Side game · 2–4 players
How to play Stableford
Also called: Stableford points · Modified Stableford
Points for good holes, nothing for bad ones. A blow-up costs you one hole, not the round, which is why it is the format for high handicappers and fast play.
The rules
- Each hole scores points against par on your net score: eagle 4, birdie 3, par 2, bogey 1, double bogey or worse 0.
- Pick up once you cannot score a point on the hole. That is the format's whole appeal.
- Highest points total after eighteen wins.
- For money, settle against the group median so the bet stays zero-sum: each player's points above or below the median are paid at the unit, spread across the field.
A worked example
Setup. $1 per point, three players.
- Eighteen-hole totals: Sam 38, Casey 34, Patrick 36.
- The median is 36.
Result. Sam collects $4 from Casey and $2 from Patrick. Patrick collects $2 from Casey. Everyone's money nets to zero.
This is exactly how Bagpipe Golf settles it: hole by hole, zero-sum, no arguing at the 19th.
Variations and house rules
- Modified Stableford, the pro-tour version: double eagle 8, eagle 5, birdie 2, par 0, bogey −1, double or worse −3. Bagpipe ships it as its own game so the two never get mixed up.
- Quota: everyone starts with a target based on handicap and settles on points over or under it. Also its own game in the app.
How it works in the app
- Add Stableford at setup with a unit per point.
- Enter gross scores; the app applies handicap strokes by hole and computes points.
- The live screen shows the points race; settlement does the median math for you.
Stableford FAQ
- What is a good Stableford score?
- Thirty-six points means you played to your handicap. Forty or more is a strong day; the club competition winner is usually in the low forties.
- How does Stableford work for money with three or four players?
- Each player settles against the group median points total, so the payments always add up to zero. That is exactly what the app does.