One National Club Golfer columnist describes about 500 members "perched on their phones waiting for the exact second the tee times go live". If your Saturday sheet fills inside a minute and the complaints reach the office by Monday, the rules are the problem, and the committee can change them.
Fastest finger first happens when every golfer can book the same tee times from the same second. A fair booking system spreads out who can book when, keeps a few tee times aside for members, and hands cancellations to whoever has waited longest. The committee can agree all of it on one page of minutes.
Why does everyone race to book at the same time?
Because one release moment opens the most wanted tee times to the whole club at once. If every member can book Saturday from the same second, the quickest phone wins and the rest find a full sheet.
Demand for a Saturday morning is fixed, so the rules can't make more tee times. What they can change is how many golfers arrive at the same moment, and what happens to a tee time that frees up later. The same columnist writes elsewhere about one group getting the same 09:00 tee time "for the fifth consecutive week". Members read that as unfair even when every rule was followed, which is why the rules also have to be visible.
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What makes a tee booking system fair?
Members call a booking system fair when they can see how it works and when no group of golfers has a head start they can't get. In practice that comes down to five rules:
- Members book further ahead than visitors.
- Membership categories open on different days, so the whole club doesn't arrive at once.
- A few tee times that matter most are kept for members.
- A cancelled tee time goes to the waiting list in the order golfers joined it.
- The rules are written down where members can read them.
You don't need all five. Start with the first two: they cut the number of golfers chasing the same tee time at the same second.
How far ahead should members and visitors book?
Give members a longer window than visitors, so members have first pick of each day before visitors can book it. For example, members a fortnight ahead and visitors a week ahead. Pick the numbers that match how far ahead your members plan.
The gap between the two numbers is the part that matters. With members at 14 days and visitors at 7, members see next Saturday a week before visitors do. A visitor booking on Tuesday takes what members left, rather than racing them for it.
In Tuvabook, each course has two settings: the booking windows (the earliest a golfer can book before tee off, and how far ahead anyone can book) and the member priority window, which stops visitors booking beyond a set number of days. Set the priority window equal to the maximum to switch it off.
Can different categories book at different times?
Yes, and it breaks up the rush. If full members open at 14 days, five-day members at 10 and visitors at 7, three smaller groups arrive on three different days instead of one large group on one day.
Think about who plays when. Weekday-only categories rarely want Saturday, so a shorter window costs them little. Seniors who play midweek may not mind either. The categories who fight over weekend mornings are the ones to keep apart.
Explain the order in the subs or category terms, so members joining know what they are buying. A five-day member who finds out about a shorter window from the booking screen will feel short-changed, however reasonable the rule is.
In Tuvabook, a membership category can carry its own priority booking window. Leave it blank and the category uses the course default. A category's window can't go past the course maximum.
How do you keep weekend mornings for members?
Mark the tee times that matter most as members-only, for example Saturday and Sunday from 07:00 until 10:00. Visitors can book the rest of the day, and members always have a block of the morning to aim for.
Keep the block as short as you can defend. A long members-only morning can leave tee times empty on a quiet weekend, and empty tee times are green fees the club didn't take. Start with the busiest two or three hours and review after a season.
In Tuvabook, Members' times on the course's Settings tab do this. Only members can book those tee times online, and visitors don't see them in the app, the widget or your booking page. A member whose category doesn't cover that day, such as a five-day member on a Saturday, can't book them either. Staff can still book anyone in from the tee sheet.
Who should get a tee time when someone cancels?
The golfer who has waited longest, with a short head start before the rest of the waiting list can claim it. Otherwise the cancelled tee time goes to whoever happens to refresh the sheet first, which is fastest finger first all over again.
Ask golfers to cancel as early as they can. A cancellation the night before gives the waiting list time to fill the tee time. A cancellation at 07:00 on the day is much harder to fill.
In Tuvabook, cancelled places are held for the waiting list and every waiting golfer whose party fits is told. The golfer at the front can claim straight away, and everyone else once the head start for first in line has passed. If nobody claims inside the waiting list claim window, the places go back on sale. Close to the tee time the head start shortens, so the rest of the list still gets a fair chance. The pro shop can also hold the free places for one waiting golfer, from the Waiting list page or the staff app.
Should your club run a ballot?
Only for a morning that still fills in seconds once your windows, members-only times and waiting list are in place. Some clubs run one for Saturday: members enter during the week, the committee or the office draws the groups, and the office books them in.
A ballot is fair in a way a booking window can't be, because speed counts for nothing. It also takes more of the office's week, and members only find out their tee time after the draw. Members who like to plan ahead can find that harder to live with than an early start on their phone.
If you run one, publish when entries close, when the draw happens and where the results go. A ballot members can't see run soon gets called a stitch-up.
A ballot is something the club runs itself. In Tuvabook, you can hold the ballot tee times off the online sheet with Block tee times on the tee sheet, using the Members only reason, while entries are open. After the draw, remove the block with Edit block and book each group in from Bookings › New booking.
What should you tell members?
Tell them once, in plain words, before the new rules start. A rule members can read on the notice board is easier to defend than one they hear about second hand at the bar.
Members can book [14] days ahead. Visitors can book [7] days ahead.
Tee times on [Saturday and Sunday from 07:00 until 10:00] are for members only.
Add if your club offers it:
- Each membership category's own booking window
- How the waiting list works when someone cancels
- How and when the ballot is drawn
- The phone number for booking through the pro shop
If you're also asking visitors to pay when they book, our guide to taking payment for tee times online covers who pays what. For choosing booking software, see what to look for in golf club booking software, or browse more booking guides.
See your rules on a real tee sheet
Bring three numbers to the demo: how far ahead members book, how far ahead visitors book, and the morning that fills fastest. In the 30-minute demo we'll set them on a course and show the tee sheet working with your rules, so the committee sees the result before anyone votes. Read more about how Tuvabook works for members' clubs, or book your demo.
Common questions
What is fastest finger first in golf booking?
It's when the most wanted tee times go to whoever books quickest at the moment they're released. It happens when every golfer can book the same tee times from the same second.
How do you make tee booking fair for members?
Give members a longer booking window than visitors, stagger windows by membership category, and keep set times such as weekend mornings for members. Then publish the rules so members know how it works.
Does a waiting list help with fairness?
Yes. A waiting list gives a cancelled tee time to the golfer who joined first, rather than to whoever refreshes the sheet at the right moment.
Is a ballot fairer than a booking window?
A ballot takes speed out of it, so nobody wins by being quickest. It takes more of the office's time and members only learn their tee time after the draw, so it suits the one morning that still fills in seconds.