Tournament Scheduling

Powerful tools to create player pairings and manage tee times for events of any size.

Overview

The scheduling system handles the complex logistics of golf tournament organization:

Automatic Pairing: Generate balanced player groups with one click
Flexible Strategies: Seven pairing methods for different tournament types
Tee Time Management: Single tee, two-tee, and shotgun start configurations
Multi-Round Support: Consistent or rotating pairings across multiple days
Round Robin: Complete schedules where everyone plays everyone
Fairness Tracking: Balance early/late tee times across rounds

Pairing Strategies

Choose the right strategy for your event type.

Random

Pure random assignment using Fisher-Yates shuffle. No player data required.

Use when: Social events, casual outings, quick setup needed.

By Handicap

Players sorted by handicap index, grouped sequentially from lowest to highest.

Use when: Competitive events, single-flight tournaments, elite player groupings.

Balanced

Snake draft pattern creating groups with similar total handicaps.

Use when: Team scrambles, events where group skill balance matters, handicap-based competitions.

AB/ABC/ABCD

Skill-bracket pairing that places one player from each tier into every group.

Strategy	Tiers	Description
AB	2	One low-handicap, one high-handicap player
ABC	3	One each from top, middle, and bottom tiers
ABCD	4	One player from each quartile

Use when: Charity scrambles, corporate outings, events needing competitive balance.

By Previous Results

Pairs players based on scores from a completed round.

Ordering	Description
Leaders Last	Best scores go off last (traditional)
Leaders First	Best scores go off first
Reverse Horseshoe	Middle scorers first, leaders and trailers last

Use when: Multi-day tournaments, club championships, televised-style events.

Custom

Creates groups respecting scheduling rules only, without automatic sorting.

Use when: Events with specific VIP or sponsor requirements, manual override situations.

Tee Time Configurations

Three start formats to match your course and field size.

Single Tee Start

All groups begin from Hole 1 at regular intervals.

Groups start sequentially from the first tee
Configurable intervals (typically 8-12 minutes)
Best for smaller fields or when pace control is important

Two-Tee Start

Groups alternate between Hole 1 and Hole 10.

Cuts total event time roughly in half
Same interval spacing on both tees
Best for medium-sized events (40-100 players)

Shotgun Start

All groups start simultaneously from different holes.

Up to 18 groups start at once (one per hole)
With doubles enabled, up to 36 groups can start
Configurable hole priority for double assignments
Best for large corporate events and charity tournaments

Shotgun Priority Options:

Fill from One: Sequential hole assignment (1, 2, 3…)
Balanced: Even distribution across all holes
Priority Holes: Specific holes receive groups first

Scheduling Rules

Control player groupings with keep-together and keep-apart rules.

Keep Together

Force specific players into the same group:

Sponsors who want to play together
Family groups
Business partners

Keep Apart

Prevent specific players from being grouped:

Business competitors
Known personality conflicts
Team members in inter-team competitions

Priority System

Rules have priority levels (1-10). Higher priority rules take precedence when conflicts arise.

Swap Operations

Fine-tune pairings after generation.

Operation	Description
Swap Players	Exchange two players between groups
Move Player	Move one player to a different group
Swap Groups	Exchange all players or tee times between groups

Multi-Round Features

Comprehensive support for multi-day and multi-round events.

Consistent Pairings

Keep identical groups across all rounds. Players stay with the same partners throughout the event.

Rotating Pairings

Maximize player mixing. The system ensures players meet different opponents in each round.

Copy Pairings

Duplicate one round’s pairings to another with options to:

Offset tee times (e.g., morning to afternoon)
Swap starting holes (Hole 1 becomes Hole 10)
Keep or change tee times

Fairness Metrics

Track and balance per-player statistics:

Early vs. late tee time count
Front nine vs. back nine starts
Overall fairness score

Enable Optimize Fairness to automatically balance tee times when generating multi-round pairings.

Wave Scheduling

For large events spanning multiple courses, waves, or sessions.

Wave Configuration

Define multiple courses with:

Available starting holes per course
Tee time windows (AM/PM, Wave 1/2/3)
Player assignment methods

Player Assignment Methods

Method	Description
By Division	Players stay within their division
By Flight	Players stay within their skill flight
By Handicap	Distribute by handicap range
Random	Random wave assignment
Custom Field	Use imported data field

Second Round Swaps

Automatic adjustments for two-round events:

Swap courses (different course on day 2)
Swap starting tees (1 to 10, 10 to 1)
Swap AM/PM sessions
Reverse group order

Round Robin Scheduling

Complete schedules where every participant faces every other.

Circle Method Algorithm

The system uses the mathematically optimal circle method to generate:

Balanced matchups across all rounds
No repeated pairings
Even distribution of matchups per round

Participant Types

Type	Description
Teams	Team vs. team competition
Individuals	Player vs. player matchups

Seeding Options

Seeding	Description
Team Order	By registration/roster order
Alphabetical	By participant name
Handicap	By skill level
Custom	Manual seed assignment

Tee Sheet Formats

Format	Group Size	Use Case
Twosomes	2 players	Head-to-head match play
Foursomes	4 players	Standard team matches
Sixsomes	6 players	Larger team formats

Open Tee Times

Self-service booking for casual events.

Configuration

Define available booking windows:

First and last tee times
Interval between slots
Maximum players per slot
Blocked times (maintenance, reserved)

Player Experience

Players can:

View available times
Select preferred slots
Book with friends
Modify bookings (if enabled)

Administrator Controls

Organizers can:

Override any booking
Block additional times
Cancel bookings
View real-time availability

Use Cases

Charity Golf Tournament (120 players)

Use ABCD pairing for balanced groups
Configure Shotgun Start with doubles
Apply sponsor “keep together” rules
Generate and distribute tee sheet

Club Championship (48 players, 3 rounds)

Round 1: Random pairing for variety
Rounds 2-3: By Previous Results with leaders last
Enable Fairness Optimization for tee time balance
Use Two-Tee Start to manage pace

Corporate Outing (80 players)

Use Balanced strategy for team scrambles
Apply company/department separation rules
Configure Shotgun Start for simultaneous finish
Enable awards ceremony timing

Ryder Cup Style Event (24 players, 6 rounds)

Create Round Robin schedule
Set participant type to Teams
Configure Twosomes for match play
Generate complete match schedule

Integration Points

The scheduling system integrates with:

Player Registration: Auto-include confirmed players
Handicap System: Use current handicaps for pairing
Live Scoring: Groups sync with scoring interface
Leaderboards: Standings update as groups report scores

Technical Details

API Endpoints

Endpoint	Description
`POST /rounds/:id/auto-pair`	Generate automatic pairings
`POST /rounds/:id/swap-players`	Swap two players
`POST /rounds/:id/move-player`	Move player to new group
`POST /rounds/:id/bulk-tee-times`	Assign tee times
`POST /events/:id/multi-round-pairings`	Multi-round setup
`POST /events/:id/round-robin`	Round robin schedule
`POST /rounds/:id/open-tee-times`	Configure self-booking

Group Limits

Setting	Range
Players per group	2-6
Groups per shotgun hole	1-2
Scheduling rule priority	1-10
Tee time interval	5-30 minutes

Next Steps

Scheduling Guide - Step-by-step setup instructions
Competition Formats - Configure scoring for groups
Tournament Management - Complete event setup