How to organise an 8-person golf competition
Eight friends, three rounds and something riding on the last day. Here is a complete two-team weekend you can run in TourBoard, with a schedule, a worked score and the decisions to settle before you travel.
This is a suggested social-trip competition, not an official tournament format. TourBoard compares Red with Blue across the whole group. It does not split an eight-person trip into two independent pairs matches. If you want a traditional series of four-ball matches, choose a scoring method that supports that structure.
1. Pick two teams of four
Rank the eight players from strongest to weakest using an agreed measure, such as current Handicap Index. Allocate ranks 1, 4, 5 and 8 to Red, and 2, 3, 6 and 7 to Blue. It gives both sides a spread of abilities without a public last-pick moment. Check the actual players before accepting the draw: rank alone does not guarantee equal teams.
For example, if ranks 1–8 have handicaps of 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 and 32, each side totals 72. That is an illustration, not a forecast of who will win. If you play a warm-up, TourBoard can draft teams from those results instead; inspect the proposed teams before locking them.
Arrange the tee groups separately
Your competition teams and tee groups do not have to be the same. For the own-ball rounds, use two groups of four with two Red and two Blue players in each. Rotate the company on the final day. For the scramble, all four Red players play together and all four Blue players play together. Book normal groups of four, never one group of eight.
2. Use this three-round schedule
This follows TourBoard’s recommended three-round week. The points shown include the half-point side pot. Use “Print this guide” above to take the schedule with you or save it as a PDF from your browser.
| Round | Format and tee groups | Trip points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Opener | Better ball. Two mixed groups of four; everyone plays their own ball. | ½ front + ½ back + 1 match + ½ net birdies = 2½ |
| 2 · Team day | Scramble. One group per team; pick the best shot and play from there. | 1 front + 1 back + 1 match + ½ fewest putts = 3½ |
| 3 · Finale | Yellow ball. Two mixed groups; the nominated player’s score counts. | 1 front + 1 back + 1 match + ½ net birdies = 3½ |
Total: 9½ points. The displayed target is 5. The final round carries more weight than the opener, but a sufficiently strong team can still clinch early. If you prefer a smaller rules briefing, use better ball throughout and switch off side pots.
What each format means here
- Better ball: the highest net Stableford score from the four Red players counts on each hole, likewise for Blue, and the front, back and match go to the team with the higher total. This is the app’s whole-team version.
- Scramble: each team plays one shared ball by choosing its best shot each time. Enter one net Stableford score per team per hole. Agree any minimum tee-shot contributions before the round; the app does not police them.
- Yellow ball: one nominated player per team counts on each hole, rotating through the team order. Everyone still plays their own ball. Check the rotation on the scoring screen before teeing off.
A lost coloured ball can earn a fine if your group agrees, but it does not automatically eliminate the team from TourBoard’s yellow-ball round.
3. Keep hole scores and trip points separate
The scoring screen takes net Stableford points, not raw strokes. With par as the target, a net par earns two points and a net birdie earns three. For example, five strokes on a par four with one handicap stroke received is a net four: enter two points. Use the allowance displayed for the round and allocate strokes using the course’s stroke indexes.
Suppose Red record 1, 2, 3 and 0 on a better-ball hole, while Blue record 2, 2, 1 and 0. Red’s best is three against Blue’s two, so Red win that hole. The hole result contributes to the front-nine, back-nine and overall match contests. It does not immediately add a full point to the trip leaderboard.
On round one, imagine Red win the front, Blue win the back, the overall match is tied and Red win the birdie pot. Red receive ½ + ½ + ½ = 1½ trip points; Blue receive ½ + ½ = 1. A tied contest splits its stake, so a tied half-point side pot gives a quarter-point to each team.
The birdie pot is calculated from individual entries of three or more net Stableford points. The putts award is entered manually: agree how putts are counted and keep that tally during the scramble.
4. Settle these decisions in the group chat
- Tees and handicaps: confirm the tees and each player’s Course Handicap for the course being played. A Handicap Index is not automatically the number of shots received.
- Ties: our suggestion is to share the trophy if the trip finishes level. If you prefer a playoff, agree it in advance and record its outcome separately; the board does not invent a tiebreak.
- Rain: agree how you will handle a shortened or abandoned round. Never enter made-up scores to force the leaderboard to finish.
- Scoring: name the organiser responsible for entry. Players send their hole points or cards to that person; the shared view link cannot edit scores.
- Fines: agree amounts, a cap and the option to sit them out. Record only fines and side-bets the group accepted.
5. Set up the weekend in TourBoard
- Choose eight players and three competition rounds. Add your real dates and courses.
- Select the recommended week: better ball, scramble and yellow ball. Review the points and side pots against the schedule above.
- Create the free trip with your email, then add the players and check the teams and Course Handicaps.
- Keep the organiser link private. Send the board’s view link to the group chat.
- After each round, check entries and any manual awards. Share the final report when the competition is complete.
Prefer an individual points race? Download the free golf trip scoring spreadsheet for round totals and final rankings.
Rules and scope
For the underlying points system, see R&A Rule 21: Stableford. For official competition allowances, see R&A Appendix C and your national association’s guidance. TourBoard’s whole-team comparisons, yellow-ball rotation and escalating trip points are social-trip conventions; do not treat this example as an official four-ball competition.