How can we help?
Everything you need to know about rivalries, leagues, scoring, and your handicap.
RIVL is a season-long golf rivalry app. Challenge friends to head-to-head matches, run a private league with your regular crew, or compete in Global League games against golfers anywhere. You play your own rounds wherever you tee it up — RIVL tracks the competition across the whole season.
Yes — a handicap index is required to use RIVL. All competition is handicap-adjusted, so a valid index from an integrated system is needed to create an account and compete.
U.S. golfers connect a USGA Handicap ID. Canadian golfers connect a Golf Canada SCORE handicap. Both systems are fully integrated at launch.
Support for additional national handicap systems is coming soon. If your country isn't listed yet, sign up at rivlgolfmatch.com to be notified when your region is supported.
Yes — RIVL is free to download and the core rivalry experience is free. The free tier includes:
- Up to 2 active head-to-head matches
- Join 1 private league
- Join 1 Global League game
- Unlimited rivals, score posting, and self-challenges
RIVL Premium unlocks unlimited matches, leagues, Global League games, and full season history.
At launch, RIVL is available to golfers in the United States (USGA) and Canada (Golf Canada SCORE). A valid handicap index from one of these integrated systems is required to create an account.
Support for additional countries and national handicap systems is coming soon. Sign up at rivlgolfmatch.com to be notified when your region is supported.
You challenge a rival and a season begins. Both players post rounds they're already playing — wherever and whenever. Every round you post moves the match. RIVL tracks the head-to-head across every round all season, handicap-adjusted so it's competitive no matter the skill difference. There's no need to play together — your scores are compared from wherever you each tee it up.
RIVL supports two scoring modes depending on the format:
Gross scoring uses your raw stroke count adjusted for course difficulty via the score differential — so scores from harder or easier courses are fairly comparable.
Net scoring goes one step further — it takes the score differential and also factors in your handicap index, levelling the competition between golfers of different skill levels. A 5-handicap and an 18-handicap can have a genuinely competitive season no matter where they each play.
In both cases, RIVL reads your rounds and handicap index directly from your connected handicap system — no manual input required.
Free tier:Free 2 active matches at a time.
Premium:Premium Unlimited active matches.
Rivals — the people you're connected with — are never limited. Only active match seasons count toward the cap.
Completely fine — that's the whole point. RIVL is built for golfers who don't live near each other. Each player posts rounds from wherever they play. The course rating and differential system accounts for course difficulty, so your scores are always comparable regardless of where you each teed it up.
A match is 1v1 — you vs. one rival, tracked all season. A league is a group — your whole crew on a shared leaderboard with standings that update every time someone posts a round. You can be in a match and a league at the same time.
League creation requires RIVL Premium.Premium Once subscribed, tap Create League from the home screen, set a name and format, and RIVL generates a join code. Share the code with anyone you want to add — they can join directly from the app. No spreadsheets, no group text coordination needed.
Yes — joining one league is free.Free This lets you experience a full season-long format before deciding whether to upgrade. Joining a second (or more) league requires Premium.
Clubs and brands can run official hosted leagues on RIVL. A host creates the league and shares a unique join code with their members or audience. Players join using the code, post rounds, and compete on a branded leaderboard. If your club or golf association has a RIVL join code, enter it under Join a League in the app.
The Global League is always-on competition with golfers across RIVL. Games run in weekly, monthly, and season-long formats with different scoring types. You join a game, post rounds you're already playing, and compete on a shared leaderboard — no rivals needed to get started.
Games run on four durations — 1-week sprints, 4-week, 6-week, and full season (~13 weeks). Each game uses one of three scoring types:
- Gross — your stroke count adjusted for course difficulty (score differential)
- Net — score differential further adjusted by your handicap index
- Differential — your raw score differential (lower is better)
In multi-week games, only your single best round each week counts. Your season total is the sum of each week's best.
A missed week scores as zero, which is added to your running total. Posting at least one round every week is the best strategy — consistency is rewarded in multi-week formats.
No — each game has a hard enrollment cutoff. Once enrollment closes, you wait for the next game of that format to open. Games run on a rolling basis so there's always something starting soon. Enrollment windows are shown clearly on every game card.
During onboarding, tap Connect Handicap and enter your Handicap ID and last name. RIVL verifies your membership and links your account. Once connected, RIVL reads your rounds and handicap index directly from your home country handicap system — your scores are always current without any manual entry.
During onboarding, tap Connect Handicap and enter your Golf Canada member number and last name. RIVL verifies your membership and links your account. Once connected, RIVL reads your rounds and handicap index directly from your home country handicap system — your scores are always current without any manual entry.
RIVL reads your rounds directly from your connected handicap system. Any round you post through your club automatically appears in RIVL — no separate entry needed. Your handicap index is also read directly from your handicap system and stays current.
RIVL reads your rounds directly from your connected handicap system. Any round you post through your club automatically appears in RIVL — no separate entry needed. Your handicap index is also read directly from your handicap system and stays current.
Go to Settings → Handicap → Disconnect. This stops all data access immediately. RIVL will no longer read rounds or handicap data from your handicap system. Any rounds already in your handicap system are unaffected — contact your national golf association directly to manage those records.
Go to Settings → Handicap → Disconnect. This stops all data access immediately. RIVL will no longer read rounds or handicap data from your handicap system. Any rounds already in your handicap system are unaffected — contact your national golf association directly to manage those records.
- Unlimited active head-to-head matches
- Join unlimited leagues
- Create and run your own leagues
- Unlimited Global League games simultaneously
- Full season history and stats
Pricing is shown in your local currency in the App Store. RIVL Premium is available as a monthly or annual subscription — the annual plan offers the best value.
Subscriptions are managed through your Apple ID. View or cancel at any time in iOS Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions.
Go to Settings → Subscription → Restore Purchases. As long as you're signed in with the same Apple ID, your Premium status restores automatically. If you're still having trouble, email us at support@rivlgolfmatch.com.