Commissioner's guide
How to run a one‑and‑done golf pool
In a one-and-done pool, each member picks one golfer every week and can never use him again that season. The game is simple. Running it well comes down to about eight decisions you make before the first tee time.
The rules in one paragraph
Each counted week, every member picks one golfer from that tournament's field. Once you've used a golfer, he's gone for you for the rest of the season, but other members can still pick him. Your golfer's result that week is your score, usually the prize money he earns. The member with the highest season total wins.
The tension is the whole point. The best golfers are worth the most in the biggest events, and you only get each of them once. Do you spend the world No. 1 at a signature event in March, or save him for a major?
1. Choose which events count
The 2027 PGA TOUR season starts with The American Express on January 18 and runs 36 tournaments through the TOUR Championship, August 23 to 29 (PGA TOUR schedule). You don't have to count all of them.
| Season | Weeks | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Every PGA TOUR event | 36 | Groups who check in every week and want the deepest strategy |
| Skip opposite-field and small events | About 25 to 30 | Most friend and office pools |
| Signature events and majors only | About 12 | Casual groups who only want the big weeks |
| The four majors | 4 | A light game, often with several picks a week |
Whatever you choose, publish the list before the first event. Adding or dropping events mid-season changes how valuable every golfer is, and someone will have planned around the old list.
2. Choose how a week is scored
- Prize money. The classic. Wins and majors pay far more, so one great week can swing a season. Easy to explain.
- FedEx Cup points. Similar shape to prize money, with less distance between a win and a top 10.
- Finishing position points. A points table by place. Steadier, and small-purse events count as much as big ones unless you add multipliers.
- Strokes. Total strokes to par, lowest wins. Rewards golfers who make cuts. A missed cut needs a penalty, usually the worst made-cut score plus a few strokes.
If you're unsure, use prize money. It's what most people expect from the format.
3. Set when picks lock
Lock picks at the first tee time of round one, not at a fixed time like Wednesday at midnight. Late withdrawals happen on Wednesday nights and Thursday mornings, and a fixed early lock punishes people for news they couldn't have seen. Locking later than the first tee time lets someone take a golfer who already posted a hot front nine.
Picks should stay hidden until lock, including from the commissioner. Nobody can copy anyone, and nobody can accuse the commissioner of it.
4. Decide what a missed pick costs
Someone will forget. Decide now what happens, because the argument is much worse in week 14.
- A zero for the week. Simple, and usually enough.
- A set penalty, for pools where a zero isn't harsh enough.
- The worst score in the pool that week, which is fair to the person who missed.
- An automatic pick, such as the betting favorite or a golfer the member reserved for that week. This keeps people in the race, and most pool software offers it.
Reminders cut misses more than any penalty does. An email a day before lock, and a last call two hours before, catches most of them.
5. Settle withdrawals before they happen
There are two cases, and your rules should name both.
- Before lock: the member can switch to anyone they haven't used. If they don't switch, decide whether an automatic replacement steps in or the week scores zero.
- After lock: the week counts as played. A golfer who withdraws mid-tournament earns whatever he earned, usually nothing, and he still counts as used.
The usual exception: if the commissioner voids an entry, for example because of a tournament mix-up, the golfer becomes available to that member again. Write down that only the commissioner can do this, and that it's recorded.
6. Make the majors matter
With prize money scoring, the majors and signature events already pay more. Many pools still add a multiplier to the four majors, often double, so the season's best golfers get spent where everyone is watching. If you score by finishing position, a multiplier is the only way the majors count for more.
In 2027 the majors are the Masters (week of April 5), the PGA Championship (May 17 to 23), the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (June 14 to 20) and The Open at St Andrews (July 12 to 18).
7. Keep the back half interesting
By July, part of the pool knows it can't win. Segments fix that: smaller races inside the season with their own standings, such as a West Coast swing, a spring stretch through the Masters, or just the majors. Some pools also make every golfer available again at the start of each segment, which gives late joiners a real chance.
Another option is to count each member's best weeks only, such as the best 20 of 28, so one bad stretch doesn't end a season.
8. Handle dues and prizes
If your group plays for something, settle it among yourselves and keep it simple. Collect before the first lock, write the prize split into the rules, and track who has paid in one place. Splitting part of the prize across segments keeps more people invested through the summer.
Check the rules where you live before money changes hands, especially for office pools. Linkside CC never collects dues or pays out prizes; it only runs the game.
The weekly routine
- Friday to Sunday: the tour publishes the next field. Picks open.
- Tuesday or Wednesday: a reminder to anyone who hasn't picked.
- Thursday: picks lock at the first tee time, and everyone's picks become visible.
- Sunday night or Monday: results go in, standings update, and someone in the group text claims they had the winner all along.
Run by hand, this can easily take the commissioner an hour or two a week. Most of it is chasing picks and typing results.
Rules you can copy
Paste these into your group chat or sign-up page and change the parts in brackets.
- Each counted week, pick one golfer from that tournament's field. You can't use the same golfer twice this season. Other members can pick him.
- Counted events: [every PGA TOUR event from The American Express through the TOUR Championship].
- Your score is your golfer's [official prize money] for the week. The highest season total wins.
- Picks lock at the first tee time of round one. Picks stay hidden until lock.
- Majors count [double].
- No pick by lock: [an automatic pick of the betting favorite is entered for you].
- If your golfer withdraws before lock, you may switch. After lock, the week counts and he's used.
- Only the commissioner can change or void a pick, and every change is recorded with a reason.
- [Dues and prize split, collected before the first lock.]
Run it on Linkside CC, free
Linkside runs every decision above for you. Fields, results and standings fill in on their own. Picks lock at the first tee time and stay hidden until then. Reminders go only to members who haven't picked. A golfer who withdraws before lock is swapped automatically, and the committee's pick sheet keeps a full history of every change.
You choose the format, scoring, counted events, majors multiplier, segments and missed-pick rule, and you can play tiers, a season draft, salary cap or survivor instead.
Common questions
Can two people pick the same golfer?
Yes. The one-and-done limit is per member: you can't use a golfer twice yourself, but anyone else can pick him the same week.
What if my pick withdraws?
Before lock, switch to someone you haven't used. After lock, most pools count the week as played. A golfer who withdraws mid-tournament usually earns nothing and still counts as used.
How many events should we count?
Anything from the four majors to all 36 tournaments. Most friend pools count 20 to 30, skipping opposite-field events.
Can people join after the season starts?
Usually yes. Decide whether late joiners score zero for weeks they missed or start level on a segment. Counting best weeks only also helps.
More questions about how Linkside handles these? See the FAQ.