The golf league app that ends the chase
Lots of tools can run a golf league. Most are built for clubs, charge by the golfer, or make everyone download an app. Here is an honest look at how they compare, and the one thing only Standing does: open spots go down your sub list by text, and golfers sign in once with no app to download. Your front desk stops chasing, and tee sheets and sim bays stay full.
What only Standing does
- Someone is Out, and the spot goes down your sub list by text until a golfer takes it. You see who took it. You chase no one.
- Golfers answer In or Out on a text. They sign in once by phone and stay signed in. Nothing to download, big type for older golfers.
- One flat price, the Season plan ($399 CAD a season or $59 CAD a month). A big league costs the same as a small one, so the leagues you most want to run do not cost the most.
| What is compared | Standing | Per-golfer apps | Club software | Free golfer apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Weekly leagues at a course or sim venue | Weekly leagues | Private clubs and associations | Golfers and one-day events |
| Golfers reply | By text, no app to download | An app or a login | An app or a login | A golfer app download |
| A sub is needed | The spot goes down your sub list by text until it is filled | You line up the sub yourself | You line up the sub yourself | You line up the sub yourself |
| Dues | Every balance in one place, reminders if you want them | Some track payments | On the top plan | No dues tracking |
| Standings | Live, in flights, gross and net, best-of weeks, and exportable | Live, with fewer options | Deep, often on the top plan | Basic or none |
| Price | Season plan: $399 CAD a season, or $59 CAD a month | Per golfer, so big leagues pay most | About US$1,425 to US$4,275 a year, plus setup | Free |
| Handicaps | League handicaps now, Golf Canada later | League handicaps | Yes, with GHIN | League handicaps |
The honest version, tool by tool
- Per-golfer league apps
- Tools like EZ Golf League and LeagueGolfer are well built and fine for a small league. The catch is the price shape: EZ Golf League lists US$10 per golfer a season (US$25 for a managed league), and LeagueGolfer lists US$10 per player a year for the web app, US$20 with the mobile app. A 60-golfer league pays for 60. That big league is exactly the one Standing is built for, and on Standing it pays one flat price.
- Golf Genius
- Golf Genius is the serious platform for clubs and associations, and its handicap side is genuinely strong: it is built right into GHIN, so handicaps flow through its events. Standing does not match that yet. The catch is that it is built and priced for clubs, about US$1,425 to US$4,275 a year plus a setup fee, and live scoring and online payments sit on the top plan. For a course or sim venue running a weekly league, that is a lot of tool and a lot of money.
- Golf League Guru
- Golf League Guru looks good, imports a roster easily, and people praise the support. The catch is reliability: on the app stores it sits around 3.0 stars on Apple and 2.6 on Google, with repeated reports of being logged out and of logins that will not take. For a tool your golfers lean on every week, that friction adds up.
- Golf League Tracker
- Golf League Tracker is a flat fee of about US$119 a league a season, down to US$89 if you run many, and it publishes a genuinely useful how-to guide. The difference is the weekly work. Golfers still log in, and when someone drops out the sub does not come from a list by text on its own.
- Free golfer apps
- Squabbit and apps like it are free, well-loved, and great for a weekend trip or a one-day outing. The catch is who they are for: the golfer. Every golfer downloads the app, and they do not track your league dues. Standing is built for courses and sim venues, and your golfers answer by text.
Prices and ratings here were checked in October 2026 and are in US dollars. Companies change them, so check the current figures on each company’s own site.
And versus the spreadsheet and group chat?
That is the real thing most leagues run on, so here is what a league week takes each way.
| Each week | Spreadsheet and group chat | Standing |
|---|---|---|
| Who is playing | Text everyone, chase the ones who do not answer, keep a tally. | Golfers tap In or Out on a text. Reminders and follow-ups go out on their own. |
| Someone drops out | Call down the sub list until someone says yes, often the afternoon of. | The next sub on your list gets a text; if they pass, the next one does. You see who took it. |
| Pairings and tee times | Rebuild the groups every time the list changes, then text the tee times. | Groups are drafted when In/Out closes and tee times texted when you publish. Move anyone by hand. |
| Scores and standings | Collect cards, type scores in, work out net scores and handicaps, update the table. | Groups score on a phone. Net scores, handicaps, skins and standings add up on their own. |
| Dues | Remember who paid by cash or e-Transfer, and ask the rest. | Every balance in one place, with reminders if you want them. Cards too, if you turn them on. |