Golf Calcutta Rules
Players: Any field, usually teams
A Calcutta is an auction held before a tournament. Each team goes to the highest bidder, all bids form one pool, and the pool pays out to whoever owns the top-finishing teams. It is the classic night-before event at a member-guest.
Try the free Calcutta Calculator →How the auction runs
Teams are auctioned one at a time, usually the night before play starts. Whoever bids the most owns that team for the event. Every winning bid goes into a single pool.
Auction order matters: save the favorites for late once the room is warmed up, and let an auctioneer with some personality run it. The Calcutta is as much a party as a competition.
Payouts and the buy-back
A typical split pays the owners of the top finishers on a published schedule, for example 70/20/10 for first through third, or deeper splits for big fields. Publish the split before the first bid.
Most Calcuttas allow a buy-back: a team can purchase up to half of itself from its owner at the winning price, so players hold a stake in their own result. Decide the buy-back rule, and the deadline for it, before the auction starts.
Keeping it clean
The disputes always come from the same places: an unpublished payout split, a fuzzy buy-back rule, and nobody tracking who owns what. Record every bid, every owner, and every share as it happens, and post the standings live so the room can watch the places move.
Know your state
Calcutta legality varies by state. Some states permit them under a license or permit, some prohibit them outright, and many tolerate no-rake social pools among participants. This page is educational; check your state's rules and your club's counsel before running one.
If gambling is a problem for you or someone in your group, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Common questions
What is a Calcutta in golf?
A pre-tournament auction where each team is sold to the highest bidder. The bids form a pool that pays out to the owners of the top-finishing teams.
Are golf Calcuttas legal?
It varies by state: some permit them under a license, some prohibit them, and many tolerate no-rake social pools among participants. This page is educational; check your state's rules before running one.
What is a buy-back?
An option for a team to purchase a share of itself, commonly up to 50%, from its auction owner at the winning bid price. Set the rule and deadline before the auction.
How is a Calcutta paid out?
By finishing position on a split published before the auction. 70/20/10 across the top three is common; larger fields often pay more places or split by flight.
How does Skins Golf handle it?
Skins Golf records the auction, owners, and shares, and derives the Calcutta standings live from the real leaderboard. Results are tracked for reference; Skins Golf never handles funds.
Keep reading
In the app
Skins Golf scores it for you
Set it up once and Skins Golf scores it live, applies handicap allowances, and keeps the leaderboard current every hole. Skins Golf tracks results for reference only and never handles funds.