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:
| Shoots around 36 for 9 holes | 0 Spark strokes |
| Shoots around 40 for 9 holes | 3 Spark strokes |
| Shoots around 45 for 9 holes | 6 Spark strokes |
| Shoots around 50 for 9 holes | 9 Spark strokes |
| Shoots 55+ for 9-holes | 12 Spark strokes |
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.
