Golf club websites: tee times, visitors and members
Short answer: A golf club website has three jobs: sell visitor tee times, win society and group outings, and send members quickly to the booking system they already use. Those are three separate journeys, and the homepage should split them in the first screen. The tee sheet itself stays in your club management software; the website's work is to present green fees clearly, link to the right booking page for each audience and make society enquiries painless.
Three audiences, three journeys
| Audience | What they want | Where they should end up |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors (tourists, day-trippers, members of other clubs) | Available times, green fee for that day, course information, directions | Visitor booking page with online payment |
| Societies and groups | Dates available, group rates, food packages, who to talk to | Society page with packages and an enquiry or event-booking form |
| Members | Book a tee time or a competition, quickly | Member login or app, one tap from the homepage |
Members visit most often but need the least from the website. Visitors and societies bring in green-fee income and need the most persuasion. Design for them, and keep members' route short and obvious.
Page plan
Homepage
Three clear buttons near the top: "Book a tee time" (visitors), "Society outings" and "Member login". Below that: a strong course photo, the course in two sentences (parkland or links, par, signature hole), and today's course status if your team updates it ("Course open, buggies allowed", "Temporary greens on 4 and 11"). An out-of-date course status is worse than none, so only show it if someone owns it.
Visitor green fees and booking
Show green fees as a simple table by day and season, plus twilight or early-bird rates if you offer them. If your software adjusts visitor rates by demand, say "rates vary by time; see live prices when booking" so the table doesn't contradict the booking engine.
Club software typically provides the booking engine. BRS Golf, which says on its app listing that it powers more than 1,500 clubs across the UK and Ireland, describes its visitor booking module as allowing visitors to book and pre-pay for casual tee times and open competitions online, integrated into the club website with your logo, with the club controlling which times visitors can see and blocking off member times. It also mentions dynamic pricing for visitor rates and golf-and-food packages.
Practical points for this page:
- Link straight to the visitor booking page, not to a generic software homepage.
- State what's included (buggy hire, range balls) and what's extra.
- Add handicap and dress-code requirements in one short paragraph.
- Put directions, Eircode and parking on the same page.
Open competitions
Opens are a strong source of visitors. BRS lists capturing the player's club, handicap and CDH number at the time of booking for open competitions, which saves the competition secretary chasing details later. Give opens their own page listing dates and format, with each linked to its booking page.
Society and group outings
Societies decide on a few things: dates, price per head, food, and whether the club is easy to deal with. The society page should offer:
- packages laid out clearly (golf only, golf and meal, golf with tea or coffee on arrival)
- group size limits and the days societies are accepted
- photos of the clubhouse and dining room
- a form asking for preferred dates, group size, package and contact details, or a direct booking route if your software has a group or event-booking page
BRS's help centre lists a separate golf event booking link alongside member and visitor links, so check whether your system can take society bookings directly before building a form.
Member area
One link or button labelled "Member login" in the header on every page, plus a mention of the member app if your software offers one. The BRS Golf Members App listing, for example, mentions booking casual and competition play, seeing who's playing and which times are free, entering competitions or joining waiting lists, and club messages. Don't rebuild any of this on your website; link to it.
Course, clubhouse and membership pages
Hole-by-hole guide with yardages and a photo of each hole, clubhouse and catering opening hours, and a membership page with categories and a "become a member" enquiry form. Membership enquiries often come from people who first visited as society guests, so link this page from the society confirmation email.
Booking flow, step by step (visitor)
- Visitor taps "Book a tee time" on the homepage.
- Lands on the visitor booking page (on your software provider's booking engine, styled with your logo).
- Picks date, time and number of players; sees the price for that slot.
- Pays online and receives an email confirmation.
- Gets a reminder before the day with directions, parking and dress code.
- After the round, receives a thank-you email with a society or membership link.
BRS's help centre lists the exact visitor, member, open competition and availability links clubs can place on their own website, a useful checklist for making sure every button points at the right page. Other club systems offer similar links; ask your provider for the full list.
FAQ
Should we embed the booking engine or link to it?
Linking to the provider's styled booking page is usually more reliable than embedding it in a frame, especially on phones. Use clear button labels so the jump feels expected.
Can we show live tee time availability on our homepage?
Some systems offer an availability page or widget. Check what your provider supports; otherwise, a clear "See available times" button does the job.
How do we stop visitors booking member-only times?
That's set in the club software, not the website. Your provider's settings control which times are open to visitors.
Do we need our own app?
Rarely. If your club software has a member app, promote it; your website should focus on visitors, societies and membership enquiries.
If your homepage still makes visitors hunt for green fees and the booking link, send us your club's website and we'll suggest a simpler layout.