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INSIDE THE NUMBERS: How the Grass League Rankings Systems Work
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS: How the Grass League Rankings Systems Work

May 1, 2026

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By Todd Dobson

A reference guide to the Grass League’s two official points competitions.

The Grass League runs two official points competitions side by side. The Official Par 3 Golf Rankings measure individual players. The Par 3 Cup Standings measure franchises. The same shots produce the points for both, but the systems track different things, follow different rules, and pay out different rewards.

This is how each works.

At a Glance

  • The Official Par 3 Golf Rankings rank individual players based on results in Official Grass League events.
  • The Par 3 Cup Standings rank franchises across the Grass League season, with the title decided at the season-ending Grass League Championship.
  • Every point earned by a player in a Grass League event counts twice: once for that player’s ranking, and once, on a 1:1 basis, for that player’s franchise in the Par 3 Cup.
  • Player ranking points decay over time. Franchise points in the Par 3 Cup do not decay during the season — they accumulate until the final event.

The Official Par 3 Golf Rankings

The Official Par 3 Golf Rankings apply to individual players only.

Players earn ranking points based on where they finish in Official Grass League events. The points available at each event vary based on three factors:

  • The size of the field.
  • The strength of the competition.
  • What is on the line at that event.

Major Grass League events with larger fields, higher stakes, or greater season-long impact may carry more available points than smaller or more limited events. The better a player finishes in a given event, the more points that player earns toward the ranking.

Total Points vs. Ranking Points

Each player in the system has two point totals:

  • Total Points: the full amount of raw points the player has earned in Grass League events. This is a career figure.
  • Ranking Points: the adjusted total used to determine the Official Par 3 Golf Rankings. Ranking Points apply the decay schedule to each prior result, meaning older points are discounted.

Both numbers are published. Total Points show what a player has done across his Grass League career. Ranking Points show what that career counts for today.

How Player Ranking Points Decay

The Official Par 3 Golf Rankings are designed to reward both long-term performance and current form. To accomplish this, the system applies a points decay schedule to every result. A player keeps credit for past finishes, but those finishes are worth less the older they get.

The decay schedule is fixed and applies to every player:

Top-five finishes carry added protection in the oldest bucket. Once a result reaches four or more seasons old, a top-five finish counts at 10 percent rather than 5 percent. No other bonuses apply to the decay schedule.

The result is a ranking that responds quickly to recent play but does not erase a player’s history. Strong current-season performance moves a player up the most. Strong finishes from prior seasons keep a player in the conversation as they fade.

The Par 3 Cup Standings

The Par 3 Cup is the Grass League’s season-long franchise competition. It is separate from the player rankings, and it tracks franchises rather than individuals.

Franchise points in the Par 3 Cup accrue on a 1:1 basis with player points. When a player on a franchise’s roster earns points in a Grass League event, the same point total is added to that franchise’s Par 3 Cup running total. There is no decay applied within a season.

How the Standings Work

Par 3 Cup points accumulate event by event throughout the Grass League season. The standings reset at the start of each new season, build through the year, and are finalized at the Grass League Championship, the final event of the year.

At the end of the season, the franchise with the most accumulated points wins the Par 3 Cup.

What the Standings Decide

Position in the Par 3 Cup Standings is not just a leaderboard. Where a franchise sits during and at the end of the season directly affects:

  • Seeding for the Grass League Match Play Series.
  • Premier and featured tee times throughout the season.
  • Broadcast exposure opportunities for franchise teams.
  • Allocation of the performance-based league revenue share.

The franchise that wins the Par 3 Cup takes home the season-long trophy and a majority of the performance-based league revenue share for that season.

How the Two Systems Connect

The Official Par 3 Golf Rankings and the Par 3 Cup Standings are separate competitions, but they share the same engine. Every point earned by a player in a Grass League event does two jobs at once: it counts toward that player’s individual ranking, and it counts, point for point, toward that player’s franchise in the Par 3 Cup.

This is the core design of the Grass League points system. One result, two competitions. A strong week from a single player can move a player up the world rankings and lift his franchise in the Par 3 Cup standings.

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