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Scoring System

Overview

The Scoring System was designed to empower golf course administrators and league managers to seamlessly handle various gameplay formats across leagues and tournaments. It enables flexible scoring logic, customized game formats, and automated calculations for handicaps, seeding, and brackets, all from a centralized, intuitive interface

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Leading the end-to-end design of the Scoring System to improve how golf course staff and league managers set up and manage complex scoring workflows across leagues and tournaments. My role involved conducting stakeholder interviews, mapping real world scoring practices, and translating them into scalable, intuitive digital experiences. I collaborated closely with product managers and developers to create a flexible architecture that supports various gameplay formats, automated handicap calculations, and dynamic bracket planning. The result is a cohesive scoring tool that reduces admin burden while enhancing accuracy and engagement.​

Results

50% Reduction in scorecard entry errors by standardizing inputs per game format.

70% Faster playoff bracket creation through automated seeding logic.

+35% Increase in admin task efficiency by centralizing scoring, seeding and scheduling.

100% adoption across active league tournaments after release.

Improved CSAT from 3.6 to 4.7 for scoring-related workflows

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User centered approach

Primary users:

Our main users were golf course staff, pro shop managers, and league administrators, many of whom juggled multiple responsibilities across event setup, scoring, and customer service. Their experience levels varied, but most relied heavily on workarounds or external tools due to the system's limitations. They needed a solution that could adapt to different gameplay formats, reduce manual effort, and support real time decision making during tournaments.

Key insights

  • Manual workarounds were common, users frequently relied on spreadsheets or third party apps to manage scoring and brackets.

  • Game format rules were confusing or inconsistently applied, leading to scoring errors and disputes.

  • Users were time constrained, needing tools that could simplify setup and reduce friction during live events.

  • Confidence in the system was low when it came to complex formats or playoff rounds, often resulting in delays or manual overrides.

Interaction cycle

We mapped out the full scoring workflow across setup, live event scoring, and post-event adjustments. This helped identify key touchpoints where users needed better feedback, clearer options, or automation. The resulting interaction model:

  • Started with league setup (rosters, divisions, formats)

  • Moved into game planning (scheduling, scoring templates, handicap rules)

  • Flowed into live scoring (real-time inputs, team/individual tracking)

  • And ended with results handling (tiebreakers, brackets, and summary views)

By aligning the system to this real world cycle, we reduced task duplication and gave users a more predictable, supportive experience throughout.

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Challenge

Users struggled with fragmented workflows and manual processes for managing scoring across different game types. Many resorted to spreadsheets or third party tools, which led to inconsistent data, frequent errors, and limited visibility into team or player performance. The lack of a built-in, customizable solution caused unnecessary operational overhead and a steep learning curve for staff. As UX Lead, I identified this fragmentation early through interviews and usability testing, highlighting the critical need for an integrated system that supported flexibility without sacrificing usability. This insight helped shift the product direction toward a more robust, built-in scoring experience.

Solution

To address the fragmented and error prone scoring experience, we designed a centralized and flexible scoring system tailored to the real-world needs of golf staff and league administrators. We were able to give users the tools they actually needed, whether they were managing complex game formats, tracking team points, or planning brackets. We built smart scoring templates, automated handicap and seeding logic, and introduced a visual bracket builder that made setup faster and more accurate. Roster and division management became more fluid, and we added role based controls to fit different staff responsibilities. These improvements eliminated the need for third party tools and helped reduce errors, while giving admins more confidence and control during live events

By Cindy Mena

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