Golf Vacation Games - Stableford

In Stableford, unlike traditional golf, you want your scorecard to be filled with “+” signs. That is because you earn points for good scores. At the end of the round you then compare your point total to those of your competitors and the person with the highest point total wins. It is similar to match play in that for the most part the player with the best round will win. However, due to the way the point system is structured to reward aggressive play, it is possible for a player, with a few well-placed birdies or eagles, to win the competition even though he may not have the lowest stroke total.

Here is how the system works. In Stableford a Double Eagle is worth +8 points, an Eagle is worth +5 points, a Birdie is worth +2 points, a Par is worth 0 points, a Bogey is worth –1 point and a Double Bogey or higher is worth –2 points. As you can see by this sliding scale of reward if a player gets lucky on a hole and scores an eagle they can quickly make up for a one or two bad holes and pass a player who has been rock-steady with nothing but pars. This is the appeal of Stableford. It only takes one or two good holes to overtake your opponent or to be overtaken yourself.

The two ways that Stableford can be competed is through either a purse situation or in a match situation.

In a purse situation everyone contributes a preset amount to the pot and at the end of the round it is divided up amongst the foursome as was predetermined (i.e. winner take all or 1st place gets 75% and 2nd gets 25%). How the purse is divided is entirely up to you.

In a match situation every point you earn is worth a set amount (make sure you decide this before you play). At the end of the round you compare your points to those of your competition. The difference between your score and the scores of your competitors is what you either earn or pay to each of your opponents. Take four sample players with the following scores at the end of their rounds. Bill +10, Mike 0, Ted –5, Jim –2. Bill obviously is the winner and gets the predetermined value of 10 points from Mike, 15 from Ted and 13 from Jim. In turn Mike will get 5 from Ted and 2 from Jim. Jim will get 3 points from Ted. Ted will get nothing but “Thank Yous” from his playing partners!

If you want to make things more interesting one wrinkle you can add to the game is to have each player declare a “Joker-Hole” (sometimes referred to as a Wild Card Hole) before the round begins. On that hole the player’s points (whether positive or negative) are doubled. It adds an element of danger and strategy to the game, particularly if the big hitters chose two par-fives for their joker holes.

Regardless of which version of Stableford you play don’t forget to factor in handicaps. While it is possible to play off the low handicap it is generally more entertaining to play traditional handicaps. It greatly increases the potential for eagles and makes the matches that much more interesting!