Arroyo del Oso Thursday League

Spark is a recreational golf league focused on having fun. Part of the fun is friendly competition. We aim to keep the competition fair and enjoyable for everyone, no matter their skill level.

2-Person teams play a net better-ball format. Each player plays their own ball into the hole. This is NOT a scramble. After each ball is holed, the team enters each player’s score into the Spark app which calculates the net score based on current handicaps. Points are awarded for the best of the two net scores based on this table:

Net double bogey is the max score for each hole. If this is reached prior to the ball being holed, the player should pick up to increase pace of play.

The team with the most points each round will win the round. The team with the most cumulative points from their best 8 rounds will win the season.

Teams that play 9 or more rounds will “drop” bad rounds to form their best 8.

Skins will also be available each round. A skin is awarded to an individual who has the lowest non-tied net score on a hole during a specific league round.

An existing handicap is not necessary to play Spark Golf. Spark provides all players a handicap when joining the league by asking for their playing ability. Spark then assigns a specific number of Spark strokes (handicap) based on this table:

A “stroke” provides a player an advantage on a specific hole by reducing their actual or “gross” score to calculate their “net” score on that hole.

Example - If a player makes a gross 5 on a hole where they are receiving a stroke, their net score is 4.

Each player’s Spark strokes will be applied to their 9-hole round starting with the lowest handicap hole on the course’s scorecard.

Example - If a player is receiving 3 Spark stokes, they will get a stroke on the 3 lowest handicap holes of the nine.

The max number of Spark strokes for a round is 18. Players are awarded strokes on holes based on the lowest handicap holes. For example, a 12-stroke player receives 2 strokes on the 3 lowest handicap holes and 1 stroke on the remaining 6 holes.

Once a player plays Spark Golf, the number of strokes they receive fluctuates based on league scores. Spark calculates this by taking 65% of the average number of strokes over par for the player’s last 10 rounds.