SandBagger Golf Event / Tournament Organizer

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on June 27, 2012

To borrow an old expression, planning a golf tournament is just like planning any other event, only more so. While event organizers only have so much power over the weather, things like registration and keeping score usually come off better with a bit of planning and foresight. That's actually not a problem, thanks to SweetSpot's Sandbagger Golf Event Tournament Organizer. This free tool can help you organize and hold a golf tournament for a company or social event. While it's totally free, you must register the program to keep using it beyond its demo period. But registration entitles you to full support, which might be more valuable than it sounds, especially if you're planning (or contemplating) your first event. Sandbagger packs a lot in its golf bag, including a full-featured registration database, scoring and handicapping methods, and flexible reports that can be exported to other applications.

Sandbagger's Startup screen accesses the Help Index, Credits, and Menus. The developer recommends teeing off at the Help Index's Application Basics and Golf Event Management files, so we did, and glad we did, too, since Sandbagger requires some knowledge of what's involved with bringing a number of golfers of varying backgrounds and skill levels together for a competition. The Start Here menu offers Application Basics, Tournament Reference, and Golf Event Management instructions in brief but helpful summaries, while the Setup menu covers everything from facilities to players and teams and scannable OMR scorecards. Under Scoring, the program explains Scoring Basics, Segment Management, and Handicap Systems. The Navigation Menu covers Golf Facilities, Events and Competitions; manages players and teams; and covers Scoring and Reports.

Obviously, it helps to have some experience with golf events to get the most out of SweetSpot's comprehensive tool, but detailed knowledge of the game of golf isn't really necessary since most of what goes on behind the scenes is like similar events: registering participants and teams, taking care of the venue, and generally keeping an eye on the whole thing as best you can. We can't imagine planning any golf tournament or event without the help of Sandbagger Golf Event Tournament Organizer.