# Golf league flights

> How to set up golf league flights: by handicap rank, equal flights or by hand, how many golfers per flight, tees per flight, and what happens when handicaps change mid-season.

Canonical: https://golfleaguesoftware.com/guides/golf-league-flights

Flights group golfers of similar ability so each night has a winner at every level. Here are the common ways to set them up and the questions to settle first.

*By the Golf League Software team. Updated 2026-11-12.*

## Three ways to make flights

| Method | How | Watch out for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| By handicap rank | Lowest 30 handicaps in A, next 30 in B, the rest in the last flight | The last flight can end up much bigger or smaller |
| Equal flights | Split the field into N equal groups by handicap | Flight sizes change as golfers join |
| By hand | The organizer or club assigns flights | Has to be kept up to date by someone |

## How many flights?

A flight needs enough golfers on a typical night to make the points meaningful. With 40 golfers turning up, two flights of 20 is common; with 120, four flights of about 30.

## Tees by flight

Leagues often send stronger flights to the back tees: A and B off the blues, C and D off the whites, with age-based forward tees for seniors where the league allows it.

## When handicaps change

Decide whether flights are fixed for the season or follow handicaps. Fixed flights are predictable; flights that follow handicaps stay fair as golfers improve. Either way, each night’s results should use the flight each golfer played in that night.

## Flights in Golf League Software

Flights by rank, equal flights, by hand, or none; tees by flight with a fallback and per-golfer overrides; and every round keeps its flight. See [flights and handicaps](https://golfleaguesoftware.com/features/golf-league-flights-and-handicaps).

## Related

- [Golf league handicaps](https://golfleaguesoftware.com/guides/golf-league-handicaps)
- [Golf league points systems](https://golfleaguesoftware.com/guides/golf-league-points-systems)
- [Flights and league handicaps](https://golfleaguesoftware.com/features/golf-league-flights-and-handicaps)