Frequently asked questions

Not strictly. Playing at a federated course in Spain requires a license, but that is a requirement of the course, not of the app. When you sign up you can enter your RFEG license number and start from your official handicap, or, if you don't have a license, enter your handicap (for example, your GHIN index) as a starting point. Either way, the app recalculates it automatically after every round.

Under 10 minutes. The flow is: sign up → create your league → set the scoring format → share the invite link. Once your friends join, you can start creating tournaments right away.

Yes. You don't need to be a member of any club or hold a license to use the app: with an RFEG license you start from your official handicap, and without one you enter your handicap as a starting point. You can still create your league or tournament. Note that playing at a federated course in Spain requires a license, as a requirement of the course itself.

The league admin generates a unique invite link. Players open the link, sign up with their email and, if they have one, their federation license number (otherwise they enter their starting handicap), and get linked to the league automatically.

On the free plan, each tournament has 2-3 rounds depending on the type: individual tournament, 2; team tournament, 3; Ryder-style tournament, 3. You also get 1 free active competition per account. To remove those limits, switch to per-player mode or redeem a license code.

Yes, and you decide how. You can set whether a tournament scores toward the overall ranking and with what multiplier. A special tournament can be worth double a regular round.

Six competition formats — Regular League, Pool, Regular Pool, Ryder-style Tournament, Individual Tournament and Team Tournament — and within each one you set the rules: Stableford, net strokes, vs. par, vs. bogey, max score or match play. Choose everything when you create the competition, with no restrictions.

Yes, you can be an admin or player in as many leagues as you want at once — the work league, the club league and the family one, for example. Each league is paid separately, per player and per season.

There's no upper limit, and it works with as few as 2 players. There are already leagues and pools active with over 50 players competing in the same season: the ranking, the prize split and everyone's handicap are calculated just as well with a handful of players as with 80.

Yes. The admin has full control: they can delete tournaments, edit results, add or remove players, and change the league's settings at any time.

With every round logged, we calculate your new handicap automatically using the WHS algorithm. If you signed up with your federation license, we start from your official history; otherwise, the calculation evolves from the starting handicap you entered when you joined. In pool-type leagues, the admin can also apply their own pool criteria.

Yes. Playing at a federated golf course in Spain legally requires a valid federation license. It's a requirement of the course, not of the app. The license is also what assigns your official handicap, and it's what we use so you start with your real index when you sign up for The Secret Golf Club.

The standard system: Eagle = 4 pts, Birdie = 3 pts, Par = 2 pts, Bogey = 1 pt, Double bogey or worse = 0 pts. The handicap is applied hole by hole according to the course's Stroke Index. Everything is calculated automatically.

Skins are per-hole bets: the player with the best result on a hole wins that hole's "skin". If there's a tie, the skin carries over to the next hole. The app tracks the accumulated pot and the winners per hole. Payment happens between players — the app doesn't process payments.

Points progress by round, per-hole analysis (where you score more and less), league handicap trends, percentage of holes at par or better, direct comparisons with other players, and a full history of past seasons.

Yes. You can pick any player in your league and compare your Stableford per round, your handicap progress, and your per-hole performance side by side. Great for spotting exactly where they beat you, or where you beat them.

Yes. If you don't sign up for the next season, you keep access to everything you already played: results, stats and history from previous seasons.

You start for free: create your competition at no cost within the free plan's limits (League, Pool and Regular Pool: 60 days and 10 players; Individual tournament: 2 rounds and 20 players; Team tournament: 3 rounds and 20; Ryder-style tournament: 3 rounds and 24). To remove the limits, switch to per-player mode (€10 per seat; the creator joins for free) or redeem a license code.

Yes. Create any competition for free and test it within the free plan's limits before upgrading. No card, no payment needed to start.

Because running the app costs real cloud money: secure servers to protect your players' data, the handicap and performance prediction models that get better with every scorecard you upload, and the notifications and other tools that help keep a league from fizzling out mid-season. €10 won't make us rich or you poor, but it does pay for that. Try the app free with your friends; if €10 later feels like too much, there are several free alternatives on the market and we get it. We don't lock anyone in here: if you ever leave, we'll send you your full results history so you can take it wherever you go.

You don't lose anything you've already played. If the group doesn't sign up for the next season, you keep access to the history, results and stats from previous seasons.

Yes. The app is available on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android). You can also access it from the browser with no install, at thesecretgolfclub.com, with the same experience.

A connection is recommended for real-time syncing, but the app works offline for basic score entry. Data syncs automatically once you're back online.

Yes. All data is stored securely and never shared with third parties. We comply with GDPR. You can request full deletion of your account and data at any time from the app.

You can reach us at info@thesecretgolfclub.com. We reply in under 24h on business days.