Everything you need to know — from your first round to running a 32-player tournament.
Section 1
Settle Up Golf works on any phone — download it from the App Store, Google Play, or open app.settleup-golf.com in your browser. No install required for the browser version.
Sign up with your email and password, or use "Sign in with Google" or "Sign in with Apple" for one-tap access. That's it — you're in.
The app has a 4-tab navigation bar at the bottom of the screen:
After signing in, you'll land on your Profile page. This is the one thing you need to do before anything else:
Search for your name in the player database and select yourself. If you're not in there yet, tap "Create a new player" and fill in your name and handicap index. This links your account to a player so the app can track your stats across rounds.
Add your display name, handicap index, and optionally your phone number (only visible to friends). Set a preferred course if you have a home course.
Tap Save. The rest of the app unlocks and you're ready to start a round.
Your handicap index is used to calculate course handicaps and stroke allocations for every game. Keep it updated for accurate results.
Before your first round, you'll want to add the players you play with and the course you play at. Open the Menu (bottom right tab) and tap Players or Courses.
Players: Tap "Add Player" and enter their name and handicap index. City and state are optional. You can also favorite players you play with regularly — they'll show up at the top of every list.
Courses: Tap "Add Course" and you'll see two options: "Search Course" (AI-powered) or "Add Manually."
Tap Search Course, type the course name and city/state, and the app uses AI to find it and auto-populate all tee data — par, handicap index, rating, and slope for every tee. This saves you from manually entering 18+ fields per tee. Review the results before saving; the data is usually accurate but occasionally needs a small correction.
Tap Add Manually and enter the course name, city, and tee information yourself. For each tee (White, Blue, Black, etc.), enter the rating, slope, par for each hole, and the handicap index for each hole (1 through 18, no duplicates). The app uses this data to calculate course handicaps and determine which holes each player gets strokes on.
Always double-check AI-populated course data before saving. Hole handicaps and tee ratings are usually spot-on, but it's worth a quick glance to make sure everything matches your scorecard.
Players and courses are shared across all users. If someone in your group already added your course, you'll find it when you search. You can favorite it for quick access.
New users see a checklist card on the Home screen that walks you through the essential setup steps: link your player, set your handicap, choose a home course, and complete your first round. Each step links to the right page. Once you've completed everything (or tapped dismiss), it goes away.
Open Menu → Settings to customize the app. You can switch between Dark, Light, or Auto (follows your phone's system theme). Haptic feedback and notification preferences are also here.
Section 2
From the Home screen, you'll see two sections: Join a Round (enter a share code) and New Round (create one yourself). To start a new round:
Pick from your favorites or search all courses. If your course isn't there yet, you can add it from the Courses page first.
Tap "Add Players" and select 2 to 5 players from the list. Your favorites appear at the top. You can also add a guest player (name + optional index) for someone not in the database — guests are temporary and won't be saved after the round.
For each player, select which tee they're playing from (e.g., White, Blue). The app automatically calculates their course handicap using the tee's rating and slope, and shows the stroke allocation — colored dots indicating which holes they get strokes on.
Select hole count. For 9-hole rounds, choose Front 9 or Back 9. Some games (like Sixes) require 18 holes, so they won't be available for 9-hole rounds.
Tap "+ Add" to pick a game. You can stack as many games as you want — Stroke, Skins, and Wolf all running at once? Go for it. Configure each game's options (wager amounts, teams, Nassau, etc.) and tap "Start Round" when you're ready.
Tired of configuring the same wagers every time? Set your defaults once and they auto-fill whenever you add a game.
Go to Menu → Game Defaults.
Tap any game type to expand it and set your preferred wagers, Net/Gross, Off the Low, Nassau, press settings, and more.
Your defaults sync across devices. There's also a separate section for tournament defaults (Skins, Low Net, Low Gross, Group v. Group).
You can reset any game back to factory defaults with the "Reset" button inside each game's settings.
The number of players determines which games are available:
| Game | 2 Players | 3 Players | 4 Players | 5 Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke | ✓ Individual | ✓ Individual | ✓ Individual or 2v2 | ✓ Individual |
| Match | ✓ 1v1 | ✕ | ✓ 1v1 or 2v2 | ✕ |
| Skins | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sixes | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ 18-hole only | ✕ |
| Vegas | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Nines (5-3-1) | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Wolf | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Section 3
Here's how each game works, what options you have, and how payouts are calculated.
The most common golf wager. Compare net (or gross) scores over 18, front 9, back 9, or all three.
Hole-by-hole battle. Win the hole, win the point. The player (or team) with more holes at the end of a segment wins the bet.
The app shows match status in real time: "2 UP", "All Square", "DORMIE" (up by same number of holes remaining), or final results like "3 & 2" (won 3 up with 2 holes to play).
Win the hole outright (lowest score, no ties) and you win a skin. If nobody wins outright, the skin carries over to the next hole — building up a pot that makes that next hole even more exciting.
Three 6-hole segments with different team pairings each time. Your partner on holes 1–6 becomes your opponent on 7–12. Keeps everyone honest and nobody too comfortable.
Only available with exactly 4 players and 18 holes.
Each team's two scores are combined into a two-digit number (lower score first). The difference between the two teams' numbers is the payout. It can swing big — and that's the whole point.
Vegas payouts can get large in a hurry. A bad hole can mean a 40+ point swing. Make sure your group is comfortable with the stakes.
Built specifically for threesomes. Nine points are distributed every hole: 5 to the best score, 3 to the middle, 1 to the worst. Ties redistribute the points evenly.
At the end, each pair settles up based on their point difference. If Player A has 90 points and Player B has 72 points, A wins 18 points from B at whatever the per-point wager is.
The most strategic game in golf. Each hole, one player is the "Wolf." The Wolf watches each opponent's tee shot and decides: pick a partner, or go Lone Wolf (1 vs. everyone) at double stakes.
Wolf works with 3, 4, or 5 players. It's the most flexible game in the app — and the most fun if your group likes a little drama on the tee.
Points-based scoring that rewards good holes and forgives bad ones. Double bogey or worse = 0 points. Bogey = 1. Par = 2. Birdie = 3. Eagle = 4. The player with the most points wins.
Stableford is great for groups with mixed handicaps — a blowup hole only costs 0 points instead of wrecking your entire score.
Three-putt on a hole and you're holding the snake. Someone else three-putts, the snake passes to them. Whoever is holding the snake when the round ends pays everyone else.
The snake tracker shows a hole-by-hole grid of who held the snake when. Tap the Snake card in Bets View to expand the full history.
Most games let you choose between Net (handicap strokes applied) and Gross (raw scores). When playing Net, you can also enable HCP off the Low (OTL) — this subtracts the lowest player's course handicap from everyone, so the best player plays at scratch and everyone else gets the difference. It's a popular option that reduces the total number of strokes in play and keeps games tighter.
You'll find the Net/Gross toggle and OTL option on each game's configuration card during setup.
Section 4
Once you start a round, the scoring screen has three tabs: By Hole, Card, and Bets.
This is where you enter scores. Each hole shows:
Tap the score for each player. The button turns green for birdie, gold for bogey, red for double+, and shows their net score alongside. After all players are scored, the app auto-advances to the next hole after a brief pause.
Use the left/right arrows or the hole number to jump to any hole.
A traditional scorecard grid showing all 18 holes at once. Front 9 and back 9 totals, gross and net. Toggle between horizontal (holes as columns) and vertical (holes as rows, players as columns) layouts using the H/V button. The vertical view is great when you want to scan a single player's scores top to bottom.
Don't want to enter scores hole by hole? Tap the camera icon in Card View to snap a photo of a printed scorecard. The app uses AI to read the scores and map them to each player. You'll see a review screen where you can verify and correct any scores before applying them. This is a Premium feature.
Live game results that update with every score entered. Shows each game you're running with:
Forgot to add a game? Tap the edit icon at the top of the Bets tab to add or remove games mid-round. You can add any game type at any point — it will calculate based on scores already entered.
You don't need to wait until the round is over to check the bets. The Bets tab updates in real time as scores come in — so you always know where you stand.
Section 5
A press is a new side bet that starts mid-round. It's like saying "okay, I'm down — let's start a new bet from here." Presses are available for Stroke and Match Play games when Nassau is enabled.
On the Bets tab, you'll see a "+ Press" button when a game is eligible. Tap it to start a new bet from the current hole through the end of the segment (front 9 or back 9). The press uses the same wager amount as the original Nassau bet.
You can stack presses — pressing on a press is perfectly valid and happens all the time.
During game setup, toggle "Auto-Press" and set a threshold (e.g., 2 holes down). When a player or team falls behind by that many holes in a segment, the app automatically fires a new press. You'll see a notification when it happens.
Each press settles independently at the end of its segment. The presses section in the Bets view shows each press with its hole range, who's winning, and the payout. All presses are included in the final settlement automatically.
Presses are only available on 18-hole rounds with Nassau enabled. 9-hole rounds don't support Nassau or presses.
Section 6
Every round gets a unique 6-character share code. Share it so your whole group can follow along on their own phones.
When you start a round, you'll see a share code at the top of the scoring screen. Tap it to copy, or use the share button to send via text or any other app. You can also share a QR code that others can scan to join instantly.
From the Home screen, enter the 6-character code in the "Join a Round" field and tap Join. Or scan the QR code. Or tap a share link someone sent you — it'll open the app and join automatically.
Once everyone is connected, scores sync across all phones every few seconds. When someone enters a score, everyone else sees it update live. The leaderboard, game results, and payouts all update in real time.
Only one person needs to enter scores — but it's often easier to have each player enter their own as they play. Everyone's phone stays in sync either way.
You can have more than one round going at the same time. The Home screen shows a card for each active round — with the course name, players, and a Resume button. Rounds shared by other players appear automatically through auto-discovery. Tap any round card to switch to it and pick up where you left off.
Section 7
This is the whole point. When you're done, tap "Finish" at the top of the scoring screen.
The app calculates every game, every press, every wager — and shows you a clean settlement screen:
Just show the screen at the bar. Everyone can see who owes who. Done.
Finished rounds move to your History. You can reopen a round if you realize a score was wrong, view full details and game breakdowns, or share the results with anyone.
Section 8
Tournaments let you run events with multiple groups — from a casual 8-person outing to a full 32-player team event. Tap the Tournament tab at the bottom to get started.
Tap "Create Tournament" and follow the setup wizard:
Name your tournament, pick a date, select your course, and choose a format: Standard, Scramble, or Team v. Team.
Select at least 4 players from the global list. For Team v. Team, you need an even number.
For Standard and Scramble: assign players to groups of 2-5 (enable 5-somes toggle for groups larger than 4). For Team v. Team: assign players to two teams, then set up your matches (singles, best-ball, foursomes).
Add tournament-wide games like skins, low net, low gross, and Group vs Group. Enable Calcutta for a betting pool. Groups with 4 players can also add their own side games (Stroke, Match, etc.) during the round.
Classic multi-group stroke play. Every player plays their own ball. Scores feed into a shared leaderboard ranked by to-par. Add cross-group skins, low net/gross payouts, or group-vs-group competition.
Team play — one score per group per hole. Everyone hits, pick the best shot, everyone hits from there. The app uses recommended team handicap calculations (weighted by each player's index). Great for corporate outings or charity events.
Two teams compete in a series of matches. Set up singles (1v1), best-ball (2v2), or foursomes matches. Each match earns a point for the winning team (halved matches split the point). Tap any match to see the hole-by-hole scorecard with running match status. Projected team standings update in real time as matches progress. Add a team wager and the app calculates the pot and settlement automatically.
Available in Standard tournaments. Groups compete against each other using their best net scores. Choose between Stroke (cumulative net) or Match Play (hole-by-hole) format. The GvG standings card shows live rankings across all groups, and you can tap through to the Board tab for full details.
A Calcutta is a betting pool where players are grouped into lines — each player buys in for the same amount, and the line with the best combined net score wins the pot. Enable it on the Games step and configure it on the dedicated Calcutta step.
During a live tournament, any player can challenge another group to a head-to-head side bet. Challenges use best-of-N net scoring with Nassau support — it's like a Group vs Group bet that players initiate themselves, not the host.
All tournament formats — including Team v. Team — support Gross, Net, and Off the Low (OTL) scoring modes, plus a Handicap % option (80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100%, or custom). OTL at the tournament level reduces everyone relative to the lowest handicap across all groups in the field, not just within a single group. The Score tab shows stroke view pills so you can toggle between Full HCP, Group OTL, and Tournament OTL views.
The host shares a 6-character tournament code. Enter it on the Tournament tab, pick your group (and your player in that group), and you're in. You can also scan a QR code or tap a share link.
Before the tournament starts, everyone lands in the Lobby. The host can see who's joined, manage groups, and start the tournament when ready. Non-hosts can view the roster and their group assignment.
Scoring works the same as regular rounds — hole by hole, with real-time sync. Each group scores independently. Switch to the Board tab to see the live leaderboard, cross-group skins, Group v. Group standings, and (for Team v. Team) the team scoreboard with expandable match details and hole-by-hole scorecards. Projected payouts update in real time as you play.
Groups with 4 players can add their own side games (Stroke, Match, Skins, etc.) on top of the tournament games. These settle within the group separately from the tournament results.
Section 9
Add friends to see their phone numbers (for easy Venmo/payment) and to get notifications when they start rounds or tournaments.
The fastest way. Open the Friends page (Menu → Friends), tap "Show QR Code," and have your buddy scan it with their phone camera. Instant connection — no approval needed.
Every user has a 6-character friend code on their Profile page. Share it via text, and the other person enters it on their Friends page under "Add by Code." This sends a friend request — the other person needs to accept it.
On the Friends page, search for someone by their display name. Tap their name to send a friend request. They'll see it in their "Friend Requests" tab.
QR codes and share links auto-accept (instant friends). Code entry and name search send a pending request that the other person needs to accept.
Section 10
Open Menu → History to see all your finished rounds and tournaments. Each entry shows the course, date, players, and your net balance. Tap any round to see full details: scores, game results, and settlement.
You can reopen a round if a score was wrong — it goes back to the scoring screen. You can also share results via text or clipboard.
Open Menu → Stats to see your lifetime performance across all rounds and tournaments. Stats are available in seven categories:
Filter by Lifetime or by year using the tabs at the top.
Free users see a preview of each stat card. Upgrade to Premium ($29.99/yr) to unlock the full details.
Section 11
Everything you need to run rounds and settle up is free. Premium is purely for stats nerds who want deeper analytics.
| Feature | Free | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| All 7 golf games | ✓ | ✓ |
| All 3 tournament formats | ✓ | ✓ |
| Real-time sync | ✓ | ✓ |
| Handicap scoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Press wagers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Round history | ✓ | ✓ |
| Friends & notifications | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scorecard photo scanning | ✕ | ✓ |
| Detailed stats & analytics | ✕ Preview only | ✓ Full access |
| Head-to-head records | ✕ | ✓ |
| Earnings by player | ✕ | ✓ |
| Win streaks & records | ✕ | ✓ |
| Price | $0 forever | $29.99/yr ($2.50/mo) |
Upgrade from the Profile page or the Stats page. Billing is handled securely through Stripe. Cancel anytime from the billing portal link in your Profile.
Section 12
No. Only the person creating the round needs an account. Other players can be added as guests, or they can create accounts and join via share code to score on their own phones.
Just go back to that hole and tap the correct score. If the round is already finished, reopen it from History, fix the score, and finish again.
Absolutely! You can add the same game type as many times as you want. Run two Stroke games with different wagers, multiple Skins games, or any combination — there’s no limit. Each instance is tracked and settled independently.
You can enter scores offline. They'll sync to other devices once you're back online. The app caches your data locally so you won't lose anything.
The app calculates each player's course handicap using the tee's rating and slope, then distributes strokes to the hardest holes first (based on the course's handicap hole index). You'll see colored dots during setup showing exactly which holes each player gets strokes on.
Yes! Tap the edit icon at the top of the Bets tab to add or remove games mid-round. New games calculate based on scores already entered, so you can add Skins on the 5th hole and it will retroactively count holes 1–4.
Choose "9 Holes" during setup and pick Front 9 or Back 9. All games work the same way, but Nassau (front/back split) and Sixes aren't available for 9-hole rounds.
Yes. Your rounds and stats are private to your account. Other users can't see your data unless you share a round code with them. Phone numbers are only visible to accepted friends.
Yes. Open Menu → Settings and choose Dark, Light, or Auto (follows your phone's system setting). The default is Dark mode.
Go to your Profile, scroll down to Subscription, and tap "Manage Billing." This opens the Stripe billing portal where you can cancel anytime. You'll keep Premium access until the end of your billing period.
Open the app and start your first round. It takes about 30 seconds to set up.
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