Horseshoe tournament software that tracks every ringer
A backyard tournament, a club league or a state-level championship — Scoreholio builds the matchups, assigns the pits and tracks every shoe: ringers, double ringers, dead ringers and singles, with live standings for players and a leaderboard for the crowd.
Why organizers choose Scoreholio for horseshoes
Tradition-friendly formats with modern stats
ScoreMagic™ ringer stats
Track every shoe — ringers, double ringers, dead ringers and singles — with 30-day, 120-day and all-time stats in each player's profile.
Scales to 128 players
Small community events up to 128-player championship brackets, with automatic pit assignment.
Pre-registration & QR check-in
Know exactly who's showing up before play starts, and check walk-ups in with a scan.
Live leaderboards on any TV
Real-time standings, next-round matchups and court assignments on the venue screens. Announce mode calls out the courts.
Push alerts to players
Every player gets a notification with who they play, where and when. No whiteboard, no shouting names.
Brackets, leagues and seasons
Round robin into a bracket, weeks-long set-schedule leagues, and Seasons that track points across events.
Formats that work for horseshoes
Pick the format; Scoreholio generates every matchup and pit
Round robin
Everyone pitches a set number of games against different opponents with a running leaderboard.
How it works →Round robin → bracket
Round robin for seeding, then the top pitchers move into a single- or double-elimination bracket.
How it works →Blind draw
Random partners drawn for the event. "No Crybaby" mode avoids repeat partners across weekly draws.
How it works →Switcholio
A different random partner every round with individual standings — the easy way to mix a crowd.
How it works →Ladder
A standing ladder where pitchers challenge up and defend their spot all season.
How it works →Set-schedule leagues
A weeks-long league with the full schedule up front and stats carried across the season.
How it works →Scoring, your way
Horseshoes is cancellation scoring: ringers count three, shoes within six inches count one, and only the difference each inning scores — games to 40 points or a set number of shoes. The scoreboard does the math as each inning is entered and keeps game score and standings current.
Turn on ScoreMagic™ to record every shoe rather than just the inning result — that is where the stats come from: ringer percentage, double ringers, dead ringers and singles, live during the event and in each player's profile afterwards.
Score however fits your event: the organizer enters innings from the admin screen, a tablet at each pit runs an interactive scoreboard, or turn on Player Scoring so pitchers submit from their own phones.
Stats tracked
How to run a 24-player horseshoe tournament
A club Saturday: 24 pitchers, six pits, round robin into a bracket, done by mid-afternoon.
- 1
Create the tournament
Sport: horseshoes. Team generation: Singles. Format: round robin, 5 rounds, games to 40. Pits: 6. ScoreMagic on.
- 2
Get pitchers in
Share the pre-registration link so people sign up ahead of time, or check walk-ups in by scanning their QR code.
- 3
Start round one
Every pitcher gets a push alert with their opponent and pit number.
- 4
Score the games
A tablet at each pit, or Player Scoring from pitchers' phones — every shoe recorded. Standings update live on the board.
- 5
Split to a bracket
After five rounds, send the top 8 into a single-elimination bracket for the finish.
- 6
Post the results
Standings and ringer stats save to every pitcher's profile automatically, and next month's event is one clone away.
Expect about 3 hours with games to 40. Shorter games or a shoe limit tighten the day; the tournament calculator estimates from your pit count.
Common questions
Does Scoreholio track ringer percentage?
Yes. With ScoreMagic™ scoring on, every shoe is recorded — ringers, double ringers, dead ringers and singles — and players see 30-day, 120-day and all-time stats in their profile.
Can we play to a point total or a shoe count?
Either. Set games to a point total (40 is common) or run a fixed number of shoes per game; the scoreboard handles cancellation scoring both ways.
How do players score — do they need the app?
Three options: the organizer scores from the admin screen, tablets at each pit run interactive scoreboards, or players score from their own phones with the free Scoreholio app (Player Scoring is part of the Competitive organizer level and up). Live standings show on any TV either way.
What does it cost to run a horseshoe tournament?
The Social organizer level is free forever: round robins and brackets, digital scoreboards and dashboards, up to 8 courts and 32-team brackets. Competitive ($4.99/month) adds player phone scoring, game timers, custom alerts, live chat support and advanced stats; higher levels raise the court and bracket limits. Quick Tournaments (up to 16 players, 4 courts) are free for anyone with an organizer account. See pricing.
What do players and organizers need?
Players: a phone with the free Scoreholio app (iOS or Android) and an internet connection at the venue. Organizers can run everything from a phone, tablet or computer and put live standings on any TV. See supported devices.
Still have questions? Browse the Scoreholio docs or chat with our team.
Ready to run horseshoes the right way?
Create a free organizer account, or practice first with a demo tournament using fake players — about ten minutes, no crowd needed.
