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Golf Tournament Appby Parful

Golf tournament app for organisers

Here is how a golf tournament gets run, step by step, the way most clubs and committees still do it. Beside each step, what changes when you run it in Parful. Start with the free planner for your field and groups.

Plan the day free. Run it however you like.

Plan your tournament

Enter your field and how you want to start. You get the groups, the shotgun or tee-time plan, a timetable for the day, the scoring and on-the-day checklists, and a blank start sheet to print. Free, no account, and nothing you type leaves your browser.

18 teams of 4

Group size
Holes
Start

One team per hole, 18 of 18 used.

Check-in from 7:30. Finish about 13:30.

Format

Every player tees off, the team picks one ball and all play from there. The easiest day for mixed abilities.

Contests

Nearest the pin on a par 3, longest drive on a wide par 5. Each adds a marker, a sheet and a prize.

Extras

Planning choices. Some are paid add-ons in Parful. Each adds its own items to the run sheet and the checklist.

The plan below updates as you go. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.

Your plan, three sheets. Print it, or take it to the course on your phone.

Set this up in Parful
Golf Tournament Appby Parful

18 teams of 4

One group per hole, 18 of 18 holes used.

Tournament
Date
Course
Shotgun time9:00
Finish, about13:30
Players72
Teams18
FormatScramble
Holes18
StartShotgun
Holes in play18

1The day

TimeItemOwnerDone
6:00Committee arrives. Walk the course with the pro.
6:30Registration table set up: start sheet, player list, card reader, badges.
7:30Check-in opens. Coffee out.
7:45Carts staged in hole order with the scoring link, rules sheet and start sheet on each.
8:30Rules briefing at the clubhouse. Format, contest holes and the scoring cut-off time.
8:45Players to carts. Volunteers to their holes.
9:00Shotgun start. 18 of 18 holes in play.
11:15Turn. Pace-of-play check at holes 6 and 12.
13:30Last group finishes. About 4 hours 30 minutes after the start.
13:45Scoring cut-off. Leaderboard final.
14:00Prizes.
15:00Close. Collect signs and markers, settle up with the course.
golftournamentapp.comTimes are rules of thumb for groups of four. Agree the start and the cut-off with the course the week before.
Golf Tournament Appby Parful

Checklist

For 72 players in 18 teams, scramble, shotgun at 9:00. Write an owner beside anything you are not doing yourself.

Tournament
Date
Course
Shotgun time9:00
Organiser

1The week before

  • Course booked: 18 holes, shotgun at 9:00.
  • Rules sheet written: format, handicaps, contest holes, pace of play, scoring cut-off.
  • Start sheet and player list to the pro shop and the caterer, with team names.
  • Prizes bought and labelled: winners and runners-up.
  • Volunteers named for check-in, the scoring desk.
  • Rain plan and the lightning signal agreed with the course.

2Kit for the day

  • Start sheets, three copies: pro shop, check-in table, starter.
  • Cart cards or tee signs for 18 teams, one per starting hole.
  • Check-in table with the start sheet, name badges and the scoring link for 18 teams.
  • Scorecards for 18 teams plus spares, or the scoring link QR card on every cart.
  • Rules sheet for every cart. Pencils, markers and clipboards.
  • Prize table with a cloth, prizes in announcement order.
  • Megaphone or PA, first aid kit, cash float and card reader.
  • Sunscreen, water, phone chargers and a power bank for the scoring desk.

3Scoring: scramble

  • A team name for every team, matched to the start sheet.
  • The one-ball rule on the rules sheet: the team plays one ball from the chosen spot.
  • Minimum drives per player, if any. Three each in a team of four is common.
  • Team handicap: yes or no, and the percentage the committee has agreed.
  • Tie-break: countback from the 18th, or a chip-off at the prizes.

4After the last card

  • Scoring cut-off called, leaderboard final, ties settled by the published rule.
  • Winners announced, photos taken at the prize table.
  • Settle up with the course. Collect signs, markers and lost property.
  • Results and a thank-you email to players and sponsors the next day.
golftournamentapp.comGive the kit list to whoever packs the car and the scoring list to whoever runs the desk.
Golf Tournament Appby Parful

Start sheet

Shotgun at 9:00. One row per team, in hole order. Tick In as each team checks in.

Tournament
Date
Course
Shotgun time9:00
Starter
HoleTeamPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4CartIn
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
golftournamentapp.comPut the B positions on the par 4s and 5s. Doubling up a par 3 slows the whole field.

The job, on paper and in Parful

Every tournament has the same seven jobs. Most of them have been done the same way for fifty years, and the paper way still works. Here is each one, and what changes when the tournament runs in Parful.

A golfer lining up a putt at golden hour with the flag beside the hole

Nothing below needs Parful to be true. If you run the day on paper, the planner and the guide are still yours to use. Need the paper too? Download the free printable templates: start sheet, scorecards, run sheet, budget, sponsor package and registration form.

1. Take entries

On paper

A form on the noticeboard, a list in a group chat and a spreadsheet one person keeps. Names arrive by text until the night before, with handicaps and dietary needs chased separately.

In Parful

A public page with the details and an entry form. The field builds itself, with handicap, shirt size and dietary needs collected at entry, and a waiting list once it is full.

Public tournament page on a phone for the Harbor Lights Charity Classic: date, shotgun time, course, the top three teams and the total raised
The public page. Players read the details, register and pay their entry here.

2. Collect the money

On paper

Cash and cheques at the bar, bank transfers with no reference, and the last six chased on the morning. Nobody is sure who has paid until the accounts are done.

In Parful

Players pay by card when they enter. The card and service fees are the player’s, the entry fee is yours, and you can see who has paid at any time.

3. Build the groups and the start sheet

On paper

The planner above does the arithmetic for a shotgun or a tee-time start. Then a spreadsheet, a printer, and a new print run every time someone drops out.

In Parful

The same groups, with a tee sheet every player can open on their phone and a printable version for the starter. A late change is made once and everyone sees it.

A tee sheet on a phone listing hole 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B with the two teams starting on each and a search box to find your name
The tee sheet, as every player sees it on their phone.

4. Score the day

On paper

Cards in the bag, handed in crumpled, added up by two people in the bar for forty minutes. A dispute surfaces after the prizes have been given out.

In Parful

One phone per group keys in each hole in the browser. Nothing to download and no account for the scorer. The committee watches the scores arrive instead of adding them up.

A scorecard on a phone for group 5 with hole by hole scores for four players and gross, net and points views
One phone per group. The scorer keys in each hole as the group walks off the green.

5. Results and prizes

On paper

A flipchart, countback worked out by hand, and a room thinning out while the committee checks the totals a second time.

In Parful

The leaderboard is live on phones and the clubhouse TV all afternoon. Countback is applied for you and the results are final when the last card is in.

Live leaderboard for a charity scramble showing teams on the course, holes played, birdies, the total raised and the leading team at seven under
The leaderboard, on phones and on the clubhouse TV, with the contests beside it.

6. Sponsors, contests and the total raised

On paper

A sign on each tee and a mention at the prizes. Nearest the pin on a scrap of paper in the pro shop. The total raised is known a week later.

In Parful

Sponsor names on the public page, the leaderboard and the TV board. Contest winners recorded on the day. Donations and an auction if you want them, and the total raised on the page as it climbs.

7. After the day

On paper

Results typed up when you get round to it, and a thank-you email from your own inbox to whoever you have addresses for.

In Parful

Results and a thank-you to every player and sponsor, sent from the tournament, and the entry list and accounts kept for next year.

Handed the job for the first time? Read how to run a golf tournament, the whole job in order from the first decision to the thank-you emails.

Run the next one in Parful

A one-day tournament in a free format costs nothing. Add sponsors, donations or an auction only if the day needs them.

Create it in Parful

Nothing is charged until it goes live.

Frequently asked questions

Four golfers standing together on a course with a cart behind them

Do players need to download an app?

No. Scoring runs in the phone browser. One phone per group opens a link and scores from there.

Do players need an account?

To register and pay an entry fee, yes, so Parful can send them their confirmation and receipt. To score on the day, no. Scorers need no account.

Which formats are free?

Stroke play, Scramble, Stableford, Skins, Florida scramble, Texas scramble. The four formats in the planner are all free in Parful. Team formats such as best ball and match play are paid add-ons.

Can the planner create the tournament for me?

No. The planner is a planning aid that runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. You create the tournament in Parful, which takes a few minutes.

What does it cost?

A one-day tournament in a free format is free in Parful. Nothing is charged until the tournament goes live, and a free tournament goes live without paying. Add-ons such as sponsors or an auction are priced each, and the current prices are on Parful’s pricing page. See Parful pricing.

Can sponsors and an auction be added?

Yes. Sponsors, an auction and donations are each an add-on on top of the free tournament. Sponsors appear on the leaderboard and the TV board.

Does it work outside the US?

Yes. The price shows in pounds for UK visitors and in euros for Ireland and the rest of Europe, at the same figure. Nothing is converted.

How many people can a shotgun start take?

A standard shotgun on 18 holes starts one group a hole, so 18 groups or 72 players in fours. Some courses allow doubled holes, up to 36 groups. Above that, ask the course about a two-wave start. The planner works it out for your field.

More questions are answered in the guide to running a golf tournament.