WINTER PUTTING
LEAGUE RULES.

About the Winter Putting League

The Great Lakes Disc Winter Putting League is an 11-week indoor putting competition hosted at Dinks & Dingers Social Club.

Players compete each week to record their best possible score, climb the weekly and season leaderboards, and earn an invitation to the Winter Putting League Match Play Championships.

The league welcomes players of all skill levels, subject to applicable venue policies and restrictions. Whether you're competing for a championship invitation, improving your putting, or enjoying a night out with friends, every round is an opportunity to participate.

Season Schedule

Location: Dinks & Dingers Social Club

League Nights: Wednesdays, October 21 through December 30, 2026

League Hours: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Regular Season: 11 qualifying weeks

Championship Day: Saturday, January 9, 2027

Each league night is treated as a separate weekly competition. Weekly results contribute toward championship qualification and season-long performance standings.

The official league website will display the current week's schedule, scoring availability, weekly results, and championship qualification information.

Any changes to the published schedule will be communicated through the official league website.

Registration & Participation

Players must register for the Winter Putting League before recording an official round.

Players may create an account through the league website or receive assistance from league staff at the registration desk.

Players without a smartphone or email address may participate using a staff-created player profile and a paper scorecard.

All official rounds must be associated with a player profile so scores, participation, and championship qualification can be tracked accurately.

Players are responsible for providing accurate registration information and reporting any errors in their player profiles to league staff.

Age Requirements & Venue Policies

Participation in the Winter Putting League is subject to any age restrictions, admission requirements, or other rules established by Dinks & Dingers Social Club.

All participants must comply with venue policies in effect at the time of their visit.

Entry Fees

First Round of the Night — $10

Includes one official scored round and one drink token redeemable for a small draft pour or a soft drink at Dinks & Dingers Social Club. The drink token must be used on the night it is issued.

Drink token redemption is subject to the venue's policies and applicable age restrictions. Alcoholic beverages may only be served to guests who meet legal drinking-age requirements.

Additional Rounds — $5 Each

Players may purchase additional rounds during the same league night, subject to the league's check-in and replay authorization process.

There is no additional charge to appear on the weekly or season leaderboards.

Check-In Requirements & Round Deadlines

All players must check in with league staff before beginning their first official round of the evening.

Players using electronic scoring must have their round activated through the registration system.

Once a round is completed and submitted, additional rounds must be authorized before another official scorecard becomes available.

Players using paper scorecards must submit their completed scorecards to league staff for entry into the official scoring system.

Only properly authorized and recorded rounds are eligible for official standings and championship qualification.

9:00 PM Round Completion Deadline

Players are expected to have all rounds fully completed and submitted by 9:00 PM on the night of competition.

Rounds that are unfinished or have not been properly submitted by 9:00 PM may be excluded from official weekly results, season standings, and championship qualification consideration at the discretion of Great Lakes Disc league staff.

Players are responsible for allowing sufficient time to complete and submit their rounds before the deadline.

Participation & Sportsmanship

All participants are expected to treat fellow players, league staff, venue employees, and spectators with respect.

Players must follow the instructions of league staff and observe any applicable venue policies.

Intentional score manipulation, fraudulent round submissions, or attempts to circumvent registration and scoring procedures are prohibited.

League staff may review suspicious or disputed results and take appropriate action to protect the integrity of the competition.

Official Results & Announcements

The Great Lakes Disc Leagues website serves as the official source for league schedules, weekly leaderboards, season standings, championship qualification, and league announcements.

Scores and standings may be corrected when legitimate scoring or administrative errors are identified.

Any necessary schedule changes, cancellations, or rescheduled league nights will be published through official league communications.

Rules Modifications & Administrative Authority

Great Lakes Disc reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change, edit, amend, clarify, or modify any league rules, regulations, procedures, scoring formats, qualification requirements, schedules, or competition structures at any time.

Great Lakes Disc also reserves the right to interpret and enforce these rules, resolve disputes, address unforeseen circumstances, and make administrative decisions necessary to maintain the integrity and operation of the league.

Any changes may take effect immediately or on a date designated by Great Lakes Disc.

Players are responsible for reviewing the most current version of the official rules published through the Great Lakes Disc Leagues website.

Participation in the league constitutes acknowledgment of and agreement to follow the rules and policies in effect at the time of participation.

Putting Format

Each official round consists of 20 putts: two passes through 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 feet, with two putts at each distance per pass. This creates ten two-putt scoring positions.

Scoring

At each position, zero made putts earns 0 points; one made putt earns 1 point; two made putts earn 3 points. The maximum round score is 30.

Made Putts

A putt counts only when the disc is supported by the basket tray or chains. A disc that bounces out does not count.

Foot Faults

Players must throw from behind the designated putting line or official distance marker. Stepping beyond the line or marker before releasing the disc is a foot fault. The affected putt is automatically scored as a miss (0 for that attempt), without a rethrow. Any remaining attempt at that position proceeds normally.

Discs & Property

Any PDGA-approved disc may be used. Players must take precautions to avoid striking or damaging walls, baskets, fixtures or other property. Players are solely responsible for property damage caused by their actions or equipment.

Score Submission

Players must accurately record and review their scores using the official app or an authorized paper scorecard. Rounds should be completed and submitted by 9 PM. Staff may review requested corrections and may exclude unfinished, unsubmitted, unauthorized or fraudulent rounds.

Perfect Rounds

A score of 30 is recognized as a perfect round on the leaderboard. Applicable ranking and tiebreaking procedures remain in effect.

Disputes

Great Lakes Disc officials have final authority to verify scores, resolve putting disputes and enforce the competition rules.

Entry Fees & Replays

The first authorized round each league night costs $10 and includes the venue drink token described in Section 1. Additional authorized rounds cost $5 each. Players may purchase unlimited replays subject to available time, venue capacity and staff authorization. Fees reset each week.

Round Authorization

Each round must be authorized, completed and submitted before the player begins another. Only properly recorded, eligible rounds count.

Best Round Counts

Only a player’s best eligible individual round counts toward the weekly leaderboard. Scores from different rounds cannot be combined. When a later round ties the player’s best total but wins on applicable tiebreakers, that later round becomes the player’s counted round.

Paper Scoring

Authorized staff may enter paper scorecards for players who do not use a phone or online account. Paper rounds remain subject to the same payment, authorization, accuracy and submission requirements.

Nightly Giveaways

Every ten eligible paid rounds recorded during a league night triggers a drawing for $10 in Great Lakes Disc store credit. Each drawing includes all eligible paid-round entries accumulated that night through the time of that drawing—not just the most recent ten rounds. Each eligible paid round earns one entry. A player may win more than once in a night, and winning does not remove earlier entries from subsequent drawings.

Giveaway Eligibility

Complimentary, unpaid, voided and refunded rounds do not earn giveaway entries. Great Lakes Disc may review and correct giveaway records when necessary.

Winner Notification & Confirmation

Giveaway winners may be notified through the official league website. Notifications wait until a player has finished active scoring; a returning winner may see the notice on their next website visit. Winners must use the CLICK TO CONFIRM action to acknowledge their award.

Store Credit

Nightly giveaway awards are Great Lakes Disc store credit, not cash. Store credit currently has no expiration date; policies may change subject to applicable law. Great Lakes Disc resolves giveaway disputes.

Weekly Leaderboards

Each of the 11 regular-season weeks has its own leaderboard. Only each player’s best eligible single round counts for that week, although additional completed rounds remain in the player’s history.

Weekly Ranking

Players rank by their best eligible individual round score. Multiple rounds cannot be combined. If two rounds by the same player tie in points, the round with the stronger applicable distance tiebreakers is used.

Weekly Tiebreakers

Players tied on their official weekly score are compared by made putts at 35 feet, followed by 30, 25, 20 and 15 feet, using both passes of their single counted round.

If still tied, compare the longest consecutive streak of perfect distances (2/2) in the counted round. Distances are evaluated in official putting order: 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 feet in Pass 1, followed by the same order in Pass 2. A 1/2 or 0/2 breaks the streak; a streak may continue from the end of Pass 1 into Pass 2.

If players remain tied and a single Championship qualification position must be awarded, Great Lakes Disc will conduct and record a random drawing giving each tied, eligible player an equal chance. Players need not be present. Extra rounds and previous weeks do not break weekly qualification ties. The drawing determines qualification priority only; official scores remain tied.

Round Replacement

A later round with the same total score replaces a player’s earlier counted round only when it wins under the distance-based tiebreakers.

Finalizing Results

Live weekly standings are provisional until reviewed and finalized by Great Lakes Disc. Eligible rounds must be submitted by the established deadline, generally 9 PM. Legitimate score corrections may change standings.

Season Performance Standings

End-of-season performance invitations are awarded by ranking the highest eligible individual regular-season round of each player who has not already earned a position in the applicable division. Ties follow the Section 4 weekly tiebreaking procedures. A player may receive only one championship position per division.

Qualification Status

Players earning weekly qualifying positions are marked QUALIFIED when weekly results are finalized. Following issuance of official invitations, statuses may be AWAITING RESPONSE, CONFIRMED or DECLINED. An already-qualified player cannot take a second weekly qualifying position in the same division; the position rolls down within that week.

Verification

Great Lakes Disc may verify eligibility, correct results, remove ineligible rounds and resolve all standings disputes.

Championship Fields

Championship Day is Saturday, January 9, 2027, at Dinks & Dingers Social Club. The Open Match Play Championship has up to 32 players; the Women’s Match Play Championship has up to 16. Both use double elimination.

Qualification Allocations

Open: 22 weekly positions (two per week), six end-of-season performance positions and four initial Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) positions. Women’s: 11 weekly positions (one per week), three end-of-season performance positions and two initial LCQ positions. Declined or forfeited invitations may increase LCQ availability.

Open Weekly Qualification

The top two eligible players each week earn Open qualifying positions. If an already-qualified Open player finishes in a qualifying position, that position rolls down to the next highest-ranked eligible Open player from that same week.

Women’s Weekly Qualification

The highest-ranked eligible woman competing in the Women’s division each week earns its weekly position. If she has already qualified in that division, the position rolls down to the next eligible woman from the same week.

End-of-Season Performance

After Week 11, the six highest-ranked unqualified Open players and three highest-ranked unqualified Women’s players receive performance positions, based on each player’s best eligible regular-season round and Section 4 tiebreakers. Players already qualified through weekly positions are excluded from this allocation.

Division Selection

Women must select their championship qualification division—Open or Women’s—during their first week of league participation. Scores and qualifying opportunities apply to that selected division. A player may compete in only one championship. Any later division change requires Great Lakes Disc approval and appropriate qualification adjustments.

Qualification & Invitation Status

QUALIFIED means a position has been earned, not yet accepted. AWAITING RESPONSE means an official invitation has been issued. CONFIRMED means accepted. DECLINED means declined or forfeited. Staff administer and record official invitations.

Invitation Timeline

December 30, 2026: final qualifying week. December 31: anticipated official invitation issuance after verification. January 3, 2027 at 11:59 PM: invitation acceptance deadline unless Great Lakes Disc authorizes otherwise. January 4: anticipated announcement of final LCQ allocations. January 9: Championship Day. Great Lakes Disc may adjust dates under Section 1.8.

Declined & Unaccepted Invitations

Declined, unaccepted or forfeited championship invitations move to the LCQ allocation for that division; they do not create extra end-of-season performance positions. Great Lakes Disc will publish the final available LCQ spots after the response deadline.

Last Chance Qualifier

The LCQ takes place January 9 before the applicable championship. Entry is $10 for exactly one official 20-putt round; no replays or additional attempts. The highest-ranked eligible competitors fill the available LCQ spots using the official scoring and tiebreaking rules.

Championship Seeding

All confirmed players are seeded together within their division according to their highest eligible individual score—not necessarily the score that originally earned qualification. For LCQ qualifiers, use the higher of their best eligible regular-season round and their LCQ round. Section 4 tiebreakers apply. Open seeds are 1–32; Women’s seeds are 1–16, as available.

Byes & Vacancies

If a bracket is not filled after the LCQ, opening-round byes go to the highest seeds, beginning with Seed #1. Byes are assigned before bracket play. A later DNF or forfeit is a match loss, not a new bye or reason to reseed.

Administrative Review

Great Lakes Disc may verify eligibility and scores, correct qualification errors, resolve disputes and disqualify players for prohibited conduct, consistent with Section 1.8.

Championship Day

The Open and Women’s double-elimination Match Play Championships take place January 9, 2027, at Dinks & Dingers Social Club. The LCQ precedes the applicable championship. Competitors must check in and follow official group assignments.

Match Format

Every head-to-head match uses the exact regular-season format: two passes through 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 feet; two putts per distance per pass; 20 total putts. A position scores 0 for no makes, 1 for one make and 3 for two makes, for a maximum of 30. The higher score wins.

Sudden-Death Ties

Tied matches go to sudden death at 35 feet. Each competitor throws one putt per attempt. If both make or both miss, repeat. When one makes and the other misses, the player who makes wins. Regular-season distance tiebreakers do not decide head-to-head match winners.

Bracket Seeding

The Open opening round follows this seeded order: 1–32, 16–17, 9–24, 8–25; 5–28, 12–21, 13–20, 4–29; 3–30, 14–19, 11–22, 6–27; 7–26, 10–23, 15–18, 2–31. The Women’s bracket uses the corresponding standard 16-player seeded structure. Highest seeds receive any preassigned byes.

Double-Elimination Progression

All players begin in the winners bracket. A first match loss moves a player to the assigned losers-bracket position; a second match loss eliminates the player. Competitors advance only along official bracket assignments. Matches may be conducted in groups of up to four simultaneous matches.

Groups & Readiness

Players must be present and ready when their scheduled group is called. Missing players are subject to disqualification at Great Lakes Disc officials’ discretion. Staff may adjust group timing and station assignments to maintain event operations.

DNFs, Forfeits & Disqualifications

A DNF (Did Not Finish) is a forfeited match and counts as a loss. No-shows and refused matches may also be forfeited. A first match loss normally moves the player to the losers bracket unless the player is separately disqualified; a second loss eliminates them. Disqualification removes a player from further participation. DNFs and forfeits do not create new byes or trigger reseeding.

Grand Finals & Reset

The winners-bracket finalist enters the Grand Finals undefeated; the losers-bracket finalist enters with one loss. If the undefeated finalist wins the first Grand Finals match, that player is champion. If the losers-bracket finalist wins, both players have one loss and a second, deciding Grand Finals match is required.

Guaranteed Placement Awards

Open (32-player bracket): 1st $400; 2nd $250; 3rd–4th $150 each; 5th–8th $75 each; 9th–16th $50 each. Women’s (16-player bracket): 1st $400; 2nd $200; 3rd–4th $100 each; 5th–8th $50 each. All payouts are Great Lakes Disc store credit. The combined guaranteed placement payout is $2,650.

Championship Attendance Credit

Every qualified competitor who attends Championship Day and checks in for their championship receives additional Great Lakes Disc store credit equal to their official championship seeding score. For example, a player who originally qualified with 15 but improved their seeding score to 27 receives $27. For an LCQ qualifier, the seeding score is the higher of their eligible league best and LCQ score. Attendance credit is separate from placement awards.

Officials & Disputes

Great Lakes Disc officials verify results, administer the brackets, enforce conduct standards and resolve disputes. All championship decisions remain subject to the authority reserved in Section 1.8.