How to Create Your First Pool

1. Before You Start

• You need a Beat The Cut account to create a pool. If you don't have one yet, sign up at beatthecut.com/signup — it takes about 30 seconds.
• Once you're signed in, navigate to beatthecut.com/pools/new or click "Create Pool" from your dashboard.
• You're the host. That means you control settings, send invites, and manage the pool throughout the tournament.

2. Step 1: Name Your Pool

• Pool name is required. Make it memorable — your members will see it on every leaderboard page.
• Good names are short and specific: "The Back Nine Boys," "Office Masters Pool," "Family Cup 2026."
• Names are screened for inappropriate language — keep it clean or it won't save.
• You can rename your pool later from pool settings.

3. Step 2: Configure Your Pool Settings

• Scoring format: This determines how your pool calculates a winner. The most common choice is Score to Par — straightforward and easy to explain to casual fans. See the full breakdown in Pool Settings Explained.
• Cut penalty: When a player misses the cut (gets eliminated after Round 2), they stop accumulating strokes. The cut penalty adds extra strokes to that player's score as a punishment for getting cut. A common value is 5 strokes. You set this number.
• WD penalty: If a player withdraws mid-tournament due to injury or personal reasons, your pool can apply an additional stroke penalty. Typical values are 5 or 10 strokes. This discourages picking players who are injury risks.
• You can lock these settings before the tournament begins. Once the tournament starts, settings are locked in.

5. Step 3: Create and Invite Your Members

• Once you hit "Create Pool," your pool is live. You'll immediately see your unique invite link.
• Share the invite link by text, email, group chat — wherever your group communicates.
• Members click the link, sign up or log in, and they're in. They don't need to do anything complicated.
• There's no email invitation system baked in — just copy and paste your invite link wherever your group lives.

6. What Happens After You Create the Pool

• Your pool is created but the draft isn't open yet. The draft opens when the tournament's field is published (typically a few days before the first round).
• You'll get a notification when drafting opens. Set your team as soon as you can — your members are waiting to see what you pick.
• Share the pool link with anyone you forgot to invite. They can still join until the tournament locks.
• Once the tournament starts, no new members can join.

7. Pool Limits by Tier

• Free tier: You can create 1 pool. It supports up to 4 members (not counting you as host).
• Paid tiers (Single Event, Majors, Full Tour): Each paid tier allows 1 pool with unlimited members. 
• See the full tier comparison at beatthecut.com/pricing.

8. Troubleshooting: "I Can't Create a Second Pool"

• If you already have an active pool and you're on the free tier, you've hit your pool limit.
• The solution: upgrade your tier at pool settings, or delete your existing pool if you no longer need it.
• Note: deleting a pool is permanent. All historical scores, teams, and leaderboard data are gone.
• If you're on a paid tier and still seeing an error, check that your purchase is active in pool settings. If it shows as expired, contact support@beatthecut.com.