Short answer. Ringer plans the round, keeps score live, runs the side games and works out who owes whom. It never touches the money, its handicaps are for friendly play, and nothing in a result can be edited quietly. The rest is below.
Money and trust
Does Ringer hold money?
No. Ringer never collects, holds or transfers money, and takes no cut. It works out who owes whom, and a pay button opens Venmo with the amount already filled in. The payment itself happens between the two of you. See Ringer never touches money.
Is this gambling?
Ringer is a scorekeeping and settle-up tool, not a betting operator. Side games are private arrangements between friends, you are responsible for their legality where you play, and Ringer is for adults 18 and over. See Ringer never touches money.
Are Ringer handicaps official?
No. Handicaps in Ringer are for friendly play and league nights. Ringer is not a handicapping authority, does not post scores to GHIN, and keeps a GHIN number only as a reference. See Handicap terms.
Can results be edited quietly?
No. Only raw strokes are stored and every result is recomputed from them. A published round can be changed only by reopening it with a written reason, and each republish becomes a new numbered revision kept beside the old one. See I need to change a score after results were published.
Getting in
Do my friends need an account?
No. The invite link lets them RSVP, the scorekeeper link lets one of them keep the group's card, and the board link lets everyone follow, all without signing in. See Join from an invite link.
Do they need the app?
No. Ringer runs in any phone browser at www.ringer.golf. The iOS app is the same Ringer with Lock Screen scoring and push notifications added. See iOS app vs website.
Is there an Android app?
Not today. On Android, open www.ringer.golf in Chrome and choose Install; it launches full-screen from your home screen like an app. See Install on your phone.
Why am I on a waitlist?
Depending on when you arrive, Ringer may be invite-only, and a fresh account waits at "Ringer is invite-only right now." until it is unlocked. An invite code from a member unlocks it, and so does signing in with the phone number or email a host invited you with. See Invite-only and invite codes.
What does an invite code do?
It unlocks a waitlisted account, once per account. It is not the invite link, which is the single link a host shares for a round. See My invite code doesn't work.
Playing
Which games are supported today?
Pot (Stroke), Stableford, Match Play, Nassau, Skins, 9-Point, Sixes (6-6-6) and Team Best-Ball, played gross or net, plus Trash, Closest to the Pin, Longest Drive and head-to-head side bets. Banker, Hammer, Wolf, Vegas, Scotch and Track Any Bet are coming soon. See Which games can I play.
What does "Off low" mean?
The lowest-handicap golfer in the game plays off zero and everyone else receives the difference from that golfer, worked out after the allowance is applied. It differs from course strokes, where each golfer receives their full Playing Handicap. See Gross, net and off low.
Why does the board show ties?
Live boards keep ties and print T2. When the round is completed, the tie-break chosen in Scorecard settings decides exact places, and the default keeps the tie. Money always splits a tie. See The board showed a tie but the results broke it.
What happens if someone doesn't finish?
Mark them WD or DNF under Manage → Players. They rank below the field and stop holding up skins, and once the round is completed a missing score makes them ineligible for that hole. Pot and Stableford games still need every hole from everyone else before publishing. See I can't publish final results.
Can two people score the same group?
Yes. The group's scorekeeper, the Commissioner or a co-organizer, and each player on their own card can all write scores. If two devices change the same cell, the second is asked to reload rather than overwriting. On league personal links one person holds the card at a time and hands over with Keep score. See Who can change a score.
Can I fix a score after the round?
Yes. While the round is live, the same people can correct any hole. Once scoring is closed the Commissioner reopens the round, and once results are published the reopen needs a written reason and a republish. See Reopen a round.
Handicaps
How do I get my index in?
Profile → Settings → Player details → Handicap, or Import from GHIN with a screenshot of your GHIN card. You can also type it when you RSVP, and the Commissioner can enter or confirm it on the roster. See Enter your handicap index.
Does Ringer read GHIN automatically?
No. There is no GHIN connection. Import from GHIN reads a screenshot of the GHIN app's More → My Card screen and stores the index exactly as printed; import again when it changes. See Import from a GHIN screenshot.
Why is my playing handicap different from my index?
Your index becomes a Course Handicap for the tee you play, Index × (Slope ÷ 113) + (Rating − Par), then the game's allowance is applied and the result is rounded once. A 14.3 index on a 71.9 / 131 par-72 tee is 16.478; at 90% that is 14.83, so the Playing Handicap is 15. See Course and playing handicap.
Leagues
How are season points calculated?
By default 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 15 and 10 for the first fifteen places, 5 for playing, and 5 for any place below the list. Tied players split the tied places evenly, and a week can carry a weight from 1 to 10. The commissioner can change all of this per season. See Season points.
How does the league waitlist work?
Each week has a capacity. Requests beyond it are waitlisted, and when a confirmed player withdraws the next eligible golfer is promoted, automatically or by the commissioner. Withdraw before the cancellation deadline; after it, the message reads "The cancellation deadline has passed. Contact the commissioner." See Sign up for a week.
Who can close scoring?
For a Friday game, the Commissioner or a co-organizer. In a league, only the commissioner can close scoring and draw partners; a co-commissioner sees "Only the commissioner can close scoring and draw partners." See Run and close scoring.
Notifications
How do I stop texts?
Reply STOP to any Ringer text and you are unsubscribed; reply START to come back. You can also turn off Text messages under Profile → Settings → Notifications. See Text messages.
Why didn't I get a reminder?
Reminders go out once a day, around 8 AM Eastern: a nudge two days out if you have not answered, a note the day before if you are in, and a note on the day. Round reminders and the channel you expect must both be on in Settings. League reminders go out only if the commissioner has turned them on and they are enabled for your deployment. See Every notification.
Your account
How do I delete my account?
Profile (top-right avatar) → Settings → Account → Delete account, then Delete forever. It is immediate and cannot be undone: your profile, the games you hosted and your golf history go with it. You can also email support@ringer.golf. See Delete your account.
How do I contact support?
Email support@ringer.golf. Say which device and app version you are on, which screen you were using and what happened; a screenshot helps, with private details hidden. Never send your password or a sign-in code.