Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

We collect information you provide when creating an account, saving a golfer profile, joining a group, applying to become a Guide, posting or joining a round, sending messages, or contacting us. This can include your name and display name, sign-in and notification email addresses, optional phone number, general location, optional full address and birthdate, GHIN and handicap details, golf preferences, favorite courses, membership cards and expiration dates, optional photo or selected cartoon avatar, and visitor questionnaire answers. Providing a handicap does not mean we independently verify it or collect a continuous score history.

Guide applications include identity and membership-card documents for private verification. Booking and support records may include round details, attendance confirmations, cancellation answers, course receipts, transaction identifiers, amounts, statuses, and communications. Forwarded tee-time emails include their body and reservation details; forward only information needed to create the listing and avoid unrelated personal or payment information.

Our hosting, authentication, and service providers may process technical information such as IP addresses, browser and device information, session identifiers, and diagnostic logs. Authentication and saved preferences use cookies or browser storage. Browser push opt-in records include a device subscription endpoint and technical keys needed to deliver alerts.

2. Location information

You may provide a general city or region. If you choose the browser location feature and grant permission, geographic coordinates are used to find nearby rounds and calculate distances. You can decline or revoke location permission in your browser. Full addresses and precise coordinates are not displayed in golfer rosters or public profiles. Saved search alert radii use the Myrtle Beach search area rather than storing your browser location as their center.

3. Why we use information

We use information to authenticate accounts, maintain profiles and memberships, verify Guide applications, coordinate groups and tee times, show relevant courses and rounds, process test transactions and refund workflows, maintain financial records, deliver requested notifications, respond to support requests, prevent misuse, and comply with legal obligations. Guide approval is a limited document-review process, not a background check, handicap certification, or guarantee of conduct or safety.

4. What other golfers can see

Public tee-time search is available without signing in. Private-group listings in public search show limited listing information, not private conversations or a full member roster. Private-group directories may show group names, descriptions, and member counts.

Authorized private-group roster viewers can see the permitted member details: display name, shared city/region, preferred tee box, calculated age, golf tone, main playing style, optional profile photo or avatar, favorite courses, membership cards, and private golf club names. Code-based members awaiting administrator approval have limited group and roster access; approval is required to post, join tee times, or participate in group chat. Full addresses, birthdates, emails, phone numbers, GHIN details, and visitor questionnaire answers are not part of this roster.

Public profile sharing is off by default and has two separate choices. The basic option shares only your display name and city/region in public groups where you are an active member. The full-profile option separately shares your display name, city/region, profile photo or avatar, preferred tee box, calculated age, golf tone, playing style, and favorite courses with people viewing those public groups. Local membership cards and private golf club names are not shown publicly. Handicap index and self-described golf skill level are shown only if you separately opt in to share those details. Your GHIN number, full address, birthdate, contact details, and visitor questionnaire answers remain private. You can turn either option off and save your profile at any time. Information already viewed or copied by others may remain outside our control.

Private-group invite requests share your display name, general location, and notification email with group administrators only after your consent for that request. Your email lets them reply. Group messages are visible to authorized group participants; tee-time conversations are limited to the organizer and confirmed app golfers. Cancellation notices share the organizer’s course-notification answer, reason, and any explanation with signed-up golfers. Avoid unnecessary medical or other sensitive details in these messages. Course receipts are private to the requesting golfer and site owner.

5. Service providers and other disclosures

We do not sell your personal information. We share information as needed with providers supporting the Website, including Clerk for authentication, Replit for hosting and private file storage, Resend for email delivery and incoming tee-time email processing, Stripe for payment and Connect onboarding services, and mapping and course-information providers such as Google Maps/Places. Those providers process information under their own applicable terms and privacy notices. Map and other external resources may receive technical information when loaded.

Payment-card and bank details entered in Stripe-hosted checkout or onboarding are processed by Stripe; the Website does not store raw card numbers or bank credentials. We retain relevant payment references and statuses. Test mode does not move real money; do not enter real payment credentials into test flows. SMS service providers such as Twilio are not currently used to deliver Website text alerts.

We may disclose information when legally required, to respond to valid legal process, investigate fraud or abuse, protect rights and safety, or resolve disputes. If the business is transferred, relevant information may transfer subject to applicable law and appropriate notice.

6. Notifications, cookies, and your choices

You can edit profile and notification details in My Golfer Profile, choose available email alerts, and opt into or disable browser push on each device. A phone number is optional and may be saved for future text notifications; supplying it alone does not activate SMS or authorize future marketing texts. Browser settings control cookies, location, and push permissions; blocking essential authentication storage may prevent sign-in. Transactional or security notices may still be needed to operate your account. This policy is a notice, not a substitute for consent where consent is required.

7. Retention, access, corrections, and deletion

You can review and correct your profile yourself while signed in, and manage sign-in details in your account settings. If you cannot correct information yourself, you can request account deletion. Inside your golfer profile, select the “My data & privacy” link to generate a standard JSON copy of application-held account data or submit a request for additional access or full-account deletion. This request form does not offer staff edits to personal information you supplied. Requests and exports require a verified primary sign-in email. The standard export includes your profile and your own activity and financial references; it excludes other golfers’ account records and messages, passwords, security credentials, raw private files, and data held only by outside providers. Your own authored message text is included as submitted. You can request an assisted copy of excluded personal information where appropriate. Exports are delivered directly to your signed-in browser without a stored export file or shared link; store downloaded files securely.

We keep a private request register containing your account identifier, verified request email, request details, timestamps, response target, status, and response history. It is available to you while your account is active and to the site owner. Export-generation records do not confirm that a file was saved on your device. Status notifications are queued for your verified request email and new requests are brought to support’s attention; the register shows if a notice is pending or could not be sent. In development, notices remain queued rather than being emailed. A 30-day operational response target is not a legal guarantee or a substitute for applicable deadlines; target changes and reasons are recorded. We retain minimal request history after account closure to document the handling of your request. Contact support if you cannot sign in or need help exercising a privacy right.

The separate profile-only deletion request is reviewed by an administrator and removes your golfer profile and private selfie from active storage when fulfilled; it does not by itself delete your sign-in account. That pending profile-only request contains your account identifier and submission time and is removed when fulfilled. Full-account deletion is a separate owner action with confirmation and checks for unresolved bookings and billing. We may retain necessary records or explain an applicable exception rather than remove every record, and we will respond as required by applicable law.

Account removal can remove login, profile, and group access while preserving tee-time, conversation, transaction, refund, dispute, and legal or accounting history where needed. Separate booking records retain account and booking identifiers, round details, accepted terms, event times, amounts, statuses, and payment references rather than copies of private profile fields. No fixed automatic deletion period is configured for these records. Retention depends on the service purpose and applicable obligations; deleting a profile does not erase every historical interaction.

Guide verification documents are private to the submitting Guide and authorized reviewers. Unattached uploads are scheduled for deletion after 24 hours. Unreviewed submissions expire after 30 days; rejected documents are scheduled for deletion 30 days after the decision and approved documents 90 days after approval. Scheduled cleanup removes due files from active private storage, with outcomes recorded. Replacing or removing a saved selfie removes the old file from active storage. App Storage deletion has no app-accessible recovery window; this statement makes no claim about a provider’s internal disaster-recovery systems.

Depending on applicable law, you may have additional rights to access, correct, delete, or obtain a copy of information, or object to or limit particular processing. These rights may have legal exceptions. Contact us using the support email below; do not send identity documents through a public group message.

8. Security and external websites

We use safeguards including HTTPS, authenticated access, and restricted private-document access to reduce unauthorized use or disclosure. No system or internet transmission is completely secure. Protect your password and devices, share group codes carefully, and report suspected misuse. Third-party websites linked from the Website operate under their own policies.

9. Children and policy updates

The Website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly seek their personal information. Contact us if you believe a child has provided information so we can review and take appropriate action. We will publish policy changes here with an updated date and provide additional notice or seek consent when required by law.

10. Contact the Company

For compliance questions or data access requests, email support@localgolfbuddy.com.

Related policies: Terms of Service and Payment, Cancellation & Refund Policy.

This development policy should be reviewed by qualified legal counsel before live payment services launch.