Start with the basics

The Create Pool page collects the settings that define how your pool works. A few choices affect the tone of the competition right away, while others simply make administration easier later.

Email

If you are not logged in, you will be asked for an email address before creating the pool.

Use an email address you actually monitor. It is the safest choice for receiving sign-in links, managing the pool later, and keeping ownership tied to the right person. If you already have an account, log in first so the pool is attached directly to your user profile.

Pool Name

Choose a pool name that your players will recognize immediately.

A memorable name makes invitations easier to understand and reduces confusion if you run more than one pool during the season. Good pool names are usually short, specific, and tied to the audience, tournament, company, family, or annual tradition behind the event.

Tournament

Select the tournament this pool will be built around.

This choice should match the event your group expects to follow. If your audience is casual, pick a marquee event they already know. If your audience follows golf closely, you can be more flexible. It is worth double-checking the tournament date before you invite players so nobody joins the wrong pool by mistake.

Scoring Format

Choose how the pool will rank teams.

To Par

This format ranks teams by their combined score relative to par, with lower totals performing better.

Choose To Par if you want the pool to feel balanced from top to bottom. It usually creates a tighter leaderboard because every golfer on a team contributes to the final score, not just the winner.

In To Par scoring, golfers who are CUT, DQ, or WD receive a +8 score for every round they do not compete. For example, in a tournament with a two-day cut, a golfer who misses the cut will receive +8 for each of the two weekend rounds they miss.

Earnings

This format ranks teams by total prize money earned, with higher totals performing better.

Choose Earnings if you want a more top-heavy contest where elite finishes matter most. This can be a good fit for groups that like the drama of chasing the tournament winner, but it also means one or two standout golfers can matter much more than lineup depth.

Number of Tiers

Set how many tiers your draft board will have.

More tiers usually mean more golfers on each team and a deeper game. Fewer tiers keep setup simple and are easier for casual players to understand. If your group is new to golf pools, starting with a smaller number of tiers is usually the safer choice.

This setting is used primarily to automatically pre-populate your tiers when the pool is created. After the pool is created, you can still modify the tiers before anyone has entered a team.

Players per Tier

Set how many golfers appear in each tier.

Smaller tiers make each pick feel more important because the choices are tighter. Larger tiers give players more flexibility and can reduce overlap between teams. If you expect a competitive group that likes strategy, a slightly larger tier size can create more differentiation.

Like Number of Tiers, this setting is mainly a starting point for automatically building the initial tier list. Before anyone has entered a team, you can edit the tiers and adjust them however you want. For example, you could add every remaining golfer who is not already assigned to a tier into the last tier so every golfer in the tournament is selectable.

Golfers Counted

Choose how many of each team's picks count toward the score.

Counting all picks rewards complete lineups and steady performance across the board. Counting fewer than all picks adds volatility and gives players a chance to survive one weak golfer, missed cut, or withdrawal. If your group prefers fairness and consistency, count them all. If your group prefers more swings on the leaderboard, count fewer.

Max Teams per Email

Choose how many teams each email address can enter.

Set this to 1 if you want a simple contest where each person gets one shot. Allow more than one team if multiple entries are part of the fun or if your pool is designed to generate more participation. Keeping the limit low usually makes the standings easier to follow and avoids one participant dominating the field with volume alone.

Auto Approve Entries

Decide whether new teams join automatically or wait for approval.

Turn auto-approval on when you want the smoothest experience and trust everyone who has the link. Turn it off when you need manual control, especially if you collect entry fees or want to confirm who has paid before a team becomes active in the pool.

Create Pool

When you click Create Pool, you are not locking every decision permanently.

You will have the opportunity to come back and make changes after the pool is created, so the initial setup should be viewed as getting the pool into a good starting state rather than needing every detail to be perfect on the first pass.