Stableford Calculator
Enter your course handicap and your score on each hole. Net and gross Stableford points, worked out as you go.
golfity keeps your Stableford points for every round — no card, no arithmetic.
For the tee you played. A plus handicap goes in negative.
Net points
Gross points
golfity works out your points while you play, then shows you which part of your game cost you them.
Net and Gross Stableford
Net points are the ones that count in a club competition — they use your handicap strokes. Gross points ignore your handicap entirely and score you straight against par, which is how scratch golfers and professionals are measured. Watching the two side by side is the quickest way to see how much of your card is your handicap and how much is your golf.
How Stableford Points Work
Stableford scores each hole against net par — the par of the hole plus any handicap strokes you receive on it. Instead of counting strokes and trying to minimise them, you earn points, and a blow-up hole is capped at zero rather than wrecking your card.
| Score relative to net par | Points |
|---|---|
| Net double bogey or worse | 0 |
| Net bogey | 1 |
| Net par | 2 |
| Net birdie | 3 |
| Net eagle | 4 |
| Net albatross | 5 |
How Your Shots Are Allocated
Your course handicap is spread across the holes by stroke index (SI), the 1-to-18 ranking of difficulty printed on every scorecard. A 14 handicap receives one shot on the 14 hardest holes — those with SI 1 through 14 — and nothing on the other four.
Above 18, the shots wrap around: a 22 handicap gets one shot everywhere and a second shot on SI 1 to 4. A plus handicap works in reverse, giving strokes back starting from the easiest hole.
Why 36 Points Is the Number That Matters
Net par on every hole is 2 points, so 18 holes of net par is 36 points. That is what playing exactly to your handicap looks like. Above 36 you played better than your handicap suggests; below it, worse. Most amateurs land between 28 and 34, tournament-winning scores start around 36–38, and 39+ tends to bring a handicap cut.
The format's quirk is that a single hole can only ever swing you two points below expectation, while a net birdie gains you one. That asymmetry is why Stableford rewards aggression: the downside of a disaster is capped, and the upside is not.
A Worked Example
Take a 14 course handicap on the par-72 card above. On the 1st, stroke index 9, they receive a shot. They score 5 gross, so their net score is 4 against a par of 4 — net par, 2 points. Gross, that 5 is a bogey, worth 1 point.
On the 3rd, stroke index 17, a 14 handicap gets nothing. A 4 on a par 3 is a bogey both ways: 1 point net and gross.
On the 9th, stroke index 13, they receive a shot but take 9 on a par 4. Net 8 is four over net par, so the hole scores 0 — and that is all it costs them. In medal play those five extra strokes follow them to the clubhouse. That single difference is why most club golf outside the United States is played in this format.
Add the front nine up and that card returns 15 net points against 9 gross. The gap between those two numbers is the handicap doing its job.
Common Questions
How many Stableford points is a good score? +
36 points means you played exactly to your handicap, because net par on all 18 holes is 2 points each. Most amateurs return between 28 and 34. Scores of 36 to 38 win most club competitions, and 39 or more usually triggers a handicap cut.
How do you calculate Stableford points? +
Work out your net score on each hole by subtracting the handicap strokes you receive there, then compare it to par. Net par scores 2 points, net birdie 3, net eagle 4, net bogey 1, and net double bogey or worse scores 0. Add up all 18 holes.
What is the difference between net and gross Stableford? +
Net Stableford uses your handicap strokes and is what club competitions score. Gross Stableford ignores your handicap and scores you straight against par, which is how scratch players and professionals are measured.
How many shots do I get on each hole? +
Your course handicap is allocated by stroke index. A 14 handicap receives one shot on the holes with stroke index 1 to 14. Above 18 the allocation wraps, so a 22 handicap gets one shot on every hole and a second on stroke index 1 to 4.
What happens on a blow-up hole in Stableford? +
Nothing beyond the hole itself. Once you can no longer score a point you pick up, and the hole is worth 0. You cannot go negative, which is why one disaster does not wreck a Stableford card the way it wrecks a medal card.
Can I use this calculator for 9 holes? +
Yes. Fill in only the holes you played and the calculator totals what you enter. The 36-point benchmark is for a full 18 holes, so the equivalent for 9 holes is 18 points.
Learn More About Scoring
Stableford Scoring Explained
The full guide — the history, a worked 18-hole example, the strategy shifts, and the competition variants.
Gross Score vs Net Score
What the difference actually is, with simple examples of how handicap strokes change your card.
Which Handicap Do You Use?
Handicap index, course handicap and playing handicap are three different numbers. This is the one to enter above.
Strokes Gained Calculator
Points tell you what you scored. Strokes gained tells you which part of your game it came from.
Stop Doing the Arithmetic
golfity tracks your Stableford points every round, and shows you where the points went.