaviour.
- Net Stableford applies your handicap strokes first: a shot on a hole turns a 5 into a net 4, and the points come off the net score.
- Scoring zero on a hole is survivable. That is the whole point of the format.
Over nine holes
Over nine holes Stableford keeps everyone in the round to the last green, because a single wipe costs two points instead of four strokes. It is the format to pick when someone in the group is having a bad day and you still want a race.
How to actually win it
- Attack the par 5s and any hole where you get a stroke — a net birdie is three points and swings the card.
- Pick up early and often. Nothing is gained by holing out for zero.
- Around 18 points over nine holes is a solid round on our scale; 22 or better usually wins the day.
Questions people ask
How many points is a birdie in Stableford?
Three points on The Sandbaggers League scale (bogey 1, par 2, birdie 3, eagle 4). On the traditional club scale a birdie is also three, with double bogey scoring zero rather than a bogey scoring one.
What is a good Stableford score for 9 holes?
On a scale where par is worth two points, 18 points is level par for nine holes. Anything over 20 is a genuinely good round, and low twenties normally wins a four-man game.
Should you use net or gross Stableford?
Net, if the group's handicaps differ by more than a few shots. Net Stableford is the fairest format in common use — it gives strokes where they are needed and still rewards the aggressive play that makes for good video.
Watch it played
We film Stableford live, badly, every season
Five friends, one camera, nine holes, and a forfeit waiting for whoever finishes last. The full round card for every Stableford week is on this site the day the episode drops.