Courses

Accurate course and tee information is essential to scoring and handicap calculations.

Golf League HQ supports existing courses, course search and import, scorecard-photo scanning, and manual course administration for authorized league managers.

Overview

Course information can include:

• Course name
• Hole count
• Tees
• Tee gender/category
• Course rating
• Slope rating
• Yardages
• Pars
• Stroke indexes
• Named nines

Golf League HQ uses this information throughout rounds, scorecards, and handicap calculations.

Before You Begin

Before scheduling league play, confirm that the course has the tee information your league needs.

At minimum, pay special attention to:

• Tee name
• Course rating
• Slope
• Hole pars
• Stroke indexes

Incomplete tee information can affect scoring and handicap behavior.

Select an Existing Course

When creating a round, start by searching the courses already available in Golf League HQ.

If the course and tee data are correct, use the existing record rather than creating another copy.

Search & Import a Course

Authenticated users can search for a course through the supported course-search integration and add it to Golf League HQ.

From the round setup form, open the course search, type the course or club name, and select the matching result to bring its tee data into Golf League HQ.

Imported course information should still be reviewed before league play.

Scan a Scorecard

Platform admins and league Commissioners or Secretaries can use the scorecard-photo scanning workflow.

This can help create or update course information from a physical scorecard.

The scan is a starting point, not a replacement for review.

Who Can Manage Course Data?

Course data access splits into two levels:

• Search and import (adding a course from the built-in course database) — any signed-in Golf League HQ user, including players adding a course for a solo round.
• Manual entry, editing, and scorecard-photo scanning — platform admins and any user holding a Commissioner or Secretary role in a league.

Players without a manager role can still search and import courses, but cannot manually create, edit, or scan course data.

Tees

A course can contain multiple tees.

Each tee can include information such as:

• Tee name
• Gender/category
• Rating
• Slope
• Yardage
• Hole-specific values

Rounds can allow one or more tees.

Primary Tee During Round Creation

When commissioners select allowed tees for a round, Golf League HQ derives the Primary tee from the first selected allowed tee and updates that choice as the selection changes.

The Primary tee's rating and slope are copied onto the round.

Rating and Slope

Rating and slope are important for handicap calculations.

If required values are missing, Golf League HQ may not be able to calculate the normal differential for a round.

Stroke Indexes

Stroke indexes determine the order in which handicap strokes are applied across the holes.

If an imported tee is missing stroke indexes, the scorecard can show incomplete handicap-hole information.

Review stroke indexes before league play.

Yardages

Hole yardages support the player scorecard and course experience.

Imported or scanned data should be checked for missing or incorrect yardages.

Pars

Make sure the hole pars match the tee/course configuration your league intends to use.

Par information is used in several scoring and handicap-related contexts.

Nine-Hole Play

Golf League HQ supports nine-hole rounds.

If an 18-hole course defines named nines, the round setup can use those definitions.

Otherwise, the round can use the applicable front/back selection.

Editing Course Information

Authorized managers can update supported course and tee information.

Be careful when changing a course that has already been used for league rounds.

Avoid Duplicate Courses

Before importing or scanning a course, search for the existing course first.

Duplicate course records can make round setup confusing and can result in different tee data being used for different events.

Best Practices

Validate the course before the first league round

Don't discover missing stroke indexes on the first tee.

Review imported data

Treat imported information as data to verify, not unquestioned truth.

Check every tee your league uses

One tee may be complete while another is missing rating, slope, or hole information.

Avoid mid-season course edits unless necessary

If a correction is needed, understand that existing rounds may retain their previously saved values.

Common Questions

Can I search for a course that isn't already in Golf League HQ?

Yes. Golf League HQ supports course search and import.

Can I scan a paper scorecard?

Platform admins and league Commissioners or Secretaries can use the scorecard-photo scanning workflow. Scanning is not available to players without one of those roles.

Can a Secretary manage course data?

Yes. Secretaries have the same course-management access as Commissioners: manual course entry, editing, and scorecard scanning.

Can a regular player add a course?

Yes — a player can search the built-in course database and import a course (for example, for a solo round). Manual entry, editing, and scanning stay limited to platform admins, Commissioners, and Secretaries.

Why is a tee missing from round setup?

Check whether that tee exists and has been configured for the course.

Why are handicap-hole values blank?

The tee may be missing stroke-index information.

Why isn't a differential available?

Check the course rating and slope information used by the round.

If I correct a tee's rating, will old rounds change?

Do not assume so. Existing rounds retain rating/slope values saved on the round.