Zero Putts Given

The Rules

Submit Your Score

Season Overview

The Gauntlet is a season-long remote golf league running from April 13 through October 25, 2026. 14 bi-weekly rounds determine the champion. The player with the most points at the end of the season wins the season prize and has their name etched into the Gauntlet Hammer forever.

Entry Fee: $200 per player — 50% to the season champion • ~$70 weekly prize per round winner

Core Rules

  1. Your first round within the bi-weekly playing period counts as your Gauntlet round. Each period is 14 days. Play your round any time during the window — your first 18-hole round locks in.
  2. The honor system is imperative. Play the ball as it lies everywhere. Absolutely Zero Putts Given — if you have a 6-inch tap-in, you still use your putter. If you attempt to rake it in and miss, that is a stroke and you must finish the hole.
  3. After your round, enter your score into GHIN to receive any applicable score adjustment. Then submit your GHIN handicap differential (and gross score) into this portal before 11:59 PM EST on the last day of the round. No exceptions.
  4. The player with the lowest adjusted scoring differential wins the round, earns the weekly prize, and receives the most round points. Strokes are given based on the lowest handicap golfer each round (adjusted each round).
  5. Points are awarded to 1st through 5th place each round (see Points below). Whoever accumulates the most points by October 25 wins the season.
  6. Tiebreaker: If two players have the same adjusted differential, the lower gross score wins.

Round Schedule

All deadlines are 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Results reveal automatically at the deadline.

Round Opens Deadline Points (1st)
1April 13April 26, 11:59 PM40
2April 27May 10, 11:59 PM40
3May 11May 24, 11:59 PM40
4May 25June 7, 11:59 PM60
5June 8June 21, 11:59 PM60
6June 22July 5, 11:59 PM60
7July 6July 19, 11:59 PM80
8July 20August 2, 11:59 PM80
9August 3August 16, 11:59 PM80
10August 17August 30, 11:59 PM80
11August 31September 13, 11:59 PM100
12September 14September 27, 11:59 PM100
13September 28October 11, 11:59 PM100
14October 12October 25, 11:59 PM100

Points Structure

Points escalate as the season progresses — every round matters more toward the end.

Rounds 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Rounds 1–3 40 20 10 6 4
Rounds 4–6 60 30 15 9 6
Rounds 7–10 80 40 20 12 8
Rounds 11–14 100 50 25 15 10

🔨 The Jackhammer

Each player receives one (1) Jackhammer for the entire season. Use it wisely.
  1. The Jackhammer may be thrown at any point during the season, on any round you choose.
  2. You must declare the Jackhammer at the time of score submission — you cannot throw it after the fact.
  3. If you win the round and threw the Jackhammer: you earn 2× first-place points for that round instead of the standard amount.
    Example (Round 7): Normal 1st place = 80 pts. With successful Jackhammer = 160 pts.
  4. If you do NOT win the round and threw the Jackhammer: you are deducted the first-place point value for that round from your season total.
    Example (Round 7): You threw the hammer but didn't win. You lose 80 points from your season total.
  5. Once your Jackhammer is used — win or lose — it is gone for the season.

How Scoring Works

  1. Play your round and enter it hole-by-hole into the GHIN app. GHIN will calculate your handicap differential for that round.
  2. Submit your gross score and GHIN differential through the portal before the deadline.
  3. The commissioner sets each player's current handicap index at the start of each round. Strokes given are calculated as: your handicap minus the lowest handicap in the field that round. The lowest-handicap player receives zero strokes.
  4. The adjusted differential normalizes everyone to the same baseline. The player with the lowest adjusted differential wins. Lowest handicap golfer sets the baseline.