Match play

Quick answer. In match play two golfers play each other hole by hole. The golfer with the lower score wins the hole, and the golfer who wins the match moves on, like a knockout. You build a bracket from the golfers who signed up, from 3 to 32 players. If the number is not 4, 8, 16 or 32, the top seeds skip the first round. Golfers tap Won Hole, Lost Hole or Halved Hole after each hole. The bracket moves the winners along by itself, and you settle any match that ends level.

Who can do this: only an Admin can open the bracket page, build the bracket and settle a match. Golfers record their own holes. Everyone with the link can read the public bracket.

Before you start

Make the event with Match Play as the format and open sign-ups, as in Set up your event in four steps. While you are setting it up, the box called Match Play scoring has a tick box, Net match play — apply handicap strokes (players enter scores). Leave it empty for gross, where golfers tap who won each hole. Tick it for net, where golfers type their scores instead and the hole winner is worked out with handicap strokes. You choose this while you set the event up, so decide before you build the bracket. The steps below are for gross.

The steps

1. Open the bracket. On the event page find the box called Match Play Bracket and press ⚙ Bracket.
2. Check the numbers. The card called Build the bracket shows Players, Bracket, Byes and Rounds. It reads "Every registered or confirmed player is in. When the field is short of 8, the top seeds sit out the first round." The 8 there is your own bracket size.
3. Choose the seeding. Under Seeding, choose By handicap — the lowest handicap is seed 1, or Set the order myself. With the second one, each golfer gets an up arrow and a down arrow in the Order column so you can move them.
4. Build it. Press the big button, such as Build the 8-player bracket. A line at the top reads, for example, "5 players · 8-player bracket · 3 rounds · seeded by handicap". Each match is a box, and winners move into the next round as matches finish.
5. Golfers play. Each golfer opens the event from their own account, on My Event. Their match card shows Opponent, Score and Holes, such as "2 completed · 16 remaining", with the Next Hole under it. After each hole they tap Won Hole, Lost Hole or Halved Hole.
6. Watch it move. The bracket page says "Winners move on as matches are scored, and this page updates on its own." Press Refresh if you want it now.
7. Settle a level match. When a match ends level, the box on the bracket reads "Match halved. You choose who advances." and has a Choose who advances button. A golfer in that match sees "Your match ended without a winner. The organizer will choose who advances." Press the button. The panel is called Who advances? with the round and match number. Press the name of the golfer who goes through. You can type a short reason in Why? (optional — shown on the bracket), such as "Won the chip-off". Press Confirm.
8. Settle a match that will not be played. A match that has not started shows Decide without playing. Use it when someone withdraws. The panel says "Picking a player here ends the match and sends them through. Use it when someone withdraws or the match won't be played."
9. Share it. Press Public bracket & print to open the bracket for everyone with the link. When the final is settled the page shows Champion and the winner's name.

What you should see

Here is a practice event with five golfers: Dave Prentiss (handicap 5.6), Steve Abernathy (9.1), Rick Delgado (12.0), Bob Hendricks (18.2) and Susan Tillman (24.0). Seeded by handicap, Dave is seed 1 and Susan is seed 5.

Five golfers need an 8-player bracket with 3 byes. Dave, Steve and Rick skip the quarterfinals and each box says "bye". Only Bob and Susan play in the first round. They halved their match, so the box showed Choose who advances. We chose Bob and typed "Won the chip-off", and the bracket then said "Bob Hendricks advances — Won the chip-off". In the semifinals Dave faces Bob, and Steve faces Rick. We pressed Decide without playing on the second one and chose Steve with the same note. The final waits for the winners and says "Waiting for the winners".

If it goes wrong

• An Organizer pressed ⚙ Bracket and got "Access denied". The page says "You do not have access to this resource." The bracket page is for Admins. Ask an Admin to build it and settle matches.
• The page says "This event is set up as … not Match Play." The format on Event settings is something else. Change it there, then come back.
• The page says "This event has no rounds yet." Add a round in the event settings, then come back to build the bracket.
• The build button is greyed out. A yellow message above it says why. It may say "A bracket needs at least 3 registered players. This event has 2." or "A bracket holds up to 32 players." Add or remove golfers in the field.
• A level match is stuck. A golfer who halved the match cannot move on by themselves. Press Choose who advances and pick one.
• Somebody withdrew before their match. Press Decide without playing and choose their opponent. Type "Opponent withdrew" in the reason so everyone sees it.
• The seeding is wrong. If no match has been played yet, press Start over. The page asks "Remove this bracket and its matches? Nothing has been played yet, so nothing is lost." Press Yes, start over, change Seeding, and build again. Once a match has been played there is no Start over.
• A golfer cannot find their match. They need to open the event from their own account. Golfers who are waiting for their opponent see "Your opponent is still to be decided."

Director's tip

Tell the golfers before the first match that a level match is settled by you, and say how. A chip-off, a closest-to-the-pin or a coin toss all work, as long as everyone heard it first. Then type who won in the reason, so the bracket tells the story.

Related

• How scoring works on game day
• Stroke play: gross and net
• Build the field
• Set up your event in four steps

Still stuck?

Email support@back9ops.com and tell us the event's name, how many golfers are in it, and the round and match number where the bracket is not what you expected.