Rules & Handicap Calculation


1. The 12-Point Scoring System

Each weekly matchup is worth a total of 12 points. Points are awarded in individual and team categories based on Net Scores (Scratch Score + Handicap).

Points Distribution: 1.0 for a Win | 0.5 for a Tie | 0.0 for a Loss
Individual Points (8 pts total)

Shooter 1 vs Shooter 1, and Shooter 2 vs Shooter 2.

  • Game 1: 1 point (per pair)
  • Game 2: 1 point (per pair)
  • Game 3: 1 point (per pair)
  • Series Total: 1 point (per pair)

*4 possible points per shooter.

Team Points (4 pts total)

Combined Team A Net vs Combined Team B Net.

  • Team Game 1: 1 point
  • Team Game 2: 1 point
  • Team Game 3: 1 point
  • Team Series Total: 1 point

2. Handicap Calculation and Explanation

Handicap Calculations Start on Week 2

Handicaps are actively built based strictly on a rolling average of your last 3 active weeks of shooting.

Week 1 (No History): For a brand new shooter with zero previous weeks, their handicap is exactly 0.
Week 2 & Week 3 (1-2 Weeks History): Their handicap is dynamically evaluated using the 1 or 2 existing weeks they have recorded (e.g., assessing points dropped against a perfect 300 or 600 points).
Week 4+ (Full Rolling History): The system now looks backward strictly at their most recent 3 valid score sets (assessing points dropped against a perfect 900 limit). Older scores seamlessly drop off the end, allowing the calculation to accurately mirror their current, most relevant skill level.


Note: Banked, Absentee, and Ghost matchup weeks explicitly award a 0 Handicap for the current week but do not factor into a shooter's math for the remaining running historical average.

Handicaps are based on an 80% adjustment against a flawless perfect score. It takes the total number of points an archer fell short of perfect overall, averages that gap per game, and provides 80% back as the handicap.


Formula Breakdown: FLOOR((Points Below Perfect ÷ Total Games) × 0.8) = Handicap per game

Example: If an archer drops 90 total points across 3 recorded weeks (9 total games):
1. Average points missed per game = 90 ÷ 9 = 10
2. Handicap Percentage = 10 × 0.8 = 8.0 Handicap

The 100-Point Net Game Cap
To maintain statistical fairness, the application mathematically enforces a 100-point maximum per game. If your Raw Score + Handicap exceeds 100 on a specific Game, your net score drops to exactly 100.

Example: If your Handicap is 12, and you shoot a 95 Raw Score, your Net Score for that game evaluates strictly to 100 during point-comparisons (Not 107).

3. Attendance & Score Classifications

To ensure fair play when life gets in the way, the league recognizes alternative score types. Handicap data is NOT utilized or accumulated when using Banked or Absentee scores.

Banked Games

Shooters can "bank" a game prior to shooting a scheduled event. Banked games can be used in place of any absent game (future or past). No handicap is applied to banked scores.

Makeup Games

If a shooter misses a scheduled event, they have exactly 2 weeks to make their game up and submit their score.

Otherwise, an Absentee Score will automatically be used in place of the makeup game.

Absentee Score

Shooters who miss a week without a Banked or Makeup game receive an Absentee score. This is calculated automatically as their Running Average minus 10 pins per game.

⚠️ Note: Absentee scores are blocked for Week 1. If a shooter misses the first week, they must use a future Banked game or a Makeup game.

4. The GHOST Shooter

If a team only has one human member, the second roster spot is filled by the GHOST.

The GHOST is not a static number. It is a dynamic league average calculated fresh every week. It takes the average Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, and Handicap of every active shooter in the league for that specific week and uses those numbers to compete against the opposing team.

5. Ghost Teams & The Virtual Opponent

When the league features an odd number of teams, or if a team drops out mid-season, the system utilizes an official GHOST TEAM. This ensures that every active human team always has a dynamic, mathematical opponent and must actively compete for their points every single week.

How the Ghost is Calculated: The Ghost Team acts as a virtual mirror of the league's overall weekly performance. It does not shoot physically; instead, its scores are derived dynamically by calculating the League Average Scratch Score for each individual game (Game 1, 2, and 3) shot that specific week by all human competitors.

Example: Ghost Raw Score Calculation

If there are 10 human shooters active this week, and their combined Game 1 raw scores equal perfectly 850 points:
850 Total Points ÷ 10 Shooters = 85
The Virtual Opponent's official Game 1 Raw Score is mathematically set to exactly 85.

Ghost Handicaps: To ensure maximum league competitiveness, the Ghost Team dynamically accumulates its own rolling handicap mathematically identically to living shooters.

  • Week 1: The Ghost plays with exactly a 0 Handicap.
  • Week 2 & 3: The system looks back at the League Average scores from the previous 1 or 2 weeks, calculates the "Virtual Points Below Perfect," and actively issues a handicap to the Virtual Opponent using the 80% rule.
  • Week 4+: The Ghost dynamically accrues a strict rolling 3-week average of the previous consecutive league averages.

Example: Ghost Handicap Calculation (Week 4)

If the League Average 3-Game Series for the past 3 weeks were 250, 260, and 270 (a virtual 3-week actual total of 780):
900 Perfect Score - 780 Virtual Actual Score = 120 Points Below Perfect
120 Points Below Perfect ÷ 9 Total Games = 13.33 Average Missed Per Game
13.33 × 0.8 = 10.66
The Virtual Opponent dynamically accrues a FLOOR(10.66) = 10 Handicap per game!

Note: Live opponents must shoot consistently enough to beat the direct League Average Net Score to successfully secure their match points. Ghost matches utilize the exact same 12-point distribution logic as standard human matchups, fully utilizing the 100-Point Net Game cap rules.

6. Target Scoring & Game Structure

The league uses the NFAA Indoor 20-yard target format. Shooters may choose between the Single-Spot or Five-Spot target faces.

Five-Spot Target Scoring
  • Consists of 5 separate target spots. Shooters shoot exactly one arrow per spot.
  • White Center: Scores 5 points. The inner circle within the white is the X-ring (scores 5 points and 1 X for tie-breakers).
  • Blue Outer Ring: Scores 4 points.
  • Missing the blue ring entirely results in 0 points for that arrow.
Single-Spot Target Scoring
  • White Center: Scores 5 points. The inner circle is the X-ring (scores 5 points and 1 X).
  • Blue Rings: Moving outward from the center, the concentric blue rings score 4, 3, 2, and 1 points respectively.
Line Cutters: If an arrow shaft touches the line separating two scoring rings, it is awarded the higher point value.
Game & Series Structure

The End: Each shooter shoots 5 arrows per "End".

The Game: A game consists of 4 ends (20 total arrows). The maximum possible score for a single game is 100 points.

The Series: A weekly matchup consists of 3 games (60 total arrows). The maximum possible scratch score for a series is 300 points.

7. Target Assignments (Top/Bottom)

For each team, shooters will be automatically assigned to shoot at either the Top Target or the Bottom Target for the first half of the weekly event.

The shooter with the higher running average is automatically assigned the Bottom target, while the other shooter is assigned the Top target. These assignments are dynamically updated each week based on the shooters' ongoing performance and are printed on the weekly score sheets.

8. Position Rounds (Week 6 & Finale)

To increase the competitive stakes mid-season and during the finale, Week 6 and the final week of the season are designated as Position Rounds.

During a Position Round, the standard random schedule is thrown out. Teams are paired strictly based on their current standings: #1 vs #2, #3 vs #4, #5 vs #6, etc. This ensures that the top teams directly face off for the championship and critical points.

⚠ Mandatory Score Submission Deadline

In order for the Position Round algorithms to calculate accurately, ALL scores for Week 5 and the second-to-last week (Week 11) must be submitted BEFORE the Position Round begins.

If a team fails to submit their scores by this deadline, the system will automatically utilize a Banked Game (if available) or an Absentee Game for that team. This ensures the live standings can accurately lock and generate the correct matchups.