How rankings work
How we rank kids
Earlyboard ranks kids ages 6 to 12 from real, posted tournament scores. Every golfer is compared only with kids in the same age group, because each age group plays its own tees. A ranking has three parts.
Counts the most
1. Your score against the field
Every round is compared with the other kids who played the same course on the same day. If the whole field scores high, the course or the setup was tough, so a high score that day is not held against your child. Beating a strong field is worth more than beating a light one.
Counts some
2. Head to head
Each round is also a set of matchups. Your child gets a win for every kid they beat and a loss for every kid who beat them. This part counts less than the score against the field.
Counts the least
3. Where they finished
Finishing near the top of a big, strong field earns points. Bigger events earn more, from local tour days up to state invitationals, regionals, international events and the World Championship. Only the best five finishes of the year are kept.
What counts
- Only the last 12 months. Older rounds drop off.
- Recent rounds count more than older ones, so a kid who is getting better moves up.
- Local tour rounds count half as much as a state invitational, regional, international event or Worlds. A kid's worst few local rounds are left out, so one bad day does not set their rank.
- A kid whose whole year is local tour events sits a little lower until they play a bigger event.
- A kid needs 3 events to get a number, like Ranked No. 1. Everyone else with a score is still listed and shows up in search.
- U.S. Kids priority status is never used.
Where the scores come from
Every score is a real result posted publicly by U.S. Kids Golf. Right now that is 4,464 events and 19,995 golfers, through October 28, 2026. We do not make up or estimate scores. The Junior Tour by Under Armour posts season points instead of round scores, so those events are not part of the ranking yet.
Missing an event?
Send us a DM on Instagram at @earlyboardgolf with the event name and date, and we will add it. To remove or hide a child's listing, email remove@earlyboardgolf.com.