How to run a golf tournament

Pick a format that fits the crowd

The format sets the whole tone of the day. For a mixed-ability charity or company outing, a scramble is the usual choice: teams play the best shot each time, so everyone contributes and nobody holds the group up. For a competitive field, individual net stroke play or a better-ball is fairer.

Decide this first, because it drives the pairings, the scoring and how long the day takes. One format for the whole field keeps the scoring simple.

• Scramble: teams of two to four play the best shot. Best for mixed outings.
• Best ball or better ball: each golfer plays their own ball, the team takes the best score. More competitive.
• Individual net stroke play: everyone for themselves on net. Simple and fair for a serious field.

Choose the start: tee times or a shotgun

A small field can go off the first tee in order, a few minutes apart, like a normal day. A larger field is better with a shotgun start, where every group tees off at once from a different hole, so everyone finishes together for the meal or the prizes.

Ask the course which they can host and how many players each option holds. A shotgun needs the course mostly to yourselves, so book it well ahead.

Handicaps for one-off players

A tournament often has golfers with no league handicap, so you need a way to level the field for the day. If players carry an official index, use it. For those who do not, a one-day system like Callaway or Peoria works out a handicap from the round itself, so a newcomer still has a fair shot.

For a scramble, leagues usually apply a fraction of each team member’s handicap combined, to keep strong teams from running away with it. Decide the method before the day and put it on the scorecard.

Sort prizes and extras

Decide what you are giving out and announce it up front: a prize for the winning team or low net, often a few places deep, plus small on-course prizes for closest to the pin and longest drive. Keep gross and net prizes separate so one strong group does not sweep everything.

Collect one entry fee that covers the round, any cart, the prizes and the meal, and be clear what it includes. If it is a fundraiser, say plainly how much goes to the cause.

Score the day cleanly

Scoring a tournament is the same discipline as a league night, just once and with more groups. One golfer per group keeps the card, a second checks it, and cards come in the same way. Get them in quickly so you can post results and hand out prizes while everyone is still there.

Have the tie-break decided in advance, for example the back nine or a scorecard playoff, so a close finish does not leave you improvising in front of the room.

How Standing handles tournaments

Standing runs a one-day tournament or outing on the same phone scoring as a league night, with the format, the one-day handicaps and the side games set as options rather than worked out by hand. Groups enter scores, and the results, prizes and payouts are settled for you.

That means the organizer can run a big field and still hand out prizes while the room is full, instead of hunched over a stack of cards.