Golf competition entry online, step by step

Golf competition entry online means members enter, and pay the entry fee, from their phone before a fixed deadline, and the list that builds up is the field you draw from. Set the window, the fee and the rules once, and the sheet on the noticeboard and the cash in the honesty box stop being part of the job.

For a competition secretary the hard part is Thursday evening: a sheet with crossed-out names, a box of coins that doesn't match it, two members who say they paid and a draw still to make. Then, after the round, England Golf expects results returned before midnight on the day of play.

How long should a competition entry window be?

Long enough for the members who plan their week, short enough that the draw goes out in good time. Opening entries a week or two ahead and closing them a day or two before play gives members time to plan and leaves you an evening to make the draw.

Whatever you choose, write it down and keep it the same every week. England Golf's guidance says every committee publishes terms of competition before its events, covering the dates, the entry process, the format, the handicap allowance, the tees and how ties are decided. The entry window belongs in those terms.

Three things make a window work online:

• A fixed closing time. "Entries close 18:00 Thursday" is clearer than "by the end of the week".
• A field limit, if the course needs one. When the field is full, golfers join a waiting list.
• One place to enter. If some members enter on paper and some online, you are back to merging lists.

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Should golfers pay the entry fee online or in the honesty box?

Online, at the moment they enter. When the fee is taken with the entry, the entry list and the money match by design, and nobody has to count coins against a sheet.

The honesty box has lasted because it is simple, and some members will always prefer to pay at the desk. That is fine as long as the desk entry goes on the same list. The aim is one field, with each name marked paid or not paid, rather than two records you reconcile by hand.

Paying online also settles the awkward cases before the day:

• The golfer who forgot to pay. The entry completes when the payment does, so the list only holds golfers who have paid or been marked paid at the desk.
• The full field. A golfer on the waiting list who is offered a place pays when they claim it, so the place goes to someone who has committed.
• The treasurer's question. Entry fees are counted with your competition and event takings, separate from green fees and memberships, and post to Xero or Sage if your club connects one.

How do handicap limits and divisions work in an online entry?

Set them in the competition's terms and let the entry check them. A maximum handicap to enter, a members-only rule or a section rule should stop an entry that doesn't qualify at the point of entry, not after the draw.

Divisions split the field into handicap bands, each with its own leaderboard. The important detail is what the band is based on. Set it on the golfer's Handicap Index, not the playing handicap they receive on the day, so a golfer on 12.4 stays in an "up to 12.4" division even if the tees and allowance give them 14 shots.

Two practical rules save arguments:

1. Leave no gaps by accident. A golfer whose index falls between two bands has nowhere to go. Either make the bands meet or decide in advance what happens to that golfer.
2. Fix the divisions when the draw goes out. A Handicap Index can change mid-week. Placing golfers by their index at the draw, then freezing it, means nobody changes division between the draw and the first tee.

How do you make the draw and send starting times?

Make the draw from the closed entry list, then publish starting times to every entrant. You choose the first starting time, the starting tee and how many golfers in each group, and the draw fills the times from there.

For a big field, a two-tee start puts groups on the 1st and the 10th at the same time. That needs the whole course held for the playing window, so book it out on the tee sheet before the draw rather than discovering a fourball booked on the 10th at 08:30.

Late entries and withdrawals happen after every draw. The cleanest habit is to place a late entrant into a group with space, or a new group at the next time, and tell them their starting time directly. Keep a printed start sheet at the desk for golfers without the app.

Which competition formats count for handicap?

In England, singles medal, Stableford, Par/Bogey and Maximum Score competition scores are acceptable for handicap purposes, according to England Golf. Matchplay scores are not.

Two more England Golf rules matter when you set up the round:

• Holes played. For a nine-hole score to count, all nine holes must be played. For an 18-hole score, the golfer must complete at least 10 holes.
• Handicap allowance. England Golf's table sets 95% for individual strokeplay, Stableford, Par/Bogey and Maximum Score, and 85% for fourball strokeplay.

You may have read that committees can now choose their own playing handicap allowances. Golf Ireland trialled that in 2025. England Golf has postponed any change to playing handicap allowances in England until 2028, so English clubs keep the mandatory table for now.

Mark a competition as qualifying in its terms, so members know before they enter whether the score will go on their record.

How do you post competition results the same day?

Score on phones during the round, check the cards, then confirm the results and return the scores through your handicap system before midnight. England Golf's guidance is that results must be processed promptly and returned before midnight on the day of play.

The evening goes quicker when the scores are already in. If golfers enter scores hole by hole and a playing partner signs the card on their phone, the secretary only has to check them. The cards that need a decision are the ones to look at first:

• a card the marker hasn't signed, where a marker is needed;
• an unfinished strokeplay card, which is a no return;
• a golfer without a playing handicap set.

Ties are settled by countback over the last 9, 6, 3 and 1 holes, the method most UK clubs use, unless the committee decides an order. Write which one you use into the terms, so nobody argues it at the bar.

Once the results are confirmed, tell every entrant where they finished, put the leaderboard on the clubhouse screen and share a link for the noticeboard. If you find a mistake later, reopen the results with a reason and tell only the golfers whose result changed.

How it works in Tuvabook

Tuvabook runs each step above from one competition, with members entering in your club's app and staff working from the dashboard.

Competitions › New competition

1. 
   Create the competition from a Medal, 4BBB or Texas Scramble preset, with the entry fee, field limit, tees, entry deadline and handicap limits. Click Publish and members can enter and pay in the app.
2. 
   Members add their Handicap Index in the app. Entries outside the handicap limits are stopped at entry, and divisions place golfers by Handicap Index.
3. 
   Generate the draw from the entry list, with a one-tee or two-tee start. Publishing it sends each entrant their starting time and tee.
4. 
   Golfers score hole by hole, markers sign on their phones and the live leaderboard updates as cards come in.
5. 
   Click Confirm results to settle the cards, apply countback and tell golfers where they finished. Your club's handicap system carries on as it does today.

Desk entries go on the same list, marked Paid at the desk or Not paid yet. Turn on Counts toward handicaps for a singles strokeplay, Stableford or bogey competition. See Tuvabook competitions for the leaderboard, public page and clubhouse screen.

Sample entry terms any club can use

Put this at the top of each competition's entry page or noticeboard entry, whatever system you use.

Add if your club offers it:

• The field limit and how the waiting list works.
• Whether the competition counts for handicap.
• The tees in play, and any separate tees for ladies.
• Where the results will be posted.

Where to go next

Taking money when a golfer commits works the same way for tee times as it does for entries; our guide to paying at booking without upsetting members covers how to introduce it. For society days, read how to take payment for a golf society booking. If you are comparing systems, what to look for in golf club booking software lists the questions to ask, and the competitions hub collects our competition guides.

Common questions

Can members still enter at the desk if entries are online? Yes. Staff add the golfer to the same entry list and mark them paid at the desk or not paid yet. One list means the draw and the takings still match.

When do competition results need to be returned? England Golf's guidance is that results go back before midnight on the day of play. Scoring on phones and confirming the cards straight after the round makes that a short job rather than a late one.

Can English clubs choose their own playing handicap allowances? Not yet. England Golf has postponed any change to playing handicap allowances in England until 2028, so the mandatory table applies, with 95% for individual strokeplay and Stableford.