Your club probably has a no-show rule already. It sits in the members' handbook, and the committee can't say how many no-shows there were last month or who had them. One golfer on the Golf Monthly forum wrote in 2013 that their club ran spot checks now and then, but they'd "not heard of any punishments handed out".
A golf club no-show policy works when it answers four questions in writing: what counts as a no-show, how much notice a member must give, what happens on the first, second and third time, and who records it. Settle each one like this, with wording your committee can adopt as it stands.
What counts as a no-show?
A no-show is a member who booked a tee time and didn't turn up, or who cancelled too late for anyone else to use it. Write both into the policy, because the late cancellation is the one members argue about.
One Surrey club's published 2023 policy is a good model. Members cancel online at least 24 hours ahead. A cancellation on the day counts as a no-show, "outside of course closures or extreme weather", because the tee time is unlikely to be used. The policy also lists reasons it won't accept, including "It was raining and I didn't want to play".
Decide three things before the committee meeting:
- The exceptions. Course closures and extreme weather are the usual two. Illness and family emergencies are better handled at the first step of the ladder than written as exceptions.
- Group bookings. Say whose name a group no-show goes against. The same Surrey club puts it against the member the booking is assigned to.
- Part of a group. If two of a fourball turn up, only the two missing golfers are no-shows.
Tuvabook records it the same way. On a booking, the No-show toggle marks every golfer who hasn't checked in, and the booking counts as a no-show only when every golfer on it is one. To mark one golfer, use No-show next to their name.
How much notice should members give?
Pick a cut-off long enough that a freed tee time can still be filled. The Surrey club uses 24 hours. Whatever you pick, put the same number in the policy and in your booking settings, so what members read and what the club's app allows are the same.
In Tuvabook, the cancellation cut-off is how close to tee time a golfer can still cancel. Before it, members cancel themselves in the club's app. A golfer without the app, such as a visitor the pro shop booked by phone, gets a link in their confirmation email instead. After it, neither the app nor the link will cancel the booking, so a member has to ring the pro shop, and the policy decides what that call means. Once you set a cut-off, the confirmation email tells golfers what it is ("Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your start time"), so nobody can say they weren't told.
A member who cancels in time hands the tee time to someone else. The freed places are held for the waiting list, and the golfer at the front can claim them first. That's the outcome the policy is there to protect.
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What should happen after a no-show?
Use a ladder with three steps, and keep the first one friendly. A member who forgot needs a polite email. The Surrey club's ladder runs:
- First no-show: an email reminding the member of their obligation to their playing partners, with the chance to give a valid reason.
- Second no-show: a formal warning that lists both no-shows and says what happens if there's a third.
- Third no-show: a conversation with the club, which may lead to further sanctions. This is where your committee writes its own sanction.
In the same 2013 thread, one golfer said no-shows at their club without a very good excuse were "banned for 2 comps". Your committee may prefer a few weeks without weekend booking. Whatever you choose, write the length down. Set a period after which strikes drop off, such as 12 months, so one bad spring doesn't follow a member for years.
Let a good reason end it at the first step. The committee decides the third step case by case. The ladder makes the first two steps routine for the office, and the committee only sees the members who reach the third.
Who records no-shows, and where?
The pro shop or the starter records them, on the day, against the booking. A policy that depends on someone remembering on Monday will lapse within a month. Agree who marks them, when (once a group's tee time has gone), and who can clear a mark made by mistake.
In Tuvabook, the desk picks No-show from More beside a golfer's name, and the first tee can do the same in the Tuvabook Staff app with Mark no-show. Both write the same record, and Check in all on the next group leaves out anyone marked as a no-show. A mistake is undone with Clear no-show in the staff app, or by switching the No-show toggle off on the booking.
The secretary then sends the first-step emails from the week's no-shows and keeps a short log for the ladder: date, tee time, member, reason and which letter went out.
How does the committee check the policy is working?
Look at the numbers once a month, before the committee meets. Open Analytics and the Tee sheet tab.
- No-shows sits beside rounds played and cancellations for the dates you pick. Tick Compare to previous period to see whether it moved after the policy started.
- Cancellations groups cancellations by how much notice golfers gave, with how many were rebooked by someone else. If cancellations close to your cut-off are rarely rebooked, your cut-off is too short.
- In the staff app, staff who can see analytics find the no-show rate under Club > Analytics for today, the week or the month.
With those numbers in front of it, the committee can decide. If no-shows fall and late cancellations get rebooked, leave the policy alone. If not, change the cut-off before you toughen the sanctions.
Does the policy cover visitors too?
No: write visitors out of it. A visitor who books online pays the green fee as they book, so a visitor no-show has already paid. The committee's policy is for members, whose golf is usually included in their subs. If visitor no-shows are your bigger problem, our guide to taking payment for tee times online covers the settings and the cancellation wording for visitors.
Policy wording you can adopt
This works with any booking system. Change the three parts in brackets, and publish it where members will see it: the notice board, the members' area and the subs letter.
Please cancel at least [24 hours] before your tee time. A later cancellation counts as a no-show, and so does not turning up, unless the course is closed or the weather stops play.
First no-show: we'll email you, and you can tell us if something stopped you coming. Second no-show within [12 months]: a formal warning. Third: the committee will contact you and may [suspend weekend booking for four weeks].
Add if your club offers it:
- How to cancel online, and the pro shop number for late changes.
- Whose name a group no-show goes against.
- How many days a member has to query a no-show.
How do you get members to accept it?
Start with a month where every no-show gets the first-step email and nothing more, so members see the policy working before anyone is sanctioned. Tell members why in one line: a tee time nobody uses is a tee time another member couldn't book.
If your club is choosing new booking software at the same time, our guide to golf club booking software sets out what to look for, and you'll find more on fair booking in the booking guides. For the tee sheet itself, see how the live tee sheet works.
Common questions
Should a late cancellation count as a no-show?
Yes, if it comes inside your cut-off, because the tee time is rarely filled that close to play. Make course closures and weather that stops play the exceptions, and deal with illness at the first step of the ladder.
What is a fair sanction for repeated no-shows?
Start with a reminder, then a formal warning, and sanction only at the third no-show. A short, written sanction such as four weeks without weekend booking is easier to apply than an open-ended one, and strikes should drop off after a set period.
How do we know who didn't turn up?
The pro shop checks golfers in on the tee sheet and marks anyone missing as a no-show, from the dashboard or the staff app. The day's no-shows show at the top of the tee sheet, and the monthly count is under Analytics › Tee sheet.