Sim Golf League Rules: A Copy-and-Paste Template

Nobody asks about the rules when a league is new and everyone is tied for first. The questions arrive later: Can a substitute play in the final? Does a disconnected round count? Which score wins a tie? By then, any answer helps one team and hurts another.

You do not need a tournament committee or a twelve-page document. A useful set of sim golf league rules fits on one page and covers the decisions your software cannot make for you. Copy the template below, replace the brackets, and send it before registration closes.

Decide these four things first

The template assumes you already know whether the league is individual or team-based, how many holes you will play, how weekly results turn into season points, and whether standings are gross or net. If you are still choosing, compare the common sim golf league formats before filling in the blanks.

1. Season and format

Copy: “The [league name] runs for [number] weeks from [start date] through [end date]. Players compete as [individuals / teams of X] over [9 / 18] holes each week. Weekly finish earns [points scale]. The season champion is the [player / team] with the most points after [number] counted weeks.”

If you drop each team's worst week, say so here. If the last week is worth extra points, put the multiplier here too. Players should not discover either rule when the standings change.

2. Weekly schedule and check-in

Copy: “Your assigned start time and bay will appear on your league scorecard. Please check in [15] minutes early. A team that expects to be late must contact [name or role] before its start time. Start times may be changed only with organizer approval.”

Add your actual contact method. “Let us know” is not a process; an email address or phone number is. For larger fields, write down whether late slots rotate or stay fixed. Our guide to schedules, substitutes, and flights covers the tradeoff.

3. Simulator settings

Copy: “League rounds use [simulator platform], [course and tee], [pin position], [wind/weather], [green firmness and speed], [putting or auto-putt setting], and [gimme distance]. Do not change these settings after the round begins. If the simulator resets or disconnects, stop play and notify staff before restarting.”

This is the section most first-time organizers skip. Save the setup as a preset if your simulator allows it, and have staff load it—not the players. One group playing from a different tee is harder to fix than it is to prevent.

4. Rosters and substitutes

Copy: “Rosters lock on [date or week]. A registered substitute may replace an absent player in a regular-season round. Substitutes [are / are not] eligible for the final [number] weeks and playoffs. The original player and substitute may not both post a score in the same week. Tell the organizer about a substitution before the first shot.”

For a team scramble, you may prefer to let the team play short. For individual net play, a substitute can create a handicap problem. Pick one policy now; do not improvise based on who is missing.

5. Score entry and corrections

Copy: “The [team captain / designated scorer] records scores during the round and confirms the card before leaving. Score corrections must be sent to [contact] by [time and day]. After that deadline, the week is locked except for a clear data-entry or simulator error.”

A correction window keeps Tuesday's result from changing on Saturday without warning. It also gives you a clean time to publish the official weekly standings.

6. Handicaps

Copy: “Standings use [gross scoring / net scoring at X% handicap]. Starting handicaps come from [source]. They [update from league rounds each week / lock after the first X calibration rounds / are maintained manually]. Only completed, approved league rounds count toward the calculation.”

An outdoor index and a simulator scoring average are not interchangeable, so identify what you are using and treat any imported number as a starting point. The sim league handicap guide explains the three practical methods and when each is a good fit.

7. Missed and incomplete rounds

Copy: “A player or team that cannot attend [may complete the round by deadline / receives zero weekly points / uses one of X drop weeks]. If a started round is not completed, missing holes are scored as [net par / par plus two / an incomplete round with zero points]. Makeup rounds must use the same course and simulator settings.”

Weather, work trips, and equipment failures are different problems, but a short written policy can handle all three. If staff caused the interruption, you can still make a fair exception and document it for the field.

8. Ties and playoffs

Copy: “Weekly ties [split the available points / receive equal points and skip the next place / use the following tiebreaker: X]. A tie for the season title is decided by [best counted round / most weekly wins / a playoff on X holes].”

Keep weekly point ties separate from a season-title tie. They do not need the same rule. If you promise a playoff, reserve the bay time before publishing the rules.

9. Pace, mulligans, and disputes

Copy: “Play must finish within [time]. Use ready golf and keep practice shots to [number]. Mulligans are allowed only for a confirmed tracking or equipment error. Pause play and ask staff to verify the error before replaying a shot. The league organizer makes the final ruling on situations not covered here.”

That last sentence is useful, but it should be a fallback—not the main rule. The more specific the sections above are, the less often you will need it.

Publish the rules where scores live

Email the rules once, link them from the league page, and keep a copy at the counter. When you change a rule between seasons, note the change instead of quietly replacing the old version. Players are usually fine with strict rules; surprise rules are what cause arguments.

LeagueNight keeps schedules, score entry, handicap settings, missed-hole policies, and standings together. You can set up the league for free, then use this template for the handful of decisions that still belong to the organizer.