Scoring Format

Format of Play — game format, handicap basis, USGA slope adjustment, and group size.

The Format page controls how scores are calculated and how golfers are grouped for play.

Setting the Format

Click Format in the tournament navigation.
Select the primary Format Type.
Choose the Handicap Basis.
Set the Group Type.
Set the default Tee Color.
Enter any Local Rules that apply.
Click Save.

Field / Option	Description
Format Type	Stroke Play (default), Stableford, Modified Stableford, Match Play, Best Ball, Scramble, Shamble, or Skins.
Handicap Basis	Full Handicap, 3/4, 1/2, or Gross (no handicap). Controls the allowance applied to course handicap.
Group Type	Mix (foursomes when possible), Foursomes only, Twosomes only, or Threesomes only. Can be overridden per group in Pairings.
Tee Color	Default tee color for all golfers. Can be overridden per golfer on the Roster page.
Local Rules	Free-text area for special rules (e.g., preferred lies, OB rules).

Score Cap Setting

The Allow Actual Scores toggle is located in Tournament Details (Setup page, first section). It applies globally to the tournament. When OFF (the default), each hole score is capped at double par — the standard stroke play maximum. Enable it only when your format specifically requires recording all strokes.

Slope Rating in Handicap Calculations

The Use Slope Rating toggle on the Format page controls whether the course slope rating is factored into each golfer’s course handicap. This setting auto-saves immediately when you flip the toggle — no separate Save button required.

Field / Option	Description
Use Slope Rating ON (default)	Course handicap is calculated using the full USGA slope formula: Course HCP = round(Handicap Index × Slope ÷ 113). Golfers playing a harder course (slope > 113) receive more strokes; easier courses give fewer. This is the USGA-standard calculation and the recommended setting for most tournaments.
Use Slope Rating OFF	The slope is treated as the neutral value of 113, so the formula simplifies to: Course HCP = round(Handicap Index × 1.0). Every golfer’s course handicap equals their handicap index regardless of the course difficulty. Use this when all golfers play the same tee, the slope data is unavailable, or the tournament format calls for index-only handicaps.

Note: This toggle affects **all scoring calculations** for the tournament — net scores, individual and group prize standings, Skins, Match Play, Nassau, Wolf, Side Wager, Pick N, and the Fun Stats composable all respect the Slope Enabled setting.

Tip: If your course data was auto-filled from the course database, the slope rating is already correct and Use Slope Rating should remain ON. Only disable it if the course slope is unknown or your local rules require index-only handicaps.

Automatic USGA Handicap Allowances

By default every competition plays off 100% of course handicap (adjusted by the Handicap Basis you chose above). The Apply USGA handicap allowances toggle on the Format page lets net scoring apply the USGA / WHS Appendix C allowance that matches each format instead:

Competition	Allowance applied
Four-ball (better ball of two)	85%
Best ball of four	75%
Foursomes / alternate shot	50%
Scramble	Weighted percentages by team size (see Scramble Format)
Individual net play	100%, or an optional WHS 95% via the sub-toggle

A read-only line shows the derived allowance for every competition in the tournament, e.g. “Individual 100% · Twosome 85% · Foursome 75%”.
The WHS 95% for individual net play sub-toggle is off by default — individual net stays at 100% unless you turn it on.
The allowance is off by default for existing tournaments — turn it on per tournament.
Only scored strokes change. Team Flight bucketing is calculated from full handicaps and is unaffected.

Scramble Format

In a Scramble, all players in the team tee off, the team selects its best drive, and everyone plays their next shot from that spot — repeating until the ball is holed. Only one shared score per team per hole is entered on the Scores page. When Format Type is set to Scramble, a Scramble Grouping field and a Prize Basis field appear on the Format page.

Field / Option	Description
Two Man Scramble	Each twosome within a foursome scrambles on its own — two team scores are recorded per foursome scorecard. Team net uses a blended 35/15% handicap split.
Foursome Scramble	The whole foursome scrambles together as one team — a single team score is recorded per foursome. Team net uses a blended 25/20/15/10% handicap split. This is independent of the general Group Size setting.
Two Man Scramble + Foursome Bonus	Scores exactly like Two Man Scramble (35/15% handicap split), but the better of the two twosome scores per foursome also competes for a separate Foursome prize — no extra scores to enter. A winning twosome can legitimately place in both the Twosome and Foursome prize categories on the same day; that is expected, not a scoring error.
Prize Basis	Gross or Net. Controls whether Scramble prize standings are calculated on raw team scores (Gross) or on the blended-handicap team net score (Net).

Shamble Format

A Shamble is a hybrid format: all players tee off and the team plays its best drive, exactly like a Scramble, but from that point each player plays their own ball into the hole and enters their own individual score as usual on the Scores page. When Format Type is set to Shamble, a Shamble Team Score field appears on the Format page, controlling how the team score for each hole is derived from the individual scores.

Field / Option	Description
Best Ball	The team score for the hole is the single lowest individual net score among the team’s players.
Two Best Balls	The team score for the hole is the sum of the two lowest individual net scores among the team’s players.
All Balls	The team score for the hole is the sum of every individual net score among the team’s players.

Note: Because each Shamble player enters their own full score, individual net and gross standings are available in addition to the team score — unlike Scramble, which only ever records one shared team score per hole.