Run a bowling tournamentwith blocks that add themselves up
You pick the block length -- one, three, four or six games -- and spread the squads across your lane pairs. Players and teams enter themselves, the totals add themselves up, and the standings move while balls are still being thrown.
What makes a bowling tournament different
The international and Dutch federation regulations are built into PlayTour. Three things stand out.
The totals add themselves up
A game is ten frames and the highest pinfall wins, but the result that counts is the total of the block. Three games is the minimum the regulations set for a handicap tournament, four for a scratch tournament, and six is the ordinary qualifying block of a Dutch open. You pick the length per category.
- One game for a stepladder final or a decider
- Three or four games as a block, added to one total
- Six games as qualifying, roughly half a day per block
- Knockout on two games won, head to head on one lane pair
Singles, doubles and teams without three lists
Three categories in one tournament, each with their own block length and their own standings. Teams enter themselves and players confirm their place, so you keep no line-ups.
- Singles, doubles and teams side by side
- Players confirm themselves, with a link of their own
- Grades on standard or on average
- Withdrawals are handled before the draw rather than after it
You know up front whether six games fit
You enter how many lanes there are and the draw spreads the blocks across them. Before entries close you can see whether six games fit in the day or whether it has to be four.
- Blocks spread across your lane pairs
- Several squads in succession on the same lanes
- The standings are right while balls are still being thrown
- A knockout stage after qualifying, in the same tournament
Setting up a bowling tournament
Four decisions, after which entries run without you.
- 1
Create your categories
Singles, doubles or teams, and within that the grades you want.
- 2
Pick your block length
Three, four or six games. Work back from your lane hours: a block of six costs roughly half a day per squad.
- 3
Open entries
You share a link. Players and teams enter themselves. You can see how full each category is and cap each squad.
- 4
Enter games at the lane
The total per game. The block adds itself up and the standings move while balls are still being thrown.
Questions about bowling tournaments
Does PlayTour keep the frames of a game?+
No. You enter the total per game, not the ten frames with their strikes and spares. For the standings that makes no difference, because pinfall is what counts. If you want to keep the card frame by frame, that stays with the scoring system on the lanes. It is a limitation and we would rather name it up front.
We play with a handicap. Is that supported?+
Not automatically. A handicap is pinfall a bowler starts a game with, and PlayTour counts a game from zero. The same goes for a half score carried from qualifying into a final. You can work around it by entering totals as they read after handicap, but the system will not calculate it for you.
Can I play a knockout after qualifying?+
Yes. Those are two stages within one category: first the blocks with their standings, then head-to-head matches where the first to two games won goes through. Note that such a knockout is decided on games won, not on total pinfall.
What does this cost?+
Publishing and taking entries are in the free plan, up to three tournaments a year and fifty entrants each. The draw, the schedule and live scoring are on a paid plan, billed per club per year rather than per tournament.
Set up your bowling tournament and fill the squads
A free account, your categories with their own block length, and standings that add themselves up.