Frequently Asked Questions

Spark Golf are 9-hole, social golf leagues organized to be casual and fun, with a touch of friendly competition. The Spark app runs Spark Golf. Players use it to meet league players, register for league rounds, keep score on the course and track handicaps/stats.

Spark partners with public golf courses in almost every city across the U.S. and Canada to host Spark Golf. If you can’t find a Spark course near you, please email help@spark.golf with recommendations.

League rounds are played weekly on specific weekday evenings. Depending on your city’s sunset times, leagues start in March-May and end in August-November. Spark players are able to play in as many or as few league rounds as they like, there is no requirement to play every week. League rounds must be played at their designated league time.

Everyone! Our leagues are co-ed and open to all ages and skill levels. Spark is for golfers who value fun, community and light-hearted competition. We have good players, we have bad players. We have players looking to meet new friends, we have players looking to hang with old friends. Come out and enjoy a relaxed and fun atmosphere created for everyone.

Spark Golf leagues are recreational and 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.

Each round has three games happening for all players - a team net game, an individual net game and individual net skins.

In the team game, 2-person teams play a net best 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 gross (actual) score into the Spark app which calculates the net score for each player based on current handicaps. The team score used for the hole is the better of the 2 net scores.

The individual game is the net score for each player on their own ball. Individual net skins are awarded to an individual who has the lowest non-tied, net score on a hole during the round.

The max score for each player on every hole is displayed in the Spark app. If this is reached prior to the ball being holed, the player should pick up to increase pace of play.

Yes, there are winners for each Spark league as well as each Spark market. At the end of the year for each league and market, a 2-person team and an individual will be crowned a Spark champ and receive credit to spend in the Spark Champ store.

Leagues that have 6 or more rounds, September 9th or after, will have a fall season competiton. At the end of the fall season, a 2-person team and an individual will be crowned a Spark champ and receive credit to spend in the Spark Champ store. The fall season is separate from the primary season and market competitions.

Both the team and individual standings for a specific league and market will reflect the cumulative points from your best rounds in that specific league or market.

The number of rounds that count toward your best rounds will depend on the number of scheduled rounds for the league and market.

Please check you league and market standings in the Spark app to see how many rounds count toward the standings.

Each team or individual who plays in a round will receive points towards their season points total. Points will be earned based on how you place/finish in each round with 1st place receiving the most points. The number of points a team receives depends on how many teams are registered for the round. The exact breakdown of how many points you receive in a round depends on how many teams are playing in that round and what place your team finishes. Here is the breakdown:

Points Distribution

Spark provides prizing for skins at the end of each round. Spark funds the skins pot with a $1 per player that plays in the round, up to $9 per round. The pot is then divided by the number of skins won in the round and paid to the winning players in Spark credit which can be applied at checkout towards future Spark rounds.

At the end of each Spark league’s primary season, the league and market champs will receive $25 of store credit to spend in the Spark Champ store. This will cover multiple items in the store. It can also be applied to more expensive items.

Fall season champs will receive $9 in Spark credit to be applied towards Spark rounds in 2025.

Joining the league is free! Find the league that works best for you and click "Join for free" to sign up. League rounds are available for purchase each week or you can save money by prepaying for Spark credit at a discount.

Yes, absolutely. The Spark app makes it easy to see all Spark rounds scheduled for play each week. Play in more leagues to increase your chance at becoming a market champ!

We encourage you to join with a partner, but it's not required. If you register for a round as a single, you will have the choice to play as a single or be partnered up with another single, if there is one available. Once you are partnered up with another single, you have the option to continue as teammates for the rest of the season or choose to be partnered up with a different player in the next round.

No. When you join, we'll calculate how many Spark strokes you receive in each round. The number of strokes you receive in each round will fluctuate based on your league scores.

The number of Spark strokes a player receives is based on what the player selects for their good 9-hole score. Spark then assigns a specific number of Spark strokes 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 strokes, 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.

The number of Spark strokes a player gets will be recalculated after each round. The number of strokes they receive fluctuates based on league scores. Spark calculates this by taking the average number of strokes over par from the best 2 rounds of the player’s last 5 rounds. When a player only has one round played, their Spark strokes will be the average of the score over par in that round plus their good 9-hole score. Once a player has played 2 or more rounds, their good 9-hole score has no impact on their Spark strokes.

League rounds are available for purchase each week or you can save money by prepaying for Spark credit at a discount. Spark credit can be purchased in the Spark app or at https://spark.golf. All payments must be made through Spark Golf and cannot be made at the golf course.

From the home screen in the Spark app, click on your league name under the "My Leagues" section. Then, click "My Team" and the orange "Add Partner" button and follow the prompts. 

You can register for any future round in any season up until the round's stated registration deadline, which may vary per league. Players can also unregister and have their Spark accounts credited during this period. Each round has a limited number of players. Once the round fills up to the max number of players, additional players can register to join the waitlist. If you are on the waitlist, you will be automatically added to the round if a spot opens up. If a spot does not open up, you will receive Spark credit back which can be applied at checkout towards future Spark rounds.

If a registered player is unable to play in a round, and it’s after the registration deadline, they are able to invite a sub to play for them. This can be done by editing the players for the round in the Spark app. The sub can pay the Spark player on the side.

Round registration is first come, first served. You AND your partner must register to secure your spots. Spots are not guaranteed or reserved unless you both register.

We recommend registering in advance to secure your spot for the rounds you'd like to play in.

If you register for the waitlist and a spot becomes available, you will automatically be added to the round. We will notify you via text and email at this time. If a spot doesn't open up before the deadline, your Spark account will be credited so you can register for a future Spark round.

Round registration is first come, first served. You AND your partner must register to secure your spots. Spots are not guaranteed or reserved unless you both register.

If your partner is on the waitlist, they'll have a chance of getting into the round if registered players unregister before the deadline. If they get in, they'll be notified via text and email at that time.

If they don't get in before the deadline, Spark credit will be returned to their account for future use. You will still play in the round without your partner, and your score will count towards your team's score and individual score.

Your sub must be someone you know. To add a sub, register your current partner (even-though they're not playing) Then, click on the round and the orange button that says "you're in" and "edit players." Then hit the red sub button and replace them with a sub of your choice. Your sub can then repay you on the side.

You will receive an email and text with your exact tee time/starting hole once the round registration deadline closes for each round. Each league has a different registration deadline. The deadline can be found when you go to register for a round.

Players enter their scores in the Spark Golf app or mobile website as they play each hole. The scores from all players will appear on a live leaderboard as the round progresses. The format is NOT a scramble, each player plays their own ball into the hole. After each ball is holed, the team enters each player’s actual (gross) score into the Spark app, which calculates the net score for each player based on current handicaps. The team score for the hole is the better of the 2 scores of the players on the team.

The Spark Golf app shows the max score for each player on each hole. If this is reached prior to the ball being holed, the player should pick up to increase pace of play.

The scorecard will become available in the Spark Golf app a few minutes prior to the start time of the round. You'll be able to enter your scores then. 

If this happens you can send you hole by hole or a picture of your scorecard to help@spark.golf. We'll look into the issue with you and input your scores for you.

Yes! As part of Spark Rules, if your ball is less than 3 feet (the typical length of a putter) away from the hole, pick it up, it's good! Make sure to count the gimmie as a stroke when you input your score into the Spark app.

Under the tradition rules of golf, you have to go back to where you last hit from, hit again, and add a penalty stroke. Yikes! That doesn't sound like fun, so per Spark Rules, you can just drop a ball near where it was lost or went out of bounds, add a penalty stroke, and play on.

No, per Spark Rules, you are allowed to give yourself a better lie any time you are in the fairway.

It depends on the length of the course, but most leagues use the tees that are around 6,000 yards for 18 holes. Seniors 60 years or older can play one tee up from the assigned tees if they choose. Women can play two tees up from the assigned tees if they choose.

The golf course staff makes the final decision if a round will be cancelled. If/when this happens, Spark will immediately notify you via email & text. The round is still being played unless you are notified otherwise by Spark.

No, your scores will not count unless you play at your Spark assigned tee time or hole assignment. Playing outside of assigned times is not allowed and will result in removal of scores and points for the specific round.

Please text us at 855-765-0706 or email us at help@spark.golf