Commissioner Guides

Leagues, Tournaments, Simple Events and Groups: Which One Do You Need?

3 min read · by theStick

The most common commissioner mistake in theStick isn't a setting — it's picking the wrong container. Each one is built for a different shape of golf, and the right choice takes about a minute once you ask the right questions. Here's the map.

The one question that decides it

Ask: does this repeat, and how many groups play at once? The same players every week is a Group or a League. One big day is a Simple Event. A structured competition with a start and an end is a Tournament.

Group: the same buddies, every week

A Group is the same set of players playing together week after week. It's limited to one physical group per event — everyone tees off together, with no multi-group coordination — but the roster itself can be much bigger than four and can rotate, because not everyone on the roster has to play every time. There's a Regular Group for outdoor play and a Sim Group for indoor simulator rounds, with a preset course rotation so you're not picking a course every week. Choose a Group for your Friday game, your winter simulator night, or your standing foursome with a rotating cast.

League: a season with standings

A League is an ongoing season with a roster, standings, and points. Several groups can play the same event on the same day, and the league rolls every round up into season-long standings and splits pool payouts across every group. It's also where the spectator features live: Pick'Em contests, live Side Action, and a watch link for anyone following along. Choose a League when you have more than one group, or when you want a season-long points race and an order of merit.

Tournament: a bounded competition that settles on its own

A Tournament is a structured competition with a beginning and an end — there is no ongoing season. It's run by a single organizer and is invite-only. There are four kinds, each with its own rules and setup: Stroke Play, Bracket, Ryder Cup and Round Robin. Choose one when the format is the point: a club championship, a knockout, a two-team cup, a match play season between the same twelve people.

Simple Event: one casual day, no season

A Simple Event is a single, casual day of golf — one round, one field, with no flights, no partner formats and no finale. It's the quickest way to set up a one-off day for several groups, and it can stand alone or be one of a league's own event dates. If you catch yourself needing flights, teams, or more than one round, that's the signal to run a Tournament instead — a Simple Event can be converted when you get there.

How they connect

These aren't separate silos. A League can charter Tournaments and Simple Events into its season, so their results feed the league's order of merit — a member-guest weekend or a season-ending championship can count toward the same standings your weekly nights do.

A quick chooser

The same four or five players every week, one group: Group.

A recurring roster with several groups and a season: League.

One big day, one round, everybody in one field: Simple Event.

A championship, a bracket, a cup, or a match play season: Tournament.

A season-long points race that also has a marquee event or two: League, with a Tournament chartered into it.

What every one of them gets

Whichever you pick, the core is the same: the games engine settles every game on the card, watchers can follow live from a link, and money is tracked per game so you can see exactly who owes who. What changes is the structure around it — standings, flights, pairings, and how long it lasts.

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