Section A: Age Requirements

Minumum Age

Unhinged Hatchet League does not enforce any age requirement or limit. Each affiliated location is allowed have an age requirement if they so choose. Please contact your local participating league location to inquire about their age rules.

Section B: Pre-Game Rules

Target Quality

1. Targets should be relatively new and of sound quality prior to beginning leage.
   1. When targets deteriorate to a point where excessive movement or 'wiggling' of the axes occur when they land in the damaged area causing or risking good throws to fall out, the boards should be switched out to ensure fair play.
   2. If a large piece of wood or chunk falls out during play, the player may request to have the board changed but the ultimate decision will fall on the axe throwing referee (coach).
   3. Targets must be sprayed with water from spray bottle prior to the start of league play.
      1. If boards are continually hard, league members may request to have more water sprayed on the boards.

Warm Up Throws

1. Players may have up to 5 practice throws prior to each game and 1 practice throw when the players switch boards.
2. The axe throwing referee will notify players when their match will commence.
3. The league will allow practice throws before official league start time subject to availability, fairness and consent of referee on premises.

Section C: Gameplay

1. Each league night allows every participant 4 games.
2. Each game is played against different opponents, selected at random and consists of the following:
   1. 10 throws per game.
   2. In each game, players take 5 throws then switch sides.
      1. This ensures fair play when the density of the wood varies.
   3. The winner of the game is the player with the most points, inclusive of handicaps, after 10 throws.
   4. In the event of a tie after 10 throws, the game enters sudden death overtime.
      1. Each player throws again (11th throw). The throw must be at the lower Money Shot. The winner is the player who is closest to the Money Shot.
      2. If both players hit the Money Shot, they must both throw at the upper Money Shot.
      3. The tie break continues alternating between upper and lower Money Shots until a winner is determined.
      4. Points are not counted or tallied during sudden death.
   5. The total points thrown (exclusive of handicaps) and win/loss are recorded and reflected on the Standing page.
   6. After 7 weeks, the 8th and final week of each season is the league tournament to determine the league season champion. See the Playoffs section for additonal details.

Section D: Scoring

Points

1. The black line awards points associated with the ring.
2. 10 points for the bullseye.
3. 8 points for the 2nd ring.
4. 6 points for the 3rd ring.
5. 4 points for the 4th ring.
6. 2 points for the 5th ring.
7. 1 points for any axe that sticks anywhere, yes even the floor.
8. 0 points for any axe that fails to stick in the target, called a drop.
9. 15 points for the Money Shots (green dots).
   1. The Money Shot must be called prior to the throw to count as 15 points.
   2. A player may call a Money Shot a maximum of 2 times during the game. The call may be made on any of the 10 throws of the game.
   3. If a called Money Shot throw sticks in the target but does not hit the Money Shot, the player is awarded 3 points. This throw counts towards the 2 Money Shot limit for the game.
   4. If a called Money Shot throw drops, the player is awarded 1 point. This throw does not count towards the 2 Money Shot limit for the game.

The Target

Technicalities

1. Touching the Line: If the axe is in 2 rings simultaneously, the player is awarded the points for the higher valued ring.
   1. As long as the axe is touching the higher value ring, the higher amount of points is awarded.
2. Stick and Stay Policy: The axe must remain in the targer until the scorer scores the throw and the player retrieves the axe to count.
   1. If the axe falls out before the scorer scores the throw and the player retrieves the axe, the throw is recorded as a drop.
3. No Delays in Throws: Players may not delay in throwing their axe in hopes their opponent's axe may fall out of the target or use delays for strategic advantage.
   1. A thrower must throw within a reasonable amount of time of their opponent or they are in violation and their throw is awarded 0 points.

Section E: Handicaps

Purpose and Use of Handicaps

1. The purpose of handicaps is to allow all members of the league to win any given game regardless of their skill level or the skill level of their opponent.
2. Handicaps are used to determine the winner and loser of each game.
   1. Let's say Player A has a handicap of 2 and Player B has a handicap of 8. Player A throws a 75 during the game and Player B throws a 70. The final score is the player's score plus their handicap. In this case, Player A has a total of 77 points and Player B has a total of 78 points. Player B is declared the winner.
   2. The maximum points a player can score with their handicap is the highest any player has scored without a handicap for the season.
      • For example, if Player A has a high score of 100 for the season, no other player can score more than 100 points with their handicap.
      • If the player's score without their handicap is higher than the season high score, the player's score for the game is their score without their handicap.
      • The player can still set the new high score for the league season without their handicap.
      • The High Score on the Standings page is the player's high score without their handicap.
3. Handicaps are only used Week 2 through Week 7.

Calculating Handicaps

1. Week 1
   1. Week 1 of each season is used to establish base line handicaps for all throwers. As such, no handicaps are used during Week 1.
2. Week 2
   1. Week 2 handicaps for each player are calculated based on the average point total from the 4 games thrown during Week 1.
   2. The player with the highest average point total is the 0 handicap.
   3. All other players handicaps are calculated as follows:
      1. Highest Average - Player Average. The difference is then rounded DOWN to a whole number.
      2. Example: If the highest average is 50.25 and a player has an average of 39.45, the difference is 10.8. The players handicap is 10 since we always round down.
3. Weeks 3-7
   1. Week 3 handicaps for each player are calculated based on the average point total for the 4 games thrown during Week 1 AND the 4 games thrown during Week 2. The point totals used for caluclating averages DO NOT include the handicap for the week.
   2. Week 4 handicaps for each player are calculated based on the average point total for the 4 games thrown during Week 2 AND the 4 games thrown during Week 3. The point totals used for caluclating averages DO NOT include the handicap for the week.
   3. Week 5 handicaps for each player are calculated based on the average point total for the 4 games thrown during Week 3 AND the 4 games thrown during Week 4. The point totals used for caluclating averages DO NOT include the handicap for the week.
   4. Week 6 handicaps for each player are calculated based on the average point total for the 4 games thrown during Week 4 AND the 4 games thrown during Week 5. The point totals used for caluclating averages DO NOT include the handicap for the week.
   5. Week 7 handicaps for each player are calculated based on the average point total for the 4 games thrown during Week 5 AND the 4 games thrown during Week 6. The point totals used for caluclating averages DO NOT include the handicap for the week.
4. Week 8 Tournament
   1. The Week 8 Tournament does not use handicaps.

Player Absences

1. If a player misses a week, or multiple weeks, the player must make up any games prior to the start of games for the week they return. This can be done on league night before the games for the week begin or anytime before the next scheduled league night. This ensures accurate handicaps are calculated.
2. If multiple players miss the same week, they can be manually scheduled to play each other for the week missed.
3. If a player needs to throw games against another player who does not need to make up games, schedule the player against the Ghost player.
   1. The Ghost player's handicap is the average handicap for the week being made up.
   2. For example, if the following are the handicaps for the week: 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 18, and 19. The Ghost handicap is 7.

Section F: Playoffs

Coming Soon.