What is Solo Challenge?
Solo Challenge turns a practice round or a solo tee time into something with real stakes. Before you start, you set a personal target — a score to beat, a Stableford points total to reach, or a number of birdies to make. Then you play the round, tracking your progress hole by hole against that goal.
There's no opponent. The challenge is purely between you and the target you set. It's a format for honest self-assessment: set a target that actually pushes you, play your round, and find out at the end if you had what it took.
It's also a great way to add accountability to solo rounds where the lack of competition usually means the scorecard stays in your pocket. With a target set in the app, you have a reason to track every hole.
How Scoring Works
There are three challenge types to choose from:
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1
Target Score (Stroke Play) — Set a total stroke target for the round (e.g., "shoot 85 or better"). Your running score is tracked against your target as you play each hole. Beat the target and you win.
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2
Target Stableford Points — Set a total Stableford points goal (e.g., "score 36 points or more"). Points are earned per hole: Eagle = 4, Birdie = 3, Par = 2, Bogey = 1, Double bogey or worse = 0. Your running points total is tracked hole by hole.
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3
Target Birdies — Set a birdie count goal (e.g., "make 3 birdies"). Every birdie adds one to your tally. Track your progress through the round and see if you hit the number.
Target Score mode. You set a target of 88 on a tough course. After 9 holes you're at 45 — 1 over your halfway pace. You birdie hole 10 and 12. Coming to 18 you need to make bogey or better to hit your number. You two-putt for par. Final score: 87 — target beaten.
Setting Up the Wager
Solo Challenge is most naturally a bet against yourself — you set a monetary stake before the round and decide in advance whether you win or lose it based on your performance. Think of it like a personal side wager: "I'll pay myself $20 if I break 90, or it goes in the beer fund if I don't."
You can also use it as a format for a group where everyone sets their own individual target and pays out based on whether they hit it. Each player bets independently against their own goal — there's no head-to-head competition, just personal accountability.
Four players, $10 each in the pot. Every player sets a personal target score based on their handicap. Players who beat their target split the pot. Players who miss their target pay in. Hit your number, collect. Miss it, contribute.
Strokes & Stakes tracks your running score against the target through the round and tells you exactly where you stand heading into every hole.
Pro Tips
- Set a target that actually stretches you. If you average 90, targeting 92 isn't a challenge — it's a guarantee. Pick a number that requires you to play close to your best.
- The Stableford format is forgiving: one bad hole costs you 1 point instead of derailing your entire stroke play total. It's a good choice if you tend to snowball on one or two holes per round.
- Birdie target mode is great for better players who want to push their scoring without the pressure of tracking a total score. Set the number high enough that it requires some real ball-striking.
- Use handicap adjustment in Target Score mode to set a fair net target. If your handicap is 18, a net target of even par over 18 holes is a real challenge without being impossible.
- Track every hole even when you're well off pace — the app shows your exact deficit so you know exactly what you need to close the gap.
Ready to Play?
Strokes & Stakes tracks your Solo Challenge in real time — your running score against the target, hole by hole, so you always know exactly where you stand.
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