Club glossary
What Is a Starter Sheet in Golf?
The starter's working copy of the day's tee sheet: every group, its players, carts and guests, checked in and sent off the first tee in order and on time.
A starter sheet is the starter's working copy of the day's tee sheet. It lists every group in starting order — tee time, players, guests, carts or walkers — and the starter uses it to check groups in, confirm who is riding with whom, collect or confirm fees, and send each group off the first tee on time.
What the starter does with it
- Check-in. Confirm each player has checked in at the golf shop and paid, or has charges on their account, including guest fees and cart fees.
- Carts and transport. Match players to carts, note walkers, and assign pull carts or caddies.
- Send groups off. Call each group to the tee at its time, record when it actually goes off, and hold the interval.
- Fill gaps. Pair a single with a threesome, move a waiting group into a no-show's time, and mark no-shows so the time is released.
- Explain the day. Tell each group about course conditions, cart rules and the club's pace of play target.
Paper vs. live
Traditionally the starter sheet was a printout taken from the golf shop in the morning. By 9:00 it was out of date: cancellations, additions, pairings made at the counter and changes by phone never reached it. A live starter view on a tablet shows the sheet exactly as it stands, and lets the starter record check-ins and tee-offs that the golf shop sees immediately.
Example
At 8:06 the starter's view shows the 8:00 group went off at 8:03, the 8:10 group is checked in with two riders and two walkers, and the 8:20 group has one player not yet checked in. A member walks up as a single; the starter pairs him into the 8:30 threesome, and the change appears on the golf shop's sheet at once.
Why it matters at a private club
The first tee sets the pace for the day. A starter who sends groups off late or unevenly creates backups that last until the afternoon, and a starter working from an outdated printout cannot fill gaps or catch no-shows. The actual tee-off times the starter records are also the starting point for measuring each group's pace.
Related terms
In Bubs: the starter's view updates in real time with the tee sheet, records check-in, tee-off and no-show for each group, and releases a no-show's time back to the sheet. See also pace of play.