How to Run a Masters Pool With Friends
The Masters is the best week of the year for a pool. Four rounds at Augusta, a stacked field, and enough Sunday drama to keep your whole group glued to the leaderboard. Here's how to get one going with Ready Golf Pools.
Pick Your Format
Before you send out any invites, figure out your format. Most groups go with the Classic 4-Tier setup:
- Tier 1 -- top 10 guys (Scheffler, Rory, the usual suspects)
- Tier 2 -- next 10 (solid players who can contend)
- Tier 3 -- next 10 (guys with some upside)
- Tier 4 -- everyone else (your dart throws)
Everyone picks one golfer from each tier. Your pool score is the combined score to par of your four picks. Low score wins.
If your group likes a little more strategy, try Pick 6, Count 4 -- you draft six golfers but only your four best scores count. Gives you a cushion if someone misses the cut.
Create Your Pool
Go to the create page and pick The Masters from the dropdown. Name your pool, set a deadline before Thursday's first tee time, and that's it.
You'll get a pool code and a share link. The code is short enough to text or say out loud. The link works for email or group chats.
Get Your Group In
Send the code or link to your crew. Nobody needs to create an account -- they just:
- Enter their name
- Pick one golfer from each tier
- Submit
No app, no login, no friction. They can change their picks up until the deadline.
Watch It Play Out
Once the tournament starts, the leaderboard updates every five minutes with live scores. You'll see:
- Each entry's total score and standing
- Individual golfer scores, round by round
- Who made the cut and who didn't
Missed cut picks get a penalty (default +8), so there's real cost to a guy who goes 78-76 and heads home Friday.
Determining a Winner
After the final round, the leaderboard locks in. Lowest combined score takes it. If there's a tie, it goes to whoever had the best single round among their picks.
Share the final standings with your group -- there's a share button right on the leaderboard.
A Few Tips
- Set the deadline for Thursday morning -- nobody should be picking after they've seen first round scores
- Use Vegas Odds for tiers if you want groupings based on current form instead of world rankings
- 8 to 20 people is the sweet spot -- big enough to be competitive, small enough that you know everyone
- Send a reminder Wednesday night -- somebody always forgets
Takes about 30 seconds to set up. The group chat arguments about who had the best sleeper pick last the rest of the week.