Spreadsheet vs scoring app for a golf outing
A spreadsheet is the tool most outing organizers already own, and for a small, simple event it is a good one. This page is a fair look at where it works, where it strains, and how to decide.
A spreadsheet is the right tool when
- The event is small, say a dozen players, and played in one simple format.
- You enjoy building formulas, and you will be the only person who ever touches the file.
- The rules are unusual enough that no tool supports them, and you want complete control.
- You need nothing live: results can wait until the dinner.
Where a spreadsheet starts to strain
- Handicap strokes by hole. The strokes each player gets on each hole depend on the course and the format, so the formulas are the hard part and a wrong cell is easy to miss.
- Several games at once. Team scores, skins, closest to the pin and a points table all come from the same cards, and each adds a tab of formulas.
- Typing scores in. Players write on paper, then someone retypes everything. That is a second chance for a typo, and it happens at the end of a long day.
- Changing a rule. When the group decides a tied skin should carry, or a flight should switch format, every formula that depended on it has to be found and updated.
- Live standings. A shared file can show a leaderboard, but it also shows every other player's score to everyone, which spoils the ending for those still playing.
- Printing. Scorecards with each player's strokes marked are a mail-merge project of their own.
Side by side
| What matters | Spreadsheet | The app |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | Fast for a simple event; grows with every format and game you add | Import a roster and pick the formats; the games are already built |
| Handicap strokes | You write and check the formulas | Worked out from each player's handicap and the card |
| Entering scores | Someone retypes cards at the end, or players share a file | Players enter their own scores on their phones |
| Live leaderboard | Possible, but everyone sees everything | Live, and a player sees others only through the holes they have entered |
| Changing a rule midway | Edit formulas by hand and re-check | Change the setting and everything recalculates |
| Printed scorecards | Mail merge and manual strokes | Printed with strokes marked and a QR code |
| Flexibility | Total: any rule you can express | Wide, with your own points rules, but not unlimited |
| Cost | You already own it; your time is the cost | Free while in testing; plans are described on the pricing page |
How to decide
Count the moving parts. One format, one result and a dozen players: use the spreadsheet you already have. Several flights, team games, side games and a field of sixty or more: the arithmetic and the retyping are the real cost, and that is where an app earns its place. Many organizers use both, keeping the budget in a spreadsheet and the scoring in the app.
Also read: Paper scorecard vs app, the outings page and the outing planner. Hole19Tally is a scorekeeper. It records scores, works out strokes and shows who owes whom, but it never holds, moves or takes a share of money, and it is not a gambling service. Players settle up directly with each other.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use both?
Yes. Many organizers keep the budget in a spreadsheet and use the app for the scoring, or keep a paper card as a backup while the app does the arithmetic.
Is the app free?
Everything is free while the app is in testing. Plans are described on the pricing page.
Is Hole19Tally a betting app?
Hole19Tally is a scorekeeper. It records scores, works out strokes and shows who owes whom, but it never holds, moves or takes a share of money, and it is not a gambling service. Players settle up directly with each other.
Score it in Hole19Tally
Hole19Tally is a scorekeeper. It records scores, works out strokes and shows who owes whom, but it never holds, moves or takes a share of money, and it is not a gambling service. Players settle up directly with each other.