Tournament Events — User Guide
Tournament events combine the discoverability of an Event with the full game-management features of a Tournament. Organizers create one event; players find it on the Events page, register with one tap, and the system automatically creates and populates the matching tournament.
What is a Tournament Event?
A Tournament Event is an event that has a tournament attached to it. Players see and register for the event; the tournament handles teams, players, scoring, leaderboards, and side games. The two stay in sync automatically:
- Registering for the event adds you to the tournament.
- Withdrawing from the tournament also marks you as withdrawn on the event.
- The event's cover image becomes the tournament's banner.
Five formats currently support tournament events:
- Scramble — Team format, all players hit, best ball selected.
- Best Ball — Team format, each player plays their own ball; the best individual score(s) per hole count.
- Shamble — Team format, best drive selected, then each player plays their own ball.
- Chapman — Team format for pairs; both drive, swap balls for the second shot, then alternate shot to the hole.
- Individual — Solo format, Stroke Play or Stableford.
Ryder Cup tournaments use a different model and don't use the tournament-event flow.
For Organizers
Creating a Tournament Event
- Go to Events → Create Event.
- Pick an Event Format — Scramble Tournament, Best Ball Tournament, Shamble Tournament, Chapman Tournament, or Individual Tournament.
- Fill in the standard event details: name, date, description, location.
- Select the course location. Course rating, slope, and tees load in automatically.
- Configure the format-specific tournament settings (these vary by format — see Format-Specific Notes below).
- Add an optional cover image. It will also become the tournament's banner.
- Publish the event. The tournament is created automatically and linked to the event.
After publishing, you'll see both:
- The Event page (the public-facing registration portal).
- The Tournament page — where you run the golf: leaderboard, scoring, settings, and so on.
A "Manage Tournament" button on the event page jumps you to the tournament admin. Inside the tournament, a "Linked Event" card on the Overview tab links you back to the event.
As Organizer, How Do I Register Myself as a Player?
When you create the tournament through an event, you become the organizer but not automatically a player. How you add yourself depends on the format:
Individual tournaments
- Easiest: Open the tournament page → Players tab → tap Add Me as Player. This adds you with your stored handicap.
- Alternative: From the event page, click Register as Individual.
Team formats (Scramble, Best Ball, Shamble, Chapman)
- There's no "Add Me as Player" button — you play as part of a team, not as a loose entrant. Open the tournament page → Teams tab → tap Register Team, and add yourself along with your partners.
- Alternative: From the event page, click Register as Team.
Either path puts you in the tournament.
Reviewing Registrations
- Team formats (Scramble, Best Ball, Shamble, Chapman): When a player registers a team, the team is created in the tournament immediately. Individual registrants stay in an "Unassigned Players" pool that you can review and assign to teams from the tournament admin.
- Individual format: Registrations land directly in the tournament's player list. The first time you (the organizer) load the tournament page, the system also auto-syncs any registrations that came in earlier, so you'll see everyone after one refresh.
The event page's "Tournament Status" card shows the live registration count.
For Players
Registering Through the Event
- Open the event page (either via the Events list, a shared link, or a QR code).
- On the right side, find the Tournament Status card.
- Tap Register as Individual (and optionally Register as Team for team formats).
- Fill in the registration modal:
- Confirm your handicap index.
- Join the skins game — if the tournament runs skins as opt-in, you'll see a checkbox to put yourself in the skins pot (shows the value per skin). Leave it unchecked to play the tournament without joining skins. (Not shown when skins is off or set to "all players.")
- For team registration: name your team, add teammates by buddy search or as guests.
- Submit. You'll see a green "You're registered for this tournament" card with your team (if applicable) and a View tournament link.
Registering From the Tournament Page
If someone shared a tournament link with you (or you scanned the QR), you'll land on the tournament page. When the tournament is event-linked:
- Individual tournaments show a "Want to play in this tournament?" card on the Overview tab. Tap Register for Tournament — this routes you to the event so registration goes through the proper flow.
- Team formats don't show that card. Look for the Register Team action instead, or head to the linked event page and register from there.
Withdrawing
- Open the tournament page → Overview tab.
- The green "You're registered" card has a red Withdraw button.
- Confirm in the modal. You'll be removed from the tournament's player list (or your entire team, for team formats), and your event registration is marked as withdrawn.
You can re-register at any time while the tournament is still in setup.
Linked Event vs. Direct Tournament
Tournaments can be created two ways:
| Created via | Linked event? | How players register |
|---|---|---|
| Events → Create Event → pick a tournament format | Yes | Players register on the event page; tournament players are created automatically. |
| Tournaments → Create (e.g., Best Ball / Individual wizard) | No | Organizer manually adds players via the tournament's Players tab or invite link. |
The "Linked Event" card on the tournament Overview tab is your visual indicator that a tournament was created from an event.
Format-Specific Notes
Scramble Tournament Events
- Team formats: Standard / Texas / Florida / Vegas (variants).
- Skills contests available: Long Drive and Closest to the Pin.
- Texas Scramble has a minimum-drives-per-player setting.
Best Ball Tournament Events
- Variants: One Best Ball, Two Best Balls, Three Best Balls, Cha-Cha-Cha, Best Balls by Par.
- Available variants depend on team size (e.g., Three Best Balls requires 4-player teams).
- Skills contests available: Long Drive and Closest to the Pin.
- Pace-of-play Max Score Per Hole option: None / Double Par / Triple Bogey / Fixed 10.
Shamble Tournament Events
- Variants: Standard Shamble or Texas Shamble.
- Best Balls Counted: 1 (best ball) or 2 (two best balls).
- Texas Shamble has a minimum-drives-per-player setting.
- Skills contests + Max Score Per Hole same as Best Ball.
Chapman Tournament Events
- Team size is fixed at 2 and shown read-only — there's nothing to pick.
- Handicaps use the USGA 60/40 split (60% of the lower handicap plus 40% of the higher).
- Both partners drive, swap balls for the second shot, pick the better one, then alternate shot to the hole — one team score per hole.
Individual Tournament Events
- Format: Stroke Play or Stableford.
- Number of Rounds: 1–4.
- Playing Group Size: 2–5 players per group.
- Side Games: Skins (with value + carryover toggle) and Closest to the Pin (par-3 holes selected in Tournament Settings after creation).
- No teams — each registrant is a player. Flights can be enabled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I registered through the event but I don't see myself in the tournament's Players tab. A: For Individual tournaments, the system adds you immediately when you submit the registration. If you registered before this feature was available, simply have the organizer (or yourself, if you're the organizer) refresh the tournament page once — the auto-sync will catch you up.
Q: I'm the event creator. Why don't I appear as a registered player? A: Creating a tournament event makes you the organizer but not automatically a player. On an Individual tournament, use Add Me as Player on the Players tab or Register as Individual on the event page. On a team format (Scramble, Best Ball, Shamble, Chapman), use Register Team on the Teams tab or Register as Team on the event page — there's no "Add Me as Player" button.
Q: Can guest players (without accounts) join a team event? A: Yes — for team formats, the team registration modal lets the team captain add teammates as guests by name. Each team must include at least one registered user.
Q: Can guest players join an Individual tournament event? A: No — Individual tournaments are registered-users only. Each player needs a Buddies on the Green account.
Q: An event says "members only" or shows a "Part of {a league}" link — why can't I register? A: That event is hosted by a golf league, and by default only the league's members can register. Join the league first (or ask an admin for an invitation) — the admin can also add you directly, or open the event to the public. See the Leagues guide for how league events work.
Q: What happens if I withdraw and want to re-register? A: As long as the tournament is still in setup (not started), you can re-register from the event page using the same registration buttons. Your previous withdrawal is replaced by the new registration.
Q: My event image isn't showing as the tournament banner. A: The event image is forwarded as the tournament banner only when the tournament is first created. If you uploaded the event image after creating the tournament, set the banner manually from Tournament Settings → Branding.
Q: I see a "Linked Event" card but the View Event button shows 0 registered. A: That count tracks only registrants who completed the Register as Individual or Register as Team flow on the event page. If players were added directly via the tournament's "Add Players" modal, they're tournament players but not event participants — that's expected.