How to Set Up Tiers for Your Golf Pool
A practical guide to configuring tiers in Golf Pool Pro — how many tiers to use, how to weight them, and common mistakes to avoid.
Tiers let you group players by expected performance so that picking a top-ranked player costs more than picking a long shot. This guide walks through how to configure tiers effectively.
What tiers do
Each tier represents a band of players. Pool entrants are required to pick one player from each tier, which means every team has the same tier distribution — but different players within each tier.
This prevents everyone from stacking their team with the five best players in the field.
How many tiers to use
Most pools work well with three or four tiers:
- Three tiers: Simple and fast for entrants. Good for casual pools or short fields.
- Four tiers: Adds meaningful differentiation between the top of the field and the rest. Recommended for major championships with large fields.
- Five tiers: Works for very large pools (100+ entrants) where variety matters more.
Weighting tiers
There is no fixed rule for how many players belong in each tier. A common pattern for a 72-player field:
| Tier | Players |
|---|---|
| 1 | 8–10 |
| 2 | 14–18 |
| 3 | 20–24 |
| 4 | Remainder |
Common mistakes
Too few players per tier. Tier 1 with only four or five players creates duplicate teams quickly. Aim for at least eight.
Uneven field coverage. If your tier 4 has 40 players and nobody picks them, the tier is too deep. Trim the field or reduce to three tiers.
Changing tiers after picks open. Once entrants start making picks, tier changes can invalidate existing selections. Lock your tiers before you open the pool.