The format can be perfect. The tier list can be immaculate. None of it matters if four people never submit picks. Knowing how to invite friends to a golf pool is half the job — and the half that determines whether you're still commissioner next year.
The first message
One text or email. Five things: what it is ("Masters pool, six tiers, best four count"), the link or code, the deadline, whether money is involved, and how long it takes ("two minutes").
> Masters pool's up. Pick one golfer per tier — lowest combined score wins. Join at moneylistgolf.us/join, code ABCD12. Locks Wednesday 11:59 p.m. PT. Free to play; optional $10 Venmo to me if you want in the pot.
That's the whole thing. No PDF.
Where to send it
iMessage or WhatsApp for friends. Slack or Teams for the office — pin it during tournament week. Email works for wide distribution but expect fewer clicks. Don't post the same invite in four channels and wonder why people are confused about which link to use.
Friction kills pools
Short codes beat long URLs in texts. Say explicitly that joining is free for players. On The Money List, you need an account to submit picks, not to look at the pool — set that expectation so nobody bails at sign-up.
Commissioners create at moneylistgolf.us/pools/new/friends. Players enter the code at moneylistgolf.us/join.
Reminders without being annoying
Forty-eight hours before lock: "Pool locks Wednesday night — [link]. 9 of 14 in." Wednesday afternoon: "Final call, closes at 11:59 p.m. PT." Tag individuals, not the whole channel, unless your office culture runs on @here.
The late guy
Don't reopen the pool. He sits this one out, or he gets random remaining-tier picks — but only if you announced that rule in advance. Mercy once teaches everyone the deadline is optional.
A week that fills itself
Monday: open the pool, send the invite. Wednesday 9 a.m.: "7 of 12 — need picks by tonight." Wednesday 8 p.m.: tag the holdouts. Thursday 8 a.m.: "Locked. Good luck." plus the leaderboard link.
That arc fills most pools without you DMing people from the couch at Augusta.
You're not customer support for Tier 4 strategy. "Who should I pick?" is not your problem. Point them at the tier list.
Create your pool, copy the code, send the first message. Deadline details are in our pick lock guide. Office-specific copy is in the office pool piece.
Ready to run your pool? Create the pool, copy the code, send it — players join free at moneylistgolf.us/join.
Create a friends pool