Your members already pay for their golf. They pay it in their subs, or at the member rate in the pro shop, and nothing about taking payment for tee times online needs to change that. The change lands on the visitor who books Saturday's 10:20 and doesn't turn up, and on the phone that rings forty times before lunch.
This guide is for the secretary or general manager whose committee hears "pay online" and pictures a member being charged for a round they've always played on their subs. Payment at booking is a set of settings. Here they are, in order, with the words to use in the subs letter.
The short version
- Members book inside their own window and pay what they pay now: nothing extra if the round is in their subs, the member rate if it isn't.
- Guests and visitors pay in full when they book, by Apple Pay, Google Pay or card, into the club's own account.
- A visitor who doesn't turn up has already paid for the tee time.
- The pro shop still takes phone and walk-in bookings, on the same tee sheet.
Three groups of golfer, three answers
Every club has the same three groups. Settle what each one pays before you touch a setting, and the committee conversation gets much shorter.
| Golfer | What they pay at booking | Where you set it |
|---|---|---|
| Member, round included in subs | Nothing. Checkout reads "Included with your membership" | Membership categories > Course access > Green fees included |
| Member, round not included | The member rate, the price they pay in the shop today | Pricing > rate rule for Members only |
| Guest or visitor | The full green fee, plus any extras they add | Booking option base price, plus rate rules for Visitors only |
A member who brings two guests pays for the guests at checkout. The member's own round is covered; the guests pay the normal green fee, as you charge at the counter now. Societies are the fourth group, and each golfer pays for their own place when they register; we've set that out in golf society bookings, paid up front.
Set the member window first
The member window is the setting your members will notice most, so do it first and talk about it most.
On each course, set your booking windows: the earliest a golfer can book before tee off, and how far ahead anyone can book. Then set the member priority window, so visitors can only book up to a certain number of days out. Members see the dates beyond it; visitors don't. If your members book 14 days ahead and visitors 7, that's two numbers on the course settings.
Some categories get longer. Under Membership categories, each category can carry its own priority booking window. Leave it blank and the category uses the course default. Five-day members, country members and juniors can each sit on their own window if your club already works that way.
Tell the app what each category includes
Open each category and go to Course access.
- Choose Unlimited for members who play as often as they like, or A set number to cap rounds per month or year.
- Tick Green fees included for categories whose subs cover their golf.
- Choose whether included rounds apply any time they can book or on full access days only. A five-day category gets its weekday rounds included and nothing on Saturday.
On a capped category, the app counts each booked round against the allowance and tells the member how many are left. The member taps Book, sees "Included with your membership" where the green fee would be, and pays nothing.
Price visitors by time and season
Each booking option, such as 18 holes or a twilight round, carries a base green fee. Rate rules in Pricing change it for certain days, times, seasons, or member status.
A typical set for a members' club:
- Weekday visitor: Visitors only, Monday to Friday.
- Weekend visitor: Visitors only, Saturday and Sunday, at a higher price.
- Twilight: Everyone, from 4pm, between your summer season dates.
- Members rate: Members only, for categories without included golf.
If two rules could match the same tee time, give one a higher priority and it wins. Promo codes sit on top for a quiet Tuesday morning, as a percentage or an amount off, with an end date and a cap on redemptions if you want them.
Write the cancellation rule you'd defend at the bar
Under Settings > Booking rules, set your cancellation cut-off: how close to tee time a golfer can still cancel. Before it, golfers move or cancel their own booking in the app, inside the rules you set, and the tee time goes back on the sheet. After it, the booking stands. The visitor who stays in bed has paid.
Pick a number you'd happily explain to a regular visitor. The office can always make an exception: open the booking, click Cancel, and we refund through Stripe, keeping a deposit if you type one in. Weather days are easier too. Close the course from Course status and work through the affected bookings from one list.
Add the extras and switch on the waitlist
Under Add-ons, add buggy hire, trolleys or club rental with a price per unit and a max per booking. Golfers add them before they pay, so the buggy is paid for and booked against your stock before anyone reaches the clubhouse. If you have six buggies, put them in a rental pool and the app won't sell a seventh.
The waitlist needs no setup beyond the claim window in Booking rules. Golfers join it on a full tee time. If someone cancels, the time goes back on the sheet and we notify the next golfer in line automatically, with the claim window you set in Booking rules to take it.
Tell the members before anyone else does
Most of the fear around payment at booking comes from members hearing about it second hand. Put it in the subs letter or on the notice board, once, in plain words. Lift this version and change the numbers:
Booking your golf from [month]
You can now book tee times in the club app or on our website, any time of day. Members book [14] days ahead; visitors can only book [7] days ahead, so the best times stay with you.
Nothing changes in what you pay. If your membership includes your golf, the app shows "Included with your membership" and you pay nothing. If it doesn't, you pay the member rate, the same as in the shop today. If you bring guests, you pay their green fee when you book.
You can still ring the pro shop or book at the counter, as you always have.
Visitors now pay when they book, which keeps Saturday mornings full and the green fees in the club's account.
Members don't have to download anything. The club's app and the website booking page feed the same tee sheet, so a member who would rather book on a laptop can.
The first Saturday
By Friday evening the tee sheet already knows who has paid. Visitor times show as paid in full through Stripe. Members on included categories show their round covered. Golfers get a day-before reminder by push and email, so the 7:30 fourball knows it's the 7:30.
On the morning, open Tee sheet and choose Arrivals. Search by the lead golfer or a guest, then Check in group as they come through the door, or check players in one at a time. A finished group shows All checked in. Nobody queues at the counter to pay a green fee, because the green fees were paid on Tuesday night.
If a visitor fourball never appears, flag it with the No-show toggle on the booking. The money is already in your account.
foreUP, a US tee sheet company, published figures in September 2021 from its own courses: a 95.37% show rate where online payment was required, and 81.97% where it wasn't. It's American data from 2021, and it points the way every club secretary already suspects.
The pro shop keeps the phone
Visitors book themselves at 10pm on a Tuesday. The calls that remain come from members who like to ring, and those are calls worth taking.
Staff take those bookings from New booking in Bookings, on the same tee sheet as everything else. Pick the tee time, choose Existing golfer or Guest, then choose how they're paying:
- Pay on arrival books it now and marks it unpaid, so the desk knows to take the money on the day.
- Send payment link emails the golfer a link to pay online, useful for a visitor who rings.
- Paid externally records cash, the card machine, a bank transfer or the member's account.
At the counter, click a booking on the tee sheet and a side panel opens with who's playing and what's owed. Take payment shows the amount. The panel stays open while the golfer is still in front of you.
The money from online bookings goes into the club's own Stripe account and pays out to your bank on Stripe's schedule. Golfers never pay a booking fee on top. Tuvabook is £149 a month for a single club, with no setup fee, and you can see what's included on the pricing page. If you're comparing systems more widely, our guide to golf club booking software sets out what to look for.
Common questions
Will members have to pay to book a tee time?
Only what they pay today. A category with Green fees included shows "Included with your membership" at checkout and costs nothing. A category without it pays the member rate you set, the same price as the pro shop.
Can members still book by phone?
Yes. Staff book on behalf of any golfer from the dashboard, on the same tee sheet, and can mark the booking pay on arrival or paid to the member's account.
How do we stop visitors taking the best member times?
Set the member priority window on each course. Visitors can only book up to that number of days out, while members see the full booking window. Categories can carry their own longer window too.
What happens if a visitor doesn't turn up?
They've already paid, so the green fee is in your account. After your cancellation cut-off, the booking stands. You can flag it as a no-show on the booking.
Where does the green fee money go?
Into your club's own Stripe account, then out to your bank on Stripe's payout schedule. We never hold your funds.
How long does it take to set up online payment for tee times?
We move your tee sheet, prices and members across for you, and clubs are live within three weeks of signing.
Set your member window on the call
Book a 30-minute call with us and bring two numbers: how many days ahead your members book, and what you charge a weekend visitor. We'll set the member window and visitor prices for your course live on the call, so you can show the committee your own tee sheet working before anyone votes. Book your call here.