Formula 18 Golf is a software platform that helps golfers plan trips, run tournaments, and track solo rounds. You keep score — we keep the math honest. Handicaps, differentials, payouts, pairings, and cost splits calculated automatically, so the group spends time playing instead of arguing over a spreadsheet.

Three kinds of golfers:

• Players — log solo rounds, join trips you've been invited to, track your own stats.
• Coordinators — plan a golf trip for friends: rosters, pairings, lodging, chat, and cost tracking in one place.
• Commissioners — run tournaments, leagues, or multi-trip seasons with payout tracking, skins, closest-to-pin, and reporting.

Formula 18 Golf doesn't move money between players, Coordinators, or courses. We're a tracking tool. You and your Coordinator (or Commissioner) handle payment however the group prefers — Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, check, cash. Once you've paid your Coordinator, tap the "All Squared Up" button in the app to let them know. Payment-specific questions (amounts, deadlines, refunds) go directly to your Coordinator, not to us.

The only transactions Formula 18 processes are Coordinator and Commissioner subscriptions — paid through Stripe on formula18golf.com/settings.

No. You can play and log rounds without one. If you link your GHIN, we pull your handicap index automatically so your differentials and stats stay current. Completely optional. Automatic GHIN posting back to the USGA is on the roadmap for Spring 2027.

Either. A Saturday group of four is a "trip." A county-wide club championship is an "event." Same tools, same math, same chat. It scales from a weekend foursome to a 100-player tournament without changing how you use the app.

iPhone today — download Formula 18 Golf from the App Store. Android is on the roadmap for late 2026 / early 2027. In the meantime, Android users can use formula18golf.com in any mobile browser.

Log in, go to Settings, click Manage Subscription. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. No phone calls, no emails required. Players can delete their entire account from the same page.

Most tiles (Scores, Leaderboard, My Games, Chat) only activate when you're in an active event or trip. If you haven't joined or been invited to anything yet, those tiles stay inactive until one opens.

Rounds = history of every round you've played (solo, trip, or event).
Scores = live hole-by-hole scoring for the event or trip you're playing right now.

No. Scoring happens in the iOS app. The website is for reviewing what's been scored, managing your trips, checking your roster, and chat. Live scoring is designed for on-course use on your phone.

Top nav → Trips. You'll see trips you've been invited to, trips you've accepted, and (if you're a Coordinator) trips you've created.

A Trip is a multi-round golf vacation with a group — 2-3 rounds over a weekend, capped at 12 players including the Coordinator. An Event is a single tournament, usually one day, with formal scoring and payouts.

Coordinators organize trips. Commissioners run tournaments and events. Players play in trips or events. Any Player can organize a trip or become a Commissioner by upgrading their subscription from Settings.

Green "Settled" next to a player means they've paid their share for the trip (confirmed by the Coordinator). Gray "Unsettled" means they haven't yet — the Coordinator knows who still owes.

A Variable status is a player who accepted a trip invite and later dropped out. They stay visible (in yellow) so the roster history is honest, but they don't count toward pairings or the cost split.

The summary block at the top of every trip — dates, destination, lodging, and costs. Everything that defines the trip at a glance.

The shared costs (food, entertainment, lodging, vendor fees) split evenly across the roster. When Balance divides evenly and everyone's Settled, the trip is "All Squared Up."

Your Formula is your circle — golfers you connect with through the app. Once connected, you can invite them to trips, events, and rounds with one tap. Tap Orbit from your Golfers list to see a visual layout instead of a flat list — icons get bigger for golfers you play more rounds with.

Check your email for the invite link, or log in and look for a Pending Trip banner on your dashboard. Accept, and you'll see it under Trips.

Yes. On the trip page, click Subtract me from Trip. You'll become a Variable (visible but not active). You can rejoin later if spots remain.

A trip holds up to 12 players including the Coordinator. If it's full, you go on the waitlist. If anyone drops, you're promoted automatically and the Coordinator is notified.

Your Coordinator decides the method (Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, check, cash). Once you've sent payment, tap All Squared Up in the app, pick the method you used, and your Coordinator gets notified. They confirm on their side, and your status flips to Settled.

Contact your Coordinator directly. Formula 18 shows your own Settled/Unsettled status on the trip page, but your Coordinator has the full picture of who owes what and when.

Solo = a round you played outside of a trip or event. Trip = a round that's part of a Coordinator's organized trip. Event = part of a scheduled tournament. The icon on each row in My Rounds tells you which is which — plane for trip, medal for event, dot for solo.

Not yet. You'll need to post rounds manually through your GHIN account or app. Formula 18 calculates your differentials and tracks your handicap index internally, but we don't push scores to the USGA network today. Automatic GHIN posting is on the roadmap for Spring 2027.

A single-round USGA calculation: (Gross − Course Rating) × 113 / Slope Rating. Your handicap index is the average of your best 8 of your last 20 differentials.

Rounds sync from your phone to our servers when the phone has internet. If you played with signal, wait a minute and refresh — it should appear. If you played offline without downloading the course first (see next question), the round data may not have saved.

Partially. If you download your course before teeing off (Hamburger Menu → Solved Courses → tap the course to download), you can score a round with no signal — the data stays on your phone and syncs when you reconnect. Without that download, scoring requires a live connection. Before any round in spotty coverage, download the course first and keep a paper card as backup.

Chat is visible only to players on the trip roster. If you declined or haven't accepted yet, you'll see a placeholder asking you to join. Once you're on the roster, the chat unlocks.

On the login screen, click Forgot password. We'll email you a reset link. Check spam if it doesn't arrive within 2 minutes.

Your data is tied to your account, not your phone. Log in on the new device and everything's there — trips, rounds, Formula connections, stats.