How do I create my first tournament?
From your dashboard, click "New Tournament" and follow the setup wizard. You'll be able to configure the tournament name, date, entry fees, sidepots, brackets, and payout structure. Our Knowledge Base has detailed guides for each step.
Can I import bowlers from a spreadsheet?
Yes! Tournament Doctor supports importing bowlers from CSV and Excel files. Go to Manage Bowlers and click the Import button. You can map your spreadsheet columns to our fields for a seamless import.
How does the bracket system work?
Brackets are 8-person single-elimination competitions that use your tournament's game scores for head-to-head matchups. You define brackets by game range (e.g., Games 1-3), type (Forward or Reverse), and scoring (Handicap or Scratch). The system automatically optimizes seeding to minimize repeat matchups and finds the best mix of 8-person and 7-person brackets to minimize refunds.
Entry Types: Brackets can be set up for Singles (individual bowlers), Doubles, Trios, or Teams. Team entries use combined scores. Individual bowlers can still enter Singles brackets even when their team enters Team brackets.
Age Groups: Create separate bracket divisions by age (Youth, Adult, Senior) with optional handicap overrides per group. Bowlers are automatically matched to their age group based on their date of birth.
Bracket Rollover: When enabled, entries from brackets that don't fill are automatically moved to other compatible brackets that need more entries, minimizing refunds. You can choose automatic mode or review-and-approve mode.
See the
User Guide → Brackets section for full details.
What are elimination brackets?
Elimination brackets are a core tournament feature for single or double elimination match play. Unlike side-event brackets (which run alongside the tournament using game scores), elimination brackets are head-to-head matches bowled separately — either after qualifying games or as a standalone bracket event.
Single Elimination: Lose once and you're out. The bracket progresses from round 1 through semifinals and finals to crown a champion.
Double Elimination: Bowlers must lose twice to be eliminated. Includes a winners bracket, losers bracket, and grand finals (with a potential reset match).
Features: Configurable bracket sizes (8-64), byes for top seeds, bowling score or win/loss match scoring, lane assignments that avoid repeat pairs, printable bracket charts with logo, and Baker format support for doubles.
See the
User Guide → Elimination Brackets section for full details.
How do multi-round tournaments work?
Multi-round format lets you structure a tournament into distinct rounds like Qualifying, Semifinals, and Finals. Enable it from Edit Tournament and choose a round template. Each round can have its own game count, format (Standard or Baker), and advancement cut.
Score Entry: Scores entered on the registration page automatically count as Round 1. After completing a round, you're prompted to continue to the next round's score entry page. Scores auto-save as you type.
Cuts: Configure a "Cut After" number on any round to advance only the top bowlers/teams to the next round. The next round stays locked until the cut is performed.
Reports: The tournament report shows a Round-by-Round Breakdown at the top with per-round standings. If you enable rounds on a tournament that already has scores, they automatically migrate to Round 1.
See the
User Guide → Multi-Round Tournaments section for full details.
Can I delete a bracket from my tournament?
Yes, you can delete brackets from the Edit Tournament page using the red Delete button next to each bracket. However, brackets that already have participants (entries) cannot be deleted directly — this protects against accidental data loss. To remove a bracket with participants, go to Manage Brackets first and use the Unlock & Re-Run tools to clear the bracket instances.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) through our secure Stripe payment processor. Your subscription renews automatically unless you cancel.
Can I cancel my subscription anytime?
Yes, you can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. You'll continue to have access until the end of your current billing period. No questions asked, no cancellation fees.
Is my tournament data backed up?
Absolutely. All your data is stored securely in the cloud with automatic daily backups. You can also export your tournament data at any time for your own records.