The short version
In stroke play you count every stroke and the lowest total wins. A disaster hole follows you all the way to the last green. In Stableford you collect points per hole: a good hole earns points, a genuinely bad one simply scores zero and does not affect the rest of the round. You can pick the ball up and move on.
Both are usually played net, with your WHS strokes allocated to the hardest holes according to the course's stroke index. It is the same handicap model underneath. The difference lies in how a single hole affects your position.
Side by side
| Feature | Stableford | Stroke play |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring system | Points per hole: eagle 4, birdie 3, par 2, bogey 1, double bogey or worse 0 (albatross 5) | Strokes are added up, no points |
| Winner | Most points | Lowest total |
| A bad hole | Costs only that hole's points, at most 2 compared to a net par | Every extra stroke stays in the total all round |
| Picking the ball up | Yes — once the hole cannot score, you pick up and move on | No, every stroke has to be holed out |
| Pace | Quick, nobody is chasing lost holes | Slower, everyone finishes every hole |
| Handicap | Net via stroke index, same WHS model | Net via stroke index, or gross without handicap |
| Best suited to | Mixed groups, social rounds, quick play | Even groups, proper stroke counting, handicap rounds |
| Most common in competition | Almost every club competition is played as Stableford | Championships, scratch events and professional golf |
How the points work in Stableford
Points are set against the par of the hole, after your handicap strokes have been deducted. On a hole where you have a stroke allocated, a gross bogey becomes a net par and scores 2 points. The arithmetic is simple: a net par is 2 points, and every stroke better adds one more.
| Result on the hole | Against par | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle | 2 under | 4 |
| Birdie | 1 under | 3 |
| Par | Par | 2 |
| Bogey | 1 over | 1 |
| Double bogey or worse | 2 over or more | 0 |
An albatross, in other words 3 under net, is worth 5 points, and a hole-in-one on a par 4 more still. Such holes are rare, but the logic holds all the way: every stroke better than par is worth one more point. Stroke play has no points table — your number is simply the sum of every stroke, less your handicap strokes if you are playing net.
36 points means you played exactly to your handicap, averaging a net par on every hole.
When to choose Stableford
Stableford shines when the group plays off different standards, or when you want to keep the pace up. Because a dreadful hole only scores zero, nobody has to write down a nine. You pick up and move on, and whoever is having a bad day is still in the match as long as the odd hole scores.
- Mixed handicaps in the group, where a 28-handicapper should be able to take on someone off 9.
- Social rounds where the flow matters more than pure stroke counting.
- When you do not want one disaster hole to decide the whole pot.
That is why almost every club competition is played as Stableford. In a wager everyone puts in a stake and the most points takes the pot. With four players staking 50 each the pot is 200, and whoever has the most points takes the lot. A tie splits it between whoever is on top.
When to choose stroke play
Stroke play suits when every stroke really should count. It is the purest and most competitive game, and the same format championships and professional golf are built on. But it is unforgiving: a single disaster hole follows you all the way to the last green.
- Even groups where the spread in standard is small and the total makes for a fair match.
- Handicap rounds and occasions where you want an accurate stroke total.
- When you want every stroke to carry a price, exactly as in a competition.
Off handicap your allocated strokes are deducted and totals are compared net, so players of different standards can still meet. Without handicap the lowest number of actual strokes wins, in other words gross. An equal lowest total splits the pot.
Which should you choose?
The rule of thumb is simple. If the group varies in standard, or you want to keep the pace up, play Stableford. If you are evenly matched and want every stroke to count, play stroke play. Plenty of groups switch between the two depending on the company, and there is nothing to stop you laying a side bet on top of either.
In Wager Golf you choose the format before the round. The app works out the points or the total hole by hole with the correct WHS strokes, shows the standing live and shows who owes whom, even if you finish early.