All guides

Golf Events

Discover, create, and register for golf events — from scramble tournaments and charity outings to clinics and social gatherings.

Overview

The Events page lets you browse upcoming golf events, register to attend, and create your own events. Events can be casual social gatherings, golf clinics, or full tournaments with automatic team management and scoring.

Key Features:

  • Browse and filter upcoming golf events (no login required)
  • Register for events as an individual or as a team
  • Create events with a guided step-by-step wizard
  • Tournament events auto-create a linked tournament in the matching format
  • Invite buddies to events
  • Public or unlisted (invite-only) event visibility
  • Comments on event pages
  • Save events as drafts before publishing

Accessing Events

Navigation:

  • Desktop: Click "Events" in the header navigation bar
  • URL: /events
  • Shared event links open directly to the event details page

Access & Premium

FeatureGuest (Not Logged In)Free UsersPremium Users
Browse all eventsYesYesYes
View event detailsYesYesYes
Register for eventsNo (sign in required)No (upgrade required)Yes
Create eventsNoNo (upgrade required)Yes
Hosting & Going tabsNo (sign in required)YesYes
Saved & Past Events tabsNoNo (upgrade required)Yes
Comment on eventsNoNoYes
Invite buddiesNoNoYes

Hosting and Going only need you to be signed in. Plenty of people are invited to a charity tournament or added as a co-organizer without ever buying Premium — they still need to find the event they're playing in.

Note: Events use a "soft paywall" — anyone can discover and view events, but registering, creating, and commenting requires Premium.

Browsing Events

Event Cards

Events are displayed as cards showing:

  • Cover photo with date/time overlay
  • Event type badge (e.g., "Scramble Tournament", "Golf Clinic", "Social")
  • Title and short description
  • Location/venue name
  • Spots remaining with a visual progress bar (hidden on info-only events that don't accept registration)
  • "View Details" button

All tabs sort events in date order: upcoming-oriented tabs (All, Going, Hosting) show soonest first; Past Events shows most recent first.

Tabs

Left to right: All Events, Going, Hosting, Saved, Past Events.

TabWhat It ShowsWho Sees It
All EventsAll upcoming public events (default)Everyone, even signed out
GoingEvents you registered forSigned-in users
HostingEvents you createdSigned-in users
SavedEvents you saved with the "Save Event" button (e.g. info-only events that don't take registrations)Premium
Past EventsEvents you hosted or attended that have finished — sorted most recent firstPremium

Filters

On the "All Events" tab, filter events by:

  • Event Format (Scramble / Best Ball / Shamble / Chapman / Individual / External Tournament, Golf Clinic, Demo Day, Social Gathering, Other)
  • Category (Adaptive / Amputee, Charity, Corporate, etc.) — filters in-memory so any category works without requiring a Firestore composite index
  • Location — pick from a dropdown of courses that have events in the current session (the dropdown grows as more events load, never shrinks)
  • Day of Week — a specific day (e.g., Saturday events only), or Weekdays / Weekends
  • Time of Day — Any Time, Morning (Before 12PM), Afternoon (12PM–4PM), or Evening (After 4PM)
  • Max Participants — pick a size from the dropdown: 4 or fewer, 8 or fewer, 12 or fewer, 20 or fewer
  • Upcoming Events and Past Events checkboxes — tick either, both, or neither to control which show up

Event Details

Tap "View Details" on any event card to see the full event page.

What you'll see:

  • Large cover photo with event title and date/time
  • Event type badge and spots remaining (spots remaining is hidden for info-only events)
  • Our Sponsors — if the organizer added sponsors, a band of logos sits just below the cover photo. When sponsors are assigned tiers, logos are grouped by level (highest value first, larger logos up top); otherwise they auto-scroll in a marquee that pauses on hover and falls back to a static row for few logos / reduced-motion. Each logo links to that sponsor's website when provided.
  • Event description — the organizer's full block-based description (headings, text, images, schedules, sponsors, maps, and more), rendered directly below the cover photo
  • Documents — any attached registration packets, course maps, sponsorship decks, etc. Each one is a tappable link.
  • Location — venue name and address, plus an embedded map of the venue and a Get directions link (shown whenever the event has an address)
  • Event Website — external link (if provided)
  • Contact Information — organizer contacts (name, role, email, phone) — when contacts have been added
  • Event Publisher — the Buddies on the Green user who posted this listing (may not be the actual event organizer)
  • Participant list with avatars
  • Comments section (Premium users)
  • Sponsorship Opportunities — if the organizer added sponsorship packages, a grid of tier cards (image, name, price, benefits, "Become a Sponsor") appears lower on the page. This is the recruitment menu, kept separate from the confirmed-sponsor logos at the top.

For tournament events, additional tournament info is shown including registration progress, tournament status, and team details.

Layout note: On non-tournament events (External Tournament, Demo Day, Clinic, Social Gathering, Other), desktop shows the description and participation on the left in a wider column with the reference info (Documents / Location / Contacts / Publisher) sitting in a right-side rail. On mobile everything stacks naturally.

Actions on Event Details

  • Share — Share the event link (available to everyone)
  • Register — Sign up for the event (Premium users)
  • Invite Buddies — Send event invitations to your buddies (Premium users; not shown on charity tournaments, where the organizer sends the invites)
  • Comment — Join the discussion (Premium users)

Registering for Events

Standard Events

  1. Open the event details page
  2. Tap "Register"
  3. You're confirmed — the event appears in your Going tab

Tournament Events

Tournament events offer two registration options:

Individual Registration:

  1. Tap "Register as Individual"
  2. Confirm your handicap index (auto-filled from your profile)
  3. Set cart preferences
  4. Add optional notes (e.g., preferred tee time, accessibility needs)
  5. Submit — you're added to the unassigned players pool
  6. The organizer will assign you to a team

Team Registration:

  1. Tap "Register as Team"
  2. You become the Team Captain
  3. Enter a team name (a fun golf-themed name is suggested automatically)
  4. Confirm your handicap index
  5. Add teammates:
    • Search for buddies on the app by name
    • Add guests — for players not on the app, enter a Guest Name (required) and, if you know it, a Handicap Index (optional)
  6. Submit — your pre-formed team is created immediately

"Register as Team" isn't always there. It's hidden on Individual Tournaments (everyone plays as a solo entrant) and on charity tournaments (players join individually and the organizer forms the teams).

After registering, the event page shows a green confirmation with your registration type (Team Captain, Team Member, or Individual) and a link to manage your registration on the Tournament page.

League events are members-only. An event hosted by a golf league (it shows a "Part of {league}" link) is, by default, open only to that league's members. If you're not on the roster you'll see a "members-only" notice instead of a Register button. League admins create these from the league's Events tab — see the Leagues guide. Admins can also add members directly from the tournament's Players tab; either way you'll show up in the event's registered count.

Reminders

Once you're registered ("Going") for an event, you'll automatically receive push notifications:

  • The day before — a "Tomorrow: {event title}" reminder with the course and tee time
  • About 2 hours before tee time — a "Starting Soon" reminder

Tap the notification to jump directly to the event details. Reminders only go to confirmed RSVPs — if you haven't registered, you won't get them. Cancelled events stop sending reminders automatically.

Creating an Event

  1. Go to Events
  2. Tap "Create Event" (Premium required)
  3. Follow the step-by-step wizard

How many steps? It depends on the format you pick in Step 2. Tournament formats get 5 steps — the extra one is Tournament Settings. Every other format (External Tournament, Golf Clinic, Demo Day, Social Gathering, Other) has 4 steps, and Registration & Media becomes step 3.

Step 1: Event Details

  • Event Title (required)
  • Description — build your event page from blocks: tap Add block and choose from headings, text, quotes, lists, images, image grids, video, columns, a schedule, an FAQ, sponsors, a map, callouts, links, buttons, and dividers. Fill in each block, reorder with the ↑/↓ arrows, or delete. Images upload automatically as you add them. (Requires at least one block.)
  • Start Date & Time (required)
  • End Date & Time (optional)

Step 2: Location & Type

  • Course/Venue — search for a golf course or venue (auto-fills location details and pulls course data like rating and slope)
  • Location Name (required) and Address (required) — the course search fills both in for you, but they can't be left blank
  • Event Format — choose one:
    • Scramble Tournament (auto-creates a linked tournament)
    • Best Ball Tournament (auto-creates a linked tournament)
    • Shamble Tournament (auto-creates a linked tournament)
    • Chapman Tournament (auto-creates a linked tournament — 2-player teams)
    • Individual Tournament (auto-creates a linked tournament)
    • External Tournament — info-only listing for events that are run/scored elsewhere (no tournament features created on BOTG). Picking this switches Allow Registration off automatically, since sign-ups happen on the other site.
    • Golf Clinic
    • Demo Day — equipment reps on-site
    • Social Gathering
    • Other
  • Event Category (optional, sorted alphabetically) — Adaptive / Amputee Event, Amateur, Charity/Fundraiser, Club Championship, Corporate Outing, League Event, Member-Guest, Memorial/Tribute, Open / Public Tournament, Professional, Youth/Junior
  • Links (optional) — add up to 5 labeled buttons for the event page (e.g. Register, Buy Tickets, Donate, Event Website). Each is a label + URL; leave the label blank to show the site address. Useful when you already run registration/ticketing on another site.
  • Event Documents (optional) — attach up to 4 files (PDF, Word, Excel, images, or text — 10 MB each) such as a registration packet, course map, or sponsor deck. Each file can be given an optional label that's shown on the event page; if you leave it blank, the file name is used.
  • Sponsorship Opportunities (optional) — offer sponsorship packages for businesses to buy. Add up to 12 tiers, each with a name (e.g. Champion), a dollar amount (with an optional label for ranges like $4,000–$6,000), a benefits list (up to 10 benefits per package), and an optional header image. These show as cards on the event page with a "Become a Sponsor" button that emails you.
  • Event Sponsors (optional) — add up to 30 logos of businesses that have already sponsored (PNG, JPG, WebP, or GIF — SVG files aren't accepted, and each logo must be under 5 MB). Give each a name, an optional website link, and — if you've defined tiers above — an optional tier. Logos show in an "Our Sponsors" band near the top of the event page: grouped by tier (highest value first, larger logos up top) when tiers are used, or an auto-scrolling marquee when they're not. Logos are auto-optimized on upload.

Step 3: Tournament Settings (Tournament Formats Only)

This step appears for every tournament format — Scramble, Best Ball, Shamble, Chapman and Individual. The options shown adapt to the format you picked:

  • Registration mode (Individual, Team, or both)
  • Team size (2, 3, or 4 players) — Chapman is fixed at 2 and can't be changed. Individual Tournaments don't use team size at all; instead you set Max Players and a playing group size of 2, 3, 4 or 5.
  • Maximum teams
  • Men's and Women's tee selections (required once the course has tees to choose from)
  • Scoring type (Gross or Net with handicaps)
  • Scramble variant (Standard, Texas, Florida, Vegas)
  • Start type (Shotgun Start or Tee Times)
  • Flights (optional divisions by handicap)
  • Contests (Long Drive, Closest to Pin)
  • Guest player allowance

Step 4: Registration & Media

(Step 3 on non-tournament events.)

  • Allow Registration toggle
  • Maximum Participants
  • Event Image upload (JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF)
  • Allow Comments toggle
  • Publish Options:
    • Publish immediately or save as Draft
    • Public — appears in the Events feed for everyone
    • Unlisted — only accessible via direct link, QR code, or buddy invitation

Step 5: Review & Publish

(Step 4 on non-tournament events.)

  • Review all event details
  • Add Contact Information (name, role, email, phone)
  • Finish with Save Draft to keep it private, or Publish Event to put it live. If you turned the publish checkbox off back in Registration & Media, that button reads Create Event instead.

When you publish a tournament event — any format — a linked tournament is automatically created, no extra setup needed.

Managing Events

As an organizer, you can:

  • Edit event details from the event page (tap the edit button)
  • Enable/disable comments
  • View and manage registrations
  • For tournament events: manage teams, assign unassigned players, and activate scoring from the Tournament admin

Event Visibility

VisibilityWho Can See It
PublicEveryone — appears in the Events feed
UnlistedOnly people with the direct link, QR code, or buddy invitation
League members onlyOnly members of the host league. Set automatically on league events — the Public/Unlisted choice isn't offered for them.
DraftOnly you (the organizer) — not visible to anyone else

Common Questions

Q: Do I need an account to see events? A: No. Anyone can browse and view event details without logging in.

Q: Can free users register for events? A: No. Registration requires a Premium subscription, but free users can view all event details.

Q: What's the difference between an event and a tournament? A: Events are the broader container — they can be social gatherings, clinics, or tournaments. When you create an event in any tournament format, a linked tournament is automatically created for team management and scoring.

Q: Can I create a private event? A: Yes. Set the visibility to Unlisted when creating your event. It won't appear in the public feed — share it via direct link, QR code, or buddy invitation.

Q: How do I withdraw from a tournament event? A: Go to the Tournament page (linked from your event registration confirmation) and use the withdrawal option there.

Q: Can I add guest players to my team? A: Yes. During team registration, tap "Add Guest" to include players who don't have an app account.

Q: What happens when I publish a tournament event? A: A linked tournament is automatically created in that format — Scramble, Best Ball, Shamble, Chapman or Individual. Players register through your event page, and you manage teams and scoring from the Tournament admin.

Related Guides

Need Help?