League Points System
Our leagues are meant to be friendly, fair, and fun. This page explains why we use a points system, how it works in practice, and how the leagues fit together across the season.
Reasons
We’re a friendly club with a wide range of abilities, from first-timers to seasoned shots. Monthly conditions vary (wind, rain, visibility) and layouts change too. A pure “raw total” can feel unfair if one month is tougher than another. A simple points system solves this by rewarding good performance on the day while keeping the league fun and competitive.
- Fairness across months: some months are harder; points recognise that.
- Encourages regular shooting: with a “best 6 cards” rule, you can miss months and still be in the running.
- Works for all abilities: points reflect how you did compared with the field on that layout.
- Clear & friendly: published rules and transparent totals.
Why points?
Imagine two months: one bright and calm, one windy and miserable. In the calm month many shooters post high raw scores; in the windy month scores drop across the board. If we only used raw totals, the calm month would dominate the standings. Instead, we convert your score into a Z-score — how far above (or below) the average you were for that month, scaled by that month’s spread of results. Shoot well on a hard day and you’re rewarded. Shoot well on an easy day and you get credit too — just not an outsized advantage.
Prefer the maths? Read our handout: Z Scores — explanation (PDF).
Points system
Each month we calculate a club-wide average and standard deviation from everyone’s raw scores. Your raw score is converted to a Z-score. Higher Z-scores (better than the monthly average) map to higher points; lower Z-scores map to fewer points. This keeps points comparable across all months.
Worked example
Suppose the month’s average is 21.4 and the standard deviation is 2.1. A 25 gives a Z-score of:
Z = (25 − 21.4) ÷ 2.1 = 1.71
That’s comfortably above average, and will translate into a strong points haul for the month.
How standings are tallied
- There are 12 league shoots across the year (normally one per month).
- Your best six monthly points count to your season total for the league standings.
- If you shoot more than six times, your lowest months are dropped automatically.
Note: This “best six” rule is for the league table during the season. For setting **classifications** for the next season, the committee reviews all cards shot (see below).
Ties & eligibility
- Ties: resolved by countback (most higher monthly placings, then next highest, etc.).
- Eligibility: League shoots are members-only; members may bring up to 3 guests.
- Guest scores don’t count to League standings.
Season timing
- The new season’s classifications are set at the beginning of July.
- Mid-season changes are exceptionally rare and only considered where a shooter has been clearly placed in the wrong league.
- At the end of the season, new classifications and leagues are set using all cards shot, not just the best six.
We keep the maths behind the scenes so shoot days stay simple—turn up, enjoy the layout, hand in your card, and we’ll do the rest. If you’re curious, the PDF above explains the Z-score idea without too much jargon.
Leagues
To keep things close and enjoyable, shooters are grouped into leagues by ability. This keeps competition friendly and means you’re battling with folks at a similar stage. Classifications are reviewed at the start of July each season, and the next season’s leagues are based on all cards shot in the season just finished.
Where to find the tables
- See the current tables: AA, A, B, C.
- Read the current season’s classifications: Classifications.
Questions?
Grab a committee member on shoot day or email committee@btshawlandscpsc.co.uk.